Exposure To Cold Air Research Articles

Effect of Cold Air Exposure and Exercise on Nonspecific Bronchial Reactivity

Exercise and eucapnic hyperventilation with cold air can produce bronchoconstriction in asthmatic subjects, but their enhancement of nonspecific bronchial reactivity remains unclear. We studied the effect of submaximal exercise and cold air exposure on bronchial reactivity to methacholine in a normal control group (n = 10) and in subjects with bronchial asthma (n = 17). Bronchial provocation testing was performed to determine the provoking dose (PD35) of methacholine that caused a 35 percent decrease in specific airway conductance (Gaw/VL) in the two groups. Each subject was studied on three different occasions to determine the PD35 to methacholine on a control day, after ten minutes of submaximal exercise, and after a 30-minute exposure to cold air. Methacholine challenge was performed after the Gaw/VL had returned to the baseline values. In the normal group, neither cold air exposure nor exercise challenge had any significant effect on baseline Gaw/VL, whereas in the asthmatic group, both stimuli caused 20 percent and 15 percent decreases in Gaw/VL, respectively (p less than .05). Mean +/- SD control PD35 was 6.1 +/- 11.6 breath units in the asthmatic group, which decreased to 2.2 +/- 2.8 after exercise and 3.0 +/- 5.0 breath units after cold air exposure (p less than .05). In the normal group, control PD35 was 73 +/- 32 breath units, which was not different from PD35 values of 64 +/- 75 and 52 +/- 64 breath units after exercise and cold air exposure, respectively (p = NS). These data suggest that submaximal exercise and cold air exposure enhance nonspecific bronchial reactivity in asthmatic but not in normal subjects.

Inhibition of shivering in man by thermal stimulation of the facial area.

The contribution of the facial thermoreceptors to thermoregulatory shivering was studied. Seven subjects were exposed to -3 degrees C ambient air for 1 h. Radiant heat was applied to the facial area during 30 s periods at 10 min intervals and the effects on the integrated electromyographic activity (IEMG) in the brachial biceps, trapezius and femoral rectus muscles, and on the heart rate (HR) were studied. During cold-air exposure mean skin temperature as measured at four sites decreased by 15.5 +/- 0.6 degrees C (mean +/- SE) while rectal temperature remained virtually unchanged. During the radiant heat exposures IEMG activity decreased by 18.9 +/- 2.3%; HR decreased by 11 +/- 1 beats min-1. The changes in IEMG occurred within or slightly below the range of maximum cold receptor sensitivity (20-30 degrees C) and coincided with the maximum rate of change in chin temperature. The observed inhibition of shivering IEMG during locally applied facial heat stimulation suggest that the trigeminal region contributes an important input to the overall thermoregulatory responses.

Nasal challenge with cold, dry air results in release of inflammatory mediators. Possible mast cell involvement.

The purpose of our study was to assess the effect of cold, dry air (CDA) on the nasal mucosa of selected individuals in relation to the release of inflammatory mediators associated with mast cells. 12 subjects with a history of nasal symptoms of rhinorrhea and congestion upon cold or dry environmental exposure were challenged by nasal breathing of CDA and warm, moist air (WMA). Each subject was tested on two occasions with the order of the challenges reversed. Symptom scores were recorded, and the levels of histamine, prostaglandin (PG) D2, kinins, and [3H]-N-alpha-tosyl-L-arginine methyl ester (TAME)-esterase activity in nasal lavage fluids were measured. CDA caused a significant increase in mediator levels and in symptom scores as compared to baseline or to WMA. No significant increase in symptom scores or mediators was noted after WMA challenge, with the exception of a marginal increase in kinins. The response to CDA was similar, regardless of challenge order. Changes in mediators correlated with one another, and symptom scores correlated significantly with the levels of histamine, kinins, and PGD2. Five subjects without a history of nasal symptoms on cold air exposure had no change in mediators or symptom scores after CDA or WMA challenge. We conclude that CDA causes the release of inflammatory mediators possibly associated with mast cells and speculate that such a mechanism may be involved in the bronchospasm induced by CDA in asthmatics.

Effects of acute cold exposure on submaximal endurance performance.

The purposes of this study were to assess VO2max and submaximal endurance time to exhaustion (ET) during acute cold-air exposure. Eight male subjects (means age = 19.9 yr) were alternately exposed in groups of four to chamber temperatures of +20 degrees C and -20 degrees C for 30 h each. A week was allowed between exposures. Maximum oxygen uptake was measured using a mechanically-braked cycle ergometer, and ET was determined on the same ergometer using a 17-min/3-min exercise/rest schedule until the subject was unable to maintain pedal rate. Maximum oxygen uptake was not significantly different between conditions: 3.43 +/- 0.09 l X min-1 at +20 degrees C and 3.35 +/- 0.10 l X min-1 at -20 degrees C. During endurance exercise, intensities equaled 77.1 +/- 1.4% and 78.9 +/- 2.0% of VO2max at +20 degrees C and -20 degrees C, respectively. Heart rate and VO2 values obtained between 8 and 10 min of the endurance run were not significantly different (156 +/- 2 bpm and 2.63 +/- 0.08 l X min-1 at +20 degrees C and 158 +/- 3 bpm and 2.65 +/- 0.11 l X min-1 at -20 degrees C). Endurance time to exhaustion however, decreased 38% (P less than 0.05) from 111.9 +/- 22.8 min at +20 degrees C to 66.9 +/- 13.6 min at -20 degrees C. The data support the contention that aerobic capacity is not altered by cold exposure but suggest a marked decrease in submaximal endurance performance.

Perception of hand cooling during local cold air exposure at three different temperatures.

The effect of local hand cooling in air on skin temperature, thermal sensation and pain was studied at three different temperatures, 0, 7 and 15°C, in a cooling box. Eighteen subjects were exposed to each local temperature condition for 95 min. The inter-individual variation in cooling reaction was considerable, especially in the two colder conditions. There was, however, a significant individual consistency in reaction between conditions. Initial hand skin temperature, overall body heat balance, time of day of testing and site of temperature measurement are among the factors discussed in relation to the reactions to local hand cooling. The relation calculated between thermal sensation and hand skin temperature appeared consistent and unaffected by local ambient temperature conditions, and thus by the corresponding variation in rate of cooling, within the limited temperature range studied. Similar results were found for the relation between experienced pain and hand skin temperature.

Factors affecting thermogenic drinking in rats

After as little as 6 h of exposure to cold air, drinking was induced in rats following transfer from air at 5 degreesC to air at 26 degreesC. Drinking began within 15 min after transfer from the cold enviroment and lasted approximately 1 h. The stimulus for initiation of drinking was most likely the temperature change resulting from the transfer, since an ambient temperature difference of 10 centigrade degrees or more was required to initiate a drinking response after transfer from air at 5 degreesC. Thermogenic drinking was not thwarted by preventing access to water for either 1 or 2h following transfer to warm air, but either intragastric or intraperitoneal administration of a water load equal to 3% of body weight inhibited water intake following transfer.The characteristics of the drinking response following transfer than 5 to 26 degrees C were similiar to those observed following 24 h of dehydration at 26 degrees C. Thus, the cold-exposed rat is relatively dehydrated compared with controls.

The effect of cold-air inhalation on ventilation in normal subjects and in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

It is a well known clinical fact that weather change may precipitate the onset of symptoms in patients with bronchial asthma, chronic bronchitis, or pulmonary emphysema. They may complain of cough, chest discomfort, wheezing, or dyspnea during a seasonal change in the weather or when they experience an environmeptal temperature change. Previous investigators (1-2) have shown that either inhalation of cold air alone or whole body exposure to cold increases resistance to air flow. Recently, other studies based on daily and weekly measurements of pulmonary function in normal subjects and patients with chronic obstructive lung disease at ambient conditions showed that airway resistance increased as temperature decreased (3-6). Wells and associates (1) also indicated that normal subjects and patients with chronic lung disease who gave no history of symptoms in cold were not affected by breathing cold air. pulmonary disease, with and without history of symptoms during exposure to cold air, were studied.

Seasonal observations on the cardiac rhythm during diving in the Korean ama.

Seasonal observations on the cardiac rhythm during diving in the Korean ama.

Mechanisms of cold acclimatization in the cat.

Thermoregulatory control in cats living at 25 C was compared to the regulation of body temperature in the same species after continuous whole-body cold exposure to an ambient temperature of 5 C for periods exceeding 2 months. Rectal and extremity temperatures and metabolic rates for the two groups were examined during acute (2-hr) air exposures to 23, 10, and 0 C. Cold acclimatizing mechanisms in the cat involve a redistribution of body heat at 23 C, obligating increased heat flux at the expense of elevated metabolism, an improved peripheral vascular defense (increase functional tissue insulation) during moderate cold exposure (10 C), and a greater ability to increase heat production accompanied by more labile peripheral vasomotion, during more severe cold air exposure (0 C). Although resting at 23 C, cold-acclimatized cats had lower rectal temperatures and were able to maintain higher internal body temperatures during both levels of cold stress compared to noncold-acclimatized animals. Submitted on November 1, 1962

Maze acquisition and retention in hypothermic mice

Three experiments were carried out to demonstrate the relation between learning and retention as affected by a reduction of colonic temperature in mice. Animals rendered hypothermic (T Ε = 3.3 C, 3.4 C) by treatment with 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid and exposure to cold air (2.0±0.5 C) did not acquire a simple escape response from a water maze within ten training trials. Saline-treated control animals demonstrated acquisition within four trials under similar conditions. Retention of the maze habit was a function of acquisition during training. Retention scores, as well as performance measures, were not affected by a comparable reduction in colonic temperature. Note: (With the Technical Assistance of J. R. Blumstein and D. Pennec) Submitted on January 22, 1962

Metabolic responses of old people to a cold environment.

ARTICLESMetabolic Responses of Old People to a Cold EnvironmentSteven M. Horvath, C. E. Radcliffe, B. K. Hutt, and G. B. SpurrSteven M. Horvath, C. E. Radcliffe, B. K. Hutt, and G. B. SpurrPublished Online:01 Sep 1955https://doi.org/10.1152/jappl.1955.8.2.145MoreSectionsPDF (594 KB)Download PDF ToolsExport citationAdd to favoritesGet permissionsTrack citations ShareShare onFacebookTwitterLinkedInEmailWeChat Previous Back to Top Next Download PDF FiguresReferencesRelatedInformationCited ByWhole-body cold tolerance in older Korean female divers “haenyeo” during cold air exposure: effects of repetitive cold exposure and aging3 November 2017 | International Journal of Biometeorology, Vol. 62, No. 4Immediate and Long-Term Effects of Qigong on Cold Intolerance in Patients with Post-Poliomyelitis SyndromeHealth, Vol. 10, No. 01Impaired defense of core temperature in aged humans during mild cold stressDavid W. DeGroot, and W. Larry Kenney1 January 2007 | American Journal of Physiology-Regulatory, Integrative and Comparative Physiology, Vol. 292, No. 1Aging alters regulation of visceral sympathetic nerve responses to acute hypothermiaBryan G. Helwig, Sujatha Parimi, Chanran K. Ganta, Richard Cober, Richard J. Fels, and Michael J. Kenney1 September 2006 | American Journal of Physiology-Regulatory, Integrative and Comparative Physiology, Vol. 291, No. 3Invited Review: Aging and human temperature regulationW. Larry Kenney, and Thayne A. Munce1 December 2003 | Journal of Applied Physiology, Vol. 95, No. 6Age-related thermoregulatory differences during core cooling in humansSteven M. Frank, Srinivasa N. Raja, Christian Bulcao, and David S. Goldstein1 July 2000 | American Journal of Physiology-Regulatory, Integrative and Comparative Physiology, Vol. 279, No. 1Cold-Induced Thermoregulation and Biological AgingMARIA FLOREZ-DUQUET, and ROGER B. McDONALD1 April 1998 | Physiological Reviews, Vol. 78, No. 2Physiological responses and thermal sensations of the elderly in cold and hot environmentsJournal of Thermal Biology, Vol. 18, No. 5-6Anaesthesia for urological surgery in the elderlyCurrent Anaesthesia & Critical Care, Vol. 3, No. 4Surgical hypothermiaPharmacology & Therapeutics, Vol. 38, No. 2The adrenocorticol stress-response in the aged male rat: Impairment of recovery from stressExperimental Gerontology, Vol. 18, No. 1Temperature requirements in old age27 July 2016 | Building Services Engineering Research and Technology, Vol. 1, No. 4Hypothermia in the aged.Environmental Health Perspectives, Vol. 20 More from this issue > Volume 8Issue 2September 1955Pages 145-148 https://doi.org/10.1152/jappl.1955.8.2.145PubMed13263254History Published online 1 September 1955 Published in print 1 September 1955 Metrics