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At least 577 records · Page 32Linked to original sources

Dextrose affects gravitational spread of epidural anesthesia.

Chloroprocaine, 0.5 per cent, with physiologic saline solution, has a specific gravity of 1.007 and a osmolarity of 283 mOsm/l, which increase to a specific gravity of 1.025 and an osmolarity of 542 mOsm/l when chloroprocaine is prepared in dextrose, 5 per cent. Chloroprocaine, 2.7 per cent, shows similar increases in specific gravity and osmolarity with dextrose 5 per cent. The highest sensory anesthesia level attained in pregnant patients following epidural injection of 10 ml of each of these solutions was determined. Chloroprocaine in dextrose, 5 per cent, produced a significant lowering of the highest sensory anesthesia level attained, compared with solutions to which dextrose was not added.

Anesthesia, Epidural↗

Prospects for gravitational-wave observations of neutron-star tidal disruption in neutron-star-black-hole binaries.

For an inspiraling neutron-star-black-hole (NS-BH) binary, we estimate the gravity-wave frequency f(td) at the onset of NS tidal disruption. We model the NS as a tidally distorted, homogeneous, Newtonian ellipsoid on a circular, equatorial geodesic around a Kerr BH. We find that f(td) depends strongly on the NS radius R, and estimate that LIGO-II (ca. 2006-2008) might measure R to 15% precision at 140 Mpc ( approximately 1 event/yr under current estimates). This suggests that LIGO-II might extract valuable information about the NS equation of state from tidal-disruption waves.

Astronomical Phenomena↗

Investigation in real time of the effect of gravitation on human spermatozoa and their tendency to swim-up and swim-down.

To investigate in real time if and how natural gravity affects rates of swim-up and swim-down of human spermatozoa, samples of motile or immobilized spermatozoa in a sealed mini-chamber were placed vertically on a 90 degrees tilted microscope. The mode of their sedimentation, as well as the difference in the rate of their swimming up and down, were observed directly over 30 min and analysed from photomicrographs. Under the influence of natural gravity force, most immobilized spermatozoa turned their heads down in about 5 min and then sank slowly at an average speed of 0.2 mu/s. The number of motile spermatozoa that swam down was 5-6 times more than those swimming up. It can be implied that in spite of the mild force exerted by 1 g on suspended spermatozoa in comparison to the high g force obtained by centrifugation, the overall effect of gravity on the rate of swimming up or down becomes dominant. Gravity causes the sperm heads to turn downward after which the oriented spermatozoa continue to move down by their own tail movements, causing accumulation of motile spermatozoa at the bottom. This may explain why in some recent studies swim-down was superior to the swim-up procedure during sperm separation by self-migration.

Gravitation↗

Gravitational stress and autonomic cardiac blockade.

Arterial pressure, heart rate and cardiac output were recorded in eight healthy, male volunteers in the sitting position at normal gravity (1 G) and during a 4 min exposure in a human centrifuge to 3 G, the G vector in both conditions acting in the head-foot direction. The responses of the observed variables to the change from 1 G to 3 G were compared before and after combined beta-adrenergic and parasympathetic blockade of the heart induced by the i.v. administration of propranolol, 0.25 mg/kg bwt, and atropine, 0.03 mg/kg bwt. After blockade the heart-rate response to increased G averaged 22% of that observed without blockade. Mean arterial pressure at 3 G, and thus G tolerance, was significantly lowered after blockade, resulting in symptoms of retinal hypoxia ("greyout") towards the end of the 3 G runs in some of the subjects. G-induced reductions in cardiac output and stroke volume were significantly larger after blockade. Associated increases in total peripheral resistance were 56% before and 79% after blockade, the stronger vasoconstrictor response in the latter case thus being insufficient for maintenance of arterial pressure homeostasis.

Adult↗

Circulatory responses to simulated gravitational shifts of blood in man induced by exposure of the body below the iliac crests to sub-atmospheric pressure.

1. Exposure of the body from iliac crests to feet of a horizontal subject to a pressure 70 mm Hg below atmospheric causes a displacement of about 10 g of blood/kg total body weight from the upper to the lower part of the body. Much of this blood is returned very rapidly at the end of suction.2. During suction, the changes in the circulation resemble those during a foot-down tilt. After suction, the changes resemble to some extent those following the Valsalva manoeuvre.3. The overshoot of forearm blood flow following suction is caused by variations in the activity of adrenergic vasoconstrictor nerves. The receptors for this reflex have not been identified, but their stimulation depends upon a rapid and large return of blood to the central circulation.

Adrenal Glands↗

Fast estimation of arterial vascular parameters for transient and steady beats with application to hemodynamic state under variant gravitational conditions.

Numerous parameter estimation techniques exist for characterizing the arterial system using electrical circuit analogs. These techniques are often limited by requiring steady-state beat conditions and can be computationally expensive. Therefore, a new method was developed to estimate arterial parameters during steady and transient beat conditions. A four-element electrical analog circuit was used to model the arterial system. The input impedance equations for this model were derived and reduced to their real and imaginary components. Next, the physiological input impedance was calculated by computing fast Fourier transforms of physiological aortic pressure (AoP) and aortic flow. The approach was to reduce the error between the calculated model impedance and the physiological arterial impedance using a Jacobian matrix technique which iteratively adjusted arterial parameter values. This technique also included algorithms for estimating physiological arterial parameters for nonsteady physiological AoP beats. The method was insensitive to initial parameter estimates and to small errors in the physiological impedance coefficients. When the estimation technique was applied to in vivo data containing steady and transient beats it reliably estimated Windkessel arterial parameters under a wide range of physiological conditions. Further, this method appears to be more computationally efficient compared to time-domain approaches.

Animals↗

Representation of visual gravitational motion in the human vestibular cortex.

How do we perceive the visual motion of objects that are accelerated by gravity? We propose that, because vision is poorly sensitive to accelerations, an internal model that calculates the effects of gravity is derived from graviceptive information, is stored in the vestibular cortex, and is activated by visual motion that appears to be coherent with natural gravity. The acceleration of visual targets was manipulated while brain activity was measured using functional magnetic resonance imaging. In agreement with the internal model hypothesis, we found that the vestibular network was selectively engaged when acceleration was consistent with natural gravity. These findings demonstrate that predictive mechanisms of physical laws of motion are represented in the human brain.

Acceleration↗

Effects of gravitational stresses on mitral valve prolapse. I. Changes in auscultatory findings produced by progressive passive head-up tilt.

The effects of passive head-up tilt on systolic time intervals were assessed in 18 patients with mitral valve prolapse. In addition to causing prolongation of the pre-ejection period and shortening of left ventricular ejection time, this circulatory stress led to progressive shortening of the Q to click interval. In 1 patient, a systolic click became audible which had not been heard in the supine posture. In 7 patients the click disappeared during head-up tilt, usually at 60 degrees or 90 degrees. In 2 patients without a murmur while supine, a mid-late systolic murmur appeared with tilt; 1 of these 2 as well as another patient who had a soft late systolic murmur while supine developed loud systolic whoops at greater angles of tile. The correlations between Q to click interval and aortic valve opening to click interval, and both the angle and the sine of the angle of tilt were highly significant.

Adolescent↗

The effect of gravitational forces on the viability of spheroplasts of mycobacteria.

Spheroplasts of Mycobacterium smegmatis and Mycobacterium tuberculosis were subjected to a wide range of centrifugal forces ranging from 583 g to 15 000 g after which their viability was determined by plating them on two types of media; one containing stabilizing agents and the other without them. Though there were minor fluctuations in the viable counts, there was no consistent decrease in their viability even in the absence of osmotic stabilizers.

Cycloserine↗

Mathematical modeling of gravitational effects on the circulation: importance of the time course of venous pooling and blood volume changes in the lungs.

A dip in blood pressure (BP) in response to head-up tilt (HUT) or active standing might be due to rapid pooling in the veins below the heart (preload) or muscle activation-induced drop in systemic vascular resistance (afterload). We hypothesized that, in the cardiovascular response to passive HUT, where, in contrast to active standing, little BP dip is observed, features affecting the preload play a key role. We developed a baroreflex model combined with a lumped-parameter model of the circulation, including viscoelastic stress-relaxation of the systemic veins. Cardiac contraction is modeled using the varying-elastance concept. Gravity affects not only the systemic, but also the pulmonary, circulation. In accordance with the experimental results, model simulations do not show a BP dip on HUT; the tilt-back response is also realistic. If it is assumed that venous capacities are steady-state values, the introduction of stress-relaxation initially reduces venous pooling. The resulting time course of venous pooling is comparable to measured impedance changes. When venous pressure-volume dynamics are neglected, rapid (completed within 30 s) venous pooling leads to a drop in BP. The direct effect of gravity on the pulmonary circulation influences the BP response in the first approximately 5 s after HUT and tilt back. In conclusion, the initial BP response to HUT is mainly determined by the response of the venous system. The time course of lower body pooling is essential in understanding the response to passive HUT.

Adult↗