Sympathetic-transduction in untreated hypertension

Transduction of muscle sympathetic nerve activity (MSNA) into vascular tone varies with age and sex. Older normotensive men have reduced sympathetic transduction so that a given level of MSNA causes less arteriole vasoconstriction. Whether sympathetic transduction is altered in hypertension (HTN) is not known. We investigated whether sympathetic transduction is impaired in untreated hypertensive men compared to normotensive controls. Eight untreated hypertensive men and 10 normotensive men (age 50 ± 15 years vs. 45 ± 12 years (mean ± SD); p = 0.19, body mass index (BMI) 24.7 ± 2.7 kg/m(2) vs. 26.0 ± 4.2 kg/m(2); p = 0.21) were recruited. MSNA was recorded from the peroneal nerve using microneurography; beat-to-beat blood pressure (BP; Finapres) and heart rate (ECG) were recorded simultaneously at rest for 10 min. Sympathetic-transduction was quantified using a previously described method. The relationship between MSNA burst area and subsequent diastolic BP was measured for each participant with the slope of the regression indicating sympathetic transduction. MSNA was higher in the hypertensive group compared to normotensives (73 ± 17 bursts/100 heartbeats vs. 49 ± 19 bursts/100 heart bursts; p = 0.007). Sympathetic-transduction was lower in the hypertensive versus normotensive group (0.04%/mmHg/s vs. 0.11%/mmHg/s, respectively; R = 0.622; p = 0.006). In summary, hypertensive men had lower sympathetic transduction compared to normotensive individuals suggesting that higher levels of MSNA are needed to cause the same level of vasoconstrictor tone

Effect of exoskeletal joint constraint and passive resistance on metabolic energy expenditure: Implications for walking in paraplegia

<div><p>An important consideration in the design of a practical system to restore walking in individuals with spinal cord injury is to minimize metabolic energy demand on the user. In this study, the effects of exoskeletal constraints on metabolic energy expenditure were evaluated in able-bodied volunteers to gain insight into the demands of walking with a hybrid neuroprosthesis after paralysis. The exoskeleton had a hydraulic mechanism to reciprocally couple hip flexion and extension, unlocked hydraulic stance controlled knee mechanisms, and ankles fixed at neutral by ankle-foot orthoses. These mechanisms added passive resistance to the hip (15 Nm) and knee (6 Nm) joints while the exoskeleton constrained joint motion to the sagittal plane. The average oxygen consumption when walking with the exoskeleton was 22.5 ± 3.4 ml O₂/min/kg as compared to 11.7 ± 2.0 ml O₂/min/kg when walking without the exoskeleton at a comparable speed. The heart rate and physiological cost index with the exoskeleton were at least 30% and 4.3 times higher, respectively, than walking without it. The maximum average speed achieved with the exoskeleton was 1.2 ± 0.2 m/s, at a cadence of 104 ± 11 steps/min, and step length of 70 ± 7 cm. Average peak hip joint angles (25 ± 7°) were within normal range, while average peak knee joint angles (40 ± 8°) were less than normal. Both hip and knee angular velocities were reduced with the exoskeleton as compared to normal. While the walking speed achieved with the exoskeleton could be sufficient for community ambulation, metabolic energy expenditure was significantly increased and unsustainable for such activities. This suggests that passive resistance, constraining leg motion to the sagittal plane, reciprocally coupling the hip joints, and weight of exoskeleton place considerable limitations on the utility of the device and need to be minimized in future designs of practical hybrid neuroprostheses for walking after paraplegia.</p></div

Percent of age corrected maximum heart rate for each subject and averaged across all subjects when walking with and without the exoskeleton.

<p>Percent of age corrected maximum heart rate for each subject and averaged across all subjects when walking with and without the exoskeleton.</p

Subject wearing exoskeleton and metabolic analyzer.

<p>Subject wearing exoskeleton and metabolic analyzer.</p

O₂ consumption for each subject and averaged across all subjects when walking with and without the exoskeleton.

<p>O₂ consumption for each subject and averaged across all subjects when walking with and without the exoskeleton.</p