The initial vestibulo-ocular reflex and its visual enhancement and cancellation in humans

The gain (ratio of eye velocity to head velocity) of the initial horizontal vestibulo-ocular reflex (VOR) was calculated in 12 normal subjects over 350 ms during impulsive, unpredictable whole body rotation under three conditions: (1) darkness; (2) visual enhancement of the VOR, while the subjects fixated a stationary target; and (3) visual cancellation of the reflex, while subjects fixated a target that rotated with the head. The gain of the initial 80 ms of compensatory eye movement increased significantly during visual fixation in 5 subjects and decreased during attempted VOR cancellation in 3 subjects, when compared with VOR gain in darkness. Compensatory vestibular smooth eye movements were slowed, becoming curved at the onset of VOR cancellation, at mean latencies ranging from 78 to 149 ms in individual subjects (group mean 128 ms). At about 190 ms, quick phases moved the eyes in the same direction as head and target motion. The subsequent vestibular eye movements were about 50% slower than the initial smooth eye movements, indicating more effective cancellation. Visual enhancement of the VOR can occur prior to the onset of pursuit, providing evidence that fixation and smooth pursuit are distinct ocular motor systems. Visual cancellation of the VOR also begins prior to smooth pursuit initiation and becomes more effective after the latency of smooth pursuit.     

Intracellular Ca2+ concentrations are not elevated in resting cultured muscle from Duchenne (DMD) patients and in MDX mouse muscle fibres

The free intracellular calcium concentration, [Ca²⁺]_i, was studied in single myotubes using the fluorescent Ca²⁺ indicator fura-2. Myotubes cultured from satellite cells of small muscle specimens from Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) patients were compared with human control myotubes and with myotubes cultured from MDX and control mouse muscle satellite cells. The resting [Ca²⁺]_i levels in DMD and control myotubes were not significantly different, i. e. 104 ±26 nM (mean ± SD, n=190 cells from eight DMD patients) compared with 97±25 nM (175/seven controls) and were not significantly lower than the corresponding murine values (154±33 nM, n=135 MDX myotubes; 159±34 nM, n=135 controls). All myotubes reacted to 10 M acetylcholine or 40 mM KCl with fast transient increases of [Ca²⁺]_i. After application of a hyposmotic (130 mOsm) solution, [Ca²⁺]_i was increased 1.5- to 3-fold within 2–3 min, the DMD myotubes tending to stronger reactions (significantly higher [Ca²⁺]_i in 2 out of 6 cases). The response was usually transient, [Ca²⁺]_i decreasing to the initial level within 10 min. Gadolinium (50 M) reduced the response by 50%–70%, indicating that the osmotic shock increased Ca²⁺ influx. During exposure to high (15 mM) [Ca²⁺]e, [Ca²⁺]_i of DMD and control cells was 1.5- to 2-fold higher. Adult muscle fibres from MDX mice and controls showed identical Ca²⁺ resting levels (n=45 fibres from three mice in each case), but did not respond to decreased external osmolarity with a change in [Ca²⁺]_i. The results indicate that lack of dystrophin in muscle fibres does not necessarily lead to increased [Ca²⁺]_i. It is suggested that increased [Ca²⁺]_i is probably a secondary consequence of fibre damage.     

Ryanodine: its possible mechanism of action in the caffeine-sensitive calcium store of smooth muscle

The caffeine-sensitive intracellular Ca store was characterized and the mechanism of action of ryanodine in the store was studied using K-depolarized guinea-pig taenia caecum. (1) After incubation of the preparation with CaCl₂ (Ca loading), caffeine was applied in Ca-deprived medium, to produce a transient contraction and to monitor the amount of the stored Ca. As duration of Ca deprivation was prolonged, the amplitude of the caffeine-induced contraction was decreased. When ryanodine was applied during Ca deprivation, the rate of the decrease was remarkably accelerated. (2) The rate of rise of the contraction induced by external Ca ((Ca)o) was slowed by preceding depletion of the stored Ca by caffeine, compared with that observed in the Ca loaded preparation. However, in the presence of ryanodine, even if stored Ca was depleted by caffeine, the rate of rise of the (Ca)o-induced contraction remained at a higher level. (3) These results suggest that ryanodine stimulates a leak of the stored Ca, and that the contraction induced by the transmembrane influxed Ca could be modulated by the amount of Ca in, or leakiness of, the caffeine-sensitive Ca store.     

人参二醇组皂甙及游泳训练对大鼠股四头肌α-肌动蛋白mRNA表达的影响

目的:观察大鼠7周大负荷游泳训练及人参二醇组皂甙(PDS)对大鼠股四头肌α-肌动蛋白mRNA表达的影响。方法:采用Northernblot分析7周大负荷游泳训练后恢复期大鼠股四头肌α-肌动蛋白mRNA表达水平及PDS对其影响。结果:α-肌动蛋白mRNA杂交信号的扫描积分光密度值(A),运动·盐水组较安静组略强;运动·PDS,扫描积分光密度值(A)显著强于运动·盐水组和安静组,运动·甲睾组与运动·盐水组表达无明显差异。结论:PDS可提高长期耐力运动大鼠股四头肌α-肌动蛋白mRNA表达,从而提高耐力运动能力;长期应用外源性雄激素对耐力训练大鼠股四头肌α-肌动蛋白无明显提高,这可能与外源睾酮对内源性睾酮分泌的抑制有关。     

Shortening velocity and force/pCa relationship in skinned crab muscle fibres of different types

Single fibres of three different types, which had been characterized histochemically with regard to differences in myofibrillar adenosine triphosphatase (ATPase) activity and its pH stability, were microdissected from freeze dried preparations of the closer muscle in walking legs of the crab Eriphia spinifrons. Shortening velocities were determined in slack tests and under constant load conditions in maximally Ca²⁺-activated skinned muscle fibres. Force/pCa relationships were also measured for the different types of fibres. Compared with data on vertebrate muscles, all crab muscle fibres required large length changes to reach zero force and showed low Ca²⁺ sensitivity for isometric force generation. The length/time relationship obtained from slack tests had a biphasic course. Maximal velocity of filament sliding differed in the three types of fibres investigated. The filament sliding of type IV fibres was about 3 times faster than that of type I fibres. The values obtained for type II fibres ranged in between. These data are positively correlated with myofibrillar ATPase activity determined histochemically. Ca²⁺ sensitivity of force generation was lowest in the fast type IV fibres. It was high in the slow type I and the faster contracting type II fibres. Ca²⁺ sensitivity in crab muscle seems not to be correlated with speed of shortening.     

Muscle morphogenesis in the absence of myogenic cells

Summary Experimental evidence indicates, that the myogenic cells themselves are not responsible for the muscle pattern formation. We report on a chance observation that reveals that muscle pattern formation can occur even in the absence of myogenic cells. Epiblastic cells from a quail embryo in the primitive streak stage were implanted into the wing bud of a chick embryo. The grafted quail cells developed into mononucleate, fibroblast-like cells that formed the muscle belly of the extensor medius longus muscle. This showed essentially normal form and topography as revealed by computer-aided 3D-reconstruction. This finding shows, that the formation of muscles does not depend on the presence of myogenic cells.     

Reliability and validity of the Biodex system 3 pro isokinetic dynamometer velocity,torque and position measurements

This study quantitatively assessed the mechanical reliability and validity of position, torque and velocity measurements of the Biodex System 3 isokinetic dynamometer. Trial-to-trial and day-to-day reliability were assessed during three trials on two separate days. To assess instrument validity, measurement of each variable using the Biodex System 3 dynamometer was compared to a criterion measure of position, torque and velocity. Position was assessed at 5° increments across the available range of motion of the dynamometer. Torque measures were assessed isometrically by hanging six different calibrated weights from the lever arm. Velocity was assessed (30°/s to 500°/s) across a 70° arc of motion by manually accelerating the weighted lever arm. With the exception of a systematic decrease in velocity at speeds of 300°/s and higher, the Biodex System 3 performed with acceptable mechanical reliability and validity on all variables tested.DisclosureThe Biodex dynamometer used for this investigation was donated to the laboratory by Biodex Medical Systems. The authors have no commercial or proprietary interest in this device.     

Short-circuiting autoimmune disease by target-tissue-derived nitric oxide

A previous report from this laboratory suggested that expression of skeletal-muscle-derived, inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), is associated with resistance to the autoimmune model of myasthenia gravis (MG) demonstrated by Wistar Furth rats following the passive transfer of antibody reactive with the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (AChR). The study reported below demonstrates an association between increased expression of iNOS/NO in Wistar Furth rats and the induction of programmed cell death (apoptosis) in both macrophages and CD4+ T cells that attempt to traffic through targeted muscles. It is concluded that production of muscle-derived NO is protective in experimental MG, and in part, dictates the severity of eventual immunopathology.     

Directional asymmetry in smooth ocular tracking in the presence of visual background in young and adult primates

The smooth pursuit system moves the eyes in space accurately while compensating for visual inputs from the moving background and/or vestibular inputs during head movements. To understand the mechanisms underlying such interactions, we examined the influence of a stationary textured visual background on smooth pursuit tracking and compared the results in young and adult humans and monkeys. Six humans (three children, three adults) and six macaque monkeys (five young, one adult) were used. Human eye movements were recorded using infrared oculography and evoked by a sinusoidally moving target presented on a computer monitor. Scleral search coils were used for monkeys while they tracked a target presented on a tangent screen. The target moved in a sinusoidal or trapezoidal fashion with or without whole body rotation in the same plane. Two kinds of backgrounds, homogeneous and stationary textured, were used. Eye velocity gains (eye velocity/target velocity) were calculated in each condition to compare the influence of the textured background. Children showed asymmetric eye movements during vertical pursuit across the textured (but not the homogeneous) background; upward pursuit was severely impaired, and consisted mostly of catch-up saccades. In contrast, adults showed no asymmetry during pursuit across the different backgrounds. Monkeys behaved similarly; only slight effects were observed with the textured background in a mature monkey, whereas upward pursuit was severely impaired in young monkeys. In addition, VOR cancellation was severely impaired during upward eye and head movements, resulting in residual downward VOR in young monkeys. From these results, we conclude that the directional asymmetry observed in young primates may reflect a different neural organization of the vertical, particularly upward, pursuit system in the face of conflicting visual and vestibular inputs that can be associated with pursuit eye movements. Apparently, proper compensation matures later. Electronic Publication     

Isokinematic muscle mechanics in four groups of women of increasing age

Summary The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of age on dynamic muscle attributes of the knee extensors and flexors in postmenopausal women. Young healthy women (3rd decade,n = 15; 4th decade,n = 5) and older healthy women (6th decade,n = 9; 7th decade,n = 6) were tested at six angular velocities from 60° · s^–1 to 400° · s^–1. The 3rd and 4th decade groups produced greater extensor and flexor values for strength related variables at all angular velocities (peak torque, angle specific torque, work, power) than both the 6th and 7th decade groups (P<0.05). However, relative changes in these variables, with increments in angular velocity, were equivalent among the groups. Analysis of the flexor: extensor ratios for these variables demonstrated a differential loss in flexor function with increased age, perhaps indicative of type II motor unit loss or muscle fibre atrophy. It is suggested that such changes may be present even within 4th decade subjects.