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Biomedical subjects

R C Harris

Publications and source records attributed to R C Harris.

At least 199 records · Page 11Linked to original sources
PubMed1975

The effect of circulatory occlusion on isometric exercise capacity and energy metabolism of the quadriceps muscle in man.

Occlusion of the circulation to the quadriceps muscle for 20 min resulted in decreases in the muscle ATP and phosphorylcreatine (PC) contents of 1 and 32 per cent, respectively, and increases in ADP and AMP of 7 and 37 per cent. Decrease in PC was statistically significant after 4 min of occlusion, suggesting that the local intramuscular oxygen store was sufficiently depleted at this time as to be limiting to normal mitochondrial function. Pyruvate and lactate concentrations in muscle and the lactate to pyruvate ratio were significantly increased after 15 min of occlusion but not before. The calculated local oxygen store in the muscle was 2.0 mmol O2 - (kg dry muscle)-1. Local oxygen store depletion after 4 and 10 min of occlusion was estimated to be 40-50 and 90-100 per cent complete. Increasing time of pre-exercise occlusion resulted in decreased isometric endurance capacity. The observed decreases in endurance, however, were far greater than could be accounted for by any parallel decrease in the local muscle energy stores.

Adenosine Diphosphate↗
PubMed1973

Cardiorespiratory and metabolic costs of continuous and intermittent exercise in man.

1. Cardiorespiratory and metabolic responses to paired patterns of continuous and intermittent exercise with the same average power output were studied in eight men. Heart rate, ventilation and pulmonary gas exchange were measured during the different patterns of exercise performed on a cycle ergometer. The recovery oxygen volume was measured over 30 min of loadless pedalling. Needle biopsy samples of the vastus lateralis muscle were taken before, during and after completion of the exercise for measurement of muscle metabolites.2. Heart rate, ventilation, oxygen intake, respiratory exchange ratio, and blood lactate concentration were generally higher with intermittent compared with continuous exercise as were the accumulated totals for heart beats, ventilation and oxygen intake. Muscle biopsy samples tended to have higher lactate and lower phosphocreatine contents in intermittent exercise. The lactate concentration in muscle and blood water was the same during loadless pedalling before exercise but was significantly higher in muscle than blood during exercise. This concentration gradient was larger in intermittent than in continuous exercise.3. Work efficiency, calculated from the total oxygen cost of work in excess of a loadless pedalling control, was significantly lower in intermittent exercise. The explanation is thought to be connected with the observation that when the work was performed at a high rate in short bursts a large part of the oxidative recovery took place after the contraction during the rest periods, whereas in the low intensity continuous exercise the oxygen was mainly utilized while the work was being performed. This indicates that for part of the time in the intermittent exercise the muscle was working under anaerobic conditions. Although the possibility exists that the efficiency of resynthesis of phosphagen may be reduced in this form of activity, it is more likely that the result described is due to the greater amount of lactate formed in the intermittent exercise.

Adenosine Triphosphate↗
PubMed1972

Effect of temperature on muscle energy metabolism and endurance during successive isometric contractions, sustained to fatigue, of the quadriceps muscle in man.

1. The effects of altered tissue temperature on muscle metabolism during successive isometric contractions, sustained to fatigue, have been studied in the quadriceps muscle of man by combining biochemical analyses of metabolites in needle biopsy samples with measurements of endurance time with a force of 2/3 maximum voluntary contraction. Fatigue and recovery were observed repeatedly in a series of seven contractions at intervals of 20 sec, following immersion of the test leg in water at 12, 26 or 44 degrees C for 45 min. Muscle temperatures corresponding to these water temperatures were 22.5, 32.6 and 38.6 degrees C respectively.2. Increased levels of several glycolytic intermediates at rest in the heated muscle suggested an increased rate of glycolysis. ATP and phosphoryl creatine were lower at the end of the first contraction and the calculated rate of ATP utilization (including the contribution from anaerobic glycolysis) was highest in the heated nuscle.3. Significantly shorter endurance times were found for the heated muscle. These could not be attributed to depletion of local energy resources in muscle. Fatigue may be due to a reduction in the rate of regeneration of ATP from anaerobic glycolysis below that needed to maintain the contraction force. Lower values for the ratio of fructose 1,6-diphosphate: fructose 6-phosphate at the end of contractions, particularly at the highest temperature, are compatible with the hypothesis that there is partial inhibition of the rate controlling enzyme phosphofructokinase, possibly due to the accumulation of hydrogen ions in muscle.

Adenosine Diphosphate↗
PubMed1969

Control of chloroplast formation in Euglena gracilis. Antagonism between carbon and nitrogen sources.

1. Cells of Euglena gracilis grown in the dark on high ratios of carbon source to nitrogen source (;high-carbon cells') are unable to form chlorophyll during a subsequent incubation in the light; cells grown in the dark on low ratios of carbon to nitrogen (;low-carbon cells') synthesize chlorophyll at a rapid rate during the subsequent incubation in the light. High-carbon cells will form chlorophyll rapidly if supplied with a nitrogen source during the incubation in the light: of the nitrogen sources tested, ammonium sulphate was the most effective at overcoming the block in chlorophyll synthesis. The nitrogen source does not have to be present during the actual incubation in the light: a 5hr. exposure of high-carbon cells to ammonium sulphate in the dark, followed by removal of the nitrogen source, is sufficient to bring about rapid chlorophyll synthesis during a subsequent incubation in the light. 2. The synthesis of chlorophyll by low-carbon cells exposed to the light is strongly repressed by the addition of ethanol or other utilizable carbon sources during the incubation in the light. Chlorophyll synthesis ceases altogether between 5 and 10hr. after the addition of the carbon source. Carotenoid synthesis is also inhibited, but to a smaller extent. The inhibitory effects of ethanol are prevented if ammonium sulphate is added at the same time. 3. High-carbon cells contain about four times as much carbohydrate per cell and about twice as much lipid per cell as low-carbon cells. The content per cell of total protein, soluble protein and DNA are about the same in both types of cell. The low-carbon cells sometimes, but not always, contain more RNA than the high-carbon cells. Analysis of cold-acid extracts indicates that the two kinds of cells contain about the same concentrations of pool amino acids, but that the low-carbon cells contain somewhat higher concentrations of peptides in the pool. Ion-exchange analysis of pool extracts shows a number of differences between high-carbon and low-carbon cells with respect to the concentrations of individual amino acids: in particular low-carbon cells contain higher concentrations of alanine. High-carbon cells have approximately twice as much protease activity as low-carbon cells. 4. The possible biochemical basis for the differing ability of high-carbon and low-carbon cells to form chloroplasts in the light is discussed.

Amino Acids↗