Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0020440 (hypercapnia)
 7,939 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Recent evidence indicates that elevated plasma levels of homocysteine are a risk factor for ischemic cerebrovascular diseases. However, little is known about cerebrovascular effects of homocysteine. Homocysteine could impair cerebrovascular function by metal-catalyzed production of activated oxygen species. We studied whether homocysteine, in the presence of Cu2+, alters reactivity of cerebral circulation and, if so, whether this effect depends on O-2 generation. In halothane-anesthetized rats the parietal cortex was exposed and superfused with Ringer solution. Cerebrocortical blood flow (CBF) was monitored by a laser-Doppler probe. With Ringer solution superfusion, CBF increased with hypercapnia (+134 +/- 7%; PCO2 = 50-60 mmHg) and topical application of 10 microM ACh (+35 +/- 3%), the NO donor S-nitroso-N-acetylpenicillamine (SNAP, 500 microM; +66 +/- 6%), or 1 mM papaverine (+100 +/- 6%; n = 5). Superfusion with 40 microM Cu2+ alone did not perturb resting CBF or responses to hypercapnia, ACh, SNAP, or papaverine (P > 0.05, n = 5). However, superfusion of homocysteine-Cu2+ reduced resting CBF (-28 +/- 4%) and attenuated (P < 0.05) responses to hypercapnia (-31 +/- 9%), ACh (-73 +/- 6%), or SNAP (-48 +/- 4%), but not papaverine. The effect was observed only at 1 mM homocysteine. Cerebrovascular effects of homocysteine-Cu2+ were prevented by coadministration of superoxide dismutase (SOD; 1,000 U/ml; n = 5). SOD alone did not affect resting CBF or CBF reactivity (n = 5). The observation that homocysteine-Cu2+ attenuates the response to hypercapnia, ACh, and SNAP, but not the NO-independent vasodilator papaverine, suggests that homocysteine-Cu2+ selectively impairs NO-related cerebrovascular responses. The fact that SOD prevents such impairment indicates that the effect of homocysteine is O-2 dependent. The data support the conclusion that O-2, generated by the reaction of homocysteine with Cu2+, inhibits NO-related cerebrovascular responses by scavenging NO, perhaps through peroxynitrite formation. O-2-mediated scavenging of NO might be one of the mechanisms by which hyperhomocysteinemia predisposes to cerebrovascular diseases.
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PMID:Superoxide-dependent cerebrovascular effects of homocysteine. 960 25

Sleep-related breathing disorders (SRBDs) represent a spectrum of abnormalities that range from simple snoring to upper airway resistance syndrome to sleep apnea. The clinical presentation may include obesity, snoring, neuropsychological dysfunction, and daytime hypersomnolence and tiredness. The acute hemodynamic alterations of obstructive sleep apnea include systemic and pulmonary hypertension, increased right and left ventricular afterload, and increased cardiac output. Earlier reports attributed the coexistence of SRBDs with cardiovascular diseases to the shared risk factors such as age, sex, and obesity. However, recent epidemiologic data confirm an independent association between SRBDs and the different manifestations of cardiovascular diseases. Possible mechanisms may include a combination of intermittent hypoxia and hypercapnia, repeated arousals, sustained increase in sympathetic tone, reduced baroreflex sensitivity, increased platelet aggregation, and elevated plasma fibrinogen and homocysteine levels. The strength of the association, its pathogenesis, and the impact of treatment of SRBDs on the health outcome of patients with cardiovascular diseases are issues to be addressed in future studies.
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PMID:Cardiovascular consequences of sleep-related breathing disorders. 1235 Feb 42