Glucoregulatory consequences and cardiorespiratory parameters in rats exposed to chronic-intermittent hypoxia: effects of the duration of exposure and losartan.

Background: Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is associated with glucose intolerance. Both chronic sleep disruption and recurrent blood oxygen desaturations (chronic-intermittent hypoxia, CIH) may cause, or exacerbate, metabolic derangements.

Methods: To assess the impact of CIH alone, without accompanying upper airway obstructions, on the counter-regulatory response to glucose load and cardiorespiratory parameters, we exposed adult male Sprague-Dawley rats to CIH or sham room air exchanges for 10 h/day for 7, 21, or 35 days and then, 1 day after conclusion of CIH exposure, conducted intravenous glucose-tolerance tests (ivgtt) under urethane anesthesia.

Fos expression in pontomedullary catecholaminergic cells following rapid eye movement sleep-like episodes elicited by pontine carbachol in urethane-anesthetized rats.

Pontine noradrenergic neurons of the locus coeruleus (LC) and sub-coeruleus (SubC) region cease firing during rapid eye movement sleep (REMS). This plays a permissive role in the generation of REMS and may contribute to state-dependent modulation of transmission in the CNS. Whether all pontomedullary catecholaminergic neurons, including those in the A1/C1, A2/C2 and A7 groups, have REMS-related suppression of activity has not been tested.

Disinhibition of perifornical hypothalamic neurones activates noradrenergic neurones and blocks pontine carbachol-induced REM sleep-like episodes in rats.

Studies in behaving animals suggest that neurones located in the perifornical (PF) region of the posterior hypothalamus promote wakefulness and suppress sleep. Among such cells are those that synthesize the excitatory peptides, orexins (ORX). Lack of ORX, or their receptors, is associated with narcolepsy/cataplexy, a disorder characterized by an increased pressure for rapid eye movement (REM) sleep.

Disposition of oral dipyridamole in patients undergoing thallium 201 myocardial imaging.

Oral dipyridamole has been used in conjunction with thallium 201 imaging to diagnose coronary artery disease in patients unable to exercise. However, the pharmacokinetic disposition of high-dose dipyridamole, particularly the time to maximum drug concentration, has not been described in patients undergoing oral dipyridamole-thallium 201 scanning. Therefore, we measured serial concentrations in 20 outpatients undergoing thallium 201 testing after a single 400-mg oral dose of dipyridamole.

Verapamil preceded by calcium in supraventricular tachycardia.

Verapamil has been shown to be effective in the management of supraventricular tachycardia (SVT). However, the utility of verapamil may be limited because of adverse effects, specifically hypotension. Several clinical observations have shown that the intravenous administration of calcium is effective in reversing the myocardial depressant effects of verapamil.