Effect of ryanodine on sinus node recovery time determined in vitro

FAPESP – FUNDAÇÃO DE AMPARO À PESQUISA DO ESTADO DE SÃO PAULOCNPQ – CONSELHO NACIONAL DE DESENVOLVIMENTO CIENTÍFICO E TECNOLÓGICOEvidence has indicated that the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) might be involved in the generation of spontaneous electrical activity in atrial pacemaker cells. We report the effect of disabling the SR with ryanodine (0.1 µM) on the sinus node recovery time (SNRT) measured in isolated right atria from 4-6-month-old male Wistar rats. Electrogram and isometric force were recorded at 36.5oC. Two methods for sinus node resetting were used: a) pulse: a single stimulus pulse interpolated at coupling intervals of 50, 65 or 80% of the regular spontaneous cycle length (RCL), and b) train: a 2-min train of pulses at intervals of 50, 65 or 80% of RCL. Corrected SNRT (cSNRT) was calculated as the difference between SNRT (first spontaneous cycle length after stimulation interruption) and RCL. Ryanodine only slightly increased RCL (<10%), but decreased developed force by 90%. When the pulse method was used, cSNRT (~40 ms), which represents intranodal/atrial conduction time, was independent of the coupling interval and unaffected by ryanodine. However, cSNRT obtained by the train method was significantly higher for shorter intervals between pulses, indicating the occurrence of overdrive suppression. In this case, ryanodine prolonged cSNRT in a rate-dependent fashion, with a greater effect at shorter intervals. These results indicate that: a) a functional SR, albeit important for force development, does not seem to play a major role in atrial automaticity in the rat; b) disruption of cell Ca2+ homeostasis by inhibition of SR function does not appear to affect conduction; however, it enhances overdrive-induced depression of sinusal automaticity.Evidence has indicated that the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) might be involved in the generation of spontaneous electrical activity in atrial pacemaker cells. We report the effect of disabling the SR with ryanodine (0.1 µM) on the sinus node recovery time (SNRT) measured in isolated right atria from 4-6-month-old male Wistar rats. Electrogram and isometric force were recorded at 36.5oC. Two methods for sinus node resetting were used: a) pulse: a single stimulus pulse interpolated at coupling intervals of 50, 65 or 80% of the regular spontaneous cycle length (RCL), and b) train: a 2-min train of pulses at intervals of 50, 65 or 80% of RCL. Corrected SNRT (cSNRT) was calculated as the difference between SNRT (first spontaneous cycle length after stimulation interruption) and RCL. Ryanodine only slightly increased RCL (<10%), but decreased developed force by 90%. When the pulse method was used, cSNRT (~40 ms), which represents intranodal/atrial conduction time, was independent of the coupling interval and unaffected by ryanodine. However, cSNRT obtained by the train method was significantly higher for shorter intervals between pulses, indicating the occurrence of overdrive suppression. In this case, ryanodine prolonged cSNRT in a rate-dependent fashion, with a greater effect at shorter intervals. These results indicate that: a) a functional SR, albeit important for force development, does not seem to play a major role in atrial automaticity in the rat; b) disruption of cell Ca2+ homeostasis by inhibition of SR function does not appear to affect conduction; however, it enhances overdrive-induced depression of sinusal automaticity32810391043FAPESP – FUNDAÇÃO DE AMPARO À PESQUISA DO ESTADO DE SÃO PAULOCNPQ – CONSELHO NACIONAL DE DESENVOLVIMENTO CIENTÍFICO E TECNOLÓGICOFAPESP – FUNDAÇÃO DE AMPARO À PESQUISA DO ESTADO DE SÃO PAULOCNPQ – CONSELHO NACIONAL DE DESENVOLVIMENTO CIENTÍFICO E TECNOLÓGICOsem informação300069/95-2; 301905/84-3-N

Exciton G Factor Of Type-ii Inp Gaas Single Quantum Dots

We investigated the magneto-optical properties of type-II InP GaAs quantum dots using single-dot spectroscopy. The emission energy from individual dots presents a quadratic diamagnetic shift and a linear Zeeman splitting as a function of magnetic fields up to 10 T, as previously observed for type-I systems. We analyzed the in-plane localization of the carriers using the diamagnetic shift results. The values for the exciton g factor obtained for a large number of a InP GaAs dots are mainly constant, independent of the emission energy, and therefore, of the quantum dot dimensions. The result is attributed to the weak confinement of the holes in type-II InP GaAs quantum dots. © 2006 The American Physical Society.733Toda, Y., Shinomori, S., Suzuki, K., Arakawa, Y., (1998) Appl. Phys. Lett., 73, p. 517. , APPLAB 0003-6951 10.1063/1.121919Bayer, M., Kuther, A., Schäfer, F., Reithmaier, J.P., Forchel, A., (1999) Phys. Rev. B, 60, p. 8481. , PRBMDO. 0163-1829. 10.1103/PhysRevB.60.R8481Sugisaki, M., Ren, H.-W., Nishi, K., Sugou, S., Okuno, T., Masumoto, Y., (1998) Physica B, 256-258, p. 169. , PHYBE3 0921-4526Kotlyar, R., Reinecke, T.L., Bayer, M., Forchel, A., (2001) Phys. Rev. B, 63, p. 085310. , PRBMDO 0163-1829 10.1103/PhysRevB.63.085310Ribeiro, E., Govorov, A.O., Carvalho Jr., W., Medeiros-Ribeiro, G., (2004) Phys. Rev. Lett., 92, p. 126402. , PRLTAO 0031-9007 10.1103/PhysRevLett.92.126402Janssens, K.L., Partoens, B., Peeters, F.M., (2002) Phys. Rev. B, 66, p. 075314. , PRBMDO 0163-1829 10.1103/PhysRevB.66.075314Kalameitsev, A.B., Kovalev, V.M., Govorov, A.O., (1989) JETP Lett., 68, p. 669. , JTPLA2 0021-3640 10.1134/1.567926Sugisaki, M., Ren, H.W., Nair, S.V., Nishi, K., Masumoto, Y., (2002) Phys. Rev. B, 66, p. 235309. , PRBMDO 0163-1829 10.1103/PhysRevB.66.235309Godoy, M.P.F., Nakaema, M.K.K., Iikawa, F., Carvalho Jr., W., Ribeiro, E., Gobby, A.L., (2004) Rev. Sci. Instrum., 75, p. 1947. , RSINAK 0034-6748 10.1063/1.1753090Walck, S.N., Reinecke, T.L., (1998) Phys. Rev. B, 57, p. 9088. , PRBMDO 0163-1829 10.1103/PhysRevB.57.9088Laheld, U.E.H., Pedersen, F.B., Hemmer, P.C., (1993) Phys. Rev. B, 48, p. 4659. , PRBMDO 0163-1829 10.1103/PhysRevB.48.4659Bastard, G., Mendez, E.E., Chang, L.L., Esaki, L., (1982) Phys. Rev. B, 26, p. 1974. , PRBMDO 0163-1829 10.1103/PhysRevB.26.1974Nakaoka, T., Saito, T., Tatebayashi, J., Arakawa, Y., (2004) Phys. Rev. B, 70, p. 235337. , PRBMDO 0163-1829 10.1103/PhysRevB.70.235337Yugova, I.A., Ya. Gerlovin, I., Davydov, V.G., Ignatiev, I.V., Kozin, I.E., Ren, H.W., Sugisaki, M., Masumoto, Y., (2002) Phys. Rev. B, 66, p. 235309. , PRBMDO 0163-1829 10.1103/PhysRevB.66.235309Willmann, F., Suga, S., Dreybrodt, W., Cho, K., (1974) Solid State Commun., 14, p. 783. , SSCOA4 0038-1098Landi, S.M., Tribuzy, C.V.B., Souza, P.L., Butendeich, R., Bittencourt, A.C., Marques, G.E., (2003) Phys. Rev. B, 67, p. 085304. , PRBMDO 0163-1829 10.1103/PhysRevB.67.08530

Preferred growth direction by PbS nanoplatelets preserves perovskite infrared light harvesting for stable, reproducible, and efficient solar cells

Formamidinium-based perovskite solar cells (PSCs) present the maximum theoretical efficiency of the lead perovskite family. However, formamidinium perovskite exhibits significant degradation in air. The surface chemistry of PbS has been used to improve the formamidinium black phase stability. Here, the use of PbS nanoplatelets with (100) preferential crystal orientation is reported, to potentiate the repercussion on the crystal growth of perovskite grains and to improve the stability of the material and consequently of the solar cells. As a result, a vertical growth of perovskite grains, a stable current density of 23 mA cm(-2), and a stable incident photon to current efficiency in the infrared region of the spectrum for 4 months is obtained, one of the best stability achievements for planar PSCs. Moreover, a better reproducibility than the control device, by optimizing the PbS concentration in the perovskite matrix, is achieved. These outcomes validate the synergistic use of PbS nanoplatelets to improve formamidinium long-term stability and performance reproducibility, and pave the way for using metastable perovskite active phases preserving their light harvesting capability

Symptom variability over the course of the day in patients with stable COPD in Brazil: a real-world observational study

Objetivo: Analisar os sintomas em diferentes momentos do dia em pacientes com DPOC. Métodos: Estudo observacional multicêntrico de corte transversal em oito centros brasileiros. Foram avaliados os sintomas matinais, diurnos e noturnos em pacientes com DPOC estável. Resultados: Foram incluídos 593 pacientes em tratamento regular, sendo 309 (52,1%) do sexo masculino e 92 (15,5%) fumantes ativos. A média de idade foi de 67,7 anos, e a média de VEF1 foi de 49,4% do valor previsto. Os pacientes com sintomas mais graves (n = 183; 30,8%), em comparação com aqueles com sintomas leves e moderados, apresentaram pior nível de atividade física (p = 0,002), maior limitação ao fluxo aéreo (p < 0,001), exacerbações ambulatoriais (p = 0,002) e hospitalares (p = 0,043) mais frequentemente e piores resultados em instrumentos específicos. Os sintomas matinais e noturnos mais frequentes foram dispneia (em 45,2% e 33,1%, respectivamente), tosse (em 37,5% e 33,3%, respectivamente) e chiado (em 24,4% e 27,0%, respectivamente). Houve forte correlação da intensidade dos sintomas diurnos com sintomas matinais (r = 0,65, p < 0,001), sintomas noturnos (r = 0,60, p < 0,001), bem como com o escore do COPD Assessment Test (r = 0,62; p < 0,001); porém, houve uma correlação fraca com VEF1 (r = −0,205; p < 0,001). Conclusões: A dispneia foi mais frequente no período matinal do que no período noturno. Ter sintomas matinais e/ou noturnos foi associado à pior gravidade dos sintomas diurnos. A intensidade dos sintomas foi fortemente associada a pior qualidade de vida e frequência de exacerbações, mas fracamente associada à limitação ao fluxo aéreo.463Objective: To analyze symptoms at different times of day in patients with COPD. Methods: This was a multicenter, cross-sectional observational study conducted at eight centers in Brazil. We evaluated morning, daytime, and nighttime symptoms in patients with stable COPD. Results: We included 593 patients under regular treatment, of whom 309 (52.1%) were male and 92 (15.5%) were active smokers. The mean age was 67.7 years, and the mean FEV1 was 49.4% of the predicted value. In comparison with the patients who had mild or moderate symptoms, the 183 (30.8%) with severe symptoms were less physically active (p = 0.002), had greater airflow limitation (p < 0.001), had more outpatient exacerbations (p = 0.002) and more inpatient exacerbations (p = 0.043), as well as scoring worse on specific instruments. The most common morning and nighttime symptoms were dyspnea (in 45.2% and 33.1%, respectively), cough (in 37.5% and 33.3%, respectively), and wheezing (in 24.4% and 27.0%, respectively). The intensity of daytime symptoms correlated strongly with that of morning symptoms (r = 0.65, p < 0.001) and that of nighttime symptoms (r = 0.60, p < 0.001), as well as with the COPD Assessment Test score (r = 0.62; p < 0.001), although it showed only a weak correlation with FEV1 (r = −0.205; p < 0.001). Conclusions: Dyspnea was more common in the morning than at night. Having morning or nighttime symptoms was associated with greater daytime symptom severity. Symptom intensity was strongly associated with poor quality of life and with the frequency of exacerbations, although it was weakly associated with airflow limitation

Anisotropic flow of charged hadrons, pions and (anti-)protons measured at high transverse momentum in Pb-Pb collisions at sNN=2.76\sqrt{s_{\rm NN}}=2.76 TeV

The elliptic, $v_2$, triangular, $v_3$, and quadrangular, $v_4$, azimuthal anisotropic flow coefficients are measured for unidentified charged particles, pions and (anti-)protons in Pb-Pb collisions at $\sqrt{s_{\rm NN}} = 2.76$ TeV with the ALICE detector at the Large Hadron Collider. Results obtained with the event plane and four-particle cumulant methods are reported for the pseudo-rapidity range $|\eta|<0.8$ at different collision centralities and as a function of transverse momentum, $p_{\rm T}$, out to $p_{\rm T}=20$ GeV/$c$. The observed non-zero elliptic and triangular flow depends only weakly on transverse momentum for $p_{\rm T}>8$ GeV/$c$. The small $p_{\rm T}$ dependence of the difference between elliptic flow results obtained from the event plane and four-particle cumulant methods suggests a common origin of flow fluctuations up to $p_{\rm T}=8$ GeV/$c$. The magnitude of the (anti-)proton elliptic and triangular flow is larger than that of pions out to at least $p_{\rm T}=8$ GeV/$c$ indicating that the particle type dependence persists out to high $p_{\rm T}$.Comment: 16 pages, 5 captioned figures, authors from page 11, published version, figures at http://aliceinfo.cern.ch/ArtSubmission/node/186