Respiratory control requires feedback signals from the viscera, including mechanoreceptors and chemoreceptors. We previously showed that typical pulmonary stretch receptor (PSR) spike trains provide the central nervous system with approximately 31% of the theoretical maximum information regarding the amplitude of lung distension. However, it is unknown whether the spatiotemporal convergence of ...

The aim of the present study was to determine whether acetazolamide (AZ) contributes to the inhibition of the fast inactivating transient K(+) current (I(A) ) in adult rat nodose ganglion (NG) neurons. We have previously shown that pretreatment with either AZ or 4-AP attenuated or blocked the CO(2) -induced inhibition of slowly adapting pulmonary stretch receptors in in vivo experiments. The pa...

Finite element simulation of stretch flanging process was carried out in order to investigate the effect of process parameters on maximum thinning (%) in stretch flanging process. Influences of initial flange length, punch die clearance, width of sheet metal blank and blank holding force were investigated on maximum thinning (%). Finite element simulation was done using FEM software package ABA...

Many academics, consultants and managers advocate stretch goals to attain superior organizational performance. However, there is limited research exploring the effects of stretch goals on the distribution of performance. We explore the effects of goal difficulty on the mean, variance, and skewness of performance in two experimental studies. Participants were given either moderate or stretch goa...

We recently found that an orally directed stretch of the esophagus activates a neurally mediated relaxation of the lower esophageal sphincter (LES). Goals of our study were to characterize the neural mechanisms responsible for axial and transverse stretch-activated responses in the LES. LES pressure was monitored in anesthetized and artificially ventilated mice. Sutures were placed in the esoph...

Transient diastolic dilatation of the isolated canine left ventricle predictably elicits arrhythmias. To test the hypothesis that such arrhythmias may be mediated by sarcolemmal stretch-activated channels, we attempted to inhibit stretch-induced arrhythmias with gadolinium (Gd3+), a potent stretch-activated channel blocker. In experiments with six isolated canine hearts, left ventricular volume...

Resistin has a potential role in atherosclerosis; however, the molecular mechanism underlying the increase in resistin expression in atherosclerosis remains unclear. As mechanical stretch plays an important role in atherosclerosis, in the present study we sought to investigate the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying the regulation of resistin by cyclic mechanical stretch in VSMCs (vasc...

Transient diastolic dilatation of the isolated canine left ventricle predictably elicits arrhythmias. To test the hypothesis that such arrhythmias may be mediated by sarcolemmal stretch-activated channels, we attempted to inhibit stretch-induced arrhythmias with gadolinium (Gd3+), a potent stretch-activated channel blocker. In experiments with six isolated canine hearts, left ventricular volume...

BACKGROUND Positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP) is commonly used in clinical settings. It is expected to affect the input from slowly adapting pulmonary stretch receptors (SARs), leading to altered cardiopulmonary functions. However, we know little about how SARs behave during PEEP application. OBJECTIVES Our study aimed to characterize the behavior of SARs during PEEP application. METHO...