cyclic-gmp and Raynaud-Disease

To investigate influence of whole-body cooling on cyclic GMP (cGMP) in women with Raynaud's phenomenon and in healthy women.. The study was performed as an open, parallel-group comparison between women with Raynaud's phenomenon and healthy women during the winter month of February.. The municipality of Västerås (Sweden).. The Raynaud group comprised 24 female patients. The control group consisted of 21 healthy females.. The venous levels of cGMP were measured on three different occasions: just before and after 40 min of whole-body cooling and after 20 min rest at room temperature (21 degrees C).. Venous cGMP increased significantly in the control group after cold exposure (mean difference 0.43 pmol mL-1; 95% CI, 0.018-0.848; t = 2.18; df = 20; P = 0.02) and remained at a high level after 20 min rest (mean difference 0.58 pmol mL-1; 95% CI, 0.063-1.108; t = 2.34; df = 20; P = 0.015). In contrast, the levels of venous cGMP in the Raynaud group did not change significantly. The difference in increase between the two groups was significant (P < 0.02). The diastolic blood pressure in the Raynaud group increased after 40 min of whole-body cooling and was still significantly increased (P < 0.001) after 20 min rest at room temperature (21 degrees C).. These results indicate that women suffering from Raynaud's phenomenon lack the physiological response of cGMP to cold exposure, which may explain their increased vasospastic response.

Topics: Adult; Blood Pressure; Calcium; Cold Temperature; Cyclic GMP; Female; Heart Rate; Humans; Magnesium; Middle Aged; Raynaud Disease

A case-control study was performed to investigate the autonomic nervous function in vibration syndrome. The subjects were 20 patients with a history of Raynaud's phenomenon (vibration white finger (VWF) (+) group), 20 patients without such a history (VWF(-) group), and 20 healthy workers (control group). Their ages and years under medical treatment for vibration syndrome were matched individually among the groups. They were examined using the test of R-R interval variations in the electrocardiogram at rest and during deep breathing and the test of plasma cyclic nucleotide (cyclic AMP and cyclic GMP) responses to whole body exposure to cold. The heart rate variation resulting from respiratory arrhythmia reflects parasympathetic activity; the changes of plasma cyclic AMP and GMP levels reflect sympathetic and parasympathetic receptor functions. The reduced R-R interval variations were observed in the VWF(+) group. Although exposure to cold induced a significant increase of plasma cyclic AMP level, the percentage increase was almost the same among the three groups. The response of plasma cyclic GMP level to cold exposure was highly activated in the VWF(+) and the VWF(-) groups. On the basis of these results, it is considered that the parasympathetic function of patients with vibration syndrome is lower at rest, and that exposure to cold induces a hypperresponse of the parasympathetic nervous system and the alpha-2 adrenergic mechanism as a result of activation of the sympathetic nervous system. Moreover, in patients with VWF, the contribution of the alpha-2 adrenergic mechanism is presumably larger than that in the patients without VWF.

Topics: Autonomic Nervous System; Cold Temperature; Cyclic AMP; Cyclic GMP; Heart Rate; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Nucleotides, Cyclic; Occupational Diseases; Raynaud Disease; Vibration