Control of cell volume in oocytes and eggs from Xenopus laevis

The mechanism by which Xenopus laevis oocytes and eggs survive in hypotonic media was investigated by measuring cell volume (Vc) and intracellular pressure (P(ic)) during osmotic swelling. After 2 hr in 10 mOsm buffer, eggs remained intact, while 60.2 +/- 7.0% of oocytes had burst. Water uptake was proportional to buffer osmolarity in oocytes, but not in eggs. We did not see a regulatory volume decrease in the cells, nor was there any evidence for osmolyte efflux. Oocyte P(ic) increased from 0.27 cm H2O (range 0.14-0.61 cm H2O) to 5.92 cm H2O (range 2.52-7.18 cm H2O, P < 0.001) after 70 min in 20 mOsm buffer. Egg P(ic) in 20 mOsm buffer (0.04 cm H2O, range -0.07 to 0.014 cm H2O) was not significantly different from the value in isotonic (200 mOsm) buffer (0.14 cm H2O, range 0-0.16 cm H2O). The data indicate that Vc in oocytes and eggs is not regulated by either plasma membrane ion transport or the mechanical properties of the vitelline envelope. While oocytes appear to behave as passive osmometers, we speculate that the ability of eggs to maintain volume is determined, in part, by the cytoplasm, in particular by its gel-like nature.

Model for a pump that drives circulation of pleural fluid

Physical and mathematical models were used to study a mechanism that could maintain the layer of pleural fluid that covers the surface of the lung. The pleural space was modeled as a thin layer of viscous fluid lying between a membrane carrying tension (T), representing the lung, and a rigid wall, representing the chest wall. Flow of the fluid was driven by sliding between the membrane and wall. The physical model consisted of a cylindrical balloon with strings stretched along its surface. When the balloon was inflated inside a vertical circular cylinder containing a viscous fluid, the strings formed narrow vertical channels between broad regions in which the balloon pressed against the outer cylinder. The channels simulated the pleural space in the regions of lobar margins. Oscillatory rotation of the outer cylinder maintained a lubricating layer of fluid between the balloon and the cylinder. The thickness of the fluid layer (h), measured by fluorescence videomicroscopy, was larger for larger fluid viscosity (mu), larger sliding velocity (U), and smaller pressure difference (delta P) between the layer and the channel. A mathematical model of the flow in a horizontal section was analyzed, and numerical solutions were obtained for parameter values of mu, U, delta P, and T that matched those of the physical model. The computed results agreed reasonably well with the experimental results. Scaling laws yield the prediction that h is approximately (T/delta P)(microU/T)2/3. For physiological values of the parameters, the predicted value of h is approximately 10(-3) cm, in good agreement with the observed thickness of the pleural space.

Comparison of four methods for cross-calibrating dual-energy X-ray absorptiometers to eliminate systematic errors when upgrading equipment

Dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA) is a widely employed technique for making noninvasive measurements of bone mineral density (BMD). Advances in DXA technology have resulted in the development of new densitometers that offer increased scan speed, improved spatial resolution, and the ability to make measurements at additional skeletal sites. However, changing from a first to a second-generation DXA system generates two additional potential sources of error. First, if the densitometers produce results that are substantially different, diagnostic errors occur if the results from both instruments are compared to the same normative database. Second, even if the densitometers produce results that are nearly identical, small systematic errors may influence interpretation of serial bone density measurements in individual patients. To assess the impact of changing from a first- to a second-generation DXA scanner, we made measurements using the standard "pencil beam" mode on 133 consecutive patients using both a Hologic QDR-1000 and a QDR-2000 densitometer when the latter instrument was calibrated according to the manufacturer's routine procedure using a single anthropomorphic spine phantom. We then recalculated the results for the QDR-2000 densitometer using cross-calibration factors based on (1) a regression line generated by scanning three anthropomorphic spine phantoms whose BMD ranged from osteoporotic to high normal on each instrument, (2) an adult human lumbar spine embedded in tissue-equivalent plastic, or (3) a regression line derived from scans of the first 83 patients that was then applied to the last 50 patients.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Semi-automated measurement of true chord length distributions and moments by video microscopy and image analysis

The distribution of the lengths of airspace chords in pulmonary parenchyma characterizes many architectural features of the alveoli and alveolar ducts. Laborious to obtain manually, the distributions and density functions may be acquired semi-automatically by video microscopy, digitization and image processing. The accuracy of the estimation is influenced by the microscopical methods and also by the techniques used (i) to convert the digitized greyscale picture to a two-valued image, (ii) to collect the chord lengths and (iii) to compensate for finite field widths. The last problem arises because some chords are completely visible within a field while others are only partially seen, since one of the two air-tissue boundaries lies outside the field of view. This error systematically biases the observed distribution. This paper contains solutions to hardware, software and analytic problems encountered while developing the capability to measure airspace chord length density functions semi-automatically. Formulas for estimating the true chord length density function from samples of observed chord lengths are presented. Also given are formulas for the estimation of the first and second moments of the true chord length distribution from the means of observed chord lengths. These techniques of image preparation and analysis should be suitable for characterizing particle, grain or cell size distributions, especially where many profiles fall partially outside the field of view.

Effects of alveolated duct structure on aerosol kinetics. I. Diffusional deposition in the absence of gravity

We examined the effects of alveolar duct structure on particle deposition in the pulmonary acinus. The low Reynolds number velocity field of carrier gas in a geometric model of the alveolated duct was solved numerically. Particle trajectories were computed from the Langevin equation. Conditional probabilities of the trajectories were calculated with an eigenfunction expansion technique in the absence of gravity. For submicron particles, Brownian motion dominated the process; the deposition rate dramatically decreased with boundary layer growth. For fine particles, fully developed boundary layer profiles determined the deposition over most of the acinar length. The assumption of a uniform radial profile results in a substantial overestimation of the local deposition rate. The deposition rate in an alveolated duct was always smaller than that in an equivalent straight tube of the same volume. Within the alveolus the deposition pattern was markedly nonuniform, with higher deposition near the alveolar entrance ring; this finding is consistent with experimental observations in animals (e.g., see Zeltner et al. J. Appl. Physiol. 70: 1137-1145, 1991). We conclude that the structure of the alveolar duct has an important influence on aerosol particle deposition in the lung acinus.

Effects of alveolated duct structure on aerosol kinetics. II. Gravitational sedimentation and inertial impaction

We studied the effects of alveolated duct structure on deposition processes for particle diameters > or = 1 micron. For such large particles, Brownian motion is insignificant but gravity and inertial forces play an important role. A Lagrangian description of particle dynamics in an alveolated duct flow was developed, and computational analysis was performed over the physiologically relevant range. At low flow rates gravity caused deposition. Gravitational cross-streamline motion depended on the coupled effects of curvature of gas streamlines and duct orientation relative to gravity. The detailed convective flow pattern was an important factor in determining deposition. At higher flow rates, inertial impaction contributed markedly to deposition. The curved nature of streamlines again played a major role on deposition, but duct orientation had little effect. In the medium range of flow rates, both gravitational and inertial forces simultaneously influenced particle motion. Particle inertia, per se, did not cause deposition but substantially suppressed gravitational deposition. The deposition mechanism was complex; contrary to what is often assumed in past analyses, the interaction between gravitational and inertial effects could not be described in a simple additive fashion. We conclude that the structure of the alveolar duct has an important role in gravitational sedimentation and inertial impaction in the lung acinus.

Noninvasive measurement of left ventricular myocardial elasticity

We examined Advani and Lee's equation (ALeq) and a dimension analysis-derived equation (DAeq), both of which treat vibration of the elastic spherical shell and are able to estimate elasticity of the shell noninvasively when the sizes and eigen-frequency are provided. We confirmed that ALeq was numerically identical to DAeq and that both equations gave the precise elasticity of the silicone shell. Then we estimated left ventricular (LV) myocardial elasticity noninvasively at the moment of the first heart sound emission (1HS) in 25 healthy subjects and 14 hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) patients, based on the LV eigen-frequency detected by an intraesophageal miniature vibration sensor. HCM patients had a higher mean value of LV myocardial elasticity at 1HS than healthy subjects [102.3 +/- 33.4 vs. 70.7 +/- 24.4 kPa, P < 0.01 (Pa = N/m2 = 10 dyn/cm2)]. We thereby demonstrated the possibility of a noninvasive estimate of myocardial elasticity.

A comparison of lateral versus anterior-posterior spine dual energy x-ray absorptiometry for the diagnosis of osteopenia

Because bone mineral density (BMD) measurements at various sites differ in the relative amounts of cortical and trabecular bone that they assess, they also differ in their sensitivity for detecting osteopenia. Lateral spine dual energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA) allows measurement of BMD of the vertebral bodies, which contain mainly trabecular bone, without contribution from the posterior vertebral elements, which are rich in cortical bone. Thus, we hypothesized that lateral spine DXA would detect osteopenia more frequently than anterior-posterior (AP) spine DXA. To assess the ability of DXA to estimate trabecular bone mass, we compared AP and lateral DXA spine measurements with trabecular bone measurements by quantitative computed tomography (QCT) in 58 patients. We then compared AP vs. lateral spine DXA measurements in 1) 300 women referred for routine bone densitometry, 2) 30 glucocorticoid-treated women, and 3) 44 women with vertebral compression fractures. To compare short term reproducibility, we performed repeat AP and lateral DXA scans in 50 women. The association between QCT and DXA measurements was stronger when DXA measurements were made in the lateral (r = 0.784) or midlateral (r = 0.823) projection than in the AP (r = 0.571) projection. The association of BMD with age was stronger when DXA measurements were made in the lateral (r = 0.536) or midlateral (r = 0.536) projection than in the AP (r = 0.382) projection. The declines in BMD with age for AP, lateral, and midlateral DXA measurements were 0.48%, 0.60%, and 0.88%/yr, respectively. In the women referred for routine densitometry, lateral DXA measurements were significantly (P < 0.05) more abnormal than AP measurements compared with those in young women. This was also true in the women treated with glucocorticoids and women with vertebral compression fractures. Lateral DXA often detected osteopenia in patients whose AP DXA was normal. The 95% confidence limits for changes in BMD attributable to measurement error for AP, lateral, and midlateral DXA were 0.027, 0.038, and 0.057 g/cm2, respectively. These results indicate that lateral DXA measurements identify patients with osteopenia more often than AP DXA measurements, probably because lateral DXA more accurately estimates trabecular bone mass. Short term reproducibility of lateral DXA is nearly as good as that for AP DXA.

Mechanical connections between elastin and collagen

The ligament supporting the leading edge of birds' wings is a connective tissue structure with unusual morphologic and elastic features. Its center section is made of a highly extensible composite of elastin and collagen fibers and its two end sections of nearly inextensible pure collagen; these are joined end-to-end in short interdigitating junctions. Substantial forces are transmitted through the junctions showing that collagen and elastin are mechanically connected. The junctions and elastic segment are sufficiently strong that when the intact ligament is maximally strained, the point of failure is commonly in the collagenous segments or their attachments to the tissues of origin or insertion. Here we outline the morphology and describe static force-length properties of this ligament.

Geometric hysteresis in pulmonary surface-to-volume ratio during tidal breathing

We investigated the dynamic history dependence of lung surface area-to-volume ratio (S/V) during tidal breathing in live rabbits with use of our recently developed technique of diffuse optical scattering. We also examined the effect of methacholine (continuous intravenous infusion, 1-10 micrograms.kg-1.min-1) on lung micromechanics with the same technique. Animals were anesthetized, tracheostomized, and mechanically ventilated, and the left lung was exposed through a thoracotomy. An optical fiber delivering light from a He-Ne laser was attached normal to the pleural surface, producing a circular light pattern on the pleural surface from diffusively scattered light within the parenchyma. The pattern of light intensities was measured using a CCD video camera connected to a computer. S/V during tidal breathing changed in a manner qualitatively consistent with geometric similarity. There was a small but significant hysteresis in S/V vs. volume, with S/V inspiration greater than S/V expiration at the same volume. However, during methacholine challenge, the sense of hysteresis reversed; S/V inspiration was less than S/V expiration at isovolume points. Moreover, S/V during methacholine challenge systematically decreased at all lung volumes compared with control. These findings suggest that 1) during normal tidal breathing, stress hysteresis in ductal tissue is larger than septal stress hysteresis (septal tissue plus surface tension) and 2) the effect of methacholine on tissue in the septa is greater than the corresponding effect in ductal tissue.

Assessment of carcinogenic risk from personal exposure to benzo(a)pyrene in the Total Human Environmental Exposure Study (THEES)

The Total Human Environmental Exposure Study (THEES) was an investigation of multimedia exposure to the ubiquitous environmental carcinogen, benzo(a)pyrene (BaP). The three-phase study was conducted in Phillipsburg, New Jersey and involved the participation of 14-15 individuals (8-10 homes) during each 14-day monitoring period. Microenvironmental sampling of air, food, water and soil indicated that environmental exposure to BaP was primarily through air and food. Exposure and risk estimates were, therefore, based on the results of personal monitoring of breathing zone air and prepared food samples. Based on a comparison of the range and magnitude of inhalation and dietary BaP exposures, food ingestion was clearly the predominant exposure to pathway. The relative contributions of other potential sources of community exposure to BaP (e.g., soil and drinking water ingestion) were also assessed. The excess cancer risk estimates for food ingestion were consistently greater than those for personal air, reflecting both the predominantly higher BaP exposures through the diet and the higher carcinogenic potency value for oral exposure. Overall, the total lifetime risk from personal exposure to BaP for nonsmokers in the community was estimated at 10(-5). In identifying risk reduction options, it is important to account for the observation that personal activities, lifestyle, and diet strongly influenced individual exposures to BaP.

Mechanotransduction across the cell surface and through the cytoskeleton

Mechanical stresses were applied directly to cell surface receptors with a magnetic twisting device. The extracellular matrix receptor, integrin beta 1, induced focal adhesion formation and supported a force-dependent stiffening response, whereas nonadhesion receptors did not. The cytoskeletal stiffness (ratio of stress to strain) increased in direct proportion to the applied stress and required intact microtubules and intermediate filaments as well as microfilaments. Tensegrity models that incorporate mechanically interdependent struts and strings that reorient globally in response to a localized stress mimicked this response. These results suggest that integrins act as mechanoreceptors and transmit mechanical signals to the cytoskeleton. Mechanotransduction, in turn, may be mediated simultaneously at multiple locations inside the cell through force-induced rearrangements within a tensionally integrated cytoskeleton.

Diastolic vibration improves systolic function in cases of incomplete relaxation

BACKGROUND

Incomplete relaxation of the left ventricle (LV) affects LV filling, but the subsequent effect on LV systolic function remains unclear. We attempted to improve relaxation by applying oscillatory mechanical perturbation during diastole (diastolic vibration) and examined the extent to which systolic function improved.

METHODS AND RESULTS

Using 10 open-chest canine preparations, pacing tachycardia and administration of propranolol were imposed to induce various levels of incomplete relaxation. Myocardial length perturbation was induced with an oscillator attached to the LV surface (50 Hz, 1-mm amplitude) and was restricted to the period from the beginning of isovolumic relaxation to end diastole. At resting heart rates, diastolic vibration caused an immediate decrease in the time constant (T) of LV pressure fall without any influence on heart rate, LV peak systolic pressure (peak LVP), stroke volume (SV), LV peak positive dP/dt, and total systemic vascular resistance. With pacing tachycardia, diastolic vibration increased both peak LVP and SV at 160 beats per minute (before) and 120 beats per minute (after propranolol), simultaneously decreasing both T and LV diastolic pressures and increasing end-diastolic segment length. The increase in peak LVP and SV caused by diastolic vibration correlated with the T/diastolic interval (r = 0.82), the assumed index of severity of incomplete relaxation.

CONCLUSIONS

These results suggest that diastolic vibration accelerates the LV relaxation rate and that this increased relaxation improves systolic function through the Frank-Starling mechanism.

Mechanical independence of wingbeat and breathing in starlings

The pectoral muscles in birds comprise up to a third of the body weight and provide the principal drive to the wing. Their attachment to the sternum suggests that they could compress the thorax and assist ventilation during flight. Most, but not all, birds have an integer ratio relationship between wingbeat and breathing frequency, but no measurements of the respiratory flow associated with the act of wingbeat are available. We recorded respiratory flow and wing timing in three starlings that flew at 22 knots (11 m.s-1) for up to 5 min in a wind tunnel. Triggering on wingbeat, we ensemble averaged flow records for many wingbeats in each flight. Because wingbeats occurred throughout the respiratory cycle, breathing flow tended to average to zero, and a small flow event related to wingbeat emerged. The volume change associated with wingbeat ranged from 3 to 11% of tidal volume, and this is probably an overestimate. We conclude that wingbeat and breathing in starlings are essentially mechanically independent, despite the direct attachment of the locomotor muscles to the thorax.

Effects of mechanical vibration on left ventricular diastolic properties during global ischemia

To examine the effect of mechanical vibration on ventricular relaxation and diastolic chamber stiffness under global ischemia, we studied eight coronary perfused, isolated, isovolumic canine left ventricles (LV). To produce varying degrees of impaired relaxation, graded coronary flow reduction and paced tachycardia were imposed. A mechanical 50-Hz, 2-mm-amplitude vibration was applied during diastole and was turned off during systole. Without diastolic vibration, the relaxation time constant of LV pressure (tau) increased with the severity of ischemia. The chamber stiffness index (K) from the diastolic pressure-volume relationship showed a slight increase during ischemia; tau decreased with diastolic vibration. The change in tau with vibration increased with ischemia and was dependent on vibration amplitude but not heart rate. The ratio of tau to the diastolic interval (DI, the time from peak negative rate of LV pressure change to end diastole) always decreased with vibration and was linearly correlated with K (r = 0.93; P less than 0.01). K decreased with vibration when tau/DI was greater than 0.3. We conclude that diastolic vibration improves impaired relaxation and chamber stiffness under myocardial ischemia.

Kinetics of phagocytosis and phagosome-lysosome fusion in hamster lung and peritoneal macrophages

The time course of phagocytosis and phagosome-lysosome fusion (PLF) in lung and peritoneal macrophages (LMs and PMs) was measured. Lysosomes in unelicited hamster LMs and PMs were labeled with lucifer yellow. Macrophages then phagocytized heat-killed Saccharomyces cerevisiae (yeast) and were evaluated at several time points for the degree to which yeast particles were adherent vs. internalized and for the presence or absence of PLF as based on the presence or absence of lucifer yellow in yeast-containing phagosomes. A three-compartment model (adherent, ingested, fused) of independent phagocytosis and PLF was developed; the number of yeast particles in each compartment was counted, and rate constants for ingestion and fusion were determined. Comparison of rate constants showed that ingestion was significantly faster in PMs (0.047 +/- 0.005 min-1) than in LMs (0.016 +/- 0.005 min-1) (mean +/- pooled SEM; P less than 0.001). Similarly, PLF was significantly faster in PMs (0.109 +/- 0.013 min-1) than in LMs (0.046 +/- 0.013 min-1) (P less than 0.003).

Viscoelastic and motile properties of hamster lung and peritoneal macrophages

The motile and rheologic properties of hamster lung and peritoneal macrophages (LMs and PMs) were examined by following the motions of magnetizable iron oxide (gamma-Fe2O3) particles contained within phagolysosomes of these cells. As a measure of intracellular motility, gamma-Fe2O3 particles in cells were magnetically aligned and the decay rate of the remanent magnetic field (RMF) in the direction of initial magnetization was monitored over time. Cytoplasmic rheology was measured by twisting the intracellular particles with a magnetic field (Btw) applied perpendicularly to the direction of initial magnetization. We measured changes in the RMF associated with application and removal of Btw. Intracellular motility in LMs and PMs was not significantly different (P greater than 0.20); similarly, cytoplasmic viscosity was not significantly different in LMs and PMs (P greater than 0.12); deformation on application of torque was significantly greater (P less than 0.0001) and elastic recoil on removal of torque was significantly smaller (P less than 0.0001) in PMs than in LMs; and by qualitative observation, the yield stress of cytoplasm (associated with a plastic, nonrecoverable deformation) was lower in PMs than in LMs. These results show that although cytoplasmic motion and viscosity are similar in the two cell types, PM cytoplasm is less stiff than LM cytoplasm as determined by yield stress.

Evaluation of the relative contribution of exposure routes in a health risk assessment of dioxin emissions from a municipal waste incinerator

Polychlorinated dioxins (PCDDs) and furans (PCDFs) are perceived by the public as the most hazardous materials emitted from municipal waste incinerators. These compounds disperse in the atmosphere and deposit on environmental media, where they may bioconcentrate in the food chain, resulting in a number of potential sources for human exposure. We performed a cancer risk assessment of PCDD/PCDF emissions from a municipal waste incinerator to evaluate the relative contribution of various exposure routes. Three scenarios were examined, all of which predicted ingestion of fish to be a significant source of exposure. In the common case, representative of the general population consuming mainly foods from commercial sources, inhalation was predicted to be the source of greatest exposure, followed by ingestion of fish, beef, milk, vegetation, and soil. In addition to fish, milk and beef ingestion contributed significantly to total exposure under the highly-exposed and worst case scenarios. Life-time cancer risk from the emitted PCDD/PCDFs was assessed for each scenario and was estimated as 1.8 x 10(-7) (common case), 2.5 x 10(-6) (highly-exposed case), and 6.7 x 10(-6) (worst case). In view of the conservative assumptions used in the assessment, the relatively low magnitude of these risks suggests that the PCDD/PCDF emissions from this incinerator should not be considered a significant public health concern.

Pressure profiles show features essential to aerodynamic valving in geese

Inspiratory airflow in the avian lung completely bypasses the most cranial secondary bronchi (the ventrobronchi), and instead enters bronchi arising more caudally (the dorsobronchi). Dotterweich (1936) proposed that 'aerodynamic valves' prevented entry into the ventrobronchi. We have recently provided evidence that inspiratory aerodynamic valving in avian lungs depends on convective inertia in the primary bronchus (Banzett et al., 1987). Theoretical and physical models (Butler et al., 1988; Wang et al., 1988) showed that convective inertia could effect valving, but the effectiveness of valving at resting flows was less than that observed in the bird. This leads us to hypothesize that a segment of the primary bronchus is constricted, accelerating the gas and enhancing the convective inertia. To test this hypothesis in the present work we measured pressures throughout the airways and air sacs in anesthetized, pump-ventilated geese at different flow rates and gas densities. Our data show: (1) there is a large pressure drop in the primary bronchus close to the ventrobronchial junction, indicating the presence of a constriction; (2) this pressure drop increases with gas density and flow; (3) the convective inertia at this site is more than 10 times downstream opposing pressures. We conclude that the primary bronchus just cranial to the first ventrobronchus forms a constriction which accelerates inspired air. Furthermore, we conclude that the convective inertia of gas leaving this segment is sufficient to achieve inspiratory valving.

Gas exchange across avian eggshells oscillates in phase with heartbeat

Rahn et al. (J. Appl. Physiol. 69: 1546-1548, 1990) showed that the gas pressure in a plethysmograph containing an intact egg oscillates in phase with electrocardiogram (ECG) and that this pressure variation could be used as a noninvasive way to determine the heart rate of an avian embryo. One possible mechanism to account for the pressure oscillation is the mechanical movement of the embryonic heart, which leads to volume shifts of gas within the plethysmograph. Another possibility is that the oscillation of gas pressure with heartbeat is pulsatile gas exchange resulting from pulsatile blood flow. If gas exchange were transiently stopped, a pressure signal dependent on gas exchange should disappear, while a pressure signal dependent on cardiovascular motion should persist. Using a number of late-age hen eggs (at days 15-20 of incubation), we tested these hypotheses by suddenly changing the gas composition surrounding an egg and measuring the effect of the pressure oscillation. We found that 1) after 5% CO2-95% N2 was flushed into the plethysmograph (presumably halting gas exchange), pressure oscillations went almost to zero and the ECG signal remained; after air was flushed back to the plethysmograph, the pressure signal returned to control level; 2) after 20% CO2-20% O2-60% N2 was flushed into the plethysmograph (presumably increasing net gas exchange), the pressure signal increased 2.5-fold compared with that in air; and 3) after 1% CO2-99% N2 was flushed into the plethysmograph (presumably reversing gas exchange), the oscillation pressure decreased to one-fourth of that in air and the phase of pressure relative to ECG reversed compared with the phase in air.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Lengths and topology of alveolar septal borders

To clarify the mechanics of alveolar parenchyma, we undertook a stereological and topological study in perfusion-fixed canine lungs of the borders of alveolar septa. We defined the principal borders as those along which one septum 1) joins two others (J), 2) joins one other at a distinct angle (B), or 3) joins no other structure (E). E and B borders are invariably reinforced with heavy connective tissue cables; J borders are not. Relative net lengths, determined from the number of traces per section area, were J, 45%; E, 19%; and B, 25%. These were remarkably constant over 10 canine lobes (5 animals, 4 volumes). Parenchyma, then, departs from the simple models that comprise only Js and Es. Bs are important; their net length exceeds that of Es. With lobe deflation, E shortened somewhat more than required to maintain geometric similarity, suggesting that the alveolar duct contracted disproportionately. A three-dimensional reconstruction was made from serial sections, and individual border segments were followed through the reconstruction. Typical lengths of individual J, B, and E borders were nearly equal. To characterize how the network of borders were interconnected, we counted the nodes at which they meet by class, e.g., EBE for the meeting of one B, two Es. The most common are JJJJ, 26%; EEEJ, 10%; EBJ, 24%; EBE, 8%; BBJJ, 12%. If parenchyma were constructed only from free-standing entrance rings and septal junctions, only JJJJ and EEEJ would be anticipated. The presence of EBJ, EBE, and BBJJ underscores parenchymal complexity. Only 7% of septa examined were bordered entirely by Js. Connective tissue cables were not confined to the alveolar duct's lumen but often extended to the primary septa at the periphery of the ductal unit. They rarely linked adjacent alveolar ducts; only 1 in 200 cable segments crossed from one duct to another. These observations support the concept that the parenchyma is an elastic network, characterized in part by a serial mechanical linkage from connective tissue cable to septal membrane to cable again.

Step response of lung surface-to-volume ratio by light-scattering stereology

By means of backscattered light from a pointlike source on the pleural surface, we investigated the dynamic behavior of the surface-to-volume ratio (S/V) in excised dog lobes subjected to small volume steps both in and out on both the inflation and deflation limb of standard pressure-volume maneuvers. The technique utilizes the established correlation of the pattern of backscattered light with morphometric mean linear intercept and is suitable for dynamic studies. We hypothesized that 1) there would be a difference in the timing of stress relaxation or recovery between alveolar septa and the fibromuscular tissue in the alveolar duct that would reveal itself as a temporally changing S/V after a step-volume change and 2) that geometric hysteresis (looping of S/V with volume), as seen with large volume excursion histories, would be similarly present in small tidal volume loops. Our experimental results contradicted both hypotheses. In particular, we found virtually no change in S/V after a step-volume change, even in the presence of substantial stress adaptation. In addition, when geometric hysteresis of small loops was present, it was always in the sense opposite to the geometric hysteresis of large loops. We conclude that 1) there is a functional "matching" of the stress-adaptive timing between alveolar septa and ductal mouths and 2) during small volume looping, the stress hysteresis (looping of stress with volume) in the ductal tissue may be larger than that of the septa, including surface tension.

Amplification of airway constriction due to liquid filling of airway interstices

Luminal epithelial projections formed during bronchoconstriction define interstices in which liquid can collect. Liquid in these interstices could amplify the degree of luminal compromise due to muscular contraction in at least two distinct ways. First, the luminal cross-sectional area is reduced by simple filling of the interstices. Second, if the surface tension (gamma) of the air-liquid interface is positive, the pressure drop across the interface produces an additional inward force that can further constrict the airway. We present a theoretical treatment of these two mechanisms together with data which suggest that both may significantly amplify the luminal narrowing due to airway smooth muscle contraction, particularly in small airways when gamma is high. To qualitatively assess the effects of altered gamma, guinea pig lungs with normal and altered airway liquid lining layers were frozen and studied while fully hydrated by low-temperature scanning electron microscopy. Airway gamma was altered in these animals by intratracheal instillation of 0.5 mg lysoplatelet-activating factor (lyso-PAF). The interstices of normal airways were dry, whereas the interstices of airways with altered surface lining layers were liquid filled. In addition, the surfactant inhibitory properties of lyso-PAF, 2-arachidonyl-PAF, and dipalmitoyl phosphatidylcholine (DPPC) were measured with a pulsating bubble surfactometer, using surfactant TA as the model surfactant. Minimal gamma (gamma min) of surfactant TA alone was 4.0 +/- 0.2 dyn/cm; a 5% mixture of lyso-PAF with surfactant TA resulted in a significantly (P less than 0.02) greater gamma min of 8.8 +/- 1.8 dyn/cm. In contrast, 2-arachidonyl-PAF and DPPC had minimal effects on gamma min of surfactant TA.

Interpulse interval of GnRH stimulation independently modulates LH secretion

To examine the importance of the interpulse interval of gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) stimulation in modulating gonadotroph responsiveness, a fixed individualized dose of GnRH was administered to eight GnRH-deficient men at intervals selected randomly from the distribution of luteinizing hormone (LH) interpulse intervals of normal men. The responses were compared with data derived from a study of LH pulses in 20 normal men. A positive relationship was found between LH pulse amplitude and the preceding interpulse interval both in the GnRH-deficient (P less than 0.05) and in the normal (P less than 0.003) men. The distributions of LH pulse amplitudes appeared to differ between the two groups with failure of the study paradigm to reproduce the distribution of low-amplitude pulses of the normal men in the GnRH-deficient men. There was significantly more variability about the line that related interpulse interval and LH amplitude in the normal men (P less than 0.004) in whom the amount of GnRH could vary physiologically. This difference remained significant both for pulses with amplitudes below (P less than 0.01) or above (P less than 0.03) the mean of the normal men. These studies demonstrate that the GnRH interpulse interval is an independent determinant of pituitary responsiveness and that alterations in the amount of GnRH secreted from the hypothalamus are an important determinant of LH pulse amplitude in men.