Proteinase-activated receptor-2 activation evokes oesophageal longitudinal smooth muscle contraction via a capsaicin-sensitive and neurokinin-2 receptor-dependent pathway.

BACKGROUND: Intraluminal acid evokes sustained oesophageal longitudinal smooth muscle (LSM) contraction and oesophageal shortening, which may play a role in oesophageal pain and the aetiology of hiatus hernia. In the opossum model, this reflex has been shown to involve mast cell activation and release of neurokinins from capsaicin-sensitive neurons. The aim of this study was to determine whether proteinase-activated receptor-2 (PAR-2) activation evokes reflex LSM contraction via similar mechanisms. METHODS: Tension recording studies were performed using opossum oesophageal LSM strips in the presence and absence of pharmacological agents. In addition, the effect of trypsin on single isolated LSM cells was determined using videomicroscopy, and the expression of PAR-2 in oesophageal tissue was examined using immunohistochemistry. KEY RESULTS: The PAR-2 agonist trypsin evoked sustained, concentration-dependent contraction of LSM muscle strips, but had no effect on isolated LSM cells. The trypsin-induced contraction was blocked by capsaicin desensitization, substance P (SP) desensitization or application of the selective neurokinin-2 (NK-2) receptor antagonist MEN 10376. Immunohistochemistry revealed co-localization of SP, calcitonin gene-related peptide and PAR-2 in axons of opossum oesophageal LSM. CONCLUSIONS & INFERENCES: Longitudinal smooth muscle contraction induced by trypsin involves capsaicin-sensitive neurons and subsequent activation of NK-2, which is identical to the pathway involved in acid-induced LSM contraction and oesophageal shortening. This suggests that acid-induced LSM contraction may involve mast cell-derived mediators that activate capsaicin-sensitive neurons via PAR-2.

Role of cADPR in sodium nitroprusside-induced opossum esophageal longitudinal smooth muscle contraction.

Nitric oxide (NO) relaxes most smooth muscle, including the circular smooth muscle (CSM) of the esophagus, whereas in the adjacent longitudinal smooth muscle (LSM), it causes contraction. The second messenger pathways responsible for this NO-induced LSM contraction are unclear, given that these opposing effects of NO are both cGMP dependent. In intestinal LSM, but not CSM, cADP ribose (cADPR)-dependent pathways participate in Ca(2+) mobilization and muscle contraction; whether similar differences exist in the esophagus is unknown. The purpose of this study was to determine whether cADPR plays a role in the NO-mediated contraction of opossum esophageal LSM. Standard isometric tension recordings were performed using both LSM and CSM strips from opossum distal esophagus that were hung in 10-ml tissue baths perfused with oxygenated Krebs solution. cADPR produced concentration-dependent contraction of LSM strips with an EC(50) of 1 nM and peak contraction of 57 +/- 18% of the 60 mM KCl-induced contraction. cADPR had no effect on CSM strips at concentrations up to 10(-6) M. The EC(50) of cADPR caused contraction (18 +/- 2% from initial resting length) of isolated LSM cells. Sodium nitroprusside (SNP; 300 muM) induced contraction of LSM strips that averaged 67 +/- 5% of the KCl response. cADPR antagonists 8-bromo-cADPR and 8-amino-cADPR, as well as ryanodine receptor antagonists ryanodine and tetracaine, significantly inhibited the SNP-induced contraction. In conclusion, in the opossum esophagus, 1) cADPR induces contraction of LSM, but not CSM, and 2) NO-induced contraction of LSM appears to involve a cADPR-dependent pathway.

Pre-slaughter stress arising from on-farm handling and its interactions with electrical stimulation on tenderness of lambs.

The effect of electrical stimulation of lamb carcasses (n=269) or its absence (n=257) on shear force of m. longissimus thoracis et lumborum (LT) was monitored during ageing in pasture-fed merino lambs (n=526). The lambs were slaughtered on four different days allowing durations of between one to 10 days of recovery from pre-slaughter handling (yarding, weighing and crutching) that affected ultimate pH (pH(u)). The right LT was removed 20-40min post-slaughter, tightly-wrapped in cling film (prevents the muscle cross-section increasing and thus minimising shortening) and rapidly cooled to 15°C to enter rigor mortis and age. At 0, 4, 24 and 72h post-slaughter, pH measurements and samples for shear force measurement were taken. Pre-slaughter handling had a significant negative effect on pH(u) and several days recovery were required for pH(u) to reach values associated with optimal meat quality as reflected by pH(u). Lambs with one and three days recovery (no significant difference between them) had a pH(u)>5.7 in 50% of the muscles and 19.4%>pH(u) 5.8. Whereas, in lambs with 8-10 days recovery (no significant difference between them), only 8% had a pH(u)>5.7 and 3.1%>pH(u) 5.8. Within each slaughter day electrically stimulated lambs were always more tender than non-stimulated lambs. For non-stimulated muscles at 72h, shear force values >40N occurred for 11.2% of the muscles: for electrically stimulated muscles at 72h, shear force values >40N occurred for 1.9% of the muscles. The rates of tenderisation were slower for intermediate pH(u) values resulting in higher shear force values at all ageing durations. With ageing at 72h for intermediate pH(u), non-stimulated muscles (n=38) 17.64% were >40N and for stimulated muscles (n=34), 7.9% were >40N.

Divergent changes to muscarinic and serotonergic signalling following colitis.

BACKGROUND: The altered motility of the inflamed intestine derives in part from changes to the contractility of the intestinal smooth muscle cell. While modifications to the muscarinic receptor system are identified, changes to 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT; serotonin) receptors that also mediate contraction are less well studied. METHODS: In the trinitrobenzene sulphonic acid model of rat colitis, we used receptor antagonists to identify changes in receptor utilisation that accompany the selective reversal of the impaired contractile response to acetylcholine (ACh) and 5-HT during colitis (day 4 (D4)) and following resolution of inflammation (day 36 (D36)). RESULTS: In isolated circular smooth muscle cells, challenged with ACh, the muscarinic 3 receptor (M3R) antagonists 4-DAMP and pF-HSD each showed a 50% decrease in antagonism on D4 while the M2R antagonist methoctramine more than doubled its potency, showing a decreased role of M3R and an increased role of M2R, respectively. These changes were fully reversed by D36. In contrast, the 5-HT2 receptor (5-HT2R) antagonist ketanserin was sharply decreased in effectiveness on D4, with a further decrease by D36, when the contribution of 5-HT(2A)R was only 22% of control. There were no changes in response to the 5-HT4R antagonist SDZ-205-557 at any time. Western blotting identified decreased expression of 5-HT(2A)R on D36 versus controls, further supporting the conclusion that the persistence of the impaired response to 5-HT was due to decreased expression of the excitatory 5-HT(2A)R. CONCLUSIONS: Thus the lasting decrease in receptor expression and resulting impairment of the contractile response will compromise the capacity for an appropriate response to 5-HT, which may contribute to the intestinal dysfunction seen in post-enteritis syndromes.

Persistent and selective effects of inflammation on smooth muscle cell contractility in rat colitis.

Intestinal inflammation affects smooth muscle contractility contributing to altered motility, but changes to the individual smooth muscle cells are not well described. We used video microscopy to study the contractility of circular smooth muscle cells (CSMC) isolated from the rat mid-descending colon throughout the course of TNBS-induced colitis, measuring their shortening response to carbachol (CCh), 5-HT, histamine or high K(+). In control CSMC, CCh caused a maximal shortening response of 28 (2%), similar to that for 5-HT of 27 (1%), but by day 4 of colitis, these responses were decreased by 35% and 37%, respectively. By day 36, all aspects of cholinergic contraction returned to control levels, while 5-HT-induced contraction remained significantly attenuated. In contrast, the contractile responses to histamine remained similar at all time points. K(+)-induced contraction was impaired only on day 4, and the maximal response remained substantially greater than CCh or 5-HT. Colitis caused a 121% increase in CSMC length by day 2 that persisted through day 36, independent evidence for phenotypic change. We conclude that impaired CSMC contractility at both the receptor and non-receptor levels contribute to altered smooth muscle function during colitis. Persistent changes in contractile response remained detectable after resolution of inflammation, and similar events may occur in post-enteritis syndromes seen in humans.

The relationship between postmortem urinary catecholamines, meat ultimate pH, and shear force in bulls and cows.

We investigated the relationship between stress responsiveness and meat quality in cattle. The cattle were 16-19-month-old Mixed (n=37, 303 kg) or Non-mixed (n=23, 279 kg) Friesian bulls and Friesian cull cows (1.5-7 years) that were classified Unfinished (n=133, 195 kg) or Finished for 3 months (n=34, 252 kg). A portion of m. longissimus lumborum (LL) muscle was obtained from consecutive animals for a single days slaughter of 227 cattle processed through a hot boning plant. Catecholamines were obtained from bladder urine. Ultimate pH, lactate, glycogen, glycolytic potential and representative sarcomere lengths were determined from 20-h muscle samples. Shear force measurements were from meat aged at 15 °C for 20 and 90 h. Urinary noradrenaline was similar between Mixed (14.86 ng/µmol creatinine) and Non-mixed bulls (14.07 ng/µmol creatinine) and Finished cows (15.24 ng/µmol creatinine) and elevated in the Unfinished cows (22.28 ng/µmol creatinine). Urinary adrenaline was higher in Mixed bulls (9.5 ng/µmol creatinine) than Non-mixed bulls (5.7 ng/µmol creatinine) and higher in both Unfinished cows (16.67 ng/µmol creatinine) and Finished cows (14.19 ng/µmol creatinine). For bulls that are growing well on-farm, with a only short period of fasting prior to slaughter, pH(u) is a good predictor of meat tenderness. In this situation, stressors that lower muscle glycogen pre-slaughter can have a significant effect on meat shear force, and individual animals with elevated urinary adrenaline were the most susceptible. However, in the case of cows, adrenaline responses are not necessarily associated with glycogen depletion and pH(u) is less affected than for bulls. Furthermore, the ability of meat to tenderise fully, related to reduced proteolytic turnover, is reduced in nutritionally compromised animals such as the Unfinished cows.

Effects of acid-induced esophagitis on esophageal smooth muscle.

Acid-induced esophagitis is associated with sustained longitudinal smooth muscle (LSM) contraction and consequent esophageal shortening. In addition, LSM strips from opossums with esophagitis are hyper-responsive, while the circular smooth muscle (CSM) contractility is impaired. To determine the origin of these changes, studies were performed on esophageal smooth muscle cells isolated from opossum esophagi perfused intraluminally on 3 consecutive days with either saline (control; n = 8) or HCl (n = 9). CSM and LSM cells, obtained by enzymatic digestion, were exposed to various concentrations of carbachol (CCh) and fixed. CCh induced concentration-dependent contraction of both LSM and CSM cells. CCh-induced LSM cell contraction was not different between control and esophagitis animals; however, there was marked attenuation in the CCh-induced contraction of CSM cells from esophagitis animals. Morphological studies revealed significant hypertrophy of the CSM cells. These findings suggest that impaired CSM contractility can be attributed at least in part to alterations to the CSM cell itself. In contrast, hyper-contractility demonstrated in LSM strips is likely related to factors in the surrounding tissue.

Will nursing administration programs survive in the 21st century?

Why are graduate nursing administration (MSN/A) program enrollments declining? Do these programs truly meet the needs of potential students? Will they help them to be effective and innovative partners on the healthcare management team? The authors explore reasons for the decline in MSN/A enrollments, potential negative outcomes, and currently available alternative educational choices. They then suggest MSN/A program redesign and other courses of actions. Nurse administrators and nurse educators must be aware of these trends and have equal input into the creation of a viable MSN/A program that will be able to survive in the 21st century.

Making planned and unplanned role transitions.

Changes in organizations mean planned and unplanned role transitions for nurse administrators and managers. Keeping abreast of trends engaging in activities that promote professional growth, assessing work habits, maintaining job interviewing skills, and reviewing and updating resumes are essential to prepare for role changes. When unplanned changes occur because one is fired or a position is abolished, one has to organize personal needs, cope with the job loss, look for a job, and assume a new role. The authors discuss strategies that can be used personally or with others to facilitate job change.

Revisioning the recruitment of talented professionals.

As organizations restructure and redesign, hiring appropriate staff members becomes even more crucial for their success. Skill sets become more complex, fit becomes more significant, and fast-paced organizations do not have the time or resources for extensive grooming or training of in-house or newly hired personnel. The authors examine how talented professionals can be recruited and hired in a timely manner while using fewer in-house organizational resources.

International predictive testing for NCLEX-RN. Rewards and risks.

The United States still relies heavily on foreign nurses, and that means heavy reliance on them passing the state board examinations. Can we predict successful performance? Wells tells us the risks and rewards.