Variable role of carotid bodies in cardiovascular responses to exercise, hypoxia and hypercapnia in spontaneously hypertensive rats

The carotid body has recently emerged as a promising therapeutic target for treating cardiovascular disease, however the potential impact of carotid bodies removal on the dynamic cardiovascular responses to acute stressors such as exercise, hypoxia and hypercapnia in hypertension is an important safety consideration that has not been studied. We first validated a novel surgical approach to selectively resect the carotid bodies bilaterally (CBR) sparing the carotid sinus baroreflex. Second, we evaluated the impact of CBR on the cardiovascular responses to exercise, hypoxia and hypercapnia in the conscious, chronically instrumented spontaneously hypertensive (SH) rats. Our results confirm that our CBR technique successfully and selectively abolished the chemoreflex, whilst preserving carotid baroreflex function. CBR produced a sustained fall in arterial pressure in the SH rat of ~20 mmHg that persisted across both dark and light phases (P<0.001), with baroreflex function curves resetting around lower arterial pressure levels. The cardiovascular and respiratory responses to moderate forced exercise were similar between CBR and Sham. In contrast, CBR abolished the pressor response to hypoxia seen in Sham animals, although the increases in heart rate and respiration were similar between Sham and CBR groups. Both the pressor and respiratory responses to 7% hypercapnia were augmented after CBR (P<0.05) compared to sham. Our finding that the carotid bodies play a critical role in maintaining arterial pressure during hypoxia has important implications when considering resection therapy of the carotid body in disease states such as hypertension as well as heart failure with sleep apnoea

Antibiose e não preferência para oviposição de Bemisia tabaci (Genn.) biótipo B (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae) por cultivares de Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp

The objective of this study was to identify cowpea cultivars resistant to B. tabaci biotype B and the respective resistance types involved. The experiments were conducted in a greenhouse at the Departamento de Fitossanidade da Faculdade de Ciências Agrárias e Veterinárias, UNESP/Campus de Jaboticabal, SP, Brasil, from November 2009 to April 2010. Tests for non-preference for oviposition and antibiosis were performed. The experimental design consisted of randomized blocks for the choice test and completely randomized for the no-choice tests and the antibiosis test. It was concluded that the BRS Urubuquara, IPA-206 and BR17 Gurgueia cultivars present non-preference for whitefly oviposition resistance; the BRS Urubuquara cultivar presents non-preference and antibiosis resistance; the Sempre Verde cultivate is susceptible to oviposition; and the whitefly prefers to deposit eggs on the leaves' abaxial face in the upper position of the plant.O objetivo deste trabalho foi identificar cultivares de caupi resistentes a B. tabaci biótipo B e os respectivos tipos de resistência envolvidos. Os experimentos foram conduzidos em casa de vegetação no Departamento de Fitossanidade da Faculdade de Ciências Agrárias e Veterinárias, UNESP/Campus de Jaboticabal, SP, no período de novembro de 2009 a abril de 2010. Realizaram-se testes de não preferência para oviposição e antibiose. O delineamento experimental utilizado foi de blocos casualizados para o teste com chance de escolha e inteiramente casualizado para os testes sem chance de escolha e teste de antibiose. Conclui-se que os cultivares BRS Urubuquara, IPA-206 e BR17 Gurgueia apresentaram resistência do tipo não preferência para oviposição da mosca-branca; a cultivar BRS Urubuquara apresenta resistência de tipo antibiose; a cultivar Sempre Verde é suscetível; e, mosca-branca prefere ovipositar na posição superior das plantas.Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)Universidade Estadual Paulista, Laboratório de Resistência de PlantasUniversidade Estadual Paulista, Departamento de FitossanidadeUniversidade Federal Rural da Amazônia, Departamento de Biologia Vegetal e Fitossanidad