Growth of the young heart: influence of nutrition and stress.
Newborn rat pups reared in litters of 4 and 16 inhaled up to 500 ppm carbon monoxide for 14 days, while others in litters of equal size remained in room air. Body weight, combined ventricle weight, hemoglobin concentration, hematocrit, and myocardial DNA content were measured. Differences in hemoglobin concentration and hematocrit between the four groups of pups were small. Cardiomegaly resulting from CO-stress was intensified in pups from small, as opposed to large litters. Relative combined ventricle weight was unaltered by change in litter size in the absence of CO-stress, although combined ventricle weight and body weight were increased with small litter size. Ventricular DNA content, indicative of cellularity, was increased in small litters and with CO-stress. Exacerbated postnatal anemia is not responsible for the differential effects of litter size and stress on the heart.
D000824:Animal Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; D000818:Animals; D001835:Body Weight; D002249:Carbon Monoxide Poisoning / Q000150:complications*; D002263:Carboxyhemoglobin / Q000032:analysis; D006332:Cardiomegaly / Q000209:etiology*; D004247:DNA / Q000032:analysis; D005260:Female; D006321:Heart / Q000254:growth & development*; D006400:Hematocrit; D006454:Hemoglobins / Q000032:analysis; D008297:Male; D009206:Myocardium / Q000032:analysis; D009929:Organ Size; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains; D013312:Stress, Physiological / Q000503:physiopathology*
D006454:Hemoglobins; D004247:DNA; D002263:Carboxyhemoglobin