Investigations have shown that the hypothalamus and pituitary respond to decreases in body temperature by stimulating the thyroid gland to release T3 and T4 hormones. This study was designed to investigate ultrastructural changes of the thyroid gland induced by hypothermia. The ultrastructural changes produces by stimulation by Thyroid Stimulating Hormone were also examined as an adjunct to the hypothermic stimulation of the gland. There was a significant increase in microvilli on the luminal border of follicle cells along with a remarkable increase in numbers of dense granules. The dense granules also demonstrated a polarity being found near the border of the colloid lumen. The glandular changes induced by Thyroid Stimulating Hormone were very similar to those of hypothermia.

Investigations have shown that the hypothalamus and pituitary respond to decreases in body temperature by stimulating thyroid release of T_3 and T_4 . This study was designed to bypass the control of the hypothalamus and pituitary gland and investigate the direct effect of temperature on the thyroid gland. Hypothermia was by an in vivo isolated perfusion of the thyroid gland. Radio-immunoassay was used to measure T_3 and T_4 concentrations. Significant increases were observed in animals perfused between 36º and 25ºc. These results indicate that the thyroid gland is directly effected by decreased temperature and that it is capable of exerting control over body temperature independent of the hypothalamus and pituitary gland. Lower perfusion temperatures produced no significant increases.

To evaluate the blood-brain barrier system in the pathogenesis of an irreversible hypothermic state in dogs, concentrations of 2 4 Na and 86Rb were measured at body temperatures ranging from 37 0 C to 160 C. A suppression of transport of sodium was demonstrated, followed by an increase as the temperature was lowered. The concentration of rubidium ion increased in concentration as the temperature fell. These data indicate there may be a temperature threshold below which the blood-brain barrier system fails to maintain the internal environment of the central nervous system. The intimate relationship of several brain stem nuclei with the cerebro-spinal fluid indicates they may be at risk during profound cooling.

published_or_final_version / Medical Sciences / Master / Master of Medical Sciences

No description available.

Recent evidence suggests that avian facultative hypothermic responses are more common than previously thought. Traditionally, several categories of avian hypothermic responses have been recognized, and are frequently differentiated on the basis of minimum body temperature (T[b]) The available data suggest that the capacity for shallow hypothermia (rest-phase hypothermia) occurs throughout the avian phylogeny, but that the capacity for pronounced hypothermia (torpor) is restricted to certain taxa. However, there are currently too few data to test hypotheses concerning the evolution of avian hypothermic responses. Facultative hypothermia occurs over most of the avian body mass (M[b]) range, but is most common in small species. Minimum body temperature during hypothermia (T[min]) is continuously distributed from 4.3 °C to ca. 38°C. The continuous T[min] distribution, as well as recent evidence that the T[b] ranges of different avian physiological states may overlap, question the biological reality of specific T[b] limits. Pattens of thermoregulation during avian hypothermic responses are relatively variable, and do not necessarily follow the entry-maintenance-arousal patterns that characterize mammalian responses. Avian hypothermic responses are determined by a suite of ecological and physiological determinants. I investigated normothermic thermoregulation and hypothermic responses to restricted food in the speckled mousebird Colius striatus in the context of the distinction between normothermia, rest-phase hypothermia, and torpor. The lowest T[b] recorded in a bird which was able to arouse spontaneously was 18.2°C. However, I was unable to clearly discern between normothermic, hypothermic and torpor T[b] ranges. Furthermore, hypothermic responses did not accord with the patterns typically observed in birds and mammals. Metabolic suppression normally associated with entry into torpor and the defence of a torpor T[b] setpoint was largely absent. Laboratory data for C. striatus, as well as published data for Colius colius suggest that clustering behavior plays an important thermoregulatory role in mousebirds. Hence, I investigated thermoregulation under semi-natural conditions in C. striatus. In particular, I was interested in the interaction between clustering behavior and hypothermic responses during energy stress (restricted feeding). In contrast to clustering birds, rest-phase thermoregulation in single birds was characterised by linear decreases in T[b] and the birds did not appear to defend a specific T[b] setpoint. During restricted feeding, both clustering and single birds exhibited significant decreases in rest-phase T[b]. The extent of these facultative hypothermic responses was greater in single birds than in clustering birds, supporting the prediction that clustering behavior moderates the use of facultative hypothermia. I also tested the prediction that in free-ranging C. colius, the use of heterothermy should be rare, even at the coldest time of the year. I recorded mid-winter rest-phase body temperatures (T[b]) in a flock of free-ranging C. colius in an arid habitat in the Karoo, South Africa. The mousebirds' rest-phase T[b] was fairly labile, but was maintained above 33°C, despite T[a]s as low as -3.4 °C. The mousebirds showed no evidence of torpor under natural conditions; a facultative hypothermic response, during which T[b] was reduced to 29 - 33°C, was only observed on one occasion. The observed patterns of thermoregulation supported my predictions, and suggest that thermoregulation in clustering C. colius in the wild is significantly different to that of single birds under laboratory conditions. My results also suggest that the pronounced capacity for heterothermy usually associated with mousebirds is not necessarily representative of their patterns of thermoregulation under natural conditions. The capacity for avian torpor appears to be dependent on phylogeny. To investigate phylogenetic constraints on the capacity for torpor, I measured metabolic responses to food deprivation in a small, arid-zone passerine, the red-headed finch (Amadina erythrocephala). I observed significant reductions in rest-phase energy expenditure and body temperature (T[b]) in response to restricted feeding. The maximum extent of T[b] suppression (ca. 5°C) and energy savings (ca. 10%) were consistent with those reported for a number of other passerines. The lowest T[b] I observed in a bird able to arouse spontaneously was 34.8°C. My data support the hypothesis that the capacity for heterothermy in passerines is phylogenetically constrained, and that the majority cannot employ torpor in response to energetic stress. Selection for the capacity for torpor is presumably similar to the selection pressures acting on other avian energetic traits, such as basal metabolic rate (BMR). I tested the generality of a recent model linking the slow-fast mammalian metabolic continuum to global patterns of climatic predictability using BMR data for 219 non-migratory bird species. Avian BMR varied significantly between zoogeographical zones, with Afrotropical, Indomalayan and Australasian species generally exhibiting lower BMR than Holarctic species. In addition, the magnitude of differences between arid and mesic species varied between zones. In the Nearctic, these differences were pronounced, whereas no significant differences were evident for Afrotropical or Australasian species. A slow-fast metabolic continuum similar to that described in mammals appears to exist for birds, with higher BMR associated with predictable, seasonal environments and lower BMR with less predictable environments, in particular those affected by the El Niño Southern Oscillation. I constructed a generalised, conceptual model which attempts to predict the occurrence of torpor using phylogeny, M[b] constraints, a trade-off between energetic benefits and potential ecological costs, and specific ecological factors. A recent hypothesis suggests that endotherm heterothermy is monophyletic, and predicts that torpor should be more widespread in phylogenetically older taxa. Once phylogeny is considered, the most important determinant of avian torpor is M[b]. I used an existing model of endotherm torpor to predict the relationship between M[b] and minimum T[b] during torpor. The available data show that the lower limit of torpor T[b] is determined by the M[b]-dependent costs of rewarming following a torpor bout. Finally, I constructed a model based on the assumption that torpor is adaptive if the energetic benefits exceed the potential ecological costs. The model predicted that torpor should be more prevalent in species near the extremes of the avian metabolic continuum. The available data provide tentative support for this prediction. In addition to generalised factors such as phylogeny and M[b], specific aspects of a particular species' ecology need to be considered when predicting the occurrence of avian torpor. / Thesis (Ph.D.)-University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2001.

Purpose: The impact of temperature on the coagulative response to exercise has not been well described. The purpose of this study was to assess the response of plasma thrombin-antithrombin (TAT) to exercise during exposure to both hot and cold temperatures, and to compare those responses to exercise under normal, temperate conditions. Methods: Fifteen healthy male subjects (25.3 + 4.3 years) volunteered to participate in this study. Subjects completed maximal cycle ergometer exercise tests in three different temperatures (20°C, 5° or 8° C, and 30°C) in an environmental chamber. All tests were conducted in random order and separated by at least seven days. Blood samples were obtained before and immediately after exercise and analyzed by Elisa to determine plasma concentrations of thrombin-antithrombin complex (TAT). Results: Subjects demonstrated significantly elevated plasma levels of TAT in all three temperatures immediately after exercise (normal =1.04 ± 0.44 ng/ml, cold =1.34 ± 0.79 ng/ml, hot =1.18 + 0.95 ng/ml) when compared to baseline measures (normal = 0.45 ± 0.26 ng/ml, cold = 0.88 + 0.57 ng/ml, hot = 0.64 + g/ml). Subjects also showed significant elevations in TAT concentrations both before and after exercise in the cold temperature when compared with the normal temperature. There was no significant difference between the hot and normal temperatures. Conclusion: An individual's coagulation potential is increased following maximal physical exertion and may be further increased by exposure to colder temperature. Key Words: coagulation, physical exertion, temperature, thrombosis. / School of Physical Education, Sport, and Exercise Science

This study evaluated the effect of a macro- versus a microcooling system on the cognitive, psychomotor and physiological performance of human operators. Male subjects (n = 24) were acclimatized for four days and then subjected to three different environmental conditions: hot ambient (40°C; 40% RH), microcooling and macrocooling. Each environmental condition was repeated twice; once under a rest condition and once while simulating a physical workload of 40 W. Four performance tests (reasoning, eye-hand coordination, memory, reaction time) were conducted once every hour for four hours. Five physiological measurements, viz rectal temperature, skin temperature, heart rate, total sweat loss and sweat rate, were taken. A significant difference existed between the physiological responses under the hot ambient condition and both cooling conditions. For all five physiological parameters he human operator benefitted substantially whatever the cooling condition. The psychological performance results indicated a greater benefit under the cooling conditions, though various external factors may have influenced responses. User perception showed that macrocooling was perceived to be the optimal method of cooling. The results showed that there was no difference in the extent to which both rectal temperature and heart rate (for rest and work conditions) decreased over the 4-hour study period with micro- and macrocooling. In the baseline hot environment both increase. Sweat rate was lowest when resting or working in a microcooled environment and at its highest in the hot baseline environment. Mean skin temperature was lowest (for rest and work conditions) with microcooling and highest in the hot baseline environment. Reaction time and memory/attention were the same under all three environmental conditions. Eye-hand coordination was better with cooling than without, but did not differ between the two cooling conditions. Reasoning ability was poorest under the hot baseline condition and best in the macrocooled environment. User perception showed that the subjects found macrocooling highly acceptable. Microcooling was found to be uncomfortable, particularly because cold air (18 - 21°C) entered the jacket at one point which caused numbness of the skin at that point. Jackets did not always fit subjects well and the umbilical cord restricted free movement.

Call number: LD2668 .T4 1985 P34 / Master of Science

CAPES / Os pêssegos e nectarinas são muito apreciados pelos consumidores, mas são frutos climatéricos, tendo disponibilidade no mercado curto espaço de tempo. Dessa forma, é necessário investir na obtenção de genótipos com frutos de qualidade e menor perecibilidade ou que apresentem menos distúrbios fisiológicos após armazenamento. Assim, os objetivos deste trabalho foram i) avaliar a divergência genética entre 40 acessos de pessegueiros e nectarineiras com base na qualidade pós-colheita, selecionando-se possíveis genitores; ii) verificar a susceptibilidade a danos por frio em pêssegos e nectarinas após armazenamento refrigerado; iii) avaliar divergência de pêssegos e nectarinas com base na susceptibilidade aos danos por frio e selecionar acessos superiores; iv) realizar estudo das correlações entre qualidade e susceptibilidade a danos por frio de pêssegos e nectarinas; v) selecionar genitores com a combinação de menor susceptibilidade aos danos por frio após armazenamento e maior qualidade dos frutos. O estudo foi conduzido na EEAD-CSIC, Zaragoza-Espanha, durante o ciclo produtivo 2013/2014. Um total de 40 acessos de pêssegos e nectarinas da coleção de germoplasma foram avaliados. Características de qualidade como, firmeza de polpa, teor de sólidos solúveis totais, acidez titulável, pH, índice de maturação e parâmetros de coloração do mesocarpo foram determinadas. Os frutos foram submetidos ao armazenamento refrigerado de 0º e 5ºC, com umidade relativa média de 95%. Após 14 e 28 dias foram avaliados os sintomas de lanosidade através da presença de polpa farinhenta, granulosa, coriácea, alterações de cor na polpa, como escurecimento e avermelhamento interno e, ausência de sabor. Como critério de seleção adotou-se 20% dos genótipos que apresentaram maior frequência de superioridade quanto às características de qualidade, de susceptibilidade aos danos por frio e combinando ambas. Para as característica de qualidade apresentaram maior divergência os acessos ‘Queen Giant’, ‘Sudanel Blanco’ e ‘Borracho de Jarque’. E, com base na qualidade foram selecionados os oito genótipos ‘Andross’, ‘San Jaime’, ‘San Lorenzo’, ‘Borracho de Jarque’, ‘Sudanell 1’, ‘Carson’, ‘Baby Gold 6’ e ‘Stanford’. Todos os 40 acessos apresentaram susceptibilidade a um ou mais sintomas causados pelo armazenamento refrigerado, quando mantidos por 28 dias, independentemente da temperatura. Para 14 dias, os acessos ‘Baby Gold 6’, ‘Flavortop’ e ‘Queen Giant’ não apresentaram nenhuma desordem fisiológica causada pelo frio. De maneira geral, a temperatura de 0 ºC favoreceu para conservação pós-colheita dos frutos, causando menor incidência e severidade dos sintomas oriundos do armazenamento refrigerado. O armazenamento por 14 dias contribuiu para menor incidência de danos sobre os acessos estudados. Para os 14 dias, em ambas as temperaturas, observou-se divergência para os acessos ‘Queen Giant’, ‘Sudanell Blanco’, ‘Baby Gold 6’, ‘GF3’,‘Baby Gold 8’, ‘Campiel’ e ‘Campiel Rojo’. Para 28 dias a 5 ºC, ‘Queen Giant’, ‘Big Top’, ‘Flavortop’ e ‘Redhaven’ apresentaram-se divergentes. Com base na suscetibilidade a danos por frio a 0 ºC, foram selecionados os oito acessos, ‘Queen Giant’, ‘Keimoes’, ‘Flavortop’, ‘Big Top’, ‘Redhaven’, ‘Sudanell 3’, ‘Bonet I’ e ‘Carson’. Os parâmetros de qualidade índice de maturação, sólidos solúveis, firmeza de polpa e acidez total apresentaram correlações entre si. Os mesmos, correlacionaram-se com polpa granulosa e escurecimento interno, indicando que frutos com maior amadurecimento tendem a desenvolver mais estes sintomas. Os distúrbios escurecimento interno, polpa farinhenta, polpa granulosa e ausência de sabor foram correlacionados em ambos os tempos e temperaturas, corroborando que esses sintomas são os principais distúrbios causados pelo armazenamento refrigerado. Combinando as características de qualidade e suscetibilidade aos danos por frio foram selecionados os genótipos ‘Baby Gold 6’, ‘Sarell’, ‘Keimoes’, ‘GF3’ ‘San Jaime’, ‘Big Top’, ‘Sudanell 1’, ‘Carson’, ‘Baby Gold 8’, e ‘San Lorenzo’. / The peaches and nectarines are highly appreciated by consumer, but it is climacteric fruits, with availability in the market in small time. It is necessary to invest to obtain genotypes with fruit quality and small perishability or that it presente less physiological disorders after storage. The aims of this work were i) to evaluate the genetic divergence among 40 peach and nectarine trees genotypes based on postharvest quality and select posible parents; ii) to evaluate the susceptibility to chilling injury in peaches and nectarines after cold storage; iii) to evaluate divergence of peaches and nectarines on the basis in the susceptibility for chiling injury and select superior genotypes; iv) evaluate the correlations between quality and susceptibility to chilling injury of peaches and nectarines v) select parents with the combination of lower susceptibility to chilling injury and higher quality fruit. The study was carried out in EEAD-CSIC, Zaragoza - Spain, during the production cycle 2013/2014. A total of 40 peaches and nectarines genotypes from germplasm collection were evaluated. The quality characteristics as flesh firmness, total soluble solids, titratable acidity, pH, rippining index and flesh color parameters were evaluated. The fruits were submitted to cold storage at 0 °C and 5 °C, with 95% average relative humidity. The evaluations were after 14 and 28 days, it being observed the presence of symptoms, such as wooliness through mealiness, flesh grainy, leatheriness and flesh color changes, through browning, bleeding and off flavor. As a selection parameter was adopted 20% of genotypes that had a higher frequency of superiority for quality characteristics, susceptibility to chilling injury and the combining of both. For quality characteristic presented greater divergence the ‘Queen Giant’, ‘Sudanel Blanco’ and ‘Borracho de Jarque’. Based on the quality the eight genotypes were selected, ‘Andross’, ‘San Jaime’, ‘San Lorenzo’, ‘Borracho de Jarque’, ‘Sudanell 1’, ‘Carson’, ‘Baby Gold 6’ and ‘Stanford’. All genotypes studied exhibited susceptibility to one or more symptoms caused by cold storage during 28 days, independent of temperature. For 14 days, the ‘Baby Gold 6’, ‘Flavortop’ and ‘Queen Giant’ genotypes did not show any physiological disorder caused by cold. In general, the temperature of 0 °C favored fruit postharvest conservation, it have a lower incidence and severity of symptoms caused by cold storage. The storage for 14 days contributed for the lower incidence of damage in the genotypes fruits studied. For 14 days, with both temperatures, it was observed divergence for ‘Queen Giant’, ‘Sudanell Blanco’, ‘Baby Gold 6’ ‘GF3’, ‘Baby Gold 8’, ‘Campiel’ and ‘Campiel Rojo’ genotypes. For 28 days, in the 5 °C condition, ‘Queen Giant’, ‘Big Top’, ‘Flavortop’ and ‘Redhaven’ genotypes were divergents. Based on susceptibility to chilling injury at 0 °C, the eight genotypes were selected, it being these, ‘Queen Giant’, ‘Keimoes’, ‘Flavortop’, ‘Big Top’, 'Redhaven', 'Sudanell 3', 'Bonet I' and ‘Carson’. The quality parameters as rippining index, soluble solids, firmness and titratable acidity presented correlation among them. These, also it had correlation with woolines and bowning, what it indicate that fruits with more ripening can have this symptoms more easily. The browning, mealiness, flesh grainy and off flavor variables were correlationed with the time period and temperartures, what it confirm that these symptoms are the main disorders caused by cold storage. The quality characteristics together susceptibility to chilling injury allowed selected ‘Baby Gold 6’, ‘Sarell’, ‘Keimoes’, ‘GF3’ ‘San Jaime’, ‘Big Top’, ‘Sudanell 1’, ‘Carson’, ‘Baby Gold 8’, and ‘San Lorenzo’ genotypes.