OBSTRUCTIVE SLEEP APNEA (OSA) is a significant public health problem owing to both prevalence and debilitating long-term negative consequences. OSA typically occurs in individuals whose narrow upper airways (UA) make them dependent on UA dilator muscle tone to maintain UA patency. In these patients the reduction in UA muscle activity that takes place during sleep results in UA collapse, apnea, ...

Structural changes at synapses are associated with long-term facilitation (LTF) of synaptic transmission between sensory and motor neurons in Aplysia. We have cloned a cDNA encoding Aplysia adducin (ApADD), the Aplysia homolog of mammalian adducins that are regulatory components of the membrane cytoskeleton. ApADD is recovered in the particulate fraction of nervous system extracts and is locali...

Based on the gene expression profile of patients with ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) and patients not affected by the disease, the present study aimed to enhance the current understanding of VAP development using bioinformatics methods. The expression profile GSE30385 was downloaded from the Gene Expression Omnibus database. The Linear Models for Microarray Data package in R language was...

Age affects time-dependent respiratory responses to episodic hypoxia in male rats, particularly long-term facilitation (LTF), a serotonin-dependent respiratory "memory" [Zabka AG, Behan M, and Mitchell GS, J Physiol (Lond) 531: 509, 2001]. Because age and gender influence serotonergic function, we tested the hypotheses that the short-term hypoxic response (STHR), posthypoxia frequency decline (...

BACKGROUND Laparoscopic Nissen fundoplication (LNF) is currently considered the surgical approach of choice for gastro-oesophageal reflux disease (GORD). Laparoscopic Toupet fundoplication (LTF) has been said to reduce troublesome dysphagia and gas-related symptoms. A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials (RCTs) was performed to compare LNF and LTF. METHODS Four el...

Offshore wind turbines are subjected to cyclic loads from and waves, ultimately resulting in a fatigue-driven design. These result shell forces above the bolted ring flange into loading of bolt tension forces. To model transfer bolt, Load Transfer Functions (LTF) used, which tri-linear function according Schmidt/Neuper is most known approximation but more contemporary approaches exist. As LTF h...

Mitchell, Gordon S., Tracy L. Baker, Steven A. Nanda, David D. Fuller, Andrea G. Zabka, Brad A. Hodgeman, Ryan W. Bavis, Kenneth J. Mack, and E. B. Olson, Jr. Invited Review: Intermittent hypoxia and respiratory plasticity. J Appl Physiol 90: 2466–2475, 2001.— Intermittent hypoxia elicits long-term facilitation (LTF), a persistent augmentation (hours) of respiratory motor output. Considerable r...

Episodic hypoxia evokes a sustained augmentation of respiratory motor output known as long-term facilitation (LTF). Phrenic LTF is prevented by pretreatment with the 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) receptor antagonist ketanserin. We tested the hypothesis that 5-HT receptor activation is necessary for the induction but not maintenance of phrenic LTF. Peak integrated phrenic nerve activity (integralPh...

Long-term sensitization of the gill and siphon withdrawal in Aplysia is accompanied by facilitation of sensorimotor synaptic connections that depends on new protein synthesis. This phenomenon has been previously shown to involve presynaptic growth. At the postsynaptic level, a reorganization should occur to parallel the formation of new synaptic contacts. We show here that 24 hr following an ap...

Long-term facilitation (LTF) of sensory neuron synapses in Aplysia is produced by either nonassociative or associative stimuli. Nonassociative LTF can be produced by five spaced applications of serotonin (5-HT) and requires a phosphoinosotide 3-kinase (PI3K)-dependent and rapamycin-sensitive increase in the local synthesis of the sensory neuron neuropeptide sensorin and a protein kinase A (PKA)...