Cardiac stimulus intensity and heartbeat detection: Effects of tilt-induced changes in stroke volume

The effects of variations in stroke volume on the intensity of cardiac stimuli was examined in a series of three experiments that empolyed classical psychophsical methods to assess heartbeat detection. Stroke volume was manipulated by passive body tilt and recorded using impedance cardiography while subjects performed heartbeat detection tasks. The postural manipulation generated little or no change in contractility or momentum but did produce substantial changes in stroke volume. However, this potential source of variation in cardiac stimulus magnitude did not influence either the precision of heartbeat detection or the temporal location of heartbeat sensations. It is concluded that the intensity dimension of the heartbeat stimulus is not determined by stroke volume.     

直立倾斜试验加硝酸甘油含化诊断血管迷走性晕厥的临床研究

目的评价硝酸甘油(NTG)含化加异丙肾上腺素倾斜试验(ITTT)诊断血管迷走性晕厥(VS)的价值.方法将72例VS患者和36例正常对照组随机均分成ITTT和ITTT+NTG组.结果ITTT+NTG组敏感性高于ITTT(93.1%和76%,P＜0.05)有显著性差异.结论ITTT+NTG含化是一种安全、耐受性好、敏感性高,特异性强的诊断VS的方法.     

The Effect of Functional Pelvic Tilt on the Three-Dimensional Acetabular Cup Orientation in Total Hip Arthroplasty Dislocations

BackgroundAnterior and posterior pelvic tilt appears to play a role in total hip arthroplasty (THA) stability. When changing from the standing to the sitting position, the pelvis typically rotates posteriorly while the hips flex and this affects the femoro-acetabular positions. This case-control study compares changes in 3-D acetabular cup orientation during functional pelvic tilt between posterior THA dislocations vs stable THAs.MethodsStanding and sitting 3-D cup orientation was compared between fifteen posterior dislocations vs 233 prospectively followed stable THAs. 3-D cup orientation was calculated using previously validated trigonometric algorithms on biplanar radiographs. Those algorithms combine the angles in the three anatomical planes (coronal inclination, transverse version, and sagittal ante-inclination) in the standing position with the change in sagittal pelvic tilt from standing to sitting to calculate the 3-D orientation in the sitting position.ResultsThe standing cup orientation of the dislocated THAs was only characterized by a lower coronal inclination (P = .039). Compared with the controls, from standing to sitting, they showed less posterior pelvic tilt (P < .001). This led to a significant lower coronal inclination (P < .001) and sagittal ante-inclination (P < .001) in the sitting position but similar transverse version (P = .366).ConclusionsComparing posterior THA dislocations to stable THAs, there is a lower increase of all three orientation angles from standing to sitting. This leads to a decreased sitting coronal inclination and sagittal ante-inclination which may lead to an increased risk of impingement ensued by THA instability. By contrast, the transverse version was not significantly different in both positions. This confirms the importance of biplanar data on functional cup orientation.Level of EvidenceDiagnostic, Level III.     

髌骨矢状面截骨术对髌骨倾斜病理应力分布的生物力学影响

目的：研究髌骨矢状面截骨术对髌骨倾斜病理应力分布的影响。方法：采用手术方法将七具新鲜人尸体膝关节标本的髌骨外侧支持带紧缩，造成髌骨过度外侧倾斜，然后进行四个不同截骨角的髌骨矢状面截骨术。股四头肌腱加载200N。分别于正常状态、髌骨倾斜、截骨5°、10°、15°、20°六种工况下，应用压敏片测量髌股关节接触压力与面积。摄屈膝45°Merchant髌骨轴位片，测量髌骨倾斜角，了解髌骨倾斜程度。结果与结论：髌骨倾斜后，髌骨内侧接触面积与压力均减少，外例接触面积与压力均增加，屈膝30°时最显著。截骨10°以上，明显改善了髌骨倾斜的应力分布，其中截骨15°改善较为理想。本实验结果为临床上髌骨矢状面截骨术中截骨角的选择提供了可靠依据。     

Responses of Purkinje cells in the cerebellar anterior vermis to off-vertical axis rotation

Responses of 67 Purkinje cells (P-cells) and 44 unidentified neurons (U-cells) located in the cerebellar anterior vermis were recorded in decerebrate cats during off-vertical axis rotation (OVAR). This stimulus consisted of a slow constant velocity (9.4°/s) rotation in the clockwise (CW) and counterclockwise (CCW) directions around an axis inclined by 5° with respect to the vertical. OVAR imposes on the animal head a 5° tilt, whose direction changes continuously over the horizontal plane, thus eliciting a selective stimulation of macular receptors. A total of 27/67 P-cells (40%) and 24/44 U-cells (55%) responded to both CW and CCW rotations. For these bidirectional units, the direction of maximum sensitivity to tilt (S_max) could be identified. S_max directions were distributed over the whole horizontal plane of stimulation. Among bidirectional neurons, 48% of the P-cells and 33% of the U-cells displayed an equal amplitude of modulation during CW and CCW rotations, indicating a cosinetuned behaviour. In these instances, the temporal phase of the unit response to a given direction of tilt remained constant, while the sensitivity was maximal along the S_max direction and declined with the cosine of the angle between S_max and the tilt direction. The remaining bidirectional units displayed unequal amplitudes of modulation during CW and CCW rotations. For these neurons, a nonzero sensitivity along the null direction was expected and the response phase varied as a function of stimulus direction. Finally, 31% and 23% of P-cells and U-cells, respectively, responded during OVAR in one direction only (unidirectional units). This behaviour predicts equal sensitivities along any tilt direction in the horizontal plane and a response phase that changes linearly with the stimulus direction. The possibility that the tested neurons formed a population which coded the direction of head tilt in space was also investigated. The data from the whole population of cells were analysed using a modified version of vectorial analysis. This model assumes that for a particular tilt each cell makes vectorial contributions; the vectorial sum of these contributions represent the outcome of the population code and points in the direction of head tilt in space. Thus, a dynamic head tilt along four representative directions was simulated. For each of the four directions, 12 population vectors were calculated at regular time intervals so as to cover an entire cycle of head tilt. The results indicate that for each selected time in the cycle the direction of the population vector closely corresponded to that of the head tilt, while its amplitude was related to the amount of head tilt. These data were particularly obtained for the P-cells. In view of their efferent connections, the cerebellar anterior vermis may provide a framework for the spatial organization of vestibulospinal reflexes induced by stimulation of otolith receptors.     

头高位倾斜时心血管反应的仿真

仿真头高位倾斜时心血管系统的反应,进一步研究有关立位应激的生理机制。方法以仿真下体负压时心血管反应的模型为基础,在血液重新分配子模中引入了重力致血液重新转移的环节,在压力反射控制子模型中考虑了心水平与颈动脉压力感受器间的流体静压差。     

儿童不明原因晕厥的临床特征与直立倾斜试验关系的研究

目的　分析直立倾斜试验阳性与不明原因晕厥患儿临床特征的关系。方法　对 47例不明原因晕厥患儿 ,根据其直立倾斜试验的结果分为二组 :直立倾斜试验阳性组和阴性组 ,将其临床特征进行对比分析研究 ,并对其各个临床特征与直立倾斜试验的结果进行Logistic回归分析。 结果　不明原因晕厥患儿的性别、年龄、有无晕厥诱因及有无晕厥先兆对直立倾斜试验的结果有影响 ,根据Logistic回归分析 ,对直立倾斜试验结果有显著影响的因素依次为晕厥诱因、晕厥先兆和年龄。结论　对于发生于青春期女孩不明原因的晕厥 ,而患儿又有较明确的晕厥诱因和晕厥先兆者 ,其直立倾斜试验阳性的可能性较大 ,临床可诊断为血管迷走性晕厥。     

直立倾斜试验对血管迷走神经性晕厥的诊断价值

目的　探讨直立倾斜试验对血管迷走性晕厥的诊断价值及其局限性。方法　对 12 9例不明原因晕厥患者及 5 4名无晕厥病史健康对照者进行直立倾斜试验 ,先进行基础倾斜试验 (倾斜 70°、持续 30 min) ,阴性者再进行两阶段的异丙肾上腺素的激发试验。结果　 112 9例晕厥患者中 ,倾斜试验阳性者 88例 (阳性率 6 8.2 % ) ,5 4名对照组中阳性者 6名 (阳性率 11.1% ) ,晕厥组阳性率明显高于对照组 ,差异有显著性 (P<0 .0 0 5 )。本次试验的灵敏度 6 8.2 % ,特异度 88.9%。 2患者年龄越大阳性反应率越低 (P<0 .0 5 ) ,性别对试验的阳性反应率影响不显著 (P=0 .31)。结论　倾斜试验设备简单、易于操作、是血管迷走性晕厥的一项比较安全有效的诊断方法。     

Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome: JACC Focus Seminar

Postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS), the most common form of orthostatic intolerance in young people, affects approximately 500,000 people in the United States alone, typically young women at the peak of their education and the beginning of their working lives. This is a heterogeneous disorder, the pathophysiology and mechanisms of which are not well understood. There are multiple contributing factors and numerous potential mimics. This review details the most current views on the potential causes, comorbid conditions, proposed subtypes, differential diagnoses, evaluations, and treatment of POTS from cardiological and neurological perspectives.     

Collateral augmentation treatment with a combination of acetazolamide and head-down tilt in a rat ischemic stroke model

Cerebral collaterals is crucially important in the pathophysiology of acute ischemic stroke and associated with outcome after reperfusion therapy. We explored the effectiveness of collateral augmentation treatment with a combination of acetazolamide (ACZ) and head-down tilt (HDT) in the transient middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) rat model. Transient MCAO was induced in all animals for 1.5 h, followed by reperfusion for 22.5 h. Seventy-two male Wistar rats were divided into four treatment groups: control, ACZ, HDT, and combination. Twenty sham rats, which underwent surgery, were randomly allocated to these groups. Twenty-four hours after MCAO or sham surgery, we measured the infarction volume, brain edema (aquaporin-4 [AQP4], and brain water content), and neurological deficits (Garcia and Longa tests). Collateral augmentation treatments were associated with reduced infarction volume, less brain edema, and better neurological outcomes compared with untreated animals. More specifically, ACZ and HDT treatments resulted in small infarction volumes, and HDT was associated with a low AQP4 expression and improved neurological score, while the combination of ACZ and HDT improved neurological scores and reduced brain water content. This study shows that collateral augmentation treatments are associated with a better stroke prognosis compared with untreated animals after transient MCAO. The combination of ACZ and HDT seems to have some synergistic effect, but was not proven to be superior to HDT treatment alone.