Acta physiologica Scandinavica
-
Acta Physiol. Scand. · Aug 1995
Endothelin infusion reduces hypoxic pulmonary hypertension in pigs in vivo.
Previous work has shown that the plasma levels of the potent vasoactive peptide endothelin (ET) are increased in pathophysiological conditions with increased pulmonary vascular resistance and it has been speculated that ET may play some part in hypoxic pulmonary hypertension. We have therefore evaluated the effects of ET-infusion in the porcine pulmonary circulation after hypoxia-induced hypertension. Pits under general anaesthesia were artificially ventilated through an endotracheal tube and hypoxia was induced by decreasing the fraction inhaled O2 from 0.21 to 0.10. ⋯ Infusion of ET-1 (25 ng kg-1 min-1) evoked a rapidly developing decrease in PVR and MPAP which was quickly normalized upon cessation of the ET-infusion. ET-1 infusion at this concentration did not per se influence the haemodynamic parameters during normoxia. It is concluded that in the pig, short-term ET-infusion reduces the pulmonary hypertension associated with acute hypoxia.
-
Acta Physiol. Scand. · Jul 1995
Prostacyclin aerosol and inhaled nitric oxide fail to reverse pulmonary vasoconstriction induced by thromboxane analogue in dogs.
Inhalation of either prostacyclin (PGI2) as an aerosol or nitric oxide (NO) has been shown to elicit selective pulmonary vasodilation during hypoxic pulmonary vasoconstriction in dogs. Hypoxia may produce cardiovascular changes confounding interpretation of drug effects. Therefore, we investigated the effects of PGI2-aerosol and inhaled NO (50 p.p.m.) on pulmonary pressure-flow relationships (P/Q plots) during thromboxane analogue (U46619) induced pulmonary vasoconstriction. ⋯ Oxygenation and intrapulmonary shunt remained unchanged during both PGI2-aerosol and inhaled NO. The failure of PGI2-aerosol to induce pulmonary vasodilation indicates that during aerosolization PGI2-concentrations at receptor sites on pulmonary vessels were insufficient to surmount U46619 induced vasoconstriction; this notion is supported by unchanged arterial plasma concentrations of the PGI2 degradation product 6-keto-PGF1 alpha. Considering that NO inhaled at comparable concentrations in sheep reversed U46619 induced pulmonary vasoconstriction, species differences may account for the failure of both PGI2-aerosol and NO to dilate pulmonary vessels in dogs.
-
Acta Physiol. Scand. · Mar 1993
Sequential changes in the splanchnic circulation during continuous endotoxin infusion in sedated sheep: evidence for a selective increase of hepatic artery blood flow and loss of the hepatic arterial buffer response.
On-line recording of the sequential changes in systemic, pulmonary, mesenteric, hepatic and renal circulations during onset of endotoxaemia and at 24 h of established hyperdynamic sepsis were evaluated in seven chronically instrumented and sedated sheep receiving a continuous intravenous infusion of Escherichia coli endotoxin (20 ng min-1 kg-1). A transient and significant (P < 0.05) pulmonary arterial vaso-constriction was noted after 13 +/- 4 min, and was followed immediately by a simultaneous significant decrease of coeliac trunk, superior mesenteric artery, and portal vein blood flow to below 50% of baseline values. The superior mesenteric artery and portal vein blood flows partially recovered pre-endotoxin levels to 69 and 75% of baseline, respectively, after 70 min of endotoxin infusion. ⋯ Contrasting with the early changes observed in mesenteric vascular resistances mostly unrelated to systemic haemodynamics, the response of the renal vasculature appeared to be more dependent on changes of renal perfusion pressure. A follow-up at 24 h revealed that the continuous intravenous infusion of endotoxin reproduced some of the most characteristic features of human sepsis with increased cardiac output and decreased vascular resistances of all vascular beds. We conclude that hepatic artery blood flow is selectively and considerably increased in early endotoxaemia in sheep independently of changes in portal vein blood flow, suggesting a disregulation of the physiologic hepatic arterial buffer response, most probably secondary to an increased liver oxygen demand required for phagocytosis, transport, and digestion of the the sudden overload of bacterial endotoxins.
-
Acta Physiol. Scand. · Apr 1992
Observations on intra-abdominal pressure and patterns of abdominal intra-muscular activity in man.
The aim was to investigate possible relationships between activities of the individual muscles of the ventrolateral abdominal wall and the development of pressure within the abdominal cavity. Intra-muscular activity was recorded bilaterally from transversus abdominis, obliquus internus, obliquus externus and rectus abdominis with fine-wire electrodes guided into place using real-time ultrasound. Intra-abdominal pressure was measured intragastrically using a micro tip pressure transducer. ⋯ In varied pulsed Valsalva manoeuvres, changes in peak intra-abdominal pressure were correlated with mean amplitude electromyograms of all abdominal muscles, excluding rectus abdominis. It is concluded that the co-ordinative patterns shown between the muscles of the ventrolateral abdominal wall are task specific based upon demands of movement, torque and stabilization. It appears that transversus abdominis is the abdominal muscle whose activity is most consistently related to changes in intra-abdominal pressure.
-
Acta Physiol. Scand. · Jan 1991
Effect of training on central factors in fatigue following two- and one-leg static exercise in man.
Leg strength and fatigue developed during 150 repeated two- and one-leg isometric maximal voluntary contractions were determined before and after a 5-week one- (n = 6) or two- (n = 7) leg training programme including a control group of five subjects. Two- and one-leg training increased two- and one-leg strength by 59 (range 8-107) and 36% (-1-69) respectively (P less than 0.01) with no significant difference between the two groups. Two-leg training decreased (P less than 0.05) fatigue only during two-leg maximal voluntary contractions (from 20 [11-26] to 13% [6-27]); and one-leg training fatigue only during one-leg maximal voluntary contractions (from 20 [15-23] to 11% [9-24]) despite the fact that both legs were trained. ⋯ No training effects were seen in the control group. The results show that an approximately 47% increase in muscle strength may take place without a significant change in the relative percentage of muscle fibre types or in the average muscle fibre size. Furthermore, the specificity of the training response to fatigue developed during repeated two- and one-leg maximal voluntary contractions suggests a change in the nervous influence on the motor units.