A fungus infected environment does not alter the behaviour of foraging ants.

info:eu-repo/semantics/publishe

Effect of oxygen on breathing during exercise in patients with chronic obstructive lung disease

In 10 exercising patients with chronic obstructive lung disease (COLD) we measured ventilation (V(E)), end-tidal CO2 (P(ET)CO2), mean inspiratory flow (VT/TI), the ratio of inspiratory time to total time for one cycle (T(I)/T(TOT), and occlusion pressure at 0.1 s measured at the mouth (P 0.1), when they breathed room air and 100% oxygen. Oxygen breathing increased the maximal work load achieved. Furthermore, at the same exercise load, P 0.1, VT/TI, V(E), heart rate, respiratory frequency (f) decreased significantly in hyperoxia as compared with normoxia. Thoraco-pulmonary impedance assessed by P 0.1/V(E) and P 0.1/(VT/TI) ratios showed a slight but significant decrease in hyperoxia. This reduction might involve a reduction in peripheral mechanical drive to the respiratory centre. Thus in exercising patients affected by COLD, hyperoxia not only decreases the chemical afferent drive but also may slightly reduce the afferent mechanical drive to the respiratory centre. The decrease in the thoraco-pulmonary impedance may be explained either by an increase in efficiency of the respiratory muscles and/or a decrease in airway resistance.SCOPUS: ar.jinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishe

Airway anaesthesia and breathing pattern during exercise in normal subjects and in eucapnic patients with chronic airflow obstruction

SCOPUS: ar.jinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishe

Breathing affects venous return from legs in humans

SCOPUS: ar.jinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishe

Breathing affects venous return from legs in humans

SCOPUS: ar.jinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishe

Normobaric oxygen can enhance protein captation by the lymphatic system in healthy humans.

Journal Articleinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishe

Reliability of non-invasive cardiac output measurement in individuals with tetraplegia

Study design:The study is conducted on the basis of comparative-repeated measures.Objectives:The objective of this study is to assess the reliability of non-invasive cardiac output (CO) measurements in individuals with tetraplegia (TP) at rest and during exercise using Innocor, and to test the hypothesis that CO measurements are less reliable in TP than in able-bodied (AB) individuals.Setting:Ambulatory volunteers, Switzerland.Methods:Nine male motor-complete TP (C5-C7) and nine pair-matched AB performed repeated CO measurements at rest and during submaximal arm-crank and wheelchair exercises in four different test sessions. Within- and between-day reliabilities were compared between TP and AB.Results:Mean differences between measurements at rest (TP vs AB, within-day: 0.1±0.5 vs 0.2±0.6 l min(-1), between-day: -0.7±0.6 vs -0.1±0.8 l min(-1)), during arm-crank (TP vs AB, within-day: 0.1±0.9 vs 0.5±0.7 l min(-1), between-day: -0.3±1.1 vs 0.0±1.1 l min(-1)) and wheelchair exercises (TP vs AB, within-day: 0.3±1.2 vs -0.1±0.8 l min(-1), between-day: 0.1±1.1 vs 0.5±0.9 l min(-1)) were not significantly different between TP and AB (all P>0.05). Coefficients of variation in TP (within-day, rest: 6.8%, arm-crank: 9.6% and wheelchair: 10.8%; between-day, rest: 11.9%, arm-crank: 11.2% and wheelchair: 10.3%) and in AB (within-day, rest: 7.7%, arm crank: 6.8% and wheelchair: 6.0%; between-day, rest: 9.2%, arm crank: 8.5% and wheelchair: 8.0%) indicated acceptable reliability.Conclusion:In contrast to our hypothesis, we found non-invasive CO measurements using Innocor to be as reliable in TP as they are in AB. Consequently, Innocor can be recommended for repeated assessments of CO in TP within routine diagnostics or for evaluation of training progress.Sponsorship:The study was supported by the Swiss National Science Foundation (Grant no. 32-116777).Spinal Cord advance online publication, 21 December 2010; doi:10.1038/sc.2010.173