An unusual cause of failed sedation.
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Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to D Gozal.
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Staphylococcus aureus, a common pulmonary pathogen in cystic fibrosis (CF), produces exotoxins that are extremely potent superantigens. A number of animal studies have shown that superantigens cause pulmonary inflammation, but the possible role of superantigens in CF has not been investigated. The present study assessed possible differences between control and CF B cells in presenting superantigens to T cells. Immortalized B-cell lines were used as superantigen-presenting cells to avoid environmental influences (e.g., infection or antibiotics) common to freshly isolated cells. The results show that CF B-cell lines presented a staphylococcal superantigen to the immortalized T-cell line (Jurkat) as effectively as did control B-cell lines as measured by interleukin-2 production. However, in contrast to the case for control B-cell lines, dexamethasone did not inhibit CF B-cell lines from presenting superantigen. The resistance of superantigen-presenting CF B cells to corticosteroids suggests that the pulmonary response to superantigens may be poorly regulated in CF, leading to an exaggerated inflammatory response to S. aureus.
The developmental role of alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionate (AMPA) glutamate receptors in respiratory regulation remains undefined. To study this issue, minute ventilation (V(E)) was measured in 5-, 10-, and 15-day-old intact freely behaving rat pups using whole body plethysmography during room air (RA), hypercapnic (5% CO(2)), and hypoxic (10% O(2)) conditions, both before and after administration of the non-N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonist 1,2,3, 4-tetrahydro-6-nitro-2,3-dioxobenzo[f]quinoxaline-7-sulfonamide disodium (NBQX; 10 mg/kg ip). In all age groups, V(E) during RA was unaffected by NBQX, despite reductions in breathing frequency (f) induced by increases in both inspiratory and expiratory duration. During hypoxia and hypercapnia, V(E) increases were similar in both NBQX and control conditions in all age groups. However, tidal volume was greater and f lower after NBQX. To determine if AMPA receptor-positive neurons are recruited during hypoxia, immunostaining for AMPA receptor (GluR2/3) and c-fos colabeling was performed in caudal brain stem sections after exposing rat pups at postnatal ages 2, 5, 10, and 20 days, and adult rats to room air or 10% O(2) for 3 h. GluR2/3 expression increased with postnatal age in the nucleus of the solitary tract (NTS) and hypoglossal nucleus, whereas a biphasic pattern emerged for the nucleus ambiguus (NA). c-fos expression was enhanced by hypoxia at all postnatal ages in the NTS and NA and also demonstrated a clear maturational pattern. However, colocalization of GluR2/3 and c-fos was not affected by hypoxia. We conclude that AMPA glutamate receptor expression in the caudal brain stem is developmentally regulated. Furthermore, the role of non-NMDA receptors in respiratory control of conscious neonatal rats appears to be limited to modest, albeit significant, regulation of breathing pattern.
Activation of platelet-derived growth factor-beta (PDGF-beta) receptors in the nucleus of the solitary tract (nTS) modulates the late phase of the acute hypoxic ventilatory response (HVR) in the rat. We hypothesized that temporal changes in PDGF-beta receptor expression could underlie the ventilatory acclimatization to hypoxia (VAH). Normoxic ventilation was examined in adult Sprague-Dawley rats chronically exposed to 10% O(2), and at 0, 1, 2, 7, and 14 days, Northern and Western blots of the dorsocaudal brain stem were performed for assessment of PDGF-beta receptor expression. Although no significant changes in PDGF-beta receptor mRNA occurred over time, marked attenuation of PDGF-beta receptor protein became apparent after day 7 of hypoxic exposure. Such changes were significantly correlated with concomitant increases in normoxic ventilation, i.e., with VAH (r: -0.56, P < 0.005). In addition, long-term administration of PDGF-BB in the nTS via osmotic pumps loaded with either PDGF-BB (n = 8) or vehicle (Veh; n = 8) showed that although no significant changes in the magnitude of acute HVR occurred in Veh over time, the typical attenuation of HVR by PDGF-BB decreased over time. Furthermore, PDGF-BB microinjections did not attenuate HVR in acclimatized rats at 7 and 14 days of hypoxia (n = 10). We conclude that decreased expression of PDGF-beta receptors in the dorsocaudal brain stem correlates with the magnitude of VAH. We speculate that the decreased expression of PDGF-beta receptors is mediated via internalization and degradation of the receptor rather than by transcriptional regulation.
Pyramidal neurons in the CA1 region of the hippocampus are highly vulnerable to damage from hypoxia-ischemia, whereas neurons in the CA3 region and the dentate gyrus are more resistant. A similar pattern of vulnerability to loss of synaptic and membrane function occurs in the in vitro hippocampal slice preparation, suggesting that intrinsic factors are important in acute neuronal damage. Simultaneous recordings of DC potential and imaging of changes in light transmittance were made in slices from the middle one-third of the hippocampus to characterize the initiation and spread of depolarization and swelling during hypoxia-aglycemia. Hypoxic depolarization (HD) and associated optical changes were initiated simultaneously in the stratum oriens of the CA1 region and thereafter spread to the stratum radiatum of CA1 and later to the upper (inner) blade of the dentate gyrus. A decrease in light transmittance was associated consistently with depolarization in all regions (n = 22 slices). Investigation of the sequence of activation in intact slices showed that activation of the dentate gyrus arose independently of activation of the CA1 region. This was confirmed by recordings made from minislices in which CA1, CA3, and dentate regions were physically separated. HD and optical changes were never observed in the CA3 region, despite exposure to 40-60 min of combined hypoxia and aglycemia. In contrast, exposure to hypoxia after pretreatment of slices with altered tonicity or ion composition, which triggered episodes of spreading depolarization (SD), provoked depolarization and optical changes simultaneously in both CA1 and CA3 regions. Similarly, pretreatment with agents that cause severe metabolic impairment, such as dinitrophenol (DNP), also rendered the CA3 region vulnerable to subsequent hypoxia. This suggests that the CA3 region in hippocampal slices is normally resistant to HD and only becomes vulnerable after severe impairment of metabolic capacity. The similar order of vulnerability of in vitro and in vivo hippocampus to hypoxia-aglycemia supports the use of the hippocampal slice preparation to investigate early changes potentially contributing to hypoxic-ischemic injury.
Ventilatory responses to hypoxia are critically dependent on the activation of N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) glutamate receptors in adult rats. To investigate the role of NMDA receptors during development, we measured minute ventilation (V E) in 5-d, 10-d, and 15-d-old intact, freely behaving rat pups, using whole-body plethysmography during breathing of room air (RA), during hypoxia (10% O(2)), and during hypercapnia (5% CO(2)), both before and after administration of the NMDA receptor antagonist MK-801 (1 mg/kg intraperitoneally). MK-801 did not affect V E in RA in the younger animals, but increased both V E and respiratory frequency in the 15-d- old rats. Similarly, V E responses to hypoxia were unchanged from control values in young animals, whereas V E respones in 15-d-old rats showed significant attenuation under hypoxic conditions. In contrast, hypercapnic ventilatory responses were not altered by administration of MK-801 to rats at any age. To further examine the topographic distribution patterns of NMDA receptor-positive neurons in the caudal brainstem and their recruitment during hypoxia, we performed immunostaining for NMDA receptor subunit NR1 and c-fos after exposing rat pups at postnatal ages of 2 d, 5 d, 10 d, and 20 d and adult rats to either RA or 10% O(2) for 3 h. With advancing postnatal age, NR1 expression increased in the nucleus tractus solitarii (nTS), whereas it decreased in the hypoglossal nucleus. Hypoxic exposure was associated with increased c-fos expression in the nTS at all postnatal ages, with a marked increase occurring in >/= 10-d-old animals. Similarly, the density of c-fos-NR1 double-labeled neurons during hypoxia progressively increased with maturation. We conclude that NMDA glutamate receptor expression in the caudal brainstem undergoes postnatal maturation that closely parallels the development of the hypoxic ventilatory response in the rat.
The novel endogenous mu-opioid receptor (MOR) agonists endomorphin 1 (EM1) and 2 (EM2) were tested for their cardiorespiratory effects in conscious, freely behaving rats. After systemic (intravenous) administration of EM1, EM2, or the selective MOR agonist DAMGO, analgesia, minute ventilation (V E), heart rate (HR) and mean arterial blood pressure (BP) were measured. The threshold dose for analgesia was similar for all 3 peptides ( approximately 900 nmol/kg). All 3 compounds elicited biphasic V E responses, with marked, short-lived V E depressions (4-6 s) followed by more sustained V E increases (10-12 min). However, compared with responses elicited by EM2 or DAMGO, EM1 decreased V E only at higher doses, and produced greater V E stimulation. Morphine produced a V E decrease, but no subsequent V E increase. EM2 and DAMGO decreased HR and BP, while EM1 decreased HR, but did not decrease BP in conscious rats at doses up to 9,600 nmol/kg. In anesthetized rats, all 3 peptides decreased HR and BP. The decreases in V E, HR, and BP were blocked by the MOR antagonist, naloxone HCI (NIx). Only the HR and BP responses, however, were blocked by naloxone-methiodide (MeNIx), indicating central mediation of V E responses and peripheral mediation of cardiovascular responses. We conclude that MOR-selective compounds vary in their cardiorespiratory response characteristics which could be linked to differential cellular actions. The results support the concept that the analgesic, respiratory, and cardiovascular effects of MOR agonists can be dissociated and that EM1-like compounds could provide the basis for novel, safer analgesics.
Passive motion of lower extremities (PMLE) elicits significant increases in alveolar ventilation (V A) in awake children with congenital central hypoventilation syndrome (CCHS), who have absent or near absent ventilatory responses to hypercapnia. We hypothesized that PMLE would improve V A during non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep. To study this, six patients with CCHS (0.2 to 7 yr of age) were disconnected from mechanical ventilatory support during Stage III-IV NREM, and their feet were passively moved at the ankle, either manually or with a motorized device strapped to their feet at 40 to 50 strokes/min. Holding of the feet without motion served as control (C). From a total of 74 successful trials not associated with sleep state changes, PET(CO(2)) decreased from 58.9 +/- 3.5 to 40.9 +/- 2.6 mm Hg with PMLE (n = 58; p < 0.001), whereas end-tidal carbon dioxide (PET(CO(2))) increased in C (n = 16; 58.8 +/- 3.1 to 60.3 +/- 3.7 mm Hg; PMLE versus C: p < 0.001). PMLE increased respiratory frequency from 10.2 +/- 1.9 to 21.2 +/- 2.7 breaths/min (p < 0.0001). We conclude that PMLE during NREM increases V A possibly via activation of mechanoreceptor-afferent pathways rather than by respiratory entrainment. We speculate that such effect may provide future noninvasive ventilatory support strategies in patients with CCHS and mild phenotypic expression of their disease.
OBJECTIVE: To determine the prevalence of snoring and its potential associations with sleep problems, such as daytime symptoms, medical conditions, school performance, and behavioral disturbances in Portuguese children attending primary school. METHODS: A previously validated questionnaire was sent to the parents of 1381 children attending primary schools in a parish of Coimbra, Portugal. To assess behavioral disturbances, the Portuguese version of Rutter's Children's Behavior Questionnaire for completion by teachers was used. RESULTS: Of the 988 questionnaires returned (71.5%), complete information concerning snoring was obtained for 976 children (496 girls and 480 boys; mean age: 8.1 +/- 1.5 years). Loud snoring during sleep was reported as frequent or constantly present (LSn) in 84 children (8.6%), as occasionally present in 299 children (30.6%), and as never present (NSn) by 593 children (60.8%). The LSn and NSn groups did not differ with respect to age, gender, sleep duration, time to fall asleep, frequency of night wakings, bedwetting, daytime tiredness, and school achievement. However, LSn was significantly associated with increased bedtime problems (fears and struggles), increased need for comforting activities to fall asleep, behaviors suggestive of parasomnias (sleep talking, teeth grinding, and night terrors), increased daytime sleepiness and irritability, and behavioral disturbances. Children in the LSn group were also more likely to report recurrent medical problems particularly those involving infections of the respiratory tract. CONCLUSIONS: Snoring is a common symptom in Portuguese children that is associated with behavioral daytime and sleep time disturbances. Children with loud snoring may benefit from early evaluation and intervention.
Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a frequent albeit underdiagnosed condition in children, which if left untreated may lead to substantial morbidity. Important recent advances in the understanding of the pathophysiological mechanisms underlying OSA in children have been coupled with improved approaches towards the diagnosis and management of OSA. This review provides a detailed and current description of OSA in children, and focuses on the integrative elements necessary for increasing the awareness and diagnostic yield of the community practitioner.
Glutamatergic transmission within the nucleus tractus solitarii (nTS) is critical to full expression of hypoxia-induced cardiorespiratory responses in the rat. To further examine the role of N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) and alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionate (AMPA) glutamate receptors in these responses, double-labeling studies of immunoreactivity for c-Fos protein and either NMDA (NR1) or AMPA (mGluR2/3) receptor expression were conducted in normoxic rats and in hypoxic rats receiving vehicle, MK801, or NBQX. Hypoxia markedly increased c-Fos immunoreactivity within nTS neurons which in the vast majority co-labeled for NMDA. Furthermore, MK801 markedly attenuated such responses. In contrast, co-localization of AMPA and c-Fos occurred in only a small proportion of neurons, and NBQX failed to modify hypoxia-induced c-Fos enhancements. These data suggest a predominant role for NMDA but not for AMPA glutamate receptors in nTS mediated components of the hypoxic response.
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In the nucleus tractus solitarii, NMDA glutamate receptors are critical to the hypoxic ventilatory response. However, the signal transduction pathways underlying the hypoxic ventilatory response remain undefined. To assess the effect of a moderate hypoxic stimulus (10% O2) on tyrosine phosphorylation of proteins in the nucleus tractus solitarii, tissue lysates were harvested by repeated punch sampling at 0, 1, 10, and 60 min of hypoxia and examined for the presence of phosphorylated tyrosine residues by immunoblotting. Time-dependent phosphotyrosine increases occurred in proteins migrating at regions corresponding to molecular masses of 38-42, 50, 55, and 60 kDa, which were attenuated by pretreatment with the NMDA receptor channel blocker, MK-801. As extracellular signal-regulated kinase (Erk) and stress-activated protein kinase/c-Jun N-terminal kinase (SAPK/JNK) phosphorylation may induce Fos and Jun gene transcription and activator protein-1 (AP-1) DNA binding, the activation of Erk1, Erk2, p38, and SAPK/JNK was examined in the nucleus tractus solitarii and neocortex during hypoxia and following administration of MK-801. Hypoxia enhanced Erk1, Erk2, and p38 activity in the cortex, but not in the nucleus tractus solitarii. Increased phosphorylation of SEK1 and SAPK/JNK-2 occurred in the nucleus tractus solitarii during hypoxia, whereas both SAPK/JNK-1 and SAPK/JNK-2 were recruited in cortex. MK-801 attenuated hypoxia-induced SEK1, SAPK/JNK-2, and AP-1 binding in the nucleus tractus solitarii, and the widespread activation of all MAP kinases in the cortex was also attenuated. We conclude that in conscious rats, a moderate hypoxic stimulus elicits NMDA-dependent widespread mitogen-activated protein kinase activation in cortex, but selective SAPK/JNK-2 and AP-1 activation in the nucleus tractus solitarii, thereby suggesting a functional role for the SAPK/JNK-2-AP-1 pathway.
Interleukin-1beta (IL-1beta) receptors are abundantly expressed in brain stem regions involved in respiratory control. We hypothesized that systemic administration of IL-1beta would increase ventilation (V(E )), and that nitric oxide, eicosanoids, and glucocorticoid receptors would modulate IL-1beta-induced cardioventilatory responses. Intravenous injections of three doses (37.5 ng kg(-1), 75 ng kg(-1 ) and 150 ng kg(-1)) of IL-1b induced monophasic increases in (V(E)), heart rate (HR), and blood pressure (BP) which had a distinctly different onset and duration of action compared to IL-1beta-induced body temperature elevations. Pre-treatment with the nitric oxide inhibitor L-NAME was associated with decreased peak V(E) responses, without affecting the latency and duration of IL-1beta. L-NAME also enhanced HR responses while pressor responses were attenuated. Eicosanoid inhibition with indomethacin resulted in markedly attenuated V responses. However, cardiovascular responses to IL-1beta were not modified by indomethacin. In contrast, pre-treatment with dexamethasone, was not associated with any changes in the IL-1beta-induced V(E), HR, or BP responses. We conclude that IL-1beta increases of V(E) are dose-dependent and are not time-locked with the pyrexic response suggesting the possibility that distinct neural pathways may underlie these responses. In addition, nitric oxide and eicosanoid-dependent mechanisms modulate IL-1beta ventilatory effects.
PURPOSE: Deterioration of respiratory muscle function in patients with neuromuscular disorders is primarily responsible for the high morbidity and mortality associated with these diseases. METHODS: The potential benefit of respiratory muscle training (RMT) on preservation of respiratory muscle strength and respiratory load perception (RLP) was examined in 21 children (mean age: 12.2 +/- 1.8 yr [SD], 16 male) with Duchenne's muscular dystrophy or spinal muscular atrophy type III, and in 20 age-, weight-, and sex-matched controls. Subjects were randomly allocated to undergo incremental RMT with resistive inspiratory and expiratory loads for a period of 6 months (trained group, TR) or to perform similar exercises with no load (NT). Maximal static inspiratory (Pi(max)) and expiratory (Pe(max)) pressures and RLP (modified Borg visual analog scale 0-10) were assessed on two separate occasions before beginning of the training protocol, monthly throughout RMT duration, and every 3-6 months upon cessation of RMT for 1 yr. RESULTS: In controls, no significant changes in maximal static pressures or load perception occurred during RMT or thereafter. Training in neuromuscular disorder (NMD) patients was associated with improvements in Pi(max) (mean delta max: +19.8 +/- 3.8 cmH2O in TR vs +4.2 +/- 3.6 cmH2O in NT; P < 0.02) and in Pe(max) (mean delta max: +27.1 +/- 4.9 cmH2O in TR vs -1.8 +/- 3.4 cmH2O in NT; P < 0.004). Similarly, RLP significantly decreased during the RMT period in TR (mean delta: 1.9 +/- 0.3; P < 0.01) but did not change in NT (-0.2 +/- 0.2). In addition, with cessation of RMT, static pressures returned to pretraining values in TR within approximately 3 months. However, RLP was still improved after 12 months. CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that in children with NMD, although RMT-induced increases in expiratory muscle strength are rapidly reversible, long-lasting improvements in RLP occur and could be associated with decreased respiratory symptoms.
Congenital central hypoventilation syndrome (CCHS) is a rare and unique condition that may prompt unparalleled approaches to the discovery of genes involved in development of cardiorespiratory control and gas exchange homeostasis. Its higher risk of recurrence in families and its association with Hirschsprung's disease suggest that an underlying genetic mechanism is involved. However, screening for mutations of the receptor tyrosine kinase RET and endothelin 3 has revealed only occasional patients affected by these mutations, therefore suggesting that CCHS may result from disruption of more than a single gene. In recent years, three principal issues have become apparent: 1) the autonomic nervous system is involved universally in CCHS cases, albeit to a varying extent; 2) the use of novel functional imaging approaches incorporating refined stimulus paradigms may provide essential research and clinical insights into localization and assessment of neural sites underlying the phenotypic expression of this syndrome; and 3) efforts to transition patients' nocturnal respiratory support to a noninvasive ventilatory modality should be critically evaluated and pursued, when appropriate, to improve the quality of life for patients and families.
Nitric oxide (NO) is an excitatory neurotransmitter in the hypoxic ventilatory response (HVR). Furthermore, neuronal NO synthase (nNOS) activity in the developing rat correlates with the magnitude of late hypoxic ventilatory depression. To test the hypothesis that repeated short exposures to hypoxia may modify late HVR characteristics in young rats, we conducted 30-min hypoxic challenges in 2- to 3-day-old rat pups, before (Pre) and 6 h after (Post) they completed a series of eight cycles consisting of 5 min of hypoxia and 10 min of normoxia (Hyp-Norm) or normoxia throughout (Norm-Norm). In an additional group, similar challenges were performed after administration of either intraperitoneal vehicle or 25 mg/kg 7-nitroindazole (7-NI). Ventilation (VE) was measured using whole body plethysmography. Although no changes in peak VE responses occurred with episodic hypoxia (Pre vs. Post, P = not significant), late VE reductions were markedly attenuated in Post (DeltaVE from early to late: 7.2 +/- 1.5 ml/min in Pre vs. 4.5 +/- 1.1 ml/min in Post; P < 0.002). Furthermore, 7-NI treatment of Post animals was associated with late VE reductions to Pre levels in Hyp-Norm-exposed animals. Western blots of protein equivalents from the caudal brain stem revealed increased nNOS expression in Hyp-Norm compared with Norm-Norm (P < 0.01). Current findings suggest that repeated short hypoxic exposures improve the ability to sustain VE, which appears to be mediated by increased nNOS expression and activity in brain stem respiratory regions. We postulate that changes in nNOS may play a role in respiratory control plasticity.
Short-term potentiation of ventilation (VSTP) may be observed in healthy subjects on sudden termination of an hypoxic stimulus. We hypothesized that the level of hypoxia preceding normoxia would modify the duration and magnitude of the ensuing ventilatory decay. Ten healthy adults were studied on two different occasions, during which they were randomly exposed to isocapnic 6 or 10% O2 for 60 s and then switched to an isocapnic normoxic gas mixture. Both hypoxic gases induced significant ventilatory responses, and mean peak minute ventilation before the isocapnic normoxic switch was higher in 6% O2 (P < 0.001). The fast time constant of the two-exponential equation representing the best fit for ventilatory decay was unaffected by the magnitude of the hypoxic stimulus. However, the slow time constant, which is considered to represent VSTP, was markedly prolonged in 6% compared with 10% O2 [106.7 +/- 11.3 vs. 38. 2 +/- 6.1 (SD) s, respectively; P < 0.0001]. This result indicates that VSTP is stimulus dependent. We conclude that the magnitude of hypoxia preceding a normoxic transient modifies VSTP characteristics. We speculate that the interdependence function of ventilatory stimulus and short-term potentiation is crucial for preservation of system stability during transitions from high to low ventilatory drives.