Influence of the menstrual cycle and oral contraceptives on thermoregulatory responses to exercise in young women

Summary Thermoregulatory responses to exercise in relation to the phase of the menstrual cycle were studied in ten women taking oral contraceptives (P) and in ten women not taking oral contraceptives (NP). Each subject was tested for maximal aerobic capacity ( ) and for 50% exercise in the follicular (F) and luteal (L) phases of the menstrual cycle. Since the oral contraceptives would have prevented ovulation a quasi-follicular phase (q-F) and a quasi-luteal phase (q-L) of the menstrual cycle were assumed for P subjects. Exercise was performed on a cycle ergometer at an ambient temperature of 24° C and relative air humidity of 50%. Rectal (T _re), mean skin ( ), mean body ( ) temperatures and heart rate (f _c) were measured. Sweat rate was estimated by the continuous measurement of relative humidity of air in a ventilated capsule placed on the chest, converted to absolute pressure (PH₂O_chest). Gain for sweating was calculated as a ratio of increase inPH₂O_chest to the appropriate increase inT _re for the whole period of sweating (G) and for unsteady-state (G_u) separately. The did not differ either between the groups of subjects or between the phases of the menstrual cycle. In P, rectal temperature threshold for sweating (T _{re, td}) was 37.85° C in q-L and 37.60° C in q-F (P < 0.01) and corresponded to a significant difference fromT _re at rest. TheT _re, andf _c increased similarly during exercise in q-F and q-L. No menstrual phase-related differences were observed either in the dynamics of sweating or in G. In NP,T _{re, td} was shorter in L than in F (37.70 vs 37.47° C,P<0.02) with a significantly greater value fromT _re at rest. The dynamics and G for sweating were also greater in L than in F. The G_u was 36.8 versus 16.6 kPa · ° C^–1 (P<0.01) while G was 6.4 versus 3.8 kPa · ° C^–1 (P<0.05), respectively. TheT _re, andf _c increased significantly more in phase F than in phase L. It was concluded that in these women performing moderate exercise, there was a greater temperature threshold and larger gains for sweating in phase L than in phase F. Intake of oral contraceptives reduced the differences in the gains for sweating making the thermoregulatory responses to exercise more uniform.     

Promotion of sleep by heat in young rats

The aim of the experiments was to study the effects of a moderate heat load on sleep in young (26-day-old) rats and to determine whether the sleep-promoting effect of heat results from stimulation of the homeostatic sleep process. The changes in sleep-wake activity, electroencephalogram slow wave activity (SWA) during non-rapid eye movement sleep (NREMS) and cortical temperature (T _crt) were determined during and after long (24-h) and short (2.5-h) heat loads (elevation of ambient temperature from 26° C to 32° C), and after total sleep deprivation (SD) combined with a short-term heat load. The heat exposures elicited increases in T _crt and rectal temperature (2 and 1.7° C respectively). The long-term heat load induced persistent, albeit slight enhancements in NREMS. Rapid eye movement sleep (REMS) increased with a 12-h delay during the 24-h heat load. Heat elicited an immediate large increase in SWA. After this initial increase, SWA declined and tended to fall below the baseline level during the last 12 h of the 24-h heat load. SWA and REMS were significantly suppressed after termination of 24-h heat loading. The increased SWA during the short-term heat load was not followed by subsequent alterations in sleep when the ambient temperature had returned to normal. However, after the combination of SD with the shortterm heat load the durations of NREMS and SWA were significantly enhanced compared with those found after SD at 26° C. The results are interpreted as suggesting that heat increases NREMS in the young rat by the same mechanism as is involved in the enhancement of NREMS after SD: a stimulation of sleep drive.     

Reproductive influences on behavioral thermoregulation in the lizard Sceloporus cyanogenys

Several thermoregulatory parameters were measured for female and male Sceloporus cyanogenys during one reproductive season. Body temperatures, body temperature thresholds for thermoregulatory behavior, and thermoregulatory activity all declined to a minimum at pregnancy as lizards progressed through preovulatory and ovulatory states. Marked increases in these parameters occurred in post parturient lizards. Males were not significantly different from post parturients. Progesterone administration significantly depressed body temperature levels and body temperature thresholds for thermoregulatory behavior, but not thermoregulatory activity in another post parturient group. Callard detected greater amounts of plasma progesterone in pregnant S. cyanogenys compared to other reproductive states [6]. Therefore, it is proposed that during pregnancy progesterone functions to modulate thermoregulatory behavior and energy expenditure. These results support the idea that the sensitivity of the thermostatic components to internal and external environmental factors determines a labile rather than a fixed regulated body temperature in some reptiles.     

Thermal and respiratory control in young rats with altered caloric intake during postnatal development

We asked to what extent differences in caloric intake during the first postnatal weeks may modify thermal and respiratory control of 1-month old rats. Large-size (Large) and small-size (Small) rats were obtained by raising rats in, respectively, small (6 pups) and large (16 pups) litters. In Small, the rate of oxygen consumption (V(O(2))/kg) was less than in Large during the first 2-3 weeks, and higher thereafter, when the thermogenic needs to maintain body temperature (Tb) increased. At day 31, when body weight in Small was approximately 80% of Large, Small maintained Tb in the cold with higher V(O(2))/kg than Large. The total uncoupling protein of the brown adipose tissue was unchanged. Also pulmonary ventilation (VE/kg) was higher in Small, maintaining the proportionality with V(O(2)). Lung weight in Small was reduced in proportion to body weight, with higher protein-DNA ratio. The compliances of the respiratory system and lungs, normalized by body weight, and the hyperventilatory responses to hypoxia or hypercapnia, expressed as % increase in VE/V(O(2)), were similar in Small and Large. Differences between Small and Large were reduced or no longer present in a group of Small rats raised until their body weight was as in Large. We conclude that rather important developmental differences in caloric intake and metabolic level, in otherwise healthy rats, had no long-term carry over effects in the developmental processes of respiratory and thermal control, other than the effects strictly attributable to the alterations in body size.     

Sex- and menstrual cycle-related differences in sweating and cutaneous blood flow in response to passive heat exposure

To examine sex- and menstrual cycle-related differences in thermoregulatory responses to heat exposure, ten young women and six young men were heated passively by immersing their legs in water heated to 42°C for 60 min (in ambient conditions of 30°C and 45% relative humidity). The women underwent heat exposure during the mid-follicular (F) and mid-luteal (L) phases of the menstrual cycle, which were confirmed by assaying plasma female reproductive hormones. The rectal and mean body temperatures of women in the L phase were significantly greater than those of women in the F phase and of men during a pre-heating equilibration period (28°C) and during heat exposure. During heat exposure, the local sweat rates ( ) on the forehead, chest, back, and forearm of women in either phase were significantly lower than those of men, but the thigh was similar to that of men. The did not change at any site during the different phases of the menstrual cycle. The cutaneous blood flow (%LDF) was significantly greater on the thigh for women in either phase compared with men, but no difference was found at any other site (forehead, chest, back, and forearm). The %LDF on the back was significantly greater for women in the L phase than in the F phase, but those at other sites were similar in both phases. We conclude that, compared with men, heat loss from women depends more on cutaneous vasodilation (especially on the thigh) than on sweating, irrespective of the phase of the menstrual cycle. This phenomenon was due to peripheral mechanisms, as reflected in the greater slope of the relationship between %LDF and lower slope of the relationship between and frequency of sweat expulsion, and lower sweat output per gland. The menstrual cycle modified the threshold for vasodilation and sweat onset in women. Therefore, the sex difference in the threshold was more marked for women during the L phase than during the F phase. Moreover, the menstrual cycle modified the slope of the relationship between %LDF on the back and      

The role of vasopressin as an antipyretic in the ventral septal area and its possible involvement in convulsive disorders

Perfusion of the peptide, arginine vasopressin (AVP), within the ventral septal area (VSA) of the brain of a number of species reduces fever but not normal body temperature. This antipyretic response appears to be mediated by AVP receptors of the V₁ subtype. Lesions of the VSA with kainic acid are associated with prolonged and enhanced fevers in rats. A role for endogenous AVP in fever suppression within the VSA comes from several types of experiments: (1) AVP release within the VSA is inversely correlated to fever height, (2) AVP antagonists or antiserum injected into the VSA prolong fever, (3) animals lacking endogenous AVP in the VSA (Brattleboro rat, long-term castrated rat) develop enhanced fevers. Electrical stimulation of the AVP-containing cell bodies of the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BST) orthodromically inhibits VSA neurons and also suppresses fever, the latter effect can be abolished with application of a V₁ antagonist to the VSA. lontophoretic studies indicate that AVP inhibits glutamatestimulated activity of thermoresponsive and other VSA neurons. AVP can also act in the VSA to cause severe motor disturbances, this action is receptor mediated and increases in severity upon sequential exposure to AVP. Because sites of action of the antipyretic and convulsive action of AVP are similar, and because animals lacking brain AVP display reduced convulsive activity, it is possible that AVP, released during fever, could be involved in the genesis of convulsive activity.     

Effects of treadmill running on plasma beta-endorphin,corticotropin, and cortisol levels in male and female 10K runners

Summary Reports of plasma beta-endorphin (BEN) levels in response to submaximal exercise have been highly disparate. Variations in experimental design have complicated interpretation of previous research. The present study was designed to determine whether a sequential change in plasma beta-endorphin (B-EN), corticotropin (ACTH), and cortisol levels occurs in response to a 30-min submaximal run. Twenty-three subjects were divided into four groups: male runners, female runners, sedentary males and sedentary females. Subjects ran on a treadmill at 80% of previously determined maximum heart rate. Five plasma samples were obtained through an indwelling catheter before exercise (−30 and 0 min), at 15 and 30 min of exercise, and after 30 minutes of recovery. The run resulted in no rise in B-EN, ACTH, and cortisol despite an elevated rectal temperature. B-EN values were significantly higher in males than in females (p<0.01). No sex or training differences were seen with respect to change of hormone concentrations over the course of the run. Three male runners developed symptoms of vasovagal syncope after the catheter placement and had high initial B-EN, ACTH, and cortisol concentrations which decreased throughout the run. These data indicate that gender and training do not affect ACTH and cortisol concentrations before, during, and after 30 min of treadmill running at 80% of maximum heart rate, whereas B-EN concentrations are higher in males under these conditions.     

Thermoregulatory responses to exercise at low ambient temperature performed after precooling or preheating procedures

Summary Seven male skiers exercised for 30 min on a cycle ergometer at 50% of maximal oxygen uptake and an ambient temperature of 5° C. The exercise was preceded either by cold exposure (PREC) or active warming-up (PREH). The data were compared with control exercise (CONT) performed immediately after entering the thermal chamber from a thermoneutral environment. Cold exposure resulted in negative heat storage (96.1 kJ·m⁻², SE 5.9) leading to significantly lower rectal, mean body and mean skin temperatures at the onset of exercise in PREC, as compared to PREH and CONT. The PREC-PREH temperature differences were still significant at the end of the exercise period. During exercise in the PREC test, oxygen uptake was higher than in PREH test (32.8 ml·kg⁻¹·min⁻¹, SE 1.5 vs 30.5 ml·kg⁻¹·min⁻¹, SE 1.3, respectively). Heart rate showed only a tendency to be higher in PREC than in PREH and CONT tests. In the PREH test skin and body temperatures as well as sweat rate were already elevated at the beginning of exercise. Exercise-induced changes in these variables were minimal. Heat storage decreased with the duration of the exercise. Exercise at low ambient temperature preceded by a 30-min rest in a cold environment requires more energy than the same exercise performed after PREH. This work was partly supported by the Polish Central Programme of Basic Research 06-02.III.2.1.     

Effects of human menstrual cycle on thermoregulatory vasodilation during exercise

Summary To investigate the effects of the menstrual cycle and of exercise intensity on the relationship between finger blood flow (FBF) and esophageal temperature (T_es), we studied four women, aged 20–32 years. Subjects exercised at 40% and 70% in the semi-supine posture at an ambient temperature of 20 C. Resting T_es was higher during the luteal phase than the follicular phase (P<0.01). There were no significant differences between the two phases in FBF, oxygen consumption, carbon dioxide production, heart rate or minute ventilation at rest and during exercise, respectively. Each regression line of the FBF-T_es relationship consists of two distinct segments of FBF change to T_es (slope 1 and 2). FBF increased at a threshold T_es for vasodilation ([T_{es 0}]) and the rate of FBF rise became greater at another T_es above this threshold ([T_{es 0}']). For both levels of exercise, [T_{es 0}] and [T_{es 0}'] were shifted upward during the luteal phase, but the slopes of the FBF-T_es relationship were almost the same in the two phases of the menstrual cycle. Increasing exercise intensity induced a significant decrease in slope 1 of the FBF-T_es relationship during the follicular (P<0.01) and the luteal phases (P<0.02), respectively. These results show that the set-point temperature may be shifted towards a higher level during the luteal phase of the menstrual cycle during exercise and that, as in males, the thermoregulatory vasodilator response is attenuated by increasing exercise-induced vasoconstrictor tone in proportion to exercise intensity during both phases of the menstrual cycle when heat storage is insufficient in women.Supported in part by Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research from the Ministry of Education, Science and Culture of Japan (grant no. 57770137)     

Beneficial effects of a ketamine/atropine combination in soman-poisoned rats under a neutral thermal environment

Exposure to organophosphorus (OP) compounds, such as pesticides and the chemical warfare agents (soman and sarin), respectively represents a major health problem and a threat for civilian and military communities. OP poisoning may induce seizures, status epilepticus and even brain lesions if untreated. We recently proved that a combination of atropine sulfate and ketamine, a glutamatergic antagonist, was effective as an anticonvulsant and neuroprotectant in mice and guinea-pigs exposed to soman. Since OP exposure may also occur in conditions of heat strain due to climate, wearing of protective gears or physical exercise, we previously demonstrated that ketamine/atropine association may be used in a hot environment without detrimental effects. In the present study, we assess soman toxicity and evaluate the effects of the ketamine/atropine combination on soman toxicity in a warm thermoneutral environment. Male Wistar rats, exposed to 31 °C (easily reached under protective equipments), were intoxicated by soman and treated with an anesthetic dose of ketamine combined with atropine sulfate. Body core temperature and spontaneous locomotor activity were continuously monitored using telemetry. At the end of the warm exposure, blood chemistry and brain mRNA expression of some specific genes were measured. In soman-intoxicated animals, metabolic and genic modifications were related to convulsions rather than to soman intoxication by itself. In the warm environment, ketamine/atropine combination did not produce any side-effect on the assessed variables. Furthermore, the ketamine/atropine combination exhibited beneficial therapeutic effects on soman-intoxicated rats such as a limitation of convulsion-induced hyperthermia and of the increase in some blood chemistry markers.