Autonomic control of heart rate in the adult, aquatic Notophthalmus viridescens viridescens.

1. We investigated the role of the autonomic nervous system in the control of the heart rate using an isolated heart preparation. 2. Addition of the parasympathetic blocker, atropine, to the organ bath resulted in an increase in heart rate as expected. 3. Addition of the sympathetic blocker, ergotamine, to the organ bath showed no change in the heart rate. 4. Addition of the sympathetic blocker, propranolol, to the organ bath resulted in the expected decrease in heart rate. 5. Both the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems appear to play a role in the control of the heart rate.

Air vs. He-O2 recompression treatment of decompression sickness in guinea pigs.

Air vs. He-O2 (20.9% O2) recompression treatment was examined in a model of severe decompression sickness (DCS) using male albino guinea pigs (Cavia porcellus, 500-600 g). Following decompression to the surface from simulated air dives at 200 or 250 fsw, both anesthetized and unanesthetized animals often exhibited responses indicative of a fatal bout of DCS (including hypotension, cardiac arrhythmia, and tachypnea). Upon recompression with air back to depth, good recovery of animals with DCS was observed. Comparison of air vs. He-O2 recompression responses of unanesthetized animals with recompression back to initial depth (200 fsw) revealed a slower recovery from tachypnea with He-O2. Recompression partially back to depth following 200-fsw air dives produced significant differences in the breathing recovery vs. recompression depth relationship between air and He-O2. Treatment effectiveness improved with increasing depth with air, but not with He-O2. These data indicate potential differences in recompression response to air vs. He-O2 when using ventilatory recovery as a measure of effectiveness in treatment of DCS in guinea pigs following air dives.

Annual cycle of body size and blood parameters of the aquatic adult red-spotted newt, Notophthalmus viridescens.

A minimum of 20 aquatic, adult Notophthalmus viridescens were captured approximately every other month during 1980 in order to investigate seasonal changes in body size and blood parameters. Hemoglobin concentration, hematocrit, mean cell hemoglobin, sex, weight, snout-to-tail length, snout-to-vent length, and the presence of trypanosomes on blood smears were determined. Environmental variables measured included temperature (range 5-26 degrees C), oxygen concentration (range 5.7-12.2 mg/L), and pH (range 6.5-7.5) of water at the pond's edge. Three anemic specimens (less than 0.03 gHb/100 ml blood) were found. The only significant (P less than 0.05) seasonal effects were that the mean hematocrit of the July sample was greater than that of the March sample and the incidence of trypanosome infection of the March collected newts was lower than those collected in May, July, and August. Significant (P less than 0.01) linear relationships were found within the body size and blood parameters but not between them. Females had significantly (P = 0.000) higher hematocrits than males. The hemoglobin concentration and hematocrit did not correlate with the assumed seasonal oxygen demands of the newt.