Publications

effects of selectin-sialyl lewis blockade on mesenteric microvascular permeability associated with cardiopulmonary bypass.	cardiopulmonary bypass is associated with an inflammatory response that is associated with a neutrophil-mediated microvascular barrier injury. we studied the effects of blocking neutrophil-endothelial tethering on microvascular permeability and edema formation during cardiopulmonary bypass. using a selectin antagonist that prevents interactions with their ligands, we hypothesized that there would be less neutrophil infiltration into the tissue and a reduction in microvascular permeability and ed ...	2000	10838545
blood pressure control in a larval amphibian, xenopus laevis.	the regulation of arterial pressure in early vertebrate embryos and larvae with non-innervated hearts is poorly understood. we used nanoliter intravascular injections in anaesthetized xenopus laevis larvae (stage 49-51) to assess their ability to maintain arterial pressure in the face of a volume load. injections of saline and hetastarch (a volume expander) were made into the ventricle. arterial pressure, end-diastolic ventricular volume, end-systolic ventricular volume and heart rate were measu ...	2000	10851121
[pathophysiological basis of heart failure].	the progression of heart failure is related to local and systemic neuroendocrine activation. on the level of the myocardium, neuroendocrine activation (angiotensin ii, endothelin, aldosterone, norepinephrine) as well as mediators of inflammation and free oxygen radicals contribute to hypertrophy, dilation and remodeling of the ventricles. in addition, vascular endothelial dysfunction and alterations of skeletal muscle contribute to clinical symptoms of heart failure patients. changes in ventricu ...	2000	10859987
lack of gonadotrophin-releasing hormone (gnrh) neuron response to decreasing photoperiod in thyroidectomized male starlings (sturnus vulgaris).	exposure of starlings to long days initially causes reproductive maturation, but eventually leads to photorefractoriness. during photorefractoriness, gonadotrophin-releasing hormone (gnrh) decreases in the gnrh cell bodies and fibers emanating from these to the median eminence, circulating gonadotrophin concentrations decrease to a minimum, and the gonads regress. thyroidectomy profoundly affects these photoperiodic responses. in chronically thyroidectomized starlings, gonadal responses to chang ...	2000	10861552
effect of protein kinase a on calcium sensitivity of force and its sarcomere length dependence in human cardiomyocytes.	we investigated whether the frank-starling mechanism is absent or preserved in end-stage failing human myocardium and if phosphorylation of contractile proteins modulates its magnitude through the sarcomere length-dependence of calcium sensitivity of isometric force development.	2000	10912459
reflex responses from the main pulmonary artery and bifurcation in anaesthetised dogs.	this study was undertaken to determine the reflex cardiovascular and respiratory responses to discrete stimulation of pulmonary arterial baroreceptors using a preparation in which secondary modulation of responses from other reflexes was prevented. dogs were anaesthetised with -chloralose, artificially ventilated, the chests widely opened and a cardiopulmonary bypass established. the main pulmonary arterial trunk, bifurcation and extrapulmonary arteries as far as the first lobar arteries on each ...	2000	10918080
absence of reflex vascular responses from the intrapulmonary circulation in anaesthetised dogs.	the aim of this investigation was to determine whether reflex cardiovascular responses were obtained to localised distension of the intrapulmonary arterial and venous circulations in a preparation in which the stimuli to other major reflexogenic areas were controlled and the lung was shown to possess reflex activity. dogs were anaesthetised with -chloralose, artificially ventilated, the chests widely opened and a cardiopulmonary bypass established. the intrapulmonary region of the left lung was ...	2000	10918081
[mechanical human heart work in a newborn infant].	the echo- and dopplerography of newborn infants up to 10-day age revealed that their heart work capacity was about 6 wt, relative capacity--25 wt/100 g of ventricular mass. these data correspond to those of adult humans. the frank-starling mechanism was corroborated.	2000	10955306
a baroreflex model of short term blood pressure and heart rate variability.	parameters based on heart rate variability alone or on both heart rate and blood pressure variability (baroreflex sensitivity) are becoming increasingly clinical relevant. nevertheless a complete insight in physiological mechanisms underlying these parameters is still lacking. a computer model may help to fill up some of the gaps. we present a model which consists of a simple beat-to-beat hemodynamic part (starling heart and windkessel) linked to a detailed continuous modelled neural control par ...	2000	10977598
end-systolic pressure-diameter relation of the left ventricle during transient and sustained elevations of blood pressure.	to assess the effect of transient and sustained variations in cardiac load on the values of the end-systolic pressure-diameter relation (espdr) of the left ventricle.	2000	10983017
is titin the length sensor in cardiac muscle? physiological and physiopathological perspectives.	one of the most salient physiological characteristics of cardiac muscle is that a dilated heart pumps more vigorously, a phenomenon known as the frank-starling relationship (see allen and kentish, 1985). at least two cellular mechanisms participate in this phenomenon: the reduction of the interfilament lattice spacing which favors the formation of cross-bridges (wang and fuchs, 1995) and the increased affinity of troponin c (tnc) for calcium (ca2+) (babu et al., 1988). in the latter case, it has ...	2000	10987082
myofilament lattice spacing as a function of sarcomere length in isolated rat myocardium.	the frank-starling relationship of the heart has, as its molecular basis, an increase in the activation of myofibrils by calcium as the sarcomere length increases. it has been suggested that this phenomenon may be due to myofilaments moving closer together at longer lengths, thereby enhancing the probability of favorable acto-myosin interaction, resulting in increased calcium sensitivity. accordingly, we have developed an apparatus so as to obtain accurate measurements of myocardial interfilamen ...	2000	11045995
ventricular volume, chamber stiffness, and function after anteroapical aneurysm plication in the sheep.	the success of left ventricular aneurysm plication depends on how the procedure affects both end-systolic elastance and diastolic compliance and how those changes affect ventricular function (stroke work/end-diastolic volume [prsw] and stroke volume/end-diastolic pressure [starling] relationships).	2000	10612769
beneficial effects of nitric oxide on cardiac diastolic function: 'the flip side of the coin'.	modulation by no of systolic myocardial function received widespread attention but most studies focused on potential negative inotropic properties of no. the very original observations on the effects of no on myocardial contraction already provided evidence that no modified myocardial contractile performance mainly through a relaxation-hastening effect (i.e. earlier onset of relaxation) and through an increase in myocardial distensibility. the present review discusses the relaxation hastening an ...	2000	11498647
a quantitative study of cochlear afferent axons in birds.	this paper is a comparative study of auditory-nerve morphology in birds. the chicken (gallus gallus), the emu (dromaius novaehollandiae) and the starling (sturnus vulgaris) were chosen as unspecialised birds that have already been used in auditory research. the data are discussed in comparison to a similar earlier study on the barn owl, a bird with highly specialised hearing, in an attempt to separate general avian patterns from species specialisations. average numbers of afferent fibres from 87 ...	2000	10601718
mycoplasmosis in captive crows and robins from minnesota.	mycoplasma sturni is a recently described organism previously associated with conjunctivitis in european starlings (sturnus vulgaris), northern mockingbirds (mimus polyglottos) and blue jays (cyanocitta cristata). herein we describe the isolation of m. sturni from an american crow (corvus brachyrhynchos) presenting with conjunctivitis. a nested-pcr was designed for identification of m. sturni in clinical specimens and the sensitivity of the reaction was found to be 10 colony-changing units. the ...	2001	11504228
arterial hypertension increases intracranial pressure in cat after opening of the blood-brain barrier.	increased permeability for small solutes in brain capillaries means that a change in hydrostatic capillary pressure may influence transcapillary fluid exchange according to the starling fluid equilibrium, and a high arterial pressure may cause transcapillary fluid filtration and raised intracranial pressure. this could be of clinical relevance in states of disrupted blood-brain barrier such as meningitis and after a severe head injury, especially since these patients quite often are spontaneousl ...	2001	11535896
experimental inoculation of european starlings (sturnus vulgaris) and american crows (corvus brachyrhynchos) with mycobacterium bovis.	the purpose of this series of pilot studies was to determine whether the passerine species studied are susceptible to infection with mycobacterium bovis. separate experiments were conducted on wild-caught starlings (sturnus vulgaris) and american crows (corvus brachyrhynchos). in each experiment, four birds were challenged intraperitoneally and four were challenged orally with microorganisms. challenge dose was 1 x 10(5) colony-forming units of m. bovis cultured from a white-tailed deer (odocoil ...	2001	11569749
acidosis or inorganic phosphate enhances the length dependence of tension in rat skinned cardiac muscle.	1. we investigated the effect of acidosis on the sarcomere length (sl) dependence of tension generation, in comparison with the effect of inorganic phosphate (p(i)), in rat skinned ventricular trabeculae. the shift of the mid-point of the pca-tension relationship associated with an increase in sl from 1.9 to 2.3 microm (deltapca(50)) was studied. 2. decreasing ph from 7.0 to 6.2 lowered maximal and submaximal ca(2+)-activated tension and increased deltapca(50) in a ph-dependent manner (from 0.21 ...	2001	11579165
length dependence of tension generation in rat skinned cardiac muscle: role of titin in the frank-starling mechanism of the heart.	at the basis of the frank-starling mechanism is the intrinsic ability of cardiac muscle to produce active tension in response to stretch. titin, a giant filamentous molecule involved in passive tension development, is intimately associated with the thick filament in the sarcomere. titin may therefore contribute to active tension development by modulating the thick filament structure when the muscle is elongated.	2001	11581142
the metabolic cost of birdsong production.	the metabolic cost of birdsong production has not been studied in detail but is of importance in our understanding of how selective pressures shape song behavior. we measured rates of oxygen consumption during song in three songbird species, zebra finches (taeniopygia guttata), waterslager canaries (serinus canaria) and european starlings (sturnus vulgaris). these species sing songs with different acoustic and temporal characteristics: short stereotyped song (zebra finch), long song with high te ...	2001	11606611
cardiac hypertrophy and failure: lessons learned from genetically engineered mice.	congestive heart failure is a major and growing public health problem. because of improved survival of myocardial infarction patients produced by thrombolytic therapy or per-cutaneous revascularization it represents the only form of cardiovascular disease with significantly increased incidence and prevalence. clinicians view this clinical syndrome as the final common pathway of diverse pathologies such as myocardial infarction and haemodynamic overload. insights into mechanisms for heart failure ...	2001	11678732
the influence of flicker rate on plasma corticosterone levels of european starlings, sturnus vulgaris.	recent reviews have highlighted the differences between human and avian vision with regard to temporal resolution and the potential problems it may cause for avian welfare and video playback experiments. birds tend to have much higher critical fusion frequencies than do humans (>100 hz vs 50-60 hz in humans), which means that they perceive light as flickering up to and over 100 hz. this is higher than most television monitors (which have refresh rates of 50 or 60 hz) and normal fluorescent light ...	2001	11742515
structural and functional studies of titin's fn3 modules reveal conserved surface patterns and binding to myosin s1--a possible role in the frank-starling mechanism of the heart.	the a-band part of titin, a striated-muscle specific protein spanning from the z-line to the m-line, mainly consists of a well-ordered super-repeat array of immunoglobulin-like and fibronectin-type iii (fn3)-like domains. since it has been suspected that the fn3 domains might represent titin's binding sites to myosin, we have developed structural models for all of titin's 132 fn3-like domains. a subset of eight experimentally determined fn3 structures from a range of proteins, including titin it ...	2001	11800567
ostrich ocular optics.	the optical structure of the eyes of ostriches (struthio camelus; struthionidae; struthioniformes) was determined by the construction of a schematic eye model for paraxial optics. the eye is large (axial length = 38 mm) and of globose shape with an anterior focal length (posterior nodal distance) of 21.8 mm. the optical design of the eye is such that the lens and cornea contribute equally to its total optical power. interspecific comparison shows that optically the ostrich eye is a larger scaled ...	2001	11805377
frank-starling mechanism retains recirculation fraction of myocardial ca(2+) in the beating heart.	myocardial ca(2+) handling in excitation-contraction coupling is the second primary determinant of energy or o(2) demand in a working heart. the intracellular and extracellular routes remove myocardial ca(2+) that was released into the sarcoplasma with different ca(2+): atp stoichiometries. the intracellular route is twice as economical as the extracellular route. therefore the fraction of total ca(2+) removed via the sarcoplasmic reticulum, i.e., the recirculation fraction of intracellular ca(2 ...	2001	11846965
computerized map of risk to manage wildlife species in urban areas.	for the last 20 years, human-wildlife conflicts have been rapidly increasing in towns. although people want "greener" cities, the expansion of disliked species causes problems that are difficult to manage and to reduce. the complexity of the numerous factors involved in these human-wildlife relations needs the development of a comprehensive tool for urban planners. today, with the development of computers and geographical information systems, it is easier to analyze and combine different spatial ...	2001	11148769
direct coronary artery perfusion from the left ventricle.	trends in coronary bypass surgery require less invasive techniques and more conduits. we investigated the ability of direct coronary perfusion from the left ventricle to support regional and global cardiac function.	2001	11174736
dextran, gelatin, and hydroxyethyl starch do not affect permeability for albumin in cat skeletal muscle.	to evaluate the effects of the three commercially available colloid solutions, 6% dextran 70, 6% hydroxyethyl starch (hes) 200/0.5, and 3.5% urea-linked gelatin on permeability for human albumin in a skeletal muscle in vivo model by evaluating their effects on the reflection coefficient for albumin.	2001	11176171
fluid dynamics of gingival tissues in transition from physiological condition to inflammation.	an increase in gingival sulcular fluid filtration is a common clinical sign of early gingivitis. the aim of this study was to describe the fluid dynamics of the gingival interstitial tissues at the level of the sulcus in the transition towards inflammation.	2001	11210075
food chain aspects of chlordane poisoning in birds and bats.	we have observed recurring chlordane poisonings of large numbers of common grackles (quiscalus quiscula), european starlings (sturnus vulgaris), and american robins (turdus migratorius) at suburban roosts in new jersey during the month of july. this paper describes aspects of the food chain uptake of chlordane that account for the periodicity of these poisonings. chlordane concentrations ranged from < 0.02 to 20.3 microg/g wet weight in 11 soil samples collected from residential lawns and a golf ...	2001	11243332
ernest starling and the discovery of secretin.	the demonstration by bayliss and starling that acid liberates a chemical messenger from the cells of the duodenal and jejunal mucosa and that this, by traveling through the blood, excites the pancreas to secrete revolutionized physiology. it subsequently provided the impetus to establish endocrinology as a specialist field in medicine. together, their contributions to physiology covered a vast sphere of knowledge, ranging from hormones to the heart and from enzymes to osmotic forces. every subje ...	2001	11246341
interrupted blood-feeding by culiseta melanura (diptera: culicidae) on european starlings.	to determine whether culiseta melanura (coquillett) mosquitoes tend to take multiple blood meals when birds of certain species serve as hosts, we compared the frequencies with which such mosquitoes fed upon caged starlings and robins and determined whether similar volumes of blood were imbibed from each. the blood of robins (turdus migratorius) and european starlings (sturnus vulgaris) was marked contrastingly by injecting birds with rubidium or cesium salts. caged birds were placed together in ...	2001	11268693
decreased insulin secretion in type 2 diabetes: a problem of cellular mass or function?	type 2 diabetes is characterized by diminished or inappropriate secretion of insulin, which could be a defect of either islet cell function or beta-cell mass. quantitation of islet cell populations in postmortem pancreas demonstrates little change of beta-cell mass in type 2 diabetes. reduction of islet cell mass (up to 30%) is associated largely with islet amyloid deposition, and the degree of amyloidosis is independent of the duration of the disease. insulin secretory capacity is dependent on ...	2001	11272183
biventricular cardiac dysfunction after acute massive pulmonary embolism in the rat.	cardiac dysfunction has been documented in vivo after acute massive pulmonary embolism (ampe). the present study tests whether intrinsic ventricular dysfunction occurs in rat hearts isolated after ampe. ampe was induced in spontaneously breathing ketamine-xylazine-anesthetized rats by thrombus infusion until mean arterial blood pressure (map) was approximately 40% of basal measurement. a hypotensive control group underwent controlled blood withdrawal to produce map approximately 40% of basal lev ...	2001	11299251
pathophysiological analysis of combined burn and smoke inhalation injuries in sheep.	we investigated the pathophysiological alterations seen with combined burn and smoke inhalation injuries by focusing on pulmonary vascular permeability and cardiopulmonary function compared with those seen with either burn or smoke inhalation injury alone. to estimate the effect of factors other than injury, the experiments were also performed with no injury in the same experimental setting. lung edema was most severe in the combined injury group. our study revealed that burn injury does not aff ...	2001	11350803
correlation and prediction of osmotic pressures for aqueous bovine serum albumin-nacl solutions based on two yukawa potentials.	a new equation of state is proposed to correlate and predict the osmotic pressure data for aqueous bovine serum albumin (bsa) solutions with different nacl concentrations and ph values with only one adjustable parameter. the carnahan-starling equation represents the contribution of the hard sphere repulsion to the osmotic pressure. the attractive dispersion and double-layer repulsion interactions are represented by two yukawa potentials, respectively. the equation of state of duh and mier-y-tera ...	2001	11397048
efferent axons in the avian auditory nerve.	the sensory hair cells of the inner ear receive both afferent and efferent innervation. the efferent supply to the auditory organ has evolved in birds and mammals into a separate complex system, with several types of neurons of largely unknown function. in this study, the efferent axons in four different species of birds (chicken, starling, barn owl and emu) were examined anatomically. total numbers of efferents supplying the cochlear duct (auditory basilar papilla and the vestibular lagenar mac ...	2001	11403682
acute effects of pulmonary artery banding in sheep on right ventricle pressure-volume relations: relevance to the arterial switch operation.	the first stage of the two-stage arterial switch operation (aso) for transposition of the great arteries (tga) is associated with depressed ventricular function and an unstable immediate post-operative course. it is unclear if this is because of the acute increase in afterload of the thin-walled, low-pressure ventricle by pulmonary artery banding (pab). to determine the acute effects of afterload increase on the contractile function of thin-walled ventricles, we studied the right ventricular pre ...	2001	11442449
a pilot study of in vivo venous pressures in the pig retinal circulation.	retinal venous pressure was examined in six pigs using a balanced servo-nulling micropuncture technique. the mean transmural venous pressure was 0.95 mmhg (sd 1.50 mmhg). the transmural venous pressure was lower at the optic disc than away from the disc (0.32 +/- 1.46 mmhg vs 1.69 +/- 1.19 mmhg, p < 0.01). at the disc a transmural pressure of zero or less (0 to -0.5 mmhg) was demonstrated in 10/21 (48%) of the disc readings. over an intraocular pressure range of 15-26 mmhg there was a strong cor ...	2001	11446461
comments on biological asymmetry.	gross forms of asymmetry of biological structure, hence of development, are generally considered abnormalities of conformation with "perfect" symmetry, whether bilateral or radial, being regarded as the "ideal" form. this notion, primarily a cultural deceit of neo-platonic origin, can easily be shown to be wrong or at best only skin-deep by any student of anatomy or surgery who finds the heart not in the midline but, most of the time on the left, liver on the right, gut coiled and disposed in a ...	2001	11471160
effects of sarcomere length and ca(2+) binding on h reactivity of myofilament bound troponin c in porcine skinned cardiac muscle fibers.	length dependence of cardiac ca(2+) activation is an essential component of the frank-starling relation. the aim of this study is to examine the length effects on the ca(2+)-induced conformational changes of filament-bound ctnc in skinned cardiac muscle fibers. the two cysteine residues (cys-35 and cys-84) in the regulatory domain of ctnc allow for the attachment of conformational probes to this region. their incorporation with the fluorescent probe, 7-diethylamino-3-[4'-maleimidylphenyl]-4-meth ...	2001	11492964
signal detection in amplitude-modulated maskers. ii. processing in the songbird's auditory forebrain.	in the natural environment, acoustic signals have to be detected in ubiquitous background noise. temporal fluctuations of background noise can be exploited by the auditory system to enhance signal detection, especially if spectral masking components are coherently amplitude modulated across several auditory channels (a phenomenon called 'comodulation masking release'). in this study of neuronal mechanisms of masking release in the primary auditory forebrain (field l) of awake european starlings ...	2001	11264677
signal detection in amplitude-modulated maskers. i. behavioural auditory thresholds in a songbird.	vertebrates have evolved mechanisms to exploit amplitude modulations in background noise for improving signal detection. however, the mechanisms underlying this masking release are not yet well understood. here we present evidence for masking release observed in european starlings (sturnus vulgaris, aves) that were trained in a go/nogo paradigm to report the detection of a short tone (20 ms) in 100% sinusoidally amplitude-modulated noise maskers (400 ms duration). maskers centred at the tone fre ...	2001	11264676
photoperiod-induced testicular apoptosis in european starlings (sturnus vulgaris).	to determine the extent to which testicular regression involves apoptotic cell death, photosensitive adult starlings were photostimulated for up to 9 wk by exposure to long-day (18 h of light) photoperiods. apoptotic activity in recrudescing and regressing testes was assessed by in situ tunel labeling. absolute testis mass in male starlings increased after 2 wk of photostimulation and subsequently decreased with continued long-day exposure. seminiferous tubule diameter also increased after 1-3 w ...	2001	11159376
response biases in auditory forebrain regions of female songbirds following exposure to sexually relevant variation in male song.	in many species of songbirds, individual variation between the songs of competing males is correlated with female behavioral preferences. the neural mechanisms of song based female preference in songbirds are not known. working with female european starlings (sturnus vulgaris), we used immunocytochemistry for zenk protein to localize forebrain regions that respond to sexually relevant variation in conspecific male song. the number of zenk-ir cells in ventral caudo-medial neostriatum [ncmv] was s ...	2001	11108615
seasonal variation in androgen-metabolizing enzymes in the diencephalon and telencephalon of the male european starling (sturnus vulgaris).	in seasonally breeding songbirds, seasonal fluctuations occur in serum testosterone (t) concentrations and reproductive behaviours. many t-dependent behaviours are regulated by the activity of androgenic and oestrogenic metabolites within specific brain regions. male european starlings breed in spring when circulating t concentrations peak. t and its metabolites act within portions of the diencephalon to regulate the pituitary-gonadal axis and to activate courtship and copulation. song in male s ...	2001	11737557
metabolic power, mechanical power and efficiency during wind tunnel flight by the european starling sturnus vulgaris.	we trained two starlings (sturnus vulgaris) to fly in a wind tunnel whilst wearing respirometry masks. we measured the metabolic power (p(met)) from the rates of oxygen consumption and carbon dioxide production and calculated the mechanical power (p(mech)) from two aerodynamic models using wingbeat kinematics measured by high-speed cinematography. p(met) increased from 10.4 to 14.9 w as flight speed was increased from 6.3 to 14.4 m s(-1) and was compatible with the u-shaped power/speed curve pre ...	2001	11606605
corticosterone and insulin interact to regulate glucose and triglyceride levels during stress in a bird.	captive european starlings (sturnus vulgaris) were exposed to the stress of handling and restraint while corticosterone, glucose, and triglyceride concentrations were monitored in blood plasma. in saline-injected controls, basal samples were taken within 3 min of disturbance with subsequent samples taken at 40, 70, and 150 min. this was repeated at two times during the daily cycle (day and night) on two different photoperiods: short and long days. during both photoperiods, corticosterone concent ...	2001	11507018
lift generation by the avian tail.	variation with tail spread of the lift generated by a bird tail was measured on mounted, frozen european starlings (sturnus vulgaris) in a wind tunnel at a typical air speed and body and tail angle of attack in order to test predictions of existing aerodynamic theories modelling tail lift. measured lift at all but the lowest tail spread angles was significantly lower than the predictions of slender wing, leading edge vortex and lifting line models of lift production. instead, the tail lift coeff ...	2001	11454286
the avian tail reduces body parasite drag by controlling flow separation and vortex shedding.	the aerodynamic effect of the furled avian tail on the parasite drag of a bird's body was investigated on mounted, frozen european starling sturnus vulgaris in a wind tunnel at flight speeds between 6 and 14 m s(-1). removal of tail rectrices and dorsal and ventral covert feathers at the base of the tail increased the total parasite drag of the body and tail by between 25 and 55%. flow visualization and measurements of dynamic pressure in the tail boundary layer showed that in the intact bird a ...	2001	11429141
developmental changes in thyrotropic and somatotropic effect of trh in precocial japanese quail and altricial european starlings.	the thyrotropic and somatotropic effects of thyrotropin releasing hormone (trh) in precocial japanese quail (coturnix japonica) and altricial european starlings (sturnus vulgaris) during postnatal ontogeny were studied. concentrations of thyroid hormones (th) and growth hormone (gh) in the circulation were determined 60 min after the subcutaneous administration of trh. in quail, trh caused an increase of triiodothyronine (t(3)) in plasma during the phase of rapid growth, whereas thyroxine (t(4)) ...	2001	11742512
nitric oxide modulates cardiac performance in the heart of anguilla anguilla.	nothing is known about the effects of nitric oxide (no) on cardiac performance in fish. using an in vitro working heart preparation that generates physiological values of output pressure, cardiac output and ventricular work and power, we assessed the effects of no on the cardiac performance of the eel anguilla anguilla. we examined basal cardiac performance (at constant preload, afterload and heart rate), the effects of cholinergic stimulation and the frank-starling response (preload-induced inc ...	2001	11316492
starlings can categorize symmetry differences in dot displays.	fluctuating asymmetry is an estimate of developmental stability and, in some cases, the asymmetry of morphological traits can reflect aspects of individual fitness. as asymmetry can be a marker for fitness, it has been proposed that organisms could use morphological asymmetry as a direct visual cue during inter- and intraspecific encounters. despite some experimental evidence to support this prediction, the perceptual abilities of animals to detect and respond to symmetry differences have been l ...	2001	18707326
cardiac performance in salmo salar with infectious salmon anaemia (isa): putative role of nitric oxide.	infectious salmon anaemia (isa) is a viral disease which targets the vascular and endocardial endothelial cells. an in vitro preparation of the spontaneously beating working heart of salmo salar l. (i.e. able to generate physiological values of output pressure, cardiac output, ventricle work and power) was used to study cardiac performance under basal (i.e. in the absence of stimuli) and loading (i.e. frank-starling response) conditions in both control and isav-affected fish. in contrast to cont ...	2002	12517001
comparison between left and right heart function in the isolated biventricular working rat heart.	to provide a basic characterization of the crystalline perfused isolated rat heart preparation in its biventricular working mode.	2002	19644573
chemical defense in the plant bug lopidea robiniae (uhler).	secretions from the metathoracic glands (mtg) of the black locust bug, lopidea robiniae (uhler) (heteroptera: miridae) contained six major compounds, including (e)-2-hexenal, (e)-2-hexen-1-ol, (e)-2-octenal, (e)-2-octen-1-ol (e)-2-heptenal, and (z)-3-octen-1-ol. males and females did not differ significantly in the relative compositions of identified compounds. in feeding trials, six bird species [robin (turdus migratorious), blue jay (cyanocitta cristata), brown thrasher (toxostoma rufum), kill ...	2002	11944836
[graded hypercapnia in the postoperative evaluation of central hemodynamics in cardiosurgical patients].	117 patients were examined in the early period after operation on an open heart (aortocoronary shunt and correction of acquired valvular heart diseases). the hemodynamic values were studied by direct methods with catheterization of the right parts of the heart and pulmonary artery. the catheter was introduced into the left atrium during the operation by transseptal puncture. in the absence of the latter, pulmonary capillary wedge pressure was measured. the loading volume test (lvt) was conducted ...	2002	1906558
regulation of pancreatic exocrine secretion.	the exocrine pancreas secretes throughout 24 hours. in both interdigestive and postprandial states, pancreatic secretion is regulated by neural and hormonal actions, and neurohormonal interactions. at the turn of this century, the prevailing theory of pavlov (1) that pancreatic exocrine secretion was exclusively regulated by secretory fibers in both vagi and splanchnic nerves was refuted by bayliss and starling in 1902, who put forward their hypothesis that pancreatic secretion was stimulated by ...	2002	1744449
recent experience modulates forebrain gene-expression in response to mate-choice cues in european starlings.	mate-choice decisions can be experience dependent, but we know little about how the brain processes stimuli that release such decisions. female european starlings (sturnus vulgaris) prefer males with long-bout songs over males with short-bout songs, and show higher expression of the immediate early gene (ieg) zenk in the auditory forebrain when exposed to long-bout songs than when exposed to short-bout songs. we exposed female starlings to a short-day photoperiod for one of three durations and t ...	2002	12495492
context-dependent effects of castration and testosterone treatment on song in male european starlings.	most seasonally breeding songbirds display dramatic seasonal fluctuations in plasma testosterone (t) levels and mate attraction behaviors, including song. however, males of some songbird species, such as the european starling (sturnus vulgaris), continue to sing at high levels after the breeding season, when t levels are basal. in male starlings song during the breeding season functions mainly to attract mates, whereas song during the nonbreeding season appears unrelated to reproduction. this su ...	2002	12460590
corticosterone and insulin interact to regulate plasma glucose but not lipid concentrations in molting starlings.	captive starlings (sturnus vulgaris) undergoing a prebasic molt were given exogenous insulin (ins) and corticosterone (cort), to determine how these counterregulatory hormones would affect glucose and triglyceride concentrations during stress. experiments were conducted at both morning (11:00) and night (23:00) to monitor daily variation in these responses. concentrations of cort, glucose, and triglycerides were measured in blood plasma within 3 min of disturbance (basal) and at 40, 70, and 150 ...	2002	12441118
expression of camp response element binding protein-binding protein in the song control system and hypothalamus of adult european starlings (sturnus vulgaris).	in songbirds, the initiation of song behaviour and the neural substrate of this system are highly influenced by gonadal steroids. receptors for gonadal steroid hormones, such as androgens and oestrogens, have been localized within select nuclei of the song system. an important step in steroid receptor action is the recruitment of nuclear receptor coactivators. the coactivator, camp response element binding protein (creb)-binding protein (cbp), has been implicated in both androgen and oestrogen r ...	2002	12372005
hormonal and behavioral responses of starlings during a confrontation with males or females at nest boxes during the reproductive season.	we investigated in an aviary experiment the behavioral and hormonal responses of european starlings (sturnus vulgaris) that were moved from a same sex group to an aviary containing either a nest box alone, a nest box and another male, or a nest box and a female. luteinizing hormone (lh) and testosterone (t) levels increased significantly and independently of the situation, suggesting that nest boxes were the most important stimulus affecting the levels of these hormones. some birds occupied more ...	2002	12191644
paternal care and male mate-attraction effort in the european starling is adjusted to clutch size.	in facultative polygynous birds with biparental care, a trade-off may occur between male parental care and attraction of additional mates. if there is a cost associated with reduced male parental care, the relative benefit of mate attraction may be predicted to decrease as the size of a male's clutch or brood increases. we tested this prediction in monogamous pairs of facultatively polygynous european starlings (sturnus vulgaris). the larger the clutch, the more time the male spent incubating an ...	2002	12065042
song predicts immunocompetence in male european starlings (sturnus vulgaris).	according to the immunocompetence handicap hypothesis, sexually selected characteristics predict immune function and this relationship is mediated by testosterone. in the present study, we investigated whether bird song could predict immunity in european starlings (sturnus vulgaris). we recorded the singing and reproductive behaviours of 16 adult male starlings in an outdoor aviary and then assessed their cell-mediated and humoral immunity in vivo. the males were observed in groups of four for 2 ...	2002	11958717
encephalitis of unknown aetiology in young starlings (sturnus vulgaris) and house sparrows (passer domesticus).		2002	12211394
recent advances in our understanding of risk-sensitive foraging preferences.	many experiments have shown that foraging animals are sensitive to the riskiness, or variance, associated with alternative food sources. for example, when offered a choice of a constant feeding option that always offers three seeds, and a risky option that offers either no seeds or six seeds with equal probability, most animals tested will be either risk-averse or risk-prone, preferring either the fixed or variable option respectively. whether animals are risk-averse or risk-prone appears to dep ...	2002	12691180
right ventricular performance during left ventricular unloading conditions: the contribution of the right ventricular free wall.	right ventricular (rv) dysfunction is a significant complication following implantation of left ventricular assist device (lvad). however, rv performance after lvad implantation remains unclear. we have studied the effects of preload and afterload on rv performance under left ventricular (lv) unloading.	2002	11847598
framing effects and risky decisions in starlings.	animals are predominantly risk prone toward reward delays and risk averse toward reward amounts. humans in turn tend to be risk-seeking for losses and risk averse for gains. to explain the human results, prospect theory postulates a convex utility for losses and concave utility for gains. in contrast, scalar utility theory (sut) explains the animal data by postulating that the cognitive representation of outcomes follows weber's law, namely that the spread of the distribution of expected outcome ...	2002	11867709
temperature-related fluid extravasation during cardiopulmonary bypass: an analysis of filtration coefficients and transcapillary pressures.	cardiopulmonary bypass (cpb) as used for cardiac surgery and for rewarming individuals suffering deep accidental hypothermia is held responsible for changes in microvascular fluid exchange often leading to edema and organ dysfunction. the purpose of this work is to improve our understanding of fluid pathophysiology and to explore the implications of the changes in determinants of transcapillary fluid exchange during cpb with and without hypothermia. this investigation might give indications on w ...	2002	11903072
interactive effect of chondroitin sulphate c and hyaluronan on fluid movement across rabbit synovium.	the polysaccharide hyaluronan (ha) conserves synovial fluid by keeping outflow low and almost constant over a wide pressure range ('buffering'), but only at concentrations associated with polymer domain overlap. we therefore tested whether polymer interactions can cause buffering, using ha-chondroitin sulphate c (csc) mixtures. also, since it has been found that capillary filtration is insensitive to the starling force interstitial osmotic pressure in frog mesenteries, this was assessed in synov ...	2002	11927686
[recovery of the dog myocardial contractile function in the diastolic period].	isolated canine heart has an expressed ability for autoregulation of mechanical restitution irrespective of the influence of neurohumoral factors and frank-starling law on the work of the heart. mechanical restitution of canine heart in diastolic period starts after the end of mechanical refractory period of the heart and develops exponentially. the higher the heart rhythm the faster the speed of mechanical restitution. the higher the heart rhythm the shorter the mechanical refractory period. me ...	2002	11938645
hannibal lecter: the honey in the lion's mouth.	this paper examines the psychopathology of hannibal lecter, the fictional killer and cannibal in thomas harris's trilogy: red dragon, silence of the lambs, and hannibal from an object relations point of view. the victim of childhood trauma involving the killing of his family and the cannibalization of his baby sister, lecter suffers from posttraumatic stress disorder. using the theories of melanie klein, harry guntrip, d.w. winnicott, m. khan, as well as otto kernberg, this paper explores the re ...	2002	11977779
[rhythm assimilation in the isolated canine heart under isovolumic conditions].	isolated canine heart has an expressed ability for autoregulation of bioelectrical and contractile functions irrespective of the neurohumoral factors influence on the work of the heart, and frank-starling law. under the change of stimulation frequency, the autoregulation of heart functions is carried out as rhythm assimilation at organ (cell) level. the heart has a higher ability to bioelectrical rhythm assimilation rather than the mechanical rhythm assimilation. incomplete rhythm assimilation i ...	2002	12013731
myocardial infarction scar plication in the rat: cardiac mechanics in an animal model for surgical procedures.	the immediate effects of surgical reduction of left ventricle cavity on cardiac mechanics have not been well defined.	2002	12022541
[instantaneous alteration of the dog heart contractility under instantaneous change in the stimulation rhythm].	isolated canine heart has an expressed ability for an instantaneous alteration in the sense of re-tuning, of contractility (of the speed of mechanical restitution in diastolic period) under instantaneous change of stimulation rhythm. postextrasystolic potentiation reflects instantaneous rising of the speed of mechanical restitution under the influence of extrasystole in the condition of instantaneous transition to a higher rhythm. depression of contractility reflects instantaneous decreasing of ...	2002	12058531
in vivo studies of the magscrew total artificial heart in calves.	the purpose of this study was to evaluate the in vivo pump performance of our total artificial heart (tah), the "magscrew tah." the tah consists of a blood pump and control logic developed at the cleveland clinic and the magscrew actuator and electronic control system developed by foster-miller technologies, inc. (albany, ny). magscrew tah implantation was performed in two calves. study durations were 50 and 5 days. the causes of termination were prosthetic valve endocarditis in one case and cab ...	2002	12058993
energetics of the frank-starling effect in rabbit myocardium: economy and efficiency depend on muscle length.	we tested the hypothesis that economy and efficiency are independent of length in intact cardiac muscle over its normal working range. we measured force, force-time integral, force-length area, and myocardial oxygen consumption in eight isometrically contracting rabbit right ventricular papillary muscles. 2,3-butanedione monoxime was used to partition nonbasal oxygen consumption into tension-independent and tension-dependent components. developed force, force-time integral, and force-length area ...	2002	12063305
different regional effects of voluntary exercise on the mechanical and electrical properties of rat ventricular myocytes.	short-term (6 weeks) voluntary wheel running exercise in young female rats that were in an active growth phase resulted in whole-heart hypertrophy and myocyte concentric hypertrophy, when compared to sedentary controls. the cross-sectional area of ventricular myocytes from trained rats was significantly greater than for those isolated from sedentary rats, with the greatest change in morphology seen in sub-endocardial cells. there was no statistically significant effect of training on cell shorte ...	2002	12068046
changes in basal hypothalamic chicken gonadotropin-releasing hormone-i and vasoactive intestinal polypeptide associated with a photo-induced cycle in gonadal maturation and prolactin secretion in intact and thyroidectomized starlings (sturnus vulgaris).	chicken gonadotropin-releasing hormone-i (gnrh-i) and the avian prolactin-releasing hormone, vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (vip), were measured in the basal hypothalamus in male starlings during photo-induced gonadal growth and the subsequent development and maintenance of reproductive photorefractoriness. comparisons were made with thyroidectomized birds, which maintain breeding condition irrespective of changes in photoperiod. in intact birds, basal hypothalamic gnrh-i increased four-fold ...	2002	12121489
one-step affinity purification of the yeast ribosome and its associated proteins and mrnas.	we describe a one-step affinity method for purifying ribosomes from the budding yeast saccharomyces cerevisiae. extracts from yeast strains expressing only c-terminally tagged rpl25 protein or overexpressing this protein in the presence of endogenous rpl25p were used as the starling materials. the purification was specific for tagged 60s subunits, and resulted in the copurification of 80s subunits and polysomes, as well as ribosome-associated proteins and mrnas. two of these associated proteins, ...	2002	12166649
cardiac tissue engineering.	recent progress in implantations of differentiated cardiac and non-cardiac cells as well as adult stem cells into the heart suggests that the irreversible loss of viable cardiac myocytes that occurs during myocardial infarction can be at least partly substituted. we evaluated an alternative approach by reconstituting cardiac tissue grafts in vitro and implanting them as spontaneously and coherently contracting tissues. for this purpose we have optimized a method to generate ring-shaped three-dim ...	2002	12180846
titin isoform switch in ischemic human heart disease.	ischemia-induced cardiomyopathy usually is accompanied by elevated left ventricular end-diastolic pressure, which follows from increased myocardial stiffness resulting from upregulated collagen expression. in addition to collagen, a main determinant of stiffness is titin, whose role in ischemia-induced left ventricular stiffening was studied here. human heart sarcomeres coexpress 2 principal titin isoforms, a more compliant n2ba isoform and a stiffer n2b isoform. in comparison, normal rat hearts ...	2002	12221049
fatty acids are important for the frank-starling mechanism and gregg effect but not for catecholamine response in isolated rat hearts.	in some pathophysiological conditions myocardial metabolism can switch from mainly long chain fatty acid (lcfa) oxidation to mainly glucose oxidation. whether the predominant fatty acid or glucose oxidation affects cardiac performance has not been defined. in a buffer perfused isovolumetrically contracting rat heart, oxidation of endogenous pool lcfa was avoided by inhibiting carnitine-palmitoyl-transferase i (cpt-i) with oxfenicine (2 mm). in order to restore fatty acid oxidation, hexanoate (1 ...	2002	12392496
foot-and-mouth disease: susceptibility of domestic poultry and free-living birds to infection and to disease--a review of the historical and current literature concerning the role of birds in spread of foot-and-mouth disease viruses.	ruminants and pigs are the dominant natural hosts of food-and-mouth disease (fmd) viruses. approximately 70 additional mammalian species are found to be susceptible under natural or experimental conditions. reptilia, amphibia, and fish are probably naturally resistant to infection. according to the reviewed literature, domestic birds (chickens, turkeys, guinea fowl, ducks and geese) have been experimentally infected with some strains of fmd viruses and may develop lesions suggestive of fmd such ...	2002	12395578
calcium sensitivity of force in human ventricular cardiomyocytes from donor and failing hearts.	in failing human myocardium changes occur, in particular, in isoform composition and phosphorylation level of the troponin t (tnt) and troponin i (tni) subunits of the actin filament and the myosin light chains (mlc-1 and -2), but it is unclear to what extent they influence cardiac performance. this overview concentrates on the relation between contractile function, contractile protein composition and phosphorylation levels in small biopsies from control (donor) hearts, from biopsies obtained du ...	2002	12479245
spectrofluorometric analysis of length-dependent conformational changes in cardiac troponin c.	length modulation of cardiac muscle is manifested in the frank-starling relation of the heart. recently, it has been shown that length-dependent changes in sh reactivity of cardiac troponin c (ctnc) occurred in association with cross-bridge attachment and ca2+. however, the presence of two sh groups (cys-35 and cys-84) in the regulatory region of ctnc complicates efforts to detect conformational changes. in this study skinned porcine cardiac fibers were reacted with 7-diethylamino-3-[4'maleimidy ...	2002	12630705
nitric oxide and prostacyclin play a role in the regulation of microvascular protein and hydraulic permeability in cat skeletal muscle.	to evaluate a possible role of nitric oxide (no) and prostacyclin in the regulation of basal microvascular protein and hydraulic permeability.	2003	12700590
nitric-oxide-mediated regulation of cardiac contractility and stretch responses.	in the heart, nitric oxide (no) is constitutively produced by the vascular and endocardial endothelium, the cardiomyocytes and the autonomic nerves. whereas stimulation of no release from the vascular endothelium has consistently been shown to quicken the onset of left ventricular (lv) relaxation and cause a small reduction in peak contraction, the role of myocardial no production in regulating cardiac function appears to be more complex and controversial. some studies have shown that non-isofor ...	2003	12732269
activation of mst1 causes dilated cardiomyopathy by stimulating apoptosis without compensatory ventricular myocyte hypertrophy.	activation of mammalian sterile 20-like kinase 1 (mst1) by genotoxic compounds is known to stimulate apoptosis in some cell types. the importance of mst1 in cell death caused by clinically relevant pathologic stimuli is unknown, however. in this study, we show that mst1 is a prominent myelin basic protein kinase activated by proapoptotic stimuli in cardiac myocytes and that mst1 causes cardiac myocyte apoptosis in vitro in a kinase activity-dependent manner. in vivo, cardiac-specific overexpress ...	2003	12750396
endothelin-1 contributes to the frank-starling response in hypertrophic rat hearts.	endothelin-1 is involved in mechanical load-induced cardiac growth processes; it also has effects on contractility. the interaction of endothelin-1 and the frank-starling response is unknown. the present study aimed to characterize the role of endothelin-1 in the regulation of the frank-starling response, one of the major mechanisms regulating cardiac contractile force, in both normal and hypertrophied hearts. nontransgenic rat hearts and hypertrophic hearts of hypertensive double transgenic rat ...	2003	12511536
song as an honest signal of past developmental stress in the european starling (sturnus vulgaris).	bird song is a sexually selected male trait where females select males on the basis of song quality. it has recently been suggested that the quality of the adult male song may be determined by nutritional stress during early development. here, we test the 'nutritional-stress hypothesis' using the complex song of the european starling. fledgling starlings were kept under experimental treatment (unpredictable short-term food deprivations) or control conditions (ad libitum food supply), for three m ...	2003	12816653
first report on cryptococcus laurentii associated with feather loss in a glossy starling (lamprotornis chalybaeus).	although cryptococcus laurentii has been isolated from fresh droppings and cloaca samples from feral pigeons, it has never before been associated with an actual disease condition in birds. this case study deals with the first report on c. laurentii associated with feather loss in a glossy starling (lamprotornis chalybaeus). the bird exhibited patchy feather loss, especially around the back and beak area, and greyish crusts sticking quite firmly to the underlying skin. the feathers had a greasy a ...	2003	12850922
collapsible upper airway segment to study the obstructive sleep apnea/hypopnea syndrome in rats.	animal models have been used to study the pathophysiology of the obstructive sleep apnea/hypopnea syndrome (sahs). nevertheless, in none of the models described to date have the animals been subjected to the different patterns of upper airway obstructive events (apneas, hypopneas, and inspiratory flow limitation) characterizing sahs. our aim was to devise and test a computer-controlled collapsible upper airway segment applicable to rats and able to realistically mimic obstructive sahs events. th ...	2003	12853011
titin is a candidate gene for stroke volume response to endurance training: the heritage family study.	a genome-wide linkage scan for endurance training-induced changes in submaximal exercise stroke volume (deltasv50) in the heritage family study revealed two chromosomal regions (2q31-q32 and 10p11.2) with at least suggestive evidence of linkage among white families. here we report a further characterization of the quantitative trait locus (qtl) in chromosome 2q31 and provide evidence that titin (ttn) is likely a candidate gene involved. the original linkage was detected with two markers (d2s335 ...	2003	12865504
human infestation with bird mites in wollongong.	this is a report of a case of bird mite infestation which occurred in wollongong in mid-december 1996. the individual suffered hundreds of bites, most of which were marked by itchy red papules 3-4 mm in diameter. tiny mobile parasites (< 1 mm) collected from the skin and adjacent bedroom wall were identified as bird mites from the family gamasidae, most probably from the genus ornithonyssus. the source of the infestation was a starling nest under the eaves adjacent to the bedroom. the report sum ...	2003	12926740
heart rate and behavior are regulated independently of corticosterone following diverse acute stressors.	captive european starlings (sturnus vulgaris) were subjected to five acute stressors: a visual stressor (strobe light), an auditory stressor (music), and disturbance by three different humans; their accustomed caretaker, an antagonist (the experimenter), and a novel human. heart rate (hr), behavioral, and corticosterone (cort) responses to each stressor were simultaneously recorded. the visual stressor elicited a significantly lower maximal hr response [approximately 550 beats per minute (bpm)] ...	2003	12928007
titin isoform variance and length dependence of activation in skinned bovine cardiac muscle.	we have explored the role of the giant elastic protein titin in the frank-starling mechanism of the heart by measuring the sarcomere length (sl) dependence of activation in skinned cardiac muscles with different titin-based passive stiffness characteristics. we studied muscle from the bovine left ventricle (blv), which expresses a high level of a stiff titin isoform, and muscle from the bovine left atrium (bla), which expresses more compliant titin isoforms. passive tension was also varied in ea ...	2003	12963792
altered force-frequency response in non-failing hearts with decreased serca pump-level.	decreased serca2 activity is considered to significantly contribute to the contractile dysfunction of failing hearts. however, it is now known how decreases in serca activity affect cardiac function in detail and also if a decrease alone is sufficient to cause heart failure.	2003	14499868