The correlation between baroreflex sensitivity (BRS) and the spectrum component at a frequency of 0.1 Hz of pulse intervals (PI) and systolic blood pressure (SBP) was studied. SBP and PI of 51 subjects were recorded beat-to-beat at rest (3 min), during exercise (0.5 W/kg of body weight, 9 min), and at rest (6 min) after exercise. BRS was determined by a spectral method (a modified alpha index technique). The subjects were divided into groups according to the spectral amplitude of SBP at a frequency of 0.1 Hz. The following limits of amplitude (in mm Hg) were used: very high ≥ 5.4 (VH); high 5.4 > H ≥ 3 (H); medium 3 > M ≥ 2 (M), low < 2 (L). We analyzed the relationships between 0.1 Hz variability in PI and BRS at rest, during the exercise and during recovery in subgroups VH, H, M, L. The 0.1 Hz variability of PI increased significantly with increasing BRS in each of the groups with identical 0.1 Hz variability in SBP. This relationship was shifted to the lower values of PI variability at the same BRS with a decrease in SBP variability. The primary SBP variability increased during exercise. The interrelationship between the variability of SBP, PI and BRS was identical at rest and during exercise. A causal interrelationship between the 0.1 Hz variability of SBP and PI, and BRS was shown. During exercise, the increasing primary variability in SBP due to sympathetic activation was present, but it did not change the relationship between variability in pulse intervals and BRS., N. Honzíková, A. Krtička, Z. Nováková, E. Závodná., and Obsahuje bibliografii
Attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is associated with complex neurocardiac integrity. We aimed to study heart rate time asymmetry as a nonlinear qualitative feature of heart rate variability indicating complexity of cardiac autonomic control at rest and in response to physiological stress (orthostasis) in children suffering from ADHD. Twenty boys with ADHD and 20 healthy age-matched boys at the age of 8 to 12 years were examined. The continuous ECG was recorded in a supine position and during postural change from lying to standing (orthostasis). Time irreversibility indices - Porta’s (P%), Guzik’s (G%) and Ehlers’ (E) - were evaluated. Our analysis showed significantly reduced heart rate asymmetry indices at rest (P%: 49.8 % vs. 52.2 %; G%: 50.2 % vs. 53.2 %; p<0.02), and in response to orthostatic load (P%: 52.4 % vs. 54.5 %, G%: 52.3 % vs. 54.5 %; p<0.05) associated with tachycardia in ADHD children compared to controls. Concluding, our study firstly revealed the altered heart rate asymmetry pattern in children suffering from ADHD at rest as well as in response to posture change from lying to standing (orthostasis). These findings might reflect an abnormal complex cardiac regulatory system as a potential mechanism leading to later cardiac adverse outcomes in ADHD., I. Tonhajzerová, I. Ondrejka, I. Farský, Z. Višňovcová, M. Mešťaník, M. Javorka, A. Jurko Jr., A. Čalkovská., and Obsahuje bibliografii
Baroreflex control of heart rate was studied in inbred salt-sensitive (SS/Jr) and salt-resistant (SR/Jr) Dahl rats that were subjected to chronic dietary sodium chloride loading (for 4 weeks) either in youth or only in adulthood, i.e. from the age of 4 or 12 weeks. Using phenylephrine administration to pentobarbital-anesthetized male rats we have demonstrated the decreased baroreflex sensitivity (lower slope for reflex bradycardia) in young prehypertensive SS/Jr rats fed a low-salt diet as compared to age-matched SR/Jr animals. High salt intake further suppressed baroreflex sensitivity in young SS/Jr but not in SR/Jr rats. Baroreflex sensitivity decreased with age in SR/Jr rats, whereas it increased in SS/Jr rats fed a low-salt diet. Thus at the age of 16 weeks baroreflex sensitivity was much higher in SS/Jr than in SR/Jr animals. High salt intake lowered baroreflex sensitivity even in adult SS/Jr rats without affecting it in adult SR/Jr rats. Nevertheless, baroreflex sensitivity was significantly lower in young SS/Jr rats with a severe salt hypertension than in adult ones with a moderate blood pressure elevation. It is concluded that the alterations of baroreflex sensitivity in young inbred SS/Jr rats (including the response to high salt intake) are similar to those described earlier for outbred salt-sensitive Dahl rats. We have, however, disclosed contrasting age-dependent changes of baroreflex sensitivity in both inbred substrains of Dahl rats., J. Nedvídek, J. Zicha., and Obsahuje bibliografii
We studied the effects of the H2S donor Na2S on the mean arterial blood pressure (MAP) and heart and breathing rates of anesthetized Wistar rats in the presence and absence of captopril. Bolus administration of Na2S (1-4 μmol/kg) into the right jugular vein transiently decreased heart and increased breathing rates; at 8-30 μmol/kg, Na2S had a biphasic effect, transiently decreasing and increasing MAP, while transiently decreasing heart rate and increasing and decreasing breathing rate. These results may indicate independent mechanisms by which H2S influences MAP and heart and breathing rates. The effect of Na2S in decreasing MAP was less pronounced in the presence of captopril (2 μmol/l), which may indicate that the renin-angiotensin system is partially involved in the Na2S effect. Captopril decreased H2S-induced NO release from S-nitrosoglutathione, which may be related to some biological activities of H2S. These results contribute to the understanding of the effects of H2S on the cardiovascular system., M. Drobná, A. Misak, T. Holland, F. Kristek, M. Grman, L. Tomasova, A. Berenyiova, S. Cacanyiova, K. Ondrias., and Obsahuje bibliografii
Present study was aimed to investigate sympathetic responses to mental stress with hypothesis that the presence of obesity in patients with hypertension has a modifying effect. Young male subjects, 8 with hypertension grade I, with BMI<25 kg/m2 (HT), 10 with hypertension grade I, and BMI>30 kg/m2 (HT OB), 14 healthy controls with BMI<30 kg/m2 (OB), and 13 healthy controls with BMI<25 kg/m2 (C) underwent the Stroop test. ECG was recorded continuously to evaluate heart rate variability (HRV). Blood pressure (BP) and catecholamine concentrations were measured at baseline, at the end of mental stress test and 15 min thereafter. Patients with HT demonstrated increased adrenaline concentrations and enhanced stress-induced noradrenaline release compared to that in healthy controls. In obese subjects, stress-induced increase of systolicBP was lower compared to lean individuals. Stress exposure induced a significant rise in the low frequency power component of HRV, however the increase was lower in the HT OB group compared to C. Obesity in patients with hypertension did not lead to a different reaction in comparison with lean hypertensive subjects. The present data demonstrate higher sympathoadrenal activity in early-stage of hypertension. Obesity is connected with higher resting systolicBP and modifies the HRV response to mental stress., A. Garafova, A. Penesova, E. Cizmarova, A. Marko, M. Vlcek, D. Jezova., and Obsahuje bibliografii
Index of vulnerability is a parameter based on ventricular gradient evaluating the risk of arrhythmia development. The index is derived from isointegral maps of the QT interval. Individual characteristics of isointegral maps are influenced by different factors, which contribute to the relatively high variability among measured parameters of maps in measured subjects. While several electrocardiographic indexes have been introduced, there are only few studies of their dependence on heart rate. In this study we set out to establish the dependence of vulnerability index on the RR interval or heart rate in healthy population. A positive linear correlation between RR intervals and mean and minimum values of vulnerability indexes was found., J. Martinka, K. Kozlíková., and Obsahuje bibliografii
Women with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) are at increased risk for cardiovascular diseases (CVD) events compared with women without GDM. The aim of the present study was to evaluate 200 parameters of the heart electric field in 35 women with GDM under optimal glycemic compensation compared to 32 healthy pregnant women. All examinations were performed in the 36th week of gestation. The parameters in ECG body surface mapping (BSM) were registered by the diagnostic system Cardiag 112.2. The absolute values of maximum and minimum in depolarization and repolarization isopotential, isointegral and isoarea maps were not significantly different between the groups. These findings correspond to the result of heart rate variability examination. However BSM revealed the significant prolongation of QRS complex (p=0.05), shortening of ventricular myocardial activation time (ICHVAT) (p=0.01), prolongation of mean QT duration (p=0.01) and increase of QT interval dispersion (p=0.01) in women with GDM. Duration of QRS and ICHVAT significantly correlated with interventricular septum and posterior wall thickness in GDM group, QTd interval correlated significantly with HbA1C level. We conclude that despite of optimal metabolic control several significant abnormalities detected by ECG BSM are still present in patients with GDM., E. Žákovičová, O. Kittnar, J. Slavíček, E. Medová, P. Šváb, J. Charvát., and Obsahuje bibliografii
Previous studies have demonstrated that central injection of L-carnosine (β-alynyl-L-histidine), dipeptide synthesized in mammalian muscles, affects renal sympathetic nerve activity (RSNA) and blood pressure (BP) in anesthetized rats. In the present study, using urethane-anesthetized rats, we examined the dose-dependent effects of intravenous (IV) injection of various doses of anserine, dipeptide of similar structure to L-carnosine, on RSNA, BP and heart rate (HR). We found that injection of a low dose of anserine (1 μg) significantly suppressed RSNA, BP and HR. Conversely, a high dose (1000 μg) of anserine significantly elevated RSNA, BP and HR. Pretreatment with lateral cerebral ventricular (LCV) injection of thioperamide, a histaminergic H3-receptor antagonist, eliminated the effects of a low dose of anserine on RSNA, BP and HR. LCV injection of diphenhydramine, a histaminergic H1-receptor antagonist, abolished the effects of a high dose of anserine on RSNA, BP and HR. These findings suggest that anserine affects RSNA, BP and HR in a dose-dependent manner, and that the histaminergic nerve may be involved in the dose-different effects of anserine in rats., M. Tanida ... [et al.]., and Obsahuje bibliografii a bibliografické odkazy
This study was undertaken to in vestigate the effects of lower body positive pressure (LBPP) on cardiovascular responses during a 15-min walking trial in young (22.1±0.4 years) and elderly women (67.8±1.1 years). The application of 20 mm Hg LBPP reduced ground reaction forces by 31.2±0.5 kgw in both groups. We hypothesized that cardiovascular responses to LBPP during walking were different between the young and elderly subjects. Applying 20 mm Hg of LBPP increased diastolic and mean blood pressure but not systolic blood pressure in both groups. LBPP- induced reduction in heart rate (HR) occurred more quickly in the young group compared to the elderly group (p<0.05). Applying LBPP also decreased double product (systolic blood pressure x HR) in both groups, suggesting that LBPP reduces myocardial oxygen consumption during exercise. These results suggest that heart rate responses to LBPP during exercise vary with increasing age., T. Sota ... [et al.]., and Obsahuje bibliografii a bibliografické odkazy
b1_The aim of our study was to compare the responses of heart rate variability (HRV) with two di fferent types of hormonal substitution therapy (HT) in post-menopausal women (cross-sectional study) and to reveal an effect of HT shortly after beginning of its administration (f ollow-up study). To elucidate the influence of menopause and effects of different protocols of a HT on autonomic control of heart rate, we evaluated the heart rate variability (HRV) in 5 groups: premenopausal women (n=140), postmenopausal women without HT (n=360), women on HT with conjugated estrogen only (n =168), women on continuous combined estrogen-progesterone HT (n=117), and men (n=140). Frequency-domain of short-term stationary R-R intervals was performed to evaluate the total variance, low frequency power (LF; 0.04-0.15 Hz), high freque ncy power (HF; 0.15-0.40 Hz), portion of low frequency power (LF%) and ratio of LF to HF (LF/HF). Significantly lower portion of the LF was found in premenopausal women [46.9 (±2.7) nu] when compared to untreated postmenopausal wome n [54.3 (±2.9) nu] and men [55.2 (±3.0) nu]. Treatment by estrogen only was proved to decrease the LF% [40.1 (±2.1) nu] while no effect on HRV was observed in women treated with combination of estrogen and progesterone [57.2 (±3.1) nu]. Also the HF was lower in postmenopausal wome n [4.16 (±0.16) ms 2 ] than in premenopausal women [4.79 (±0.22) ms 2 ] and women treated with estrogen only [4.98 (±0.25) ms 2 ] while in women treated with combined hormonal therapy the average value [3.99 (±0.21) ms 2 ] did not significantly differ from that of untreated postmenopausal women. The follow-up study also proved increase of high frequency power already after two months of estrogen substitution therapy [4.86 (±0.14) ms 2 vs. 4.19 (±0.15) ms 2 ]., b2_These results suggest that hi gher vagal modulation of heart rate that seems typical for younger women becomes after menopause similar to that of men. We also proved a positive shift of HRV parameters toward more beneficial values as for a cardiovascular risk in postmenopausal women treated with estrogens but not in those treated by combined estrogen - progesterone substitution therapy., S.-G. Yang, M. Mlček, O. Kittnar., and Obsahuje bibliografii a bibliografické odkazy