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Biomedical subjects

S A Bloomfield

Publications and source records attributed to S A Bloomfield.

49 records · Page 3Linked to original sources
PubMed1984

Effect of prolonged intense endurance training on systolic time intervals in patients with coronary artery disease.

We studied the effect of exercise training (ET) on systolic time intervals (STI) in 13 patients with coronary artery disease (CAD). All patients trained for at least 10 months. They exercised three times/week at 50% to 70% of maximal oxygen uptake (VO2max) for the initial 3 months and at least four times/week for approximately 50 minutes at 70% to 90% of VO2max thereafter. A significant training effect was documented by an increase in VO2max from 26.0 +/- 4.3 to 37.2 +/- 5.8 ml/kg/min (p less than 0.01), a lower heart rate (HR) at rest, and a lower blood pressure and HR during submaximal work. The indices of total electromechanical systole (QS2I) and left ventricular ejection time (LVETI) did not change. However, pre-ejection period index (PEPI) decreased from 137 +/- 9 msec to 129 +/- 9 msec (p less than 0.01). PEP/LVET decreased from 0.373 +/- 0.028 to 0.342 +/- 0.032 (p less than 0.01). Left ventricular end-diastolic dimension and posterior wall thickness, measured echocardiographically, were increased after training. We conclude that exercise training may improve myocardial performance in some patients with CAD.

Adult↗
PubMed1983

Electroanatomy of a unique amacrine cell in the rabbit retina.

Intracellular electrophysiological recordings were obtained from a specialized class of "starburst" amacrine cells by using an isolated superperfused retina-eyecup preparation of the rabbit. These cells were injected intracellularly with horseradish peroxidase and identified with light microscopy. A computer-controlled image-processing system was used to map and display the three-dimensional dendritic organization and provide information on length and sublaminar distribution of dendritic processes. Starburst amacrines show an unusual dendritic architecture that includes thin intermediate dendritic segments. Analysis with steady-state cable equations suggests that these thin segments may provide electrical isolation of distal processes, raising the possibility that a single dendrite, which lies beyond the thin segment, may constitute a functional subunit of the cell.

Action Potentials↗
PubMed1983

Blood lactate threshold in some well-trained ischemic heart disease patients.

Six patients with ischemic heart disease who had exercised intensely for longer than 1 yr appeared to have a disproportionately high capacity for endurance exercise relative to VO2 max. They were compared with healthy runners of the same age (mean 55 yr) with similar training programs (6-12 km/day, 5 day/wk). The trained patients had a significantly (P less than 0.05) lower maximal cardiac output (-17%) and VO2 max (-18%, 37 vs. 45 ml . kg-1 . min-1). Despite their lower VO2 max, the trained patients were able to run 8 km at the same speed as the normal runners (approximately 189 m/min). The trained patients' ability to keep pace with the normal subjects was apparently due to a very high lactate threshold (LT) relative to VO2 max. The patients' LT (lactate 1 mM above base line) occurred at a treadmill running speed of 176 m/min, which elicited 100% of their VO2 max, compared with a LT at 178 m/min and 84% of VO2 max in the normal subjects (P less than 0.01). Our results show that some individuals with VO2 max limited by impaired cardiac function can undergo adaptations to training that enable them to maintain close to a metabolic steady state during exercise that elicits VO2 max.

Aged↗
PubMed1983

Effects of exercise and lack of exercise on glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity.

Physically trained individuals have a markedly blunted insulin response to a glucose load and yet have normal glucose tolerance. This phenomenon has generally been ascribed to long-term adaptations to training which correlate with maximal oxygen uptake (VO2max) and reduced adiposity. Our study was undertaken to test the hypothesis that residual effects of the last bouts of exercise play an important role in this phenomenon. Eight well-trained subjects stopped training for 10 days. There were no significant changes in VO2max (58.6 +/- 2.2 vs. 57.6 +/- 2.1 ml/kg), estimated percent body fat (12.5 +/- 0.7 vs. 12.5 +/- 0.8%), or body weight. The maximum rise in plasma insulin concentration in response to a 100-g oral glucose load was 100% higher after 10 days without exercise than when the subjects were exercising regularly. Despite the increased insulin levels, blood glucose concentrations were higher after 10 days without exercise. Insulin binding to monocytes also decreased with physical inactivity. One bout of exercise after 11 days without exercise returned insulin binding and the insulin and glucose responses to an oral 100-g glucose load almost to the initial "trained" value. These results support our hypothesis.

Adult↗
PubMed1982

A physiological and morphological study of the horizontal cell types of the rabbit retina.

A perfused, isolated retina-eyecup preparation of the rabbit was utilized to correlate the physiology and morphology of horizontal cells. Neurons were physiologically characterized by intracellular recording techniques and subsequently stained with intracellular iontophoretically injected horseradish peroxidase for morphological identification. Three types of rabbit horizontal cell recordings have been differentiated, based on variations in response waveform, amplitude-intensity properties, and area summation characteristics. These three types have been unequivocally associated with the axonless A-type horizontal cells and the somatic and axon terminal endings (each displaying its own distinct physiology) of B-type horizontal cells first described in studies using Golgi-impregnation techniques (Fisher and Boycott, '74). In addition, the sizes of A-type horizontal cells were found to be directly related to their retinal eccentricities from the optic desk. However a unique subclass of A-type cells has been discovered (elongated or Ae type) which displayed the largest dendritic field of any cells studied here, yet had the smallest eccentricities--within 1.4 mm of the optic disk. Moreover, elongated A-type cells exhibited long asymmetrical dendritic fields which were oriented parallel with the visual streak. The unique asymmetry and orientation of these cells suggests that they may have orientation-biased receptive field properties. Physiological evidence for an orientation-biased horizontal cell is presented in support of this notion.

Animals↗
PubMed1982

Left ventricular response to graded isometric exercise in patients with coronary heart disease.

The effects of graded isometric exercise on left ventricular performance were characterized in 11 male patients (53 +/- 2 years) with coronary artery disease (CAD) and in 12 normal subjects (11 male and one female 35 +/- 5 years). The echocardiographic indices of left ventricular function at rest were similar in both groups. Heart rate and blood pressure increased significantly in both groups in response to 40 and 60% of handgrip maximal voluntary contraction (MVC). Left ventricular end-diastolic dimension increased significantly (from 50 +/- 1 to 56 +/- 1 mm; P less than 0.01) with 60% of MVC in CAD group but not in the healthy subjects. The patients with CAD also exhibited significant (P less than 0.01) increases in end-systolic dimension (from 34 +/- 1 to 40 +/- 2 with 40% and to 44 +/- 1 mm with 60% MVC). End-diastolic and end-systolic dimensions did not change during isometric exercise in the healthy subjects. In the CAD group mVCF decreased significantly (from 1.08 +/- 0.06 to 0.86 +/- 0.06 with 40% and to 0.74 +/- 0.04 d . s-1 with 60% MVC; P less than 0.01). At comparable mean blood pressures, mVCF was significantly lower in the CAD group than in normal subjects. These results demonstrate that progressive deterioration of left ventricular function during increasing levels of isometric exercise in patients with CAD can be detected with echocardiography.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

A comparison of receptive field and tracer coupling size of horizontal cells in the rabbit retina.

The large receptive fields of retinal horizontal cells are thought to reflect extensive electrical coupling via gap junctions. It was shown recently that the biotinylated tracers, biocytin and Neurobiotin, provide remarkable images of coupling between many types of retinal neuron, including horizontal cells. Further, these demonstrations of tracer coupling between horizontal cells rivaled the size of their receptive fields, suggesting that the pattern of tracer coupling may provide some index of the extent of electrical coupling. We studied this question by comparing the receptive field and tracer coupling size of dark-adapted horizontal cells recorded in the superfused, isolated retina-eyecup of the rabbit. Both the edge-to-edge receptive field and space constants (lambda) were computed for each cell using a long, narrow slit of light displaced across the retinal surface. Cells were subsequently labeled by iontophoretic injection of Neurobiotin. The axonless A-type horizontal cells showed extensive, homologous tracer coupling in groups greater than 1000 covering distances averaging about 2 mm. The axon-bearing B-type horizontal cells were less extensively tracer coupled, showing homologous coupling of the somatic endings in groups of about 100 cells spanning approximately 400 microns and a separate homologous coupling of the axon terminal endings covering only about 275 microns. Moreover, we observed a remarkable, linear relationship between the size of the receptive fields of each of the three horizontal cell endings and the magnitude of their tracer coupling. Our findings suggest that the extent of tracer coupling provides a strong, linear index of the magnitude of electrical current flow, as derived from receptive-field measures, across groups of coupled horizontal cells. These data thus provide the first direct evidence that the receptive-field size of horizontal cells is related to the extent of their coupling via gap junctions.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

A comparison of receptive-field and tracer-coupling size of amacrine and ganglion cells in the rabbit retina.

Recent studies have shown that amacrine and ganglion cells in the mammalian retina are extensively coupled as revealed by the intercellular movement of the biotinylated tracers biocytin and Neurobiotin. These demonstrations of tracer coupling suggest that electrical networks formed by proximal neurons (i.e. amacrine and ganglion cells) may underlie the lateral propagation of signals across the inner retina. We studied this question by comparing the receptive-field size, dendritic-field size, and extent of tracer coupling of amacrine and ganglion cells in the dark-adapted, superfused, isolated retina eyecup of the rabbit. Our results indicate that while the center-receptive fields of proximal neurons are approximately 15% larger than their corresponding dendritic diameters, this slight difference can be explained by factors other than electrical coupling such as tissue shrinkage associated with histological processing. However, the extent of tracer coupling of amacrine and ganglion cells was, on average, about twice the size of the corresponding receptive fields. Thus, the receptive field of an individual proximal neuron matched far more closely to its dendritic diameter than to the size of the tracer-coupled network of cells to which it belonged. The exception to this rule was the AII amacrine cells for which center-receptive fields were 2-3 times the size of their dendritic diameters but matched closely to the size of the tracer-coupled arrays. Thus, with the exception of AII cells, our data indicate that tracer coupling between proximal neurons is not associated with an enlargement of their receptive fields. Our results, then, provide no evidence for electrical coupling or, at least, indicate that extensive lateral spread of visual signals does not occur in the proximal mammalian retina.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Light-induced modulation of coupling between AII amacrine cells in the rabbit retina.

The rod-driven, AII amacrine cells in the mammalian retina maintain homologous gap junctions with one another as well as heterologous gap junctions with on-cone bipolar cells. We used background illumination to study whether changes in the adaptational state of the retina affected the permeabilities of these two sets of gap junctions. To access changes in permeability, we injected single AII amacrine cells with the biotinylated tracer, Neurobiotin, and measured the extent of tracer coupling to neighboring AII cells and neighboring cone bipolar cells. We also measured the center-receptive field size of AII cells to assess concomitant changes in electrical coupling. Our results indicate that in well dark-adapted retinas, AII cells form relatively small networks averaging 20 amacrine cells and covering about 75 microns. The size of these networks matched closely to the size of AII cell on-center receptive fields. However, over most of their operating range, AII cells formed dramatically larger networks, averaging 326 amacrine cells, which corresponded to an increased receptive-field size. As the retina was light adapted beyond the operating range of the AII cells, they uncoupled to form networks comparable in size to those seem in well dark-adapted retinas. Our results, then, indicate that the adaptational state of the retina has a profound effect on the extent of electrical coupling between AII amacrine cells. Although we observed light-induced changes in the number of tracer-coupled cone bipolar cells, these appeared to be an epiphenomenon of changes in homologous coupling between AII amacrine cells. Therefore, in contrast to the robust changes in AII-AII coupling produced by background illumination, our data provided no evidence of a light-induced modulation of coupling between AII cells and on-cone bipolar cells.

Adaptation, Physiological↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Effects of nitric oxide on horizontal cells in the rabbit retina.

Retinal horizontal cells display large receptive fields as a result of extensive electrical coupling via gap junctions. There is abundant evidence that these gap junctions are dynamically regulated by changes in the adaptational state of the retina. The neuromodulator dopamine appears to play a major role in regulating gap junctional conductances of horizontal cells. Emerging evidence indicates that nitric oxide (NO) also acts as a neuromodulator in the retina and, more specifically, regulates the coupling between horizontal cells. In the present study, we examined the effects of a nitric oxide, and its secondary messenger cGMP, on electrical and tracer coupling between A-type and between B-type horizontal cells in the rabbit retina. Application of the NO donors S-nitroso-N-acetylpenicillamine (SNAP) or sodium nitroprusside (SNP) significantly reduced the coupling between horizontal cells as evidenced by a decrease in their space constants, annulus-to-small spot response ratios, and the extent of tracer coupling following injection with Neurobiotin. Further, application of SNP eliminated the increase in coupling of horizontal cells normally seen with exposure to dim background illumination. Application of 8-bromo-cGMP produced effects similar to those of the NO donors, consistent with the idea that the uncoupling actions of NO were mediated via a cGMP cascade. In addition, the NO donors and cGMP augmented the responsiveness of A- and B-type cells to both small and large spots of light. This augmentation appeared to be due to secondary effects on photoreceptor transduction and/or photoreceptor-to-horizontal cell synaptic efficacy that were distinct from the actions on gap junctions. Our results suggest that NO may mediate changes in coupling between horizontal cells related to the adaptational state of the mammalian retina.

Adaptation, Ocular↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Comparison of the responses of AII amacrine cells in the dark- and light-adapted rabbit retina.

We studied the light-evoked responses of AII amacrine cells in the rabbit retina under dark- and light-adapted conditions. In contrast to the results of previous studies, we found that AII cells display robust responses to light over a 6-7 log unit intensity range, well beyond the operating range of rod photoreceptors. Under dark adaptation, AII cells showed an ON-center/OFF-surround receptive-field organization. The intensity-response profile of the center-mediated response component followed a dual-limbed sigmoidal function indicating a transition from rod to cone mediation as stimulus intensities were increased. Following light adaptation, the receptive-field organization of AII cells changed dramatically. Light-adapted AII cells showed both ON- and OFF-responses to stimulation of the center receptive field, but we found no evidence for an antagonistic surround. Interestingly, the OFF-center response appeared first following rapid light adaptation and was then replaced gradually over a 1-4 min period by the emerging ON-center response component. Application of the metabotropic glutamate receptor agonist APB, the ionotropic glutamate blocker CNQX, 8-bromo-cGMP, and the nitric oxide donor SNAP all showed differential effects on the various center-mediated responses displayed by dark- and light-adapted AII cells. Taken together, these pharmacological results indicated that different synaptic circuits are responsible for the generation of the different AII cell responses. Specifically, the rod-driven ON-center responses are apparently derived from rod bipolar cell synaptic inputs, whereas the cone-driven ON-center responses arise from signals crossing the gap junctions between AII cells and ON-center cone bipolar cells. Additionally, the OFF-center response of light-adapted AII cells reflects direct synaptic inputs from OFF-center cone bipolar cells to AII dendritic processes in the distal inner plexiform layer.

6-Cyano-7-nitroquinoxaline-2,3-dione↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Differential bone and muscle recovery following hindlimb unloading in skeletally mature male rats.

This study was designed to track the recovery of bone and muscle properties after 28 days of hindlimb unloading (HU) in skeletally mature male rats in order to quantify the degree and timing of the expected mismatch between bone and muscle properties. Outcome variables were in vivo plantarflexor peak isometric torque and proximal tibial volumetric bone mineral density (vBMD). Proximal tibia vBMD was significantly lower than age-matched controls (-7.8%) after 28 days of HU, continued to decrease through day 28 of recovery (-10%) and did not recover until day 84 of recovery. Plantarflexor peak isometric torque was significantly reduced after 28 days of HU (-13.9%). Further reductions of isometric torque occurred after 7 days of recovery (-15%), but returned to age-matched control levels by day 14. The functional relationship between bone and muscle (vBMD/isometric torque) tended to increase after 28 days of HU (+7.8%), remained elevated after 7 days of reloading (+9.1%) and was significantly lower than age-matched controls on day 28 (-13.6%). This relatively rapid return of muscle strength, coupled with continued depression of bone density at the proximal tibia metaphysis, may increase the risk for skeletal injury during recovery from prolonged periods of reduced mechanical loading.

Animals↗