Frontiers in physiology
-
Frontiers in physiology · Jan 2020
Exercising Caution Upon Waking-Can Exercise Reduce Sleep Inertia?
Sleep inertia, the transitional state of reduced alertness and impaired cognitive performance upon waking, is a safety risk for on-call personnel who can be required to perform critical tasks soon after waking. Sleep inertia countermeasures have previously been investigated; however, none have successfully dissipated sleep inertia within the first 15 min following waking. During this time, on-call personnel could already be driving, providing advice, or performing other safety-critical tasks. ⋯ Here, we examine these physiological processes and hypothesize how exercise can stimulate them, positioning exercise as an effective sleep inertia countermeasure. We then propose key considerations for research investigating the efficacy of exercise as a sleep inertia countermeasure, including the need to determine the intensity and duration of exercise required to reduce sleep inertia, as well as testing the effectiveness of exercise across a range of conditions in which the severity of sleep inertia may vary. Finally, practical considerations are identified, including the recommendation that qualitative field-based research be conducted with on-call personnel to determine the potential constraints in utilizing exercise as a sleep inertia countermeasure in real-world scenarios.
-
Frontiers in physiology · Jan 2020
Influence of Positive End-Expiratory Pressure Titration on the Effects of Pronation in Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome: A Comprehensive Experimental Study.
Prone position can reduce mortality in acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), but several studies found variable effects on oxygenation and lung mechanics. It is unclear whether different positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP) titration techniques modify the effect of prone position. We tested, in an animal model of ARDS, if the PEEP titration method may influence the effect of prone position on oxygenation and lung protection. ⋯ Pronation homogenized lung regional strain and ventilation and redistributed the ventilation/perfusion ratio along the sternal-to-vertebral gradient. The PEEP titration technique influences the oxygenation response to prone position. However, the lung-protective effects of prone position could be independent of the PEEP titration strategy.
-
Frontiers in physiology · Jan 2020
Multi-Band Surgery for Repaired Tetralogy of Fallot Patients With Reduced Right Ventricle Ejection Fraction: A Pilot Study.
Right ventricle (RV) failure is one of the most common symptoms among patients with repaired tetralogy of Fallot (TOF). The current surgery treatment approach including pulmonary valve replacement (PVR) showed mixed post-surgery outcomes. A novel PVR surgical strategy using active contracting bands is proposed to improve the post-PVR outcome. In lieu of testing the risky surgical procedures on real patients, computational simulations (virtual surgery) using biomechanical ventricle models based on patient-specific cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) data were performed to test the feasibility of the PVR procedures with active contracting bands. Different band combination and insertion options were tested to identify optimal surgery designs. ⋯ This pilot study demonstrated that the three-band model with 20% band contraction ratio led to 4.20% absolute improvement in the RV ejection fraction, which is considered as clinically significant. The passive elastic bands led to the reduction of the RV ejection fractions. The modeling results and surgical strategy need to be further developed and validated by a multi-patient study and animal experiments before clinical trial could become possible. Tissue regeneration techniques are needed to produce materials for the contracting bands.
-
Frontiers in physiology · Jan 2020
Histone Deacetylase 3-Mediated Inhibition of microRNA-19a-3p Facilitates the Development of Rheumatoid Arthritis-Associated Interstitial Lung Disease.
Histone deacetylase (HDAC) has been implicated in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) progression. We investigated the roles of histone deacetylase 3 (HDAC3) involved in RA-associated interstitial lung disease (ILD) fibrosis. Firstly, we measured the expression of HDAC3 and interleukin 17 receptor A (IL17RA) in lung tissue samples from normal controls, idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) patients, and RA-ILD patients. ⋯ In the mouse model, HDAC3 downregulated miR-19a-3p in lung fibroblasts to promote the progression of RA-ILD fibrosis. In lung fibroblasts of RA-ILD mice, IL17RA was a target gene of miR-19a-3p. miR-19a-3p negatively regulated IL17RA, thereby increasing the expression of fibrosis markers, COL1A1, COL3A1, and FN, in lung fibroblasts of mice. Taken together, HDAC3 upregulated IL17RA expression by targeting miR-19a-3p to facilitate the RA-ILD fibrosis development, which sheds light on a new HDAC3/miR-19a-3p/IL17RA axis functioning in RA-ILD fibrosis.
-
Frontiers in physiology · Jan 2020
Effect of Clostridium butyricum and Butyrate on Intestinal Barrier Functions: Study of a Rat Model of Severe Acute Pancreatitis With Intra-Abdominal Hypertension.
Severe acute pancreatitis (SAP) is associated with intra-abdominal hypertension (IAH) and abdominal compartment syndrome (ACS), but treatment of these conditions is difficult. We studied a rat model of SAP + IAH to determine the effect of oral administration of Clostridium butyricum and butyrate (its major metabolite) on intestinal barrier functions. ⋯ This study of rats with SAP+IAH indicated that oral dosing of C. butyricum or butyrate reduced intestinal injury, possibly by altering the functions of the intestinal mucosal barrier.