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Biomedical subjects

J Ringler

Publications and source records attributed to J Ringler.

9 recordsLinked to original sources

Phenylephrine-induced hypertension acutely decreases genioglossus EMG activity in awake humans.

To investigate the relationship between systemic blood pressure (BP) and upper airway dilator muscle activity, we recorded genioglossus electromyograms (EMGgg) during pharmacologically induced acute increases in BP in five healthy humans (ages 27-40 yr). EMGgg was measured with perorally placed fine-wire electrodes; phasic EMGgg was expressed as percentage of baseline activity. Subjects were studied supine, awake, and breathing through a face mask with their mouths taped. End-tidal PCO2 was monitored with a mass spectrometer; minute ventilation was measured with a pneumotachograph. Digital BP was monitored continuously with the Penaz method (Finapres, Ohmeda). Mean arterial pressure (MAP) at baseline was 89 +/- 6 (SD) mmHg. Phenylephrine was infused until MAP reached 15-25 mmHg above baseline (107 +/- 7 mmHg). Recording was continued until MAP returned to baseline (90 +/- 7 mmHg). Elevated BP was associated with a significantly decreased phasic EMGgg (P less than 0.005). With return of MAP to baseline, phasic EMGgg returned toward normal (P less than 0.01). Minute ventilation and end-tidal PCO2 did not differ among conditions. Genioglossus activity appears to be influenced by acute changes in systemic BP. We speculate that BP elevations accompanying obstructive apneas during sleep may decrease upper airway tone and facilitate subsequent apneas.

Adult

Upper airway anesthesia delays arousal from airway occlusion induced during human NREM sleep.

Six healthy subjects (5 males and 1 female, 26-40 yr old) were studied during non-rapid-eye-movement (NREM) sleep to assess the role of upper airway (UA) afferents in the arousal response to induced airway occlusion. Subjects wore an airtight face mask attached to a low-resistance one-way valve. A valve in the inspiratory circuit allowed instantaneous inspiratory airway occlusion and release; the expiratory circuit remained unoccluded at all times. Each subject was studied during two nights. On one night, occlusions were created during stable stage 2 NREM sleep before and after application of 4% lidocaine to the oral and nasal mucosa. On the other night, the protocol was duplicated with saline ("sham anesthesia") rather than lidocaine. The order of nights was randomized. Occlusions were sustained until electroencephalographic arousal. Three to 12 occlusions were performed in each subject for each of the four parts of the protocol (pre- and post-lidocaine, pre- and post-saline). The auditory threshold for arousal (1,500-Hz tone beginning at 30 dB) was also tested before and after UA lidocaine. For the group, arousal time after UA anesthesia was prolonged compared with preanesthesia arousal time (P less than 0.001); arousal time after sham anesthesia did not significantly increase from before sham anesthesia (P = 0.9). The increase in arousal time with UA anesthesia was greater than the increase with sham anesthesia (P less than 0.001). The auditory arousal threshold did not increase after UA anesthesia. Inspiratory mask pressure, arterial O2 saturation of hemoglobin, and end-tidal PCO2 during occlusions were similar before and after UA anesthesia.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Acoustic Stimulation

Stroke volume and cardiac output decrease at termination of obstructive apneas.

Patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) experience repetitive nocturnal oscillations of systemic arterial pressure that occur in association with changes in respiration and changes in sleep state. To investigate cardiac function during the cycle of obstruction (apnea) and resumption of ventilation (recovery), we continuously measured left ventricular stroke volume (LVSV) and mean arterial blood pressure (MAP) during non-rapid-eye-movement sleep in six males with severe OSA (apnea/hypopnea index > or = 30 events/h associated with oxygen saturation < 82%). LVSV was assessed continuously using an ambulatory ventricular function monitor (VEST; Capintec). The apnea-recovery cycle was divided into three phases: 1) early apnea (EA), 2) late apnea (LA), and 3) recovery (Rec). In all subjects recovery was associated with an abrupt decrease in LVSV [54.0 +/- 14.5 (SD) ml] compared with either EA (91.4 +/- 14.7 ml; P < 0.001) or LA (77.1 +/- 15.2 ml; P < 0.005). Although heart rate increased with recovery, the increase was not sufficient to compensate for the decrease in LVSV so that cardiac output (CO) fell (EA: 6,247 +/- 739 ml/min; LA: 5,741 +/- 1,094 ml/min; Rec: 4,601 +/- 1,249 ml/min; EA vs. Rec, P < 0.01; LA vs. Rec, P < 0.025). Recovery was also associated with a significant increase in MAP. We speculate that such abrupt decreases in LVSV and CO at apnea termination, occurring coincident with the nadir of oxygen saturation, may further compromise tissue oxygen delivery.

Adult

Phasic electromyographic activity of the genioglossus increases in normals during slow-wave sleep.

Obstructive apneas occur infrequently during Stage 3-4 NREM sleep (SWS), even in patients with severe obstructive sleep apnea. To investigate whether upper airway (UA) dilator muscle activity preferentially increases during SWS as a partial explanation for this phenomenon, we measured phasic electromyogram activity of the genioglossus muscle (EMGgg) during continuous Stage 2 NREM sleep and SWS in 5 healthy males. Subjects were studied supine during a complete cycle of nocturnal NREM sleep after partial sleep deprivation. EMGgg was measured with perorally inserted bipolar electrodes, and quantified as peak phasic inspiratory activity during all continuous epochs of NREM sleep. We found EMGgg to be increased during SWS relative to stage 2 sleep by a mean of 58% among all subjects (P = 0.02); neither end-tidal PCO2 nor inspired minute ventilation varied between these sleep stages. Upper airway resistance, measured in 3 of the subjects on a separate study night, was not different between SWS and Stage 2 sleep. We speculate that the increase in phasic EMGgg during SWS in our normal subjects may reflect a mechanism whereby UA patency tends to be preserved during this stage.

Adult

Effect of chest wall vibration on breathlessness in normal subjects.

This study evaluated the effect of chest wall vibration (115 Hz) on breathlessness. Breathlessness was induced in normal subjects by a combination of hypercapnia and an inspiratory resistive load; both minute ventilation and end-tidal CO2 were kept constant. Cross-modality matching was used to rate breathlessness. Ratings during intercostal vibration were expressed as a percentage of ratings during the control condition (either deltoid vibration or no vibration). To evaluate their potential contribution to any changes in breathlessness, we assessed several aspects of ventilation, including chest wall configuration, functional residual capacity (FRC), and the ventilatory response to steady-state hypercapnia. Intercostal vibration reduced breathlessness ratings by 6.5 +/- 5.7% compared with deltoid vibration (P less than 0.05) and by 7.0 +/- 8.3% compared with no vibration (P less than 0.05). The reduction in breathlessness was accompanied by either no change or negligible change in minute ventilation, tidal volume, frequency, duty cycle, compartmental ventilation, FRC, and the steady-state hypercapnic response. We conclude that chest wall vibration reduces breathlessness and speculate that it may do so through stimulation of receptors in the chest wall.

Adult

Effect of inspired air temperature on genioglossus activity during nose breathing in awake humans.

Experimental data suggest the presence of sensory receptors specific to the nasopharynx that may reflexly influence respiratory activity. To investigate the effects of inspired air temperature on upper airway dilator muscle activity during nose breathing, we compared phasic genioglossus electromyograms (EMGgg) in eight normal awake adults breathing cold dry or warm humidified air through the nose. EMGgg was measured with peroral bipolar electrodes during successive trials of cold air (less than or equal to 15 degrees C) and warm air (greater than or equal to 34 degrees C) nasal breathing and quantified for each condition as percent activity at baseline (room temperature). In four of the subjects, the protocol was repeated after topical nasal anesthesia. For all eight subjects, mean EMGgg was greater during cold air breathing than during baseline (P less than 0.005) or warm air breathing (P less than 0.01); mean EMGgg during warm air breathing was not significantly changed from baseline. Nasal anesthesia significantly decreased the mean EMGgg response to cold air breathing. Nasal airway inspiratory resistance, measured by posterior rhinomanometry in six subjects under similar conditions, was no different for cold or warm air nose breathing [cold 1.4 +/- 0.7 vs. warm 1.4 +/- 1.1 (SD) cmH2O.l-1.s at 0.4 l/s flow]. These data suggest the presence of superficially located nasal cold receptors that may reflexly influence upper airway dilating muscle activity independently of pressure changes in awake normal humans.

Adult

Hypoxemia alone does not explain blood pressure elevations after obstructive apneas.

In patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), substantial elevations of systemic blood pressure (BP) and depressions of oxyhemoglobin saturation (SaO2) accompany apnea termination. The causes of the BP elevations, which contribute significantly to nocturnal hypertension in OSA, have not been defined precisely. To assess the relative contribution of arterial hypoxemia, we observed mean arterial pressure (MAP) changes following obstructive apneas in 11 OSA patients during non-rapid-eye-movement (NREM) sleep and then under three experimental conditions: 1) apnea with O2 supplementation; 2) hypoxemia (SaO2 80%) without apnea; and 3) arousal from sleep with neither hypoxemia nor apnea. We found that apneas recorded during O2 supplementation (SaO2 nadir 93.6% +/- 2.4; mean +/- SD) in six subjects were associated with equivalent postapneic MAP elevations compared with unsupplemented apneas (SaO2 nadir 79-82%): 18.8 +/- 7.1 vs. 21.3 +/- 9.2 mmHg (mean change MAP +/- SD); in the absence of respiratory and sleep disruption in eight subjects, hypoxemia was not associated with the BP elevations observed following apneas: -5.4 +/- 19 vs. 19.1 +/- 7.8 mmHg (P less than 0.01); and in five subjects, auditory arousal alone was associated with MAP elevation similar to that observed following apneas: 24.0 +/- 8.1 vs. 22.0 +/- 6.9 mmHg. We conclude that in NREM sleep postapneic BP elevations are not primarily attributable to arterial hypoxemia. Other factors associated with apnea termination, including arousal from sleep, reinflation of the lungs, and changes of intrathoracic pressure, may be responsible for these elevations.

Adult

Evaluation of Abbott CMV-M enzyme immunoassay for detection of cytomegalovirus immunoglobulin M antibody.

The Abbott CMV-M enzyme immunoassay (EIA) for the qualitative determination of immunoglobulin M (IgM) antibody to cytomegalovirus in human serum was compared with the indirect fluorescent-antibody (IFA) test on 338 human serum specimens. Discordant specimens were evaluated by IFA following isolation of IgM fractions. Discordant specimens remaining after IFA testing were evaluated by an IgM-specific EIA (CYTOMEGELISA M; M.A. Bioproducts). After resolution of discordant specimens, the CMV-M EIA was 94.7% sensitive and 99.1% specific.

Antibodies, Viral