BACKGROUND Although water chambers are often used as surrogate blood-warming devices to facilitate rapid warming of red blood cells (RBCs), these cells may be damaged if overheated. Moreover, filtered and irradiated RBCs may be damaged during the warming process, resulting in excessive hemolysis and extracellular potassium release. METHODS Using hand-held syringes, each unit of irradiated and...

Functional hyperemia is an important metabolic autoregulation mechanism by which increased neuronal activity is matched by a rapid and regional increase in blood supply. This mechanism is facilitated by a process known as "neurovascular coupling"--the orchestrated communication system involving neurons, astrocytes and arterioles. Important steps in this process are the production of EETs in the...

The effects of coenzyme Q10 (Co Q10) on potassium ion release, membrane potential and fluidity of rabbit red blood cells were studied. Co Q10 inhibited the increased potassium ion release induced by cetylamine or lysolecithin from the cells. Co Q10 slightly decreased the membrane potential monitored by changes in fluorescence intensity of cyanine dye, 3,3'-dipropyl-2,2'-thiodicarbocyanine iodid...

Delayed release of neurotransmitter, also called asynchronous release, is commonly observed at synapses, yet its influence on transmission of spike information is unknown. We examined this issue at endbulb of Held synapses, which are formed by auditory nerve fibers onto bushy cells in the cochlear nucleus. Endbulbs from CBA/CaJ mice aged P6-P49 showed prominent delayed release when driven at ph...

Flow-mediated vasodilation is endothelium dependent. We hypothesized that flow activates a potassium channel on the endothelium, and that activation of this channel leads to the release of the endogenous nitrovasodilator, nitric oxide. To test this hypothesis, rabbit iliac arteries were perfused at varying flow rates, at a constant pressure of 60 mm Hg. Increments in flow induced proportional i...

The A-type potassium current has been implicated in the regulation of several physiological processes. Here, we explore a role for the A-type potassium current in regulating the release of calcium through inositol trisphosphate receptors (InsP3R) that reside on the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) of hippocampal pyramidal neurons. To do this, we constructed morphologically realistic, conductance-base...

Plasma levels of serotonin are elevated in primary pulmonary hypertension even after bilateral lung transplantation, suggesting a possible etiologic role. Serotonin is released primarily from the small intestine. Anorectic agents, such as dexfenfluramine, which can cause pulmonary hypertension, are known to inhibit potassium channels in vascular smooth muscle cells. We examined the hypothesis t...