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Biomedical subjects

R Francesconi

Publications and source records attributed to R Francesconi.

48 records · Page 3Linked to original sources
PubMed1979

Hypothermia induced by chlorpromazine or L-tryptophan: effects on treadmill performance in the heat.

To study the effects of preinduced hypothermia on the physiological and thermoregulatory responses to exercise in the heat rats were intravenously administered either 100 micrograms of chlorpromazine (CPZ) or 200 mg/kg of L-tryptophan (L-Trp) under restraint in a cold (4 degrees C) environment. When rectal temperatures (Tre) reached 32-33 degrees C the rats were removed to a hot environment (35 degrees C) where they ran on a level treadmill (9.14 m/min) to hyperthermic exhaustion (Tre, 42.5-43 degrees C). Both CPZ and L-trp hypothermia was effective in increasing significantly (P less than 0.001) the time to hyperthermic exhaustion. However, the maximal Tre and skin temperatures (Tsk) attained were unaffected by either treatment. When the rats exercised on the treadmill, increments (degrees C/min) in Tre and Tsk were significantly (P less than 0.02, minimal) greater for the initially hypothermic animals compared to normothermic controls. Cooling rates were unaffected by either treatment. We concluded from these studies that, although preinduced hypothermia is extremely effective in prolonging the time to hyperthermic exhaustion, no additional beneficial thermoregulatory responses accrued as a result of this treatment.

Animals↗
PubMed1979

Heat- and exercise-induced hyperthermia: effects on high-energy phosphates.

To assess the role of high-energy phosphate compounds in the etiology of heat injury with respect to the release of intracellular constituents, the susceptibility of selected tissues to heat injury, and the shock-like demise of the animals, rats were exercised on a treadmill (9.14 m/min) in a hot environment (34.5-35 degrees C) to a rectal temperature (Tre) of 42.5-43 degrees C. In the heart, kidney, left lateral lobe of the liver, and gastrocnemius muscle extricated from animals immediately upon termination of the treadmill run, levels of glucose-6-phosphate (G-6-P), adenosine triphosphate (ATP), and creatine phosphate (CP) were unchanged when compared with sedentary controls. In animals which had been resuscitated by infusion of isotonic saline into a jugular catheter, levels of CP were significantly (p less than 0.025) elevated in gastrocnemius muscle. In rats which were unconscious and succumbing to the effects of hyperthermic injury, levels of hepatic G-6-P and ATP were significantly reduced (p less than 0.05, p less than 0.02, respectively). These results indicate that the combination of exhaustive excercise/heat injury had the most deleterious effects upon hepatic metabolism. However, while resuscitation with physiological saline may be accompanied by an increased synthesis of CP, hyperthermic exhaustion and the concomitant efflux of cellular constituents cannot be attributed to a depletion or even a decrement of high-energy phosphates in vital tissues.

Adenosine Triphosphate↗
PubMed1977

Recurrent heat exposure: effects on levels of plasma and urinary sodium and potassium in resting and exercising men.

Heat acclimatization was induced in a group of healthy young men by walking on a treadmill (5.6 km/h, 49 degrees C/27 degrees C dry/wet bulb, 90 min/day, 7 d) and confirmed by observing significantly reduced final rectal temperatures and heart rates on the seventh day of exercise in the heat. A second group of men, paired for maximal oxygen consumption and body weight, remained sedentary under identical environmental conditions. While the mild exercise combined with the severe heat conditions induced significant hyperkalemia (p less than 0.02, minimal significance) on both the first and final days, there did occur an attenuated response with significantly (p less than 0.01) reduced plasma K+ after 45 min on the seventh day when compared with first day levels. No significant inter- or intragroup differences in plasma Na+ content of 24-h urine samples showed that men exercising in the heat retained an increased ability to conserve Na+, while sedentary individuals consistently displayed increased excretion of Na+. Thus, we concluded that even the mild exercise described herein effected hyperkalemia at each sampling time, but the level of hyperkalemia was attenuated after acclimatization, and while Na+ was conserved in the exercising men, no such adaptive processes occurred in sedentary individuals.

Acclimatization↗
PubMed1976

Thermoregulatory effects of monoamine potentiators and inhibitors in the rat.

Exogenously administered monoamines may elicit variable thermoregulatory responses dependent on dosage, species, site of administration, ambient temperature, etc. In an attempt to reconcile several inconsistencies, we have undertaken a series of studies related to monoaminergic control of temperature regulation. Thus, intraventricular administration of serotonin (2.64-26.4 mug) and norepinephrine (3.3-32.8 mug) in rats evoked acute (15-60 min) dose-dependent hypothermic responses (delta Tre = 2 degrees C) that were gradually superseded by significant, more persistent hyperthermia (delta Tre = 1 degreee C). Administration of chlorimipramine or imipramine (total dose 40 mug), even in monoamine-depleted animals, caused long-lasting hyperthermic responses, presumably by the prevention of reuptake of serotonin and norepinephrine at nerve terminals involved in thermoregulation. Pretreatment with the serotonin inhibitor cyproheptadine (4o mug) attenuated the hyperthermia achieved by central administration of chlorimipramine alone. We conclude that both monoamines can act as thermogenic agents under the conditions of these experiments.

Animals↗
PubMed1975

Adrenocortical activity and urinary cyclic AMP levels: effects of hypobaric hypoxia.

Six highly motivated and trained military test subjects were exposed to a simulated altitude of 4267 m (477 torr) for 48 hours, prededed and followed by sea level runs lasting 32 hours. During each scenario tests subjects were required to perform their respective military tasks on a continual basis with sporadic rest not exceeding several hours. Extremely high levels of plasma cortisol prior to the start of each session and persistently elevated concentrations of urinary 17-OH corticosteroids at sea level were consistently observed. (This observation probably explains the relatively minor changes in adrenocortical output noted during acute exposure to hypobaric hypoxia. Analogous results were obtained for urinary cyclic AMP, i.e. elevated baseline levels and minimal response to high altitude. The results indicate an attenuated response as well as an association between urinary measures of adrenocortical activity and cyclic AMP excretion.

17-Hydroxycorticosteroids↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Binding and degradation of 125I-insulin in human erythrocytes. Comparative studies with hemolysate and membranes.

Insulin degradation in human erythrocytes obtained from normal subjects is studied. Under the experimental conditions used, insulin binding and insulin degradation are strictly correlated, and no degrading activity is released in incubation medium. Comparative analysis of hemolysate and membranes shows that hemolysate possesses a definite insulin-degrading activity which is not linked to the hemoglobin molecule; the km of this enzymatic activity is of the same order of magnitude as that reported in other cells. At the concentration and in the condition used in this study, membranes degrade insulin at a lower rate than hemolysate.

Erythrocyte Membrane↗