Exercise-induced asthma: Observations on the initiating stimulus.
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Electronic spectra of the S1<--S0 transition of the 3,4,9,10-perylenetetracarboxylic-dianhydrid (PTCDA) monomer isolated in superfluid helium nanodroplets have been measured by means of laser-induced fluorescence. The 0(0)(0) transition appears at 20,988 cm(-1) as the dominant line. We obtain clearly resolved the vibrational structure of the molecule. A comparison to Raman spectra of PTCDA films on metallic substrates and PTCDA crystals as well as with calculated frequencies provides the identification of the different modes. The enhanced resolution in the low temperature helium environment and the obtained line positions provide new information about structural properties of perylene derivatives.
Tropical diversity has generally exceeded temperate diversity in the present and at points in the past, but whether measured differences have remained relatively constant through time has been unknown. Here we examine tropical vs. temperate diversities from the Neogene to Recent using the within-habitat diversity measure Fisher's alpha of Cenozoic benthic foraminifera from the temperate Central Atlantic Coastal Plain and the tropical Central American Isthmus. During the Neogene, the mean value of alpha at temperate latitudes increased 1.4 times or 40%, whereas in the tropics it increased 2.1 times or 106%. Thus, while both areas exhibit an increase of diversity with time, past differences in the rate of increase have generated a more pronounced gradient today (164%) than existed in the Miocene (80%). These data disagree with the suggestion that the world reached an equilibrium number of species during the Paleozoic and demonstrate the need to consider both temperate and tropical components in global diversity assessments.
The dynamics of phenolic galloylglucoses (di-, tri-, tetra- and penta-galloylglucose), flavonoids (quercitin and quercitin glycosides) and sideroxylonal were compared with that of xanthophyll cycle-dependent energy dissipation during rapid induction of chilling-dependent photo-inhibition. Pre-dawn xanthophyll cycle engagement of seedlings of Eucalyptus nitens transferred from mild nursery conditions to a low temperature controlled environment increased logarithmically during eight days of treatment. Photochemical efficiency and flavonoids decreased after four days of treatment and non-photochemical quenching after two days of treatment. Galloylglucoses and sideroxylonal decreased linearly during treatment. These results demonstrate that rapid changes in foliar phenolic levels are associated with abrupt changes in the plant environment. It is argued that under these growth-chamber conditions, the xanthophyll cycle facilitated dissipation of excess light energy, lessening the requirement for the dissipation of energy or antioxidant activity through phenolic metabolites.
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Forty-eight young adults (24 men and 24 women) stayed for three hours in a climatic chamber setting, lightly clothed and seated at rest with no prescribed task; rectal and mean skin temperatures were continuously recorded. During the first hour, the subjects were exposed to an imposed ambient temperature (25.1 degrees C) during which body temperatures stabilized and subjective thermal judgments were collected. For the next two hours they could freely set the ambient temperature at the level(s) they preferred. The subjects spent about one hour seeking a preferred temperature (transition period), which subsequently turned out to be unsteady in most cases. The overall mean of the individual average preferred temperatures (third hour) was 26.6 degrees C (S.D. = 2.6 degrees C). Significant time of day (morning versus afternoon) effects were found on preferred ambient and actual body temperatures. The body temperatures previously recorded at 25.1 degrees C were significantly predictive of the average ambient temperatures preferred between one and two hours later (third hour); the multiple regression equations differed markedly between men and women.
Models to predict rectal temperature (Tre) have been based on indoor laboratory studies. The present study was conducted to validate and adjust a previously suggested model for outdoor environmental conditions. Four groups of young male volunteers were exposed to three different climatic conditions (30 degrees C, 65% rh; 31 degrees C, 41% rh; 40 degrees C, 20% rh). They were tested both in shaded and open field areas (radiation: 80 and 900 W.m-2, respectively) at different work loads (100, 300 and 450 watt). Exercise consisted of two bouts of 10 minutes rest and 50 minutes walking on a treadmill, at a constant speed (1.4 m.s-1) and different grades. The subjects were tested wearing cotton fatigues and protective garments. Their Tre and heart rate were monitored every 5 min and skin temperature every 15 min, oxygen uptake was measured towards the end of each bout of exercise; concomitantly, ambient temperature, relative humidity and solar load were monitored. We concluded that: (a) the corrected model to predict rectal temperature overestimates the actual measurements when applied outdoors; (b) radiative and convective heat exchanges should be considered separately when using the model outdoors; (c) radiative heat exchange should also be considered separately for short-wave radiation (solar radiation) and long-wave emission from the body to the atmosphere. Finally, an adjusted model to be used outdoors was suggested.
The aim of this research was to identify personal and environmental factors influencing individual susceptibility to motion sickness during road transport. A questionnaire survey of 3256 coach travellers was conducted. Information on passenger characteristics, travel regularity, activity during travel, use of anti-motion sickness drugs and self-reported motion sickness susceptibility were collected over 56 private hire coach journeys. Details of the travel environment (visibility, temperature and seating) were also recorded. The relationship of these variables with passenger illness and more specific symptoms of motion sickness are examined. Overall, 28.4% of passengers reported feeling ill, 12.8% reported nausea and 1.7% reported vomiting during coach travel. Travel sickness decreased with increasing passenger age and greater travel experience. Females were more likely to report feeling ill during coach travel than males by a ratio of four to three. Poor forward visibility was found to increase sickness. Passenger illness occurrence was approximately three times higher for passengers with no view of the road ahead (mean, 34.6%) compared to passengers who could see the road ahead extremely well (mean, 12.7%). No relationships were found between the occurrence of travel sickness and temperature or time of travel. Differences in the pattern of sickness responses exhibited by coach travellers suggest: (1) habituation through greater travel regularity may occur independently of reductions in travel sickness that occur with age; (2) females are more affected by poor forward visibility than males; and (3) the incidence of travel sickness could be significantly reduced by improving the external visibility afforded to passengers.
Pleural fluid pH measurements are used in the management of parapneumonic effusions. This study evaluated the accuracy of the pleural fluid pH and PCO2 measurement in a blood gas analyser (BGA) and the error induced by altering the aerobic environment and temperature of sample storage prior to analysis. The pH electrodes in a pH meter and a BGA were initially evaluated using aqueous reference solutions. The accuracy of pH and PCO2 electrodes was then assessed in pleural fluid tonometered to a known PCO2. The effects of aerobic compared to anaerobic storage and storage temperature, 0 degrees C vs 37 degrees C of pleural fluid were evaluated for errors in pH and PCO2 measurement. The BGA and the pH meter measured pleural pH with negligible bias and imprecision (0.01+/-0.01 pH units). The PCO2 measurement bias and imprecision of the BGA was small: 1.8+/-0.57 torr (0.2+/-0.08 kPa) at 2% CO2, 0.1+/-0.93 torr (-0.01+/-0.1 kPa) at 5% CO2 and -3.77+/-0.81 (-0.5+/-0.1 kPa) torr at 10% CO2 level. Aerobic storage resulted in a clinically important overestimation of pleural fluid pH by both the pH meter and the BGA of 0.14-0.16 pH units (p<0.05). No significant differences were detected when storage at 0 degrees C was compared to that at 37 degrees C. A BGA is reliable for pleural fluid pH measurements. Pleural fluid PCO2 measurements in a BGA have a concentration-dependent bias and imprecision. Anaerobic storage of specimens for pleural pH and PCO2 analysis is mandatory.
AIM: To determine the suitability of a reversible, injectable anaesthetic combination including medetomidine, butorphanol and atropine to produce the degree of immobilisation required to allow blood sampling in young pigs. METHODS: Twenty 6-week-old crossbred, intact male pigs were sedated with an intramuscular (I/M) injection of 80 microg/kg medetomidine, 200 microg/kg butorphanol and 25 microg/kg atropine. Heart and respiratory rates and rectal temperatures were monitored. Excessive salivation, gagging, laryngeal reflex, presence of pedal reflex and deep and surface analgesia were noted. Time of injection and the time when pigs reached mild and full sedation were also recorded. RESULTS: Mild sedation was produced in 90% of pigs after 5.6 (SEM 0.96) min (n = 18; median 5, range 2-16 min), and full sedation (lateral recumbency and loss of jaw tone) in 60% of pigs after 12.5 (SEM 2.14) min (n = 12; median 10, range 5-28 min). The depth and duration of sedation were very variable and most animals were easily aroused. Ninety percent of the animals required the administration of halothane by mask to allow blood sampling, but the amount of halothane required was small. Heart and respiratory rates decreased (p < 0.001) but remained within the normal range. Rectal temperature was above normal at the time of sedation and at the time of blood sampling when the ambient temperature was 29 degrees C but not when the ambient temperature was reduced to 25 degrees C. CONCLUSIONS: The combination of medetomidine, butorphanol and atropine at these doses produced sedation of variable depth and duration that was insufficient on its own to allow blood sampling in the majority of pigs. Hyperthermia can occur in temperature-controlled environments when using medetomidine, butorphanol and atropine in pigs. Reduction of stress and a quieter environment may improve the effects of the anaesthetic combination.
Nine well-trained, unacclimatized female hockey players performed the Loughborough Intermittent Shuttle Test (LIST) interspersed with three field hockey skill tests in hot (30 degrees C, 38% relative humidity) and moderate (19 degrees C, 51% relative humidity) environmental conditions. Field hockey skill performance declined in both the hot and moderate conditions following 30 and 60 min of the LIST compared with pre-LIST values (P < 0.01). This decrement in performance was compounded in the hot environment with a 6% poorer performance in the heat recorded for the second skill test at 30?min (P < 0.05, hot 101.7 +/- 3.6 vs moderate 95.7 +/- 2.9 s; mean +/- s(x)). However, no difference was found in the decision-making element of the skill test. Fifteen-metre sprint times were slower in the hot condition (P < 0.01). In the hot environment, rectal temperature (P < 0.01), perceived exertion (P < 0.05), perceived thirst (P < 0.01), blood glucose concentration (P < 0.05) and serum aldosterone concentration (P < 0.01) were higher. Estimated mean ( +/- s(x)) sweat rate was higher in the hot trial (1.27 +/- 0.10 l.h(-1)) than in the moderate trial (1.05 +/- 0.12 l.h(-1)) (P < 0.05). Body mass was well maintained in both trials. No differences in serum cortisol, blood lactate, plasma volume or plasma ammonia concentrations were found. These results demonstrate that field hockey skill performance is decreased following intermittent high-intensity shuttle running and that this decrease is greater in hot environmental conditions. The exact mechanism for this decrement in performance remains to be elucidated, but is unlikely to be due to low glycogen concentration or dehydration.
Four experiments were performed in which six pregnant rats were exposed from day 12 of pregnancy to parturition, for 4 hours a day in a temperature-controlled environment, to 425-MHz (CW) radiation, using a multimode rectangular strip transmission line. Four male pups born to each dam were subsequently irradiated under the same RF exposure condition for 20-21 days of age (2 pups) and 40-41 days of age (2 pups). Specific absorption rates (SARs) for rats of different ages were determined by twin-well calorimetry as well as from calculations of power measurements of incident, reflected, and transmitted energy. Values of SARs between 3.1 and 6.7 mW/g were obtained for rats so exposed at 425 MHz. At selected times, rats were weighed to determine if the irradiation affected growth. Two rats from each litter (4 pups) were euthanized at 20-21 and two at 40-41 days of age and blood was obtained for complete blood counts. The in vitro blastogenic response of blood and lymph-node lymphocytes was measured by 3H-thymidine incorporation into DNA following stimulation of cells with T- or B-lymphocyte mitogens. No difference was observed in the weights of irradiated compared with sham-irradiated rats. No consistent change in the peripheral blood picture was observed between irradiated and sham-irradiated rats. Significant increases in the response of lymph-node but not of blood lymphocytes from irradiated rats following stimulation with mitogens was observed in two of four experiments. These changes were observed for both T- and B-lymphocytes. In another experiment at the same frequency, six pregnant rats were irradiated for 16 hours daily from day 6 through day 19 of pregnancy. The pups born to these dams were not subsequently irradiated. These rats, born to irradiated dams, showed a similar increased response of node but not of blood lymphocytes to T-cell mitogens at 42 days of age. These results indicate that exposure to 425-MHz microwave radiation, under the conditions described, may lead to increased responsiveness of node lymphocytes to in vitro stimulation by mitogen.
The J = 2-1 transition of SiO has been searched for toward both hot and cold molecular gas. SiO was not detected toward the dark clouds TMC-1, L134 N, and B335, down to column density upper limits of N < 2-4 x 10(10) cm-2. The species, however, has been observed toward all sources with a kinetic temperature greater than or equal to 30 K, with the largest column densities (N approximately 10(13)-10(17) cm-2) measured in the warmest (TK > or = 100 K) material. The abundance of SiO, relative to HCN, is found to be approximately 0.1-1 in the massive star-forming regions toward Orion and NGC 7538; toward the dark clouds, the upper limits to this ratio is less than 0.0002-0.004. A similar enhancement in the warmer regions is reflected in the SiO/H2 ratio as well. A linear relation was found between the natural log of the SiO concentration and 1/TK, suggesting that the species' formation involves a chemically specific process that contains an activation barrier of approximately 90 K. SiO was also found to be underabundant with respect to SO in cold clouds, with SiO/SO < 1/1000, versus SiO/SO > or =, measured in Orion-KL. The formation of SiO is therefore linked closely to the local gas kinetic temperature, rather than the oxygen abundance, and its synthesis is likely to involve high-temperature gas-phase reactions. The species thus may serve as an unambiguous indicator of high-temperature or "shock" chemistry.
Heliothermy (heat gain by radiation) has been given a prominent role in basking lizards. However, thigmothermy (heat gain by conduction) could be relevant for heating in small lizards. To ascertain the importance of the different heat transmission modes to the thermoregulatory processes, we conducted an experimental study where we analyzed the role of heat transmission modes on heating rates and on the selection of sites for heating in the Mediterranean lizard Acanthodactylus erythrurus (Lacertidae). The study was conducted under laboratory conditions, where two situations of different operative temperatures (38 degrees and 50 degrees C) were simulated in a terrarium. In a first experiment, individuals were allowed to heat up during 2 min at both temperatures and under both heat transmission modes. In a second experiment, individuals were allowed to select between patches differing in the main transmission mode, at both temperatures, to heat up. Experiences were conducted with live, nontethered lizards with a starting body temperature of 27 degrees C. Temperature had a significant effect on the heating rate, with heat gain per unit of time being faster at the higher operative temperature (50 degrees C). The effect of the mode of heat transmission on the heating rate was also significant: at 50 degrees C, heating rate was greater when the main heat transmission mode was conduction from the substrate (thigmothermy) than when heating was mainly due to heat gain by radiation (heliothermy); at 38 degrees C, heating rates did not significantly differ between transmission modes. At 38 degrees C, selection of the site for heating was not significantly different from that expected by chance. However, at 50 degrees C, the heating site offering the slowest heating rate (heliothermic patch) was selected. These results show that heating rates vary not only with environmental temperature but also with different predominant heat transmission modes. Lizards are able to identify and exploit this heterogeneity, selecting the source of heat gain (radiation) that minimizes the risk of overheating when temperature is high.
Although the metabolic rate of resting insects is relatively insensitive to atmospheric O2 tensions, metabolic rates during flight increase by 20- to 100-fold above resting levels. In this study we test whether O2 delivery limits metabolic rate during unladen hovering flight of the honeybee, Apis mellifera. Below 10 kPa PO2, wing-stroke frequency decreased, and at 5 kPa, bees could not fly. However, for PO2's ranging from 39 to 10 kPa, metabolic rate and wing-stroke frequency were unaffected by PO2. Evaporative water loss rates increased by 40% at the lowest O2 tensions, which suggests that flying honeybees compensated for decreasing ambient PO2 by modulating convective ventilatory flow. Under normal sea-level conditions, O2 delivery does not limit flight metabolic rate in unladen, hovering honeybees and does not limit maximal metabolic rate. At altitudes above 3,000 m, the convective component of O2 delivery may, however, limit flight metabolic rate and flight capacity in honeybees.
Acclimation of winter oilseed plants in the cold (i.e. at temperatures >0 degrees C) followed by short exposure to sub-lethal freezing temperatures resulted in pronounced ultrastructural changes of leaf epidermal and mesophyll cells. The following major changes were observed upon acclimation at 2 degrees C: increased thickness of cell walls; numerous invaginations of plasma membranes; the appearance of many large vesicles localized in the cytoplasm in close proximity to the central vacuole; the occurrence of abundant populations of microvesicles associated with the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) cisternae or located in the vicinity of dictyosomes; and the occurrence of paramural bodies and myelin-like structures. In addition, large phenolic deposits were observed in the vicinity of the plasma membrane and membrane-bound organelles such as chloroplasts, large vesicles or cytoplasm/tonoplast interfaces. Transient freezing (-5 degrees C for 18 h) of the cold-acclimated leaves led to reversible disorganization of the cytoplasm and to pronounced structural changes of the cellular organelles. Chloroplasts were swollen, with the stroma occupying one half of their volume and the thylakoid system being displaced to the other half. Large phenolic aggregates disappeared but distinct layers of phenolic deposits were associated with mitochondrial membranes and with chloroplast envelopes. In frost-thawed cells recovered at 2 degrees C for 24 h, dictyosomes and dictyosome- or ER-derived small vesicles reappeared in the ribosome-rich cytoplasm. Aberrations in the structure of chloroplasts and mitochondria were less pronounced. Few phenolic deposits were seen as small grains associated with chloroplast envelopes and vesicle membranes. These observations demonstrate that plants undergo different changes in cell ultrastructure depending on whether they are subjected to chilling or freezing temperatures. Results are discussed in relation to membrane recycling and the possible role of phenolics during the first and second stages of plant acclimation at low temperature.
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Since its publication in 1996, the Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals (National Research Council, Washington DC, National Academy Press) has become a primary source of information for institutional animal care and use committees (IACUCs) and research facility managers. In the ensuing years, recommendations relating to laboratory animal care have evolved in response to new scientific information and use of new technology such as ventilated caging. In this article, recent publications are examined to determine the potential impact of new scientific evidence on current practices for the housing and care of laboratory rodents. The discussion points out recent advances in technology and new knowledge of the conditions for the housing of various laboratory rodents, including cage space, single versus group housing, ventilated caging systems, thermoregulation, bedding materials, and enrichment. This new information is provided to aid IACUCs and facility managers in making decisions regarding the housing and care of laboratory rodents.