CHEST / 105 / 3 / MARCH, 1994 / Supplement 87S Inhaling Nitric Oxide: A Selective Pulmonary Vasodilator and Bronchodilator* Warren M. Zapol, M.D., F.C.C.P.; Konrad J. Falke, M.D.; William E. Hurford, M.D., F.C.C.P.; and Jesse D. Roberts, Jr., M.D. I n a number of animal models and clinical pulmonary diseases of human subjects, inhaled nitric oxide (NO) is now firmly established as a selective p...

THE vasodilator effect of phenoxybenzamine (Dibenyline; Dibenzyline; N-N-dibenzylchloroethylamine hydrochloride) recently has been shown to depend considerably on purely peripheral actions of the drug in man.' 2 In addition it was found that the intra-arterial administration of phenoxybenzamine reduced or abolished constrictor responses to epinephrine in the hand. The present investigation is a...

We investigated whether vasodilator and secretomotor ganglion neurons are morphologically distinguishable from each other in the parasympathetic ganglion of the cat. When Cholera toxin B subunit, a retrograde tracer, was injected into the palatine gland, both large and small ganglion neurons were retrogradely labeled in the pterygopalatine ganglion. On the other hand, when the tracer was inject...

Two young adults with impending gangrene due to persistent Raynaud's vasospasm were studied by sequential intra-arterial (IA) infusion of three vasodilatory drugs while arterial pressure and plethysmographic digital pulse volume were continuously monitored. The results of the IA infusion accurately predicted relief from vasospastic symptoms by oral drugs of the same class. This method may be us...

Several studies have indicated an interaction between the renin-angiotensin (ANG II) system and endothelin (ET) in the regulation of vascular tone. Previously, we have shown that both ET and ANG II exert a vasoconstrictor influence on the coronary resistance vessels of awake normal swine. Here, we investigated whether the interaction between ANG II and ET exists in the control of coronary resis...

A noncytotoxic dose of verapamil, a coronary vasodilator, enhances the cytotoxicity of vincristine (VCR) and vinblastine in P388 leukemia and its VCR-resistant subline, P388/VCR. When 2.2 to 6.6 microM verapamil was added along the VCR to the P388/VCR culture in vitro, VCR resistance was completely overcome. Verapamil in doses of 50 to 100 mg/kg administered daily for 10 days with VCR also enha...

Functional interactions between classical cadherins and the actin cytoskeleton involve diverse actin activities, including filament nucleation, cross-linking, and bundling. In this report, we explored the capacity of Ena/VASP proteins to regulate the actin cytoskeleton at cadherin-adhesive contacts. We extended the observation that Ena/vasodilator-stimulated phosphoprotein (VASP) proteins local...

Sedentary aging results in a diminished rapid cutaneous vasodilator response to local heating. We investigated whether this diminished response was due to altered contributions of noradrenergic sympathetic nerves by assessing 1) the age-related decline and 2) the effect of aerobic fitness. Using laser-Doppler flowmetry, we measured skin blood flow (SkBF) in young (24 ± 1 yr) and older (64 ± 1 y...

Cells sustain high rates of actin filament elongation by maintaining a large pool of actin monomers above the critical concentration for polymerization. Profilin-actin complexes constitute the largest fraction of polymerization-competent actin monomers. Filament elongation factors such as Ena/VASP and formin catalyze the transition of profilin-actin from the cellular pool onto the barbed end of...

Afilopodium protrudes by elongation of bundled actin filaments in its core. However, the mechanism of filopodia initiation remains unknown. Using live-cell imaging with GFP-tagged proteins and correlative electron microscopy, we performed a kinetic-structural analysis of filopodial initiation in B16F1 melanoma cells. Filopodial bundles arose not by a specific nucleation event, but by reorganiza...