Insects breathe through valved openings (spiracles) in their cuticle. Many insects open and close their spiracles in a cyclic pattern (discontinuous gas-exchange cycles, or DGC). These cycles were observed over half a century ago, their hypothesized function being to minimize loss of water from the tracheal system. However, numerous recent studies have found that respiration accounts for a smal...

Several methods are used for estimating the anaerobic threshold (AT) during exercise. The aim of the present study was to compare AT values based on blood lactate measurements with those obtained from computerised calculations of different respiratory gas indices. Twelve healthy, well-trained men performed a stepwise incremental test on both treadmill and cycle ergometer. Respiratory gases were...

The aims were to examine the gas exchange and arterial blood gas abnormalities among patients with scoliosis, and the correlation of these abnormalities with age and severity of deformity. Means among 51 patients were as follows: age 25.4 +/- 17.5 yr, angle of scoliosis 80.2 +/- 29.9 (SD), vital capacity 1.94 +/- 0.91 (SD) (i.e. 60.6 +/- 19.2% of predicted), PaO2 85.8 +/- 12.0 (SD), PaCO2 42.4 ...