Coronary vasoconstriction in vitro in the hearts of polyarthritic rats: effectiveness of in vivo treatment with the endothelin receptor antagonist SB 209670.

Here we demonstrate that perfused hearts removed from polyarthritic rats develop a pronounced coronary vasoconstriction ex vivo. This vasoconstriction is almost entirely blocked by in vivo pretreatment of the rats with the endothelin receptor antagonist, SB 209670. Thus, inflammatory states may be associated with an increased activity of the endothelin system, leading to vascular dysfunction and vasoconstriction.     

Rapid degradation of endothelin-1 by an enzyme released by the rat isolated perfused mesentery.

1. In vivo the effects of endothelin-1 (ET-1) are limited by its rapid removal from the circulation and possibly by its metabolism by enzymes such as neutral endopeptidase 24.11, deamidase or carboxypeptidase A. Here, using as a model the isolated perfused mesenteric arterial bed of the rat, we have examined the involvements of these enzymatic activities in the vascular responses to ET-1. 2. Samples of Krebs buffer which had been recirculated through the mesenteric arterial bed for 30 min rapidly destroyed the activity of ET-1 as assessed either by bioassay on rings of rat thoracic aorta or by high performance liquid chromatography (h.p.l.c.). For instance, after 15 min incubation with the recirculated-Krebs solution (recirc-K) the contraction induced by 3 x 10(-9) M ET-1 was reduced by more than 90%. Contractions induced by sarafotoxin 6b (3 x 10(-9) M) were similarly suppressed by preincubation with recirc-K whereas those to Arg-vasopressin (3 x 10(-9) M) were unaffected. 3. The degradation of ET-1 by recirc-K was prevented by 1,10-phenanthroline (10(-3) M), abolished by heating the recirc-K solution to 90 degrees C for 15 min, and reduced by EGTA (5 x 10(-3) M) or ET-1(16-21) (10(-5) M). For instance, in the presence of ET-1(16-21) (n = 6) the contraction induced by ET-1 was reduced by only 40% after 15 min incubation with recirc-K buffer.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Autotomy and the sciatic functional index

The rat sciatic nerve serves as a good model of nerve regeneration and, as such, is often used in investigations of nerve repair. After transection of the sciatic nerve, rodents frequently scratch and bite their anesthetic foot, resulting in amputation of one or more toes. This is termed autotomy or autophagy. When these rats are part of a study using the sciatic functional index (SFI), autotomy results in unusable data, since necessary foot landmarks have been removed. It would be helpful, therefore, to be familiar with the phenomenon of autotomy and to know which rats are least likely to mutilate themselves. In our experiment involving 64 rats in which the sciatic nerve was transected and repaired, we found that female Sprague-Dawley rats were significantly less likely to perform autotomy than males (33% vs. 65%, P =.04). In addition, we noted that two-thirds of the autotomies that occurred did so by postoperative week 4 and that tabasco sauce did not decrease this activity. We present our experience and a survey of the literature on autotomy and the SFI. © 1993 Wiley-Liss Inc.     

Patellofemoral joint: kinematic MR imaging to assess tracking abnormalities

The patellofemoral joint was imaged with magnetic resonance (MR) in the axial plane while the knee was positioned from 0 degrees to 32 degrees of flexion (nine positions). These multiple sequential images obtained within the early phases of flexion of the knee were viewed in a "cine-loop" format, producing a kinematic study that clearly demonstrated the relationship of the patella to the trochlear groove. Four healthy subjects and one patient with known bilateral subluxing patellae were studied. The preliminary results suggest that kinematic MR imaging of the patellofemoral joint is potentially useful for the evaluation of patellar tracking abnormalities.     

A cost-effectiveness analysis of self-help smoking cessation methods for pregnant women.

Estimates of the cost effectiveness and cost benefit of health promotion-health education methods for pregnant smokers designed to increase birth weight are not available. This paper presents the results of a cost-effectiveness analysis from a recently completed randomized trial to evaluate the effectiveness of self-help smoking cessation methods for pregnant women in public health maternity clinics. The study population--309 pregnant smokers from 3 prenatal clinics--were randomly assigned, during their first clinic visit, to 1 of 3 groups: (a) group 1 received the standard clinic information and advice to quit smoking, (b) group 2 received the standard clinic information and advice to quit plus the manual "Freedom From Smoking in 20 Days" by the American Lung Association, and (c) group 3 received the standard clinic information and advice to quit plus the pregnancy-specific manual "A Pregnant Woman''s Self-Help Guide to Quit Smoking." The quit rates by the end of pregnancy were 2 percent for group 1, 6 percent for group 2, and 14 percent for group 3. Analyses also indicated that the method used for group 3 was the most cost effective: group 3 achieved smoking cessation at less than half the cost experienced by the other two groups. Although additional studies are needed concerning the behavioral impact, cost effectiveness, and cost benefit of self-help health education methods for smoking cessation, the methods tested in this trial are promising as solutions to part of the problem of low birth weight among infants of smoking mothers in the United States.     

Distribution of cerebral blood flow during deep isoflurane vs. pentobarbital anesthesia in rats with middle cerebral artery occlusion

While previous studies have identified a protective effect for barbiturate anesthesia during focal cerebral ischemia, no such effect has been demonstrated for isoflurane. To better understand the effects of these anesthetics on cerebral blood flow and metabolism that might have relevance to their respective potential for cerebral protection, fasted physiologically stable rats underwent autoradiographic determination of CBF and CMRglu during deep isoflurane or pentobarbital anesthesia (burst suppression of EEG). As expected, cerebral blood flow was significantly greater during isoflurane anesthesia (isoflurane = 157 +/- 18 and pentobarbital = 54 +/- 12 ml/100 g/min) while CMRglu values were nearly identical (isoflurane = 35 +/- 5 and pentobarbital = 33 +/- 4 mumol/100 g/min). Additional identically anesthetized rats underwent middle cerebral artery occlusion with CBF autoradiographically determined 1 h later. While the insult resulted in a significant reduction in the ipsilateral hemispheric and cortical blood flow in both anesthetic groups, flow remained at least twofold greater in isoflurane as opposed to pentobarbital-anesthetized rats. When regional flow was assessed, no difference between groups was observed with respect to the area of tissue with flow values falling between 0-10 ml/100 g/min. In contrast, isoflurane-anesthetized rats had significantly less hemispheric and cortical area with flow values in the ranges of 10-20 and 20-30 ml/100 g/min, respectively. These data, therefore, do not support the contention that isoflurane causes maldistribution of CBF during focal ischemia.