Histopathology of carotid body in heroin addiction. Possible chemosensitive impairment

AIMS: To perform a morphometric analysis of carotid bodies in opiate addicts. METHODS AND RESULTS: Carotid bodies were sampled at autopsy from 35 subjects who died of heroin intoxication (mean age 26 years), and from eight young (22 years) and eight older subjects (66.5 years) who died of trauma. Sections were stained with haematoxylin-eosin, azan-Mallory, and double-labelling immunohistochemistry with antineuronal specific enolase and anti-S100, to count type I and type II cells. Interlobular and intralobular connective tissue was increased both in the opiate cases (43.45 +/- 6.79%, P < 0.001, and 13.34 +/- 5.72%, P < 0.001, respectively) and older cases (46.67 +/- 1.65%, P < 0.001, and 9.62 +/- 2.11%, P < 0.05, respectively) compared with young cases (33.17 +/- 6.41% and 4.33 +/- 1.84%, respectively). The percentage of type II cells in the opiate cases (51.6 +/- 7.3%, P < 0.001) and in the older controls (49.0 +/- 7.2%, P < 0.01) was higher than in the young cases (37.9 +/- 3.0%). Among type I cells, the light cell percentage in the opiate cases (65.85 +/- 11%, P < 0.001) was reduced with respect to the two control groups (82.8 +/- 5.34%, young; 81.62 +/- 8.58%, older). CONCLUSIONS: The increases in connective tissue and type II cells are similar to findings in ageing and chronic pulmonary disease, and may be ascribed to glomic hypoxia. A direct action of opiates should be taken into account for the decrease in light cells in heroin addiction. The histopathological changes in the carotid body, by impairing chemosensivity, may play a role in the fatal cardiorespiratory derangement of heroin addicts.     

低氧导致培养心肌细胞Na+通道基因SCN5A mRNA表达改变

目的研究低氧培养大鼠心肌细胞Na 通道基因SCN5A mRNA表达的变化,并探讨其与丙二醛(M alond ialhyde,MDA)含量及超氧化物歧化酶(superoxide d ismutase,SOD)活性的关系。方法培养大鼠心肌细胞,检测各组培养液氧分压。用RT-PCR检测SCN5A mRNA表达,检测培养液MDA含量和细胞SOD活性。结果与对照组相比:SCN5A mRNA相对表达量低氧1 h和6 h组显著增高(P<0.001)、低氧12 h和24 h组显著降低(P<0.001);MDA含量显著增高而SOD活性显著降低。结论心肌细胞Na 通道基因SCN5A在低氧1 h和6 h mRNA表达上调,而在低氧12 h和24 h mRNA表达下调,且与脂质过氧化和SOD相关。     

Exaggerated respiratory chemosensitivity and association with SaO2 level at 3568 m in obesity

To investigate whether obesity is associated with alterations in respiratory chemosensitivity, we compared the ventilatory response to hypoxia (HVR) and hypercapnia (HCVR) in 9 obese men (BMI: 37.0+/-4.3 kg m(-2)) and 10 lean men (BMI: 25.8+/-4.8 kg m(-2)). HVR (DeltaVE, L min(-1) per DeltaSaO2, %) was measured by a progressive isocapnic hypoxia technique, and HCVR (DeltaVE/DeltaPETCO2, L min(-1)Torr(-1)) was measured by a progressive hypercapnic method. HCVR, was greater (p<0.001) in the obese men (2.68+/-0.78) than in the lean men (1.4+/-0.45) as was HVR (p<0.05) (1.26+/-0.65 versus 0.71+/-0.43, respectively). The difference (DeltaSaO2, 4.30+/-3.69 and 10.54+/-3.45 in the lean and obese men, respectively, p<0.01) between daytime (86+/-1 and 86+/-1%) and nighttime SaO2 (81+/-3 and 76+/-4%) at a simulated altitude of 3658 m was significantly (p<0.05) correlated with both HVR (r=0.51) and HCVR (r=0.48). These results suggest that chemosensitivity in mildly obese men is increased, not blunted. Furthermore, otherwise healthy, obese individuals have the potential for significant desaturation during sleep at high altitude possibly due to exaggerated sleep-disordered breathing.     

缺氧与复氧对培养的肺动脉内皮细胞功能的影响

缺氧与复氧均可引起肺血管收缩和损伤，本研究观察肺血管内皮细胞活力和血管紧张素转换酶（ＡＣＥ）释放在其中的作用。培养的新生小牛肺动脉内皮细胞（ＰＡＥＣ）在缺氧条件下（０％Ｏ２－９５％Ｎ２）培养６～２４ｈ，其上清液ＡＣＥ活性无显著变化，而细胞活力于缺氧１２～２４ｈ显著增加（与常氧组相比增加２０％～３３％，Ｐ＜０．０５）。ＰＡＥＣ在缺氧条件下培养２４ｈ，复氧培养３～６ｈ后其上清液ＡＣＥ活性显著增加（与常氧组和缺氧组相比Ｐ＜０．０１），于１２ｈ恢复至复氧前的水平。细胞活力的变化与ＡＣＥ的变化类似，复氧３～６ｈ显著高于常氧水平（Ｐ＜０．０１与常氧组相比），１２ｈ恢复至正常。上述结果表明ＰＡＥＣ的ＡＣＥ和细胞活力的变化可能对肺动脉壁本身ＲＡＳ功能的调节及缺氧性肺血管收缩的发生起一定作用。     

The hypoxia-regulated transcription factor DEC1 (Stra13, SHARP-2) and its expression in human tissues and tumours

DEC1, also known as SHARP-2 or Stra13, is an important molecule in embryonic differentiation and has recently been identified to be strongly inducible by hypoxia. Its distribution in normal human tissues and most tumour types is unknown. In the present study, a polyclonal antiserum to a 10-amino acid peptide from DEC1 has been raised. Using this antiserum, DEC1 was shown to be widely expressed in most normal human tissues, but usually only in a proportion of cells and typically with a nuclear localization. In tumours, expression was either augmented (the commonest pattern) or occasionally decreased. Similarly, in most normal tissues, low or absent expression was observed in endothelial cells, whereas in many tumour samples endothelium was usually strongly positive. In tumours, there was a striking pattern of staining seen in connection with areas of necrosis, with absence of DEC1 expression within a zone of morphologically viable cells immediately adjacent to the necrotic zone. This suggests that while DEC1 may be up-regulated by hypoxia in cancer, in more extreme hypoxia it may have a role in cell death. Its interrelationship with other hypoxically regulated molecules, such as the hypoxia-inducible factors or carbonic anhydrase IX, and differentiation of tumours now requires further investigation.     

Effect of hypoxia on dynamics of changes in hexokinase activity in subcellular fractions of neonatal rat tissues

Hexokinase (HK) activity in the total homogenate and cytoplasmic and mitochondrial fractions of the brain, heart, and liver of newborn rats was studied in relation to the severity of exposure to hypoxia. With a mild form of hypoxic hypoxia an increase in the activity of the mitochondrial-bound form of the enzyme was observed in the brain and liver tissue accompanied by a decrease in cytoplasmic HK activity and, in the brain, by a marked increase in the rate of glucose phosphorylation. Deep hypoxia led to a decrease in HK activity in the total homogenate and in both subcellular fractions in all tissues investigated. The results point to a disturbance of certain mechanisms in the tissues of newborn rats after exposure to a severe degree of hypoxia.Laboratory of Clinical Biochemistry, Scientific-Research Institute of Pediatrics, Academy of Medical Sciences of the USSR, Moscow. (Presented by Academician of the Academy of Medical Sciences of the USSR M. Ya. Studenikin.) Translated from Byulleten' Éksperimental'noi Biologii i Meditsiny, Vol. 83, No. 1, pp. 21–24, January, 1977.     

Severe hypoxia decreases oxygen uptake relative to intensity during submaximal graded exercise

Summary The effect of severe acute hypoxia (fractional concentration of inspired oxygen equalled 0.104) was studied in nine male subjects performing an incremental exercise test. For power outputs over 125 W, all the subjects in a state of hypoxia showed a decrease in oxygen consumption ( O₂) relative to exercise intensity compared with normoxia (P < 0.05). This would suggest an increased anaerobic metabolism as an energy source during hypoxic exercise. During submaximal exercise, for a given O₂, higher blood lactate concentrations were found in hypoxia than in normoxia (P < 0.05). In consequence, the onset of blood lactate accumulation (OBLA) was shifted to a lower O₂ ( O₂ 1.77 l·min^–1 in hypoxia vs 3.10 l·min^–1 in normoxia). Lactate concentration increases relative to minute ventilation ( _E) responses were significantly higher during hypoxia than in normoxia (P < 0.05). At OBLA, _E during hypoxia was 25% lower than in the normoxic test. This study would suggest that in hypoxia subjects are able to use an increased anaerobic metabolism to maintain exercise performance.     

High-altitude pulmonary edema

Lay summary: High Altitude Pulmonary Edema (HAPE) is a potentially fatal disease of altitude, in which the lungs can become filled with fluid. In this article we explore the mechanisms causing this condition and how it can be viewed as a condition of a mismatch between current environment and evolutionary experience.     

牛磺酸对培养乳鼠心肌细胞缺氧坏死的保护作用

目的　观察牛磺酸 (Tau)对缺氧引起的心肌细胞坏死有无直接保护作用。方法　将培养心肌细胞分为正常对照、Tau对照缺氧 Tau和缺氧 4个组。测定培养细胞上清液中肌酸磷酸激酶 (CPK)活性 ,用原子吸收法测定细胞内钙、镁含量 ,Annexin V- FITC/ PI双染流式细胞术和台盼蓝染色镜检检测坏死细胞。结果　 Tau可使缺氧时培养细胞上清液中CPK活性降低 30 % ,坏死细胞减少大约 2 0 %。减少细胞内钙超载和镁丢失。结论　 Tau对缺氧导致的心肌细胞坏死有直接保护作用 ,此作用可能与减少细胞内钙超载和镁丢失有关。     

缺氧预适应小鼠脑组织中缺氧诱导因子-1的表达

为探讨缺氧诱导因子 1 (HIF 1 )在缺氧预适应小鼠脑组织中的表达 ,用Western印迹法检测慢性缺氧 (H)和不缺氧 (C)HeLa细胞、急性重复性缺氧 0次 (H0 )、1次 (H1)、4次 (H4 )小鼠脑组织中的HIF 1α。结果 :慢性缺氧HeLa细胞中可检测到较多的HIF 1α,H0 组脑组织中检测不到HIF 1α ,H1组检测到微量HIF 1α,H4 组检测到较多HIF 1α。结果显示 :脑组织中HIF 1α的含量随缺氧预适应的产生而逐步增加 ,提示HIF 1可能参与缺氧预适应的形成。