Hypoxia,energy state and pulmonary vasomotor tone

Vasomotor responses to hypoxia constitute a fundamental adaptation to a commonly encountered stress. It has long been suspected that changes in cellular energetics may modulate both hypoxic systemic artery vasodilatation (HSV) and hypoxic pulmonary artery vasoconstriction (HPV). Although limitation of energy has been shown to underlie hypoxic relaxation in some smooth muscles, the response to hypoxia in vascular smooth muscle does not appear to be a simple function of energy stores, but instead may involve perturbations of ATP or energy delivery to mechanisms controlling muscle force, and/or changes associated with anaerobic metabolism. Recent work in pulmonary vascular smooth muscle has demonstrated that energy stores are maintained during hypoxic pulmonary vasoconstriction, and that this is dependent on glucose availability and up-regulation of glycolysis. There is increasing evidence that glycolysis is preferentially coupled to a variety of membrane associated ATP dependent processes, including the Na(+) pump, Ca(2+)-ATPase, and possibly some protein kinases. These and other mechanisms may influence excitation-contraction coupling in both systemic and pulmonary arteries by effects on intracellular Ca(2+) and/or Ca(2+) sensitivity. Hypoxia has also been postulated to have major effects on other cytosolic second messenger systems including phosphatidylinositol pathways, cell redox state and mitochondrial reactive oxygen species production. This review examines the relationship between energy state, anaerobic respiration and hypoxic vasomotor tone, with a particular emphasis on hypoxic pulmonary vasoconstriction.     

HIV感染所致精神障碍住院患者陪护的心理状况分析

目的 了解HIV感染所致精神障碍住院患者陪护的心理状况.方法 采用症状自评量表(SCL-90)、焦虑自评量表(SAS)和抑郁自评量表(SDS)作为评定工具,对100名HIV感染所致精神障碍住院患者的陪护进行测评,并与全国常模进行比较.结果 HIV感染所致精神障碍住院患者陪护的SCL-90各因子、SAS、SDS均高于全国常模,存在显著性差异(P＜0.05或P＜0.01).结论 HIV感染所致精神障碍住院患者陪护存在严重心理问题,对其进行心理干预和健康教育是十分必要的.     

The effect of intravenously administered salbutamol on serum potassium in asthmatic and nonasthmatic atopic subjects

The role of adrenergic mechanism in the pathogenesis of allergic disease is controversial. Recent experimental and clinical reports have suggested that -adrenergic blockade impairs and stimulation enhances extrarenal potassium uptake in humans. This led us to study the effect of the intravenous administration of salbutamol, a specific -2-adrenergic agonist, on serum potassium in 9 healthy subjects and in 23 patients with allergic asthma and/or rhinitis. Serum potassium fell significantly and reached a peak decline at the end of venous infusion in all the normal subjects. Seventeen atopic subjects showed a lower or absent serum K⁺ decrement: there was no difference between asthmatic and rhinitic patients. There was no relation among the salbutamol-induced serum potassium decrement, serum glucose increment, blood pressure and heart-rate changes, and nonspecific bronchial reactivity. These findings suggest that -2-adrenergic hyporesponsiveness is present only in some allergic patients.     

维持性血液透析患者血栓前状态标志物变化及临床意义

目的:探讨终末期肾衰竭维持性血液透析患者血栓前状态标志物的变化.方法:59例维持性血液透析患者,血液透析前采静脉血4.5ml,30名健康志愿者作为对照组,清晨空腹采静脉血4.5ml,用ELISA测定血浆凝血酶-抗凝血酶复合物(TAT)、纤维蛋白肽A(FPA)、蛋白C(PC)、血管性血友病因子(vWF)、P-选择素(P-Selectin)、血栓前体蛋白(TpP)、D-二聚体(DD)含量.结果:与健康对照组相比,维持性血液透析患者组血浆TpP、TAT、vWF、FPA、DD显著升高(P＜0.05);P-选择素、PC显著下降(P＜0.01).结论:终末期肾衰竭维持性血液透析患者存在血栓前状态标志物异常,提示可能存在血栓前状态.     

门静脉高压症猪肝动脉的生物力学特性

目的：建立猪门静脉高压症模型,探讨门静脉高压症对肝动脉的生物力学特性的影响。方法：猪以四氯化碳、苯巴比妥、乙醇,配合高脂、低蛋白、低胆碱饮食进行混合饲养。通过脾静脉插管测压,取肝动脉在生物软组织力学试验机上测定其压力-直径关系,计算机图像分析测量肝动脉两端血管环的张开角及其几何形态学指标。结果：实验组门静脉压(4．17±1．03)kPa明显大于对照组(1．51±0．79)kPa,肝动脉的各向同性增量弹性模量、血管容积弹性模量和血管压力-应变模量均随压力的上升而增大,在相同压力下明显大于对照组。肝动脉的顺应性显著低于对照组,而张开角显著增加。结论：门静脉高压症时,肝动脉的生物力学特性发生了显著变化。     

Packing and Uniaxial Alignment of Liquid Crystalline Oligofluorenes

Summary: Liquid crystalline oligomers of 9,9‐bis(2‐ethylhexyl)fluorene of defined degree of polymerization 4, 5, 6, and 7 were investigated by X‐ray diffraction in the non‐oriented and in the aligned state. The diffraction data give evidence for a smectic B type phase for all of the oligomers. Quenching below the glass transition does not change the structure of the liquid crystalline phase. This allows to align spin‐coated films of these oligomers on rubbed polyimide substrates to give monodomain films. These are stable against thermal disordering below T_g, e.g. at room temperature. The degree of alignment is characterized by the dichroic spectra and polarized fluorescence spectra. Dichroic ratios and polarization ratios increase substantially with the chain length and values as high as D = 23 and P = 41 are obtained for the heptamer. The type of packing of the oligomers in the LC phase is discussed based on the X‐ray single crystal structure of models. In one such model the packing of the 2‐ethylhexyl side chains could be fully resolved, while the other model reveals the torsional angle between adjacent fluorene units in the same molecule as 144.2° which corroborates earlier work based on fiber diffraction of corresponding polyfluorenes.

     

Structural Reasons for Restricted Backbone Motion in Poly(n‐alkyl methacrylates): Degree of Polymerization,Tacticity and Side‐Chain Length

Summary: The complex dynamics of poly(n‐alkyl methacrylates) is studied by advanced ¹³C NMR spectroscopy as well as mechanical and dielectric relaxation. Extended backbone conformations are identified as the molecular units involved in structural relaxation. From the variation in the degree of polymerization and a comparison with the presence of stereoregular sequences in the sample, the length of the extended units is determined to involve about five, at most ten monomeric units. Syndiotactic and isotactic sequences behave similarly. These findings are indicative of locally structured polymer melts.

     

Normal aging decreases regional homogeneity of the motor areas in the resting state

Our knowledge about aging modulation of the central motor system remains sparse and contradictory. In the current study, we used functional MRI (fMRI) to study the aging influence on regional homogeneity of the motor-related brain areas in the resting state. We found that regional homogeneity in extensive motor regions, like the cingulate motor area, cerebellum, primary motor cortex, premotor area, supplementary motor area, thalamus, globus pallidus and putamen was significantly decreased in aged subjects. Our study indicates that normal aging process may disrupt the function of motor areas in the resting state, which may contribute to the declined motor ability in aged population.     

The influence of the initial state of hydration on endocrine responses to exercise in the heat

Summary This study examines the effect of the initial state of hydration on hormone responses to prolonged exercise in the heat. Five subjects at two initial hydration levels (hypohydrated and hyperhydrated) were exposed to a 36°C environment for 3 h of intermittent exercise. During exercise, the subjects were either fluid-deprived, or rehydrated with water or an isotonic electrolyte sucrose solution (ISO). Both the stress hormones, adrenocorticotropic hormone and cortisol, and the main fluid regulatory hormones, aldosterone, renin activity (PRA) and arginine vasopressin (AVP), were measured in blood samples taken every hour. Prior hyperhydration significantly reduced initial AVP, aldosterone and PRA levels. However, except for AVP, which responded to exercise significantly less in previously hyperhydrated subjects (p<0.05), the initial hydration state did not influence the subsequent vascular and hormonal responses when the subjects were fluid-deprived while exercising. Concurrent rehydration, either with water or with ISO, reduced or even abolished the hormonal responses. There were no significant differences according to the initial hydration state, except for PRA responses, which were significantly lower (p<0.01) in previously hyperhydrated subjects who also received water during exercise. These results indicate that prior hydration levels influence only slightly the hormonal responses to prolonged exercise in the heat. Progressive rehydration during exercise, especially when extra electrolytes are given, is more efficient in maintaining plasma volume and osmolarity and in reducing the hormonal responses.     

Advanced 1H Solid‐State NMR Spectroscopy on Hydrogels, 1

Summary: The nature of the pH dependent collapse of poly(methacrylic acid) (PMAA) hydrogels is investigated using recent ¹H solid‐state NMR methods. In aqueous solution, PMAA changes from an expanded conformation at high pHs to a compact contracted form at low pHs, where hydrogen bonds play a central role. In solid‐state ¹H NMR spectra, recorded under fast magic angle spinning (MAS), dried PMAA samples previously collapsed at low pHs show characteristic signals in the spectral region of the carboxylic acid protons. With the aid of 2D ¹H‐¹H double‐quantum (DQ) MAS NMR spectra, three signals can be distinguished at 8, 10.5 and 12.5 ppm, which are attributed to free carboxylic groups and two different types of hydrogen bonded forms, respectively. The 12.5 ppm signal arises from the hydrogen bond with the shortest H? H distance, corresponding to the form that is most stable with respect to increasing temperature and pH. The weaker hydrogen‐bonded form (with a signal at 10.5 ppm) requires a slightly lower pH, while the free acid signal (at 8 ppm) emerges under the most acidic medium. Moreover, the stabilities of the hydrogen‐bonded carboxylic acid dimers can be inferred from the proton‐proton distances within the dimers, i.e. (275 ± 5) pm and (295 ± 15) pm for the protons at 12.5 and 10.5 ppm, respectively, which are determined by means of DQ MAS sideband patterns. Both the stability of the hydrogen bonds and the acidity of the protons may be related to the stereochemistry and the conformation of the PMAA chains.