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Biomedical subjects

R L Hughson

Publications and source records attributed to R L Hughson.

At least 91 records · Page 5Linked to original sources
PubMed1995

Change in phase relationship between SBP and R-R interval during lower body negative pressure.

We have investigated the hypothesis that beat-by-beat interaction of systolic blood pressure (SBP) to R-R interval (the spontaneous baroreflex) is dependent on the length of the R-R interval. Data were collected from eight healthy men while heart rate was slow (R-R interval 1,043 +/- 34 ms) and accelerated (R-R interval 804 +/- 18 ms) by application of lower body negative pressure (LBNP greater than or equal to -40 mmHg). Time series data of SBP and R-R interval were searched for spontaneous baroreflex sequences in which R-R interval changed in the same (lag 0), next (lag 1), or next following (lag 2) beat as SBP. This phase relationship was also quantified by cross-spectral analysis. At rest, 85% of all spontaneous baroreflex sequences occurred with no lag (lag 0). With LBNP, there was a significant reduction in the number of lag 0 sequences (26%), whereas lag 1 and lag 2 sequences increased (10-26% and 5-29%, respectively). Cross-spectral phase also changed significantly from -2.3 +/- 6.3 degrees at rest to 70.5 +/- 7.4 degrees during LBNP. These data supported the hypothesis that the lag of a baroreflex event was dependent on the prevailing R-R interval.

Adult↗
PubMed1995

On the fractal nature of heart rate variability in humans: effects of respiratory sinus arrhythmia.

The purpose of the present study was to investigate the basic fractal nature of the variability in resting heart rate (HRV), relative to that in breathing frequency (BFV) and tidal volume (TVV), and to test the hypothesis that fractal HRV is due to the fractal BFV and/or TVV in humans. In addition, the possible fractal nature of respiratory volume curves (RVC) and HRV was observed. In the first study, eight subjects were tested while they sat quietly in a comfortable chair for 60 min. Beat-to-beat R-R intervals, i.e., HRV, and breath-by-breath BFV and TVV were measured. In the second study, six subjects were tested while they were in the supine position for 20-30 min. The RVC was monitored continuously together with HRV. Coarse-graining spectral analysis (Yamamoto, Y., and R. L. Hughson, Physica D 68: 250-264, 1993) was applied to these signals to evaluate the percentage of random fractal components in the time series (%Fractal) and the spectral exponent (beta), which characterizes irregularity of the signals. The estimates of beta were determined for each variable only over the range normally used to evaluate HRV. Values for %Fractal and beta of both BFV and TVV were significantly (P < 0.05) greater than those for HRV. In addition, there was no significant (P > 0.05) correlation between the beta values of HRV relative to either BFV (r = 0.14) or TVV (r = 0.34). RVC showed a smooth oscillation as compared with HRV; %Fractal for RVC (42.3 +/- 21.7%, mean +/- SD) was significantly (P < 0.05) lower than that for HRV (78.5 +/- 4.2%).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adult↗
PubMed1995

On the fractal nature of heart rate variability in humans: effects of vagal blockade.

The purpose of the present study was to investigate the effects of the vagal blocker atropine on the fractal nature of human heart rate variability (HRV) at rest. Approximately 10-min segments of beat-to-beat heartbeat intervals, i.e., HRV, of 10 normal subjects and 11 cardiac disease patients were measured before and after intravenous injection of 0.5-0.75 mg atropine sulfate. HRV data were analyzed by coarse graining spectral analysis (Y. Yamamoto and R. L. Hughson, Physica 68D: 250-264, 1993) to break down their total power into harmonic and nonharmonic (fractal) components. The harmonic component was used to calculate the contribution of high (> 0.15 Hz)-frequency components to total HRV power (%HF). From the fractal component, the contribution of the fractal component to total HRV power (%fractal), the spectral exponent beta, and Hurst scaling exponent (H) were calculated. For both normal subjects and cardiac patients, atropine resulted in significantly (P < 0.05) less mean HRV and significantly (P < 0.05) greater beta compared with control, whereas mean values for %fractal were as high as 70% and were not significantly (P > 0.05) different between atropine and control. The mean value of H with atropine was significantly (P < 0.05) greater than that for control. Directional changes in %HF and beta were consistent with only one exception for a patient who had the smallest change in log %HF by atropine. The normally irregular fractal pattern of resting HRV was decreased by atropine as shown by the decrease in %HF and the increase in beta.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adult↗
PubMed1995

Investigation of hormonal effects during 10-h head-down tilt on heart rate and blood pressure variability.

Head-down tilt (HDT) bed rest was used in this study to achieve physiological manipulation of the plasma concentrations of atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) and the hormones of the renin-angiotensin system. The purpose of this was to achieve a parallel with previous animal experiments in which blockade of the renin-angiotensin system caused significant increases in low-frequency spectral power of heart rate variability, presumably as a consequence of increased blood pressure variability, although this was not measured in these animal experiments. Eight healthy young men completed 10 h of seated control and 6 degrees HDT. To gain a more complete understanding of the interactions between hormonal and neural factors involved in cardiovascular regulation, we measured heart rate, systolic and diastolic pressure variabilities, plasma hormone concentrations, and blood flow to selected vascular beds by pulsed Doppler. Resting R-R interval was not significantly different between seated and HDT tests. Stroke volume and cardiac output were elevated in the first 1-2 h of HDT (P < 0.05), whereas each of systolic (P < 0.01) and diastolic (P < 0.0001) pressures was lower during HDT. Plasma ANP increased as much as 70% during HDT (P < 0.0001). Total variability in each of R-R interval and diastolic blood pressure was reduced during HDT (P < 0.001). Thus, at a time when plasma renin activity was decreased as much as 40% (P < 0.0001), there was in fact a decrease in the variability of R-R interval and diastolic blood pressure in contrast to the hypothesized increase such as found in previous animal experimentation. The data were compatible with tighter autonomic regulation of heart rate about the ideal mean value during HDT.

Adult↗
PubMed1995

Beat-by-beat forearm blood flow with Doppler ultrasound and strain-gauge plethysmography.

Simultaneous Doppler ultrasound estimates of brachial artery mean blood velocity (MBV) and venous occlusion strain-gauge plethysmography measures of forearm blood flow (FBF) were performed to determine the beat-by-beat relationship between the two methods and provide a method for flow calibration of Doppler MBV estimates. Such a calibration of Doppler MBV eliminates the need for knowledge of vessel cross-sectional area and angle of insonation while allowing for the quantification of limb blood flow. Six healthy subjects (5 men and 1 woman) performed 40 s of isometric forearm contraction at 35% maximal voluntary contraction with arterial inflow occluded. This resulted in elevated blood flow on relaxation and cuff deflation, and simultaneous beat-by-beat Doppler MBV and strain-gauge FBF measurements were then made over a period of 2-3 min as flow gradually decreased to resting levels. The r2 values for the fitted regression lines over a wide range of flows ranged from 0.87 to 0.98, and the mean square error terms ranged from 0.88 to 3.07 ml.100 ml-1.min-1. Significant day-to-day variation of the fitted regression parameters within subjects indicated that quantitative estimates of FBF from Doppler MBV require a calibration to be performed for each experiment. The finding of a strong linear relationship between Doppler MBV and venous occlusion strain-gauge plethysmography, as well as the marked beat-by-beat effect of cuff inflation on blood flow, confirms the importance of calibration on the same beats, not on adjacent segments of beats.

Adult↗
PubMed1995

Gas exchange, blood lactate, and plasma catecholamines during incremental exercise in hypoxia and normoxia.

The interrelationships among blood lactate (La-) and plasma norepinephrine (NE) and epinephrine (Epi) were studied simultaneously with measures of ventilation (VE) and gas exchange during incremental exercise to exhaustion in nine healthy young men. We wanted to observe whether the tight coupling that exists during normoxic exercise between the concentrations of La- ([La-]) and of both NE and Epi would also be found in hypoxia (inspired O2 fraction = 0.14). In addition, we used recently advocated methods of V slope [CO2 output vs. O2 uptake (VO2)] to select the ventilatory threshold (VT) and log-log transformation of [La-] and VO2 to select the lactate threshold (LT). Peak VO2 was reduced from 4,164 +/- 184 ml/min in normoxia to 3,635 +/- 144 ml/min in hypoxia (P < 0.05). The increase in [La-] was linearly related to the increases in both NE and Epi concentrations in the normoxic and hypoxic tests (r = 0.92-0.96). Estimates of VO2 at VT were significantly greater than those at LT in both normoxia and hypoxia, but these estimates were poorly correlated (r = -0.11-0.46). VT and LT were reduced by hypoxia. Visual interpretation of the VT by examination of VE vs. VO2 and VE/VO2 vs. VO2 did not differ from the LT, but they were less than the VTs by the V-slope method (P < 0.05); yet, all were poorly correlated. The tight coupling between the increase in [La-] and the increase in plasma catecholamines might indicate a common mechanism for the increase or a causative link. VT and LT provided estimates of the general trend in the data, but the poor correlation between them questions the utility of attempting to predict one from the other.

Adult↗
PubMed1995

Progressive effect of endurance training on VO2 kinetics at the onset of submaximal exercise.

The rates of increase in O2 uptake (VO2) after step changes in work rate from 25 W to 60% of pretraining peak VO2 (VO2 peak) were measured at various times during an endurance training program (2 h/day at 60% pretraining VO2 peak). Seven untrained males [23 +/- 1 (SE) yr] performed a series of repeated step changes in work rate before training (PRE) and after 4 days (4D), 9 days (9D), and 30 days (30D) of training. VO2 kinetic responses were determined from breath-by-breath data averaged across four repetitions and analyzed using a two-component exponential model. Mean response time (time taken to reach 63% of steady-state VO2) was faster (P < 0.01) than PRE (38.1 +/- 2.6 s) at both 4D (34.9 +/- 2.4 s) and 9D (32.5 +/- 1.8 s) and was faster (P < 0.01) at 30D than at all other times (28.3 +/- 1.0 s). Blood lactate concentrations (after 6 min of cycling) were also lower at 4D and 9D than PRE (P < 0.01) and were lower at 30D than at all other times (P < 0.01). VO2 peak was unchanged from PRE (3.52 +/- 0.20 l/min) at 8D (3.55 +/- 0.20 l/min) but was increased (P < 0.01) at 30D (3.89 +/- 0.18 l/min). Muscle oxidative capacity (maximal citrate synthase activity) was not significantly increased until 30D (P < 0.01). It is concluded that at least part of the acceleration of whole body VO2 kinetics with endurance training is a rapid phenomenon, occurring before changes in VO2 peak and/or muscle oxidative potential.

Adult↗
PubMed1995

Spectral analysis of blood pressure variability in heart transplant patients.

The cardiac transplant patient provides a unique model for the study of blood pressure variability in the absence of heart rate variability. We examined the harmonic and fractal components of blood pressure variability in 14 heart transplant patients (12 men, 2 women; 21 to 62 years of age) and in age-and sex-matched control subjects during seated rest, supine rest, and supine rest with fixed-pace breathing (12 respirations per minute). Heart rate was faster in transplant patients than in control subjects, with much less heart rate variability (P < .0001). Spectral analysis of blood pressure variability revealed no difference in total power for either systolic or diastolic pressure, but transplant patients had less low-frequency (0 to 0.15 Hz) harmonic spectral power in both systolic (P < .01) and diastolic (P < .03) pressure and more high-frequency power (0.15 to 0.5 Hz) in diastolic pressure than control subjects. The ratio of high-frequency power in diastolic relative to systolic pressure was consistently higher (P < .0001) in the transplant patients (0.29 to 0.51) than in control subjects (0.11 to 0.13). The slope of the fractal component of systolic pressure was approximately 1.8 in both transplant patients and control subjects. This was greater than the slope for heart rate variability (approximately 1.1 in control subjects). These data provide clear evidence of independence of the fractal component of heart rate and blood pressure variabilities in both transplant patients and control subjects. The heart rate component of the arterial baroreflex minimized high-frequency diastolic pressure changes while contributing to low-frequency variations in both systolic and diastolic pressures.

Adult↗
PubMed1995

Variability and cardiovascular homeostasis.

The inability to maintain the upright posture due to a failure in the arterial blood pressure regulatory mechanisms on return from space travel or after a period of head down tilt bed rest (HDBR) is the ultimate sign of cardiovascular deconditioning. Yet, the final response of syncope is potentially heralded by a series of precursor events that can be quantified and analyzed in new, more insightful ways to attempt to understand the integrative nature of autonomic control of the cardiovascular system.

Baroreflex↗
PubMed1995

Exercise with and without gravitational gradient: evaluation with the new random access mass spectrometer (RAMS).

Gravity adds about 40-50 mmHg perfusion pressure to the arterial supply of the quadriceps muscles in the upright posture. This could have important implications in supply of blood flow during exercise. Recently, we have shown that when subjects exercise in the supine posture the rate of increase in VO2 is considerably slower then when cycling exercise takes place in the upright posture. The most probable explanation for this slower adaptation was the altered perfusion gradient. Indeed, when the perfusion gradient from heart to legs was restored by placing the lower part of the body of supine subjects in a negative pressure chamber, the rate of increase in VO2 returned to upright values. The hypothesis advanced from these studies was that skeletal muscle blood flow was reduced at the onset of supine exercise. Exercise in the microgravity environment of space should be similar to that in the supine posture. The only experiments conducted in space to this date that have addressed the question of cardiorespiratory adaptation to changing work rates were performed on the German D2 mission using the methodology proposed by Stegemann and colleagues. To conduct these experiments, it is necessary to utilize sensitive breath-by-breath technology. Recently, NASA and the Russian space programs have commissioned a new mass spectrometer based system as part of the GASMAP project. It was the purpose of this study to evaluate the new mass spectrometer under conditions in which the gravitational effects on the cardiorespiratory response were being challenged.

Adult↗
PubMed1994

Heart rate variability to monitor autonomic nervous system activity during orthostatic stress.

Exposure to microgravity with space flight, or to earth-based analogs such as head-down tilt (HDT) bedrest, results in cardiovascular deconditioning. With reapplication of gravity, deconditioning is most often observed as an elevated heart rate, a narrowed pulse pressure, and possibly even a failure to maintain blood pressure with symptoms of presyncope or syncope. Noninvasive measurements of heart rate variability (HRV) have been used to study cardiovascular control mechanisms during orthostatic stress (head-up tilt and lower body negative pressure [LBNP]). Recently, the authors developed a new approach to study heart rate and blood pressure control mechanisms. Coarse graining spectral analysis (CGSA) allows simultaneous extraction of not only parasympathetic (PNS) and sympathetic (SNS) indicators from the HRV signal, but also determines the fractal dimension (DF), calculated from the slope (beta) of the log spectral power-log frequency relationship. The fractal dimension is an index of the complexity of the cardiovascular control system. Our investigations have indicated patterns of HRV consistent with reduced PNS and increased SNS activity and reduced DF with the HRV signal during orthostatic stress. These findings also indicate that the cardiovascular system may be less stable when operating at a reduced level of complexity.

Animals↗
PubMed1994

Hormone changes induced by 37.5-h head-down tilt (-6 degrees) in humans.

Endocrine regulation of hormones and electrolytes during 37.5 h of -6 degrees head down tilt (HDT) was studied in 13 men. The acute effects of simulated weightlessness are today well documented, but no study has been made concerning the hormone changes between 12 h and 2 days of HDT. Plasma volume showed a maximal increase of 9.23 (SEM 1.97)% after 6.5 h (P < 0.01) and had returned to prestudy levels after 13.5 h of HDT. From 1.5 h to 4 h of HDT, C-terminus and N-terminus atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) concentrations in plasma were increased by about 50% (P < 0.01) and thereafter declined to pre-HDT levels. Plasma renin activity (PRA) was decreased by 47% (P < 0.05) after 4 h of HDT; PRA increased after 23.5 h to 60%; noradrenaline concentration decreased immediately and remained low up to 37.5 h. Diuresis and natriuresis were evident during the 1st day of HDT, resulting in a marked increase in the urinary Na+. These results showed that the initial hormone (ANP, PRA) changes during HDT did not last more than 13.5 h and that after 24 h a new state would seem to have been established to adapt the body to hypovolaemia.

Adult↗
PubMed1994

Altered autonomic regulation of cardiac function during head-up tilt after 28-day head-down bed-rest with counter-measures.

The effects of 28 days continuous 6 degrees head-down tilt bed-rest on heart rate variability and the slope of the spontaneous arterial baroreflex were evaluated during supine rest and the first 10 min of 60 degrees head-up tilt. Twelve healthy men were assigned to either a no counter-measure (No-CM), or a counter-measure (CM) group so that there was no difference in maximal oxygen uptake. Counter-measures consisted of short-term, high resistance exercise for 6 days per week from days 7-28, and lower body negative pressure (-28 mmHg) for 15 min on days 16, 18, 20 and 22-28. In spite of balanced between-group fitness, mean RR-interval was different between the No-CM and the CM group prior to bed-rest, but neither this nor any other variables showed significant counter-measure by bed-rest interaction effects. Therefore, all data presented are from the main effects of bed-rest or tilt from the analysis of variance. RR-interval was reduced significantly by bed-rest and by tilt (P < 0.0001). Indicators from spectral analysis of heart-rate variability suggested reduced parasympathetic nervous system activity with bed-rest (P < 0.01) and head-up tilt (P < 0.05), and increased sympathetic nervous system activity after bed-rest (P < 0.01). An indicator of complexity of cardiovascular control mechanisms, taken from the slope (beta) of log spectral power vs. log frequency relationship, suggested reduced complexity with bed-rest (P < 0.05) and head-up tilt (P < 0.01). The spontaneous baroreflex slope was reduced significantly by bed-rest (P < 0.03) and by head-up tilt (P < 0.04). Taken together, these data support the concept of altered autonomic nervous system function in the aetiology of cardiovascular deconditioning with bed-rest or space travel; and it would appear that no benefit is derived from these specific counter-measures.

Adult↗
PubMed1994

Evaluation of spontaneous baroreflex modulation of sinus node during isometric exercise in healthy humans.

The purpose of this study was to 1) evaluate the baroreflex (BR) modulation of the sinus node during isometric exercise in humans by analyzing the variations in pulse interval (PI) in response to beat-by-beat spontaneous changes in systolic arterial pressure (SAP), thus avoiding external intervention to alter arterial pressure (AP); and to 2) evaluate the specific influence of muscle chemoreflex on the SAP-PI relationship. Sixteen healthy males were studied during rest, handgrip at 30% of maximum voluntary contraction [isometric handgrip (IHG)], post-IHG arrested forearm circulation (AFC), and recovery. AP and PI were measured continuously and noninvasively. A BR response was defined by series of at least three consecutive beats in which SAP and PI of the following beat either increased or decreased in a linear fashion. In nine subjects, forearm (FVR) and calf vascular resistances (CVR) were determined. Mean slope (by linear regression) of SAP-PI sequences did not significantly differ between rest, IHG, and AFC (14.1 +/- 2.0, 12.2 +/- 1.6, and 13.2 +/- 1.4 ms/mmHg, respectively), i.e., BR sensitivity was unchanged. IHG resulted in a rightward shift of the regression line relating SAP to PI. The shift was maintained during AFC, when PI returned to control and AP fell slightly but remained significantly elevated. CVR, which did not change during IHG, significantly increased during AFC, whereas FVR increased during both IHG and AFC, but not significantly. The data indicate that arterial BR is "reset" to a higher operating point during isometric exercise. Muscle chemoreflex appears to be partially involved in this modification.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adult↗
PubMed1994

On the fractal nature of heart rate variability in humans: effects of data length and beta-adrenergic blockade.

In the present study, we reinvestigated the question of whether human heart rate variability (HRV) is fractal in nature. Ten healthy volunteers participated in either of two studies conducted while beat-by-beat long-term HRV (8,500 heartbeats) was recorded for 2-3 h in the quiet, awake state in the supine position. In the first study, five subjects were tested four times each to evaluate the basic fractal nature of human HRV. The other five subjects were examined for the effects of oral propranolol (2 x 80 mg/day) on the fractal property of HRV in the second study. HRV data were analyzed by coarse-graining spectral analysis to break down their total power into harmonic and nonharmonic (fractal) components. The harmonic component was further divided into low (0.0-0.15 Hz; LF)- and high (> 0.15 Hz; HF)-frequency components. From these spectral components, %Fractal, %LF, and %HF as functions of total power were calculated. The fractal component was used to calculate the spectral exponent, beta. The %Fractal of human resting HRV was 85.5 +/- 4.4% (mean +/- SD, n = 20). The beta for the fractal HRV was 1.08 +/- 0.18 (n = 20). With propranolol, these basic properties of fractal HRV dynamics remained unchanged despite an increase in the mean RR interval (placebo, 912 +/- 111 ms; propranolol, 1,134 +/- 133 ms, P < 0.05) and a change in the harmonic spectral shape evaluated by LF/HF (placebo, 2.76 +/- 1.57; propranolol, 1.82 +/- 0.81, P < 0.05). For short-term data, less power was extracted as fractal because of the absence of the very low frequency component, yet the beta and LF/HF were unchanged from long-term data. These findings indicate that 1) the observed inversely proportional frequency (1/f) spectrum in human resting HRV is due to underlying random fractal dynamics and 2) the sympathetic nervous system seemed to play a minor role in modulating the fractal HRV dynamics.

Adrenergic beta-Antagonists↗
PubMed1994

Fractal nature of short-term systolic BP and HR variability during lower body negative pressure.

We have shown previously that the heart rate variability (HRV) signal is fractal in nature with a high degree of complexity, as given by the calculated fractal dimension (DF). We have also reported that loss of complexity, as indicated by a reduction in DF of HRV, is associated with orthostatic hypotension and impending syncope. To extend this investigation of cardiovascular responses, we have investigated the signal characteristics of short-term systolic blood pressure variability (BPV) coincident with measurements of HRV during orthostatic stress. Eight healthy men completed a test protocol of 20 min supine rest followed sequentially by 10 min at each of -5, -15, -25, -40, and -50 mmHg lower body negative pressure (LBNP) and 10 min supine recovery. We found that resting BPV and HRV were fractal with approximately 70% of both variables in the fractal component of the variability signal. The slope of the 1/f beta relationship was 1.16 +/- 0.12 for HRV and 2.31 +/- 0.17 for BPV. With increasing levels of orthostatic stress, the 1/f beta slope of HRV increased significantly to 1.68 +/- 0.08 at -50 mmHg LBNP, whereas the 1/f beta slope was unchanged for BPV. Indicators of parasympathetic and sympathetic nervous system activity derived from heart rate variability suggested reduced and increased values, respectively, as the LBNP increased. These data indicate important differences in heart rate and blood pressure control under orthostatic stress.

Adult↗
PubMed1994

Reduced spontaneous baroreflex response slope during lower body negative pressure after 28 days of head-down bed rest.

Effects of 28 days of continuous 6 degrees head-down tilt bed rest on spontaneous vagally mediated baroreflex response slope were evaluated from beat-by-beat relationships between R-R interval and systolic arterial blood pressure. Twelve healthy men (age 27-42 yr) were assigned to either countermeasure (CM) or no-countermeasure (no-CM) groups. CM consisted of strenuous short-term exercise once per day 6 days/wk from days 7 to 28 and lower body negative pressure (LBNP) for 15 min on days 16, 18, 20, and 22-28. Spontaneous baroreflex slope was evaluated by application of linear regression to sequences of at least three beats in which systolic blood pressure and R-R interval changed in the same direction. Measurements were made pre-, mid- (day 15), and post-bed rest at rest and during progressive LBNP tests (3 min at each of -20, -30, -40, and -50 mmHg). R-R interval decreased progressively and significantly (P < 0.0001) over duration of bed rest. Spontaneous baroreflex slope at rest in pre-bed rest was 18.5 +/- 2.1 ms/mm Hg for CM and 14.9 +/- 1.6 ms/mmHg for no-CM. There was a significant reduction in baroreflex slope as a function of bed rest, and it was further reduced during LBNP (P < 0.0001). Between CM and no-CM groups differences existed, but these were present pre-bed rest and appeared unaffected by countermeasures.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adult↗