The candidate is a third year Assistant Professor of pediatrics at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and has a strong commitment to academic medicine as evidenced by his research endeavors and commitment to teaching. He has been interested in the role respiratory muscles play in the development of ventilatory failure in newborns. He is planning to expand the breadth of his research studies by acquiring new skills in muscle biochemistry and in vitro muscle contractile physiology during the training program proposed in the present application. These new skills are necessary to ensure successful future independent investigators of respiratory muscle development. The primary research goal of the proposed investigation is to determine the postnatal changes in the contractile, biochemical, and endurance properties of the external abdominal oblique muscle (an expiratory abdominal muscle of """"""""mixed"""""""" fast and slow twitch fiber population when mature). Biochemical assessments to be performed include an analysis of this muscle's myosin contractile protein composition, its fiber succinate dehydrogenase (SDH) activity and its myofibrillar ATPase activity. We plan to correlate endurance properties with myofibrillar ATPase and SDH activities. Identical assessments will be performed on the costal diaphragm (an inspiratory muscle control of """"""""mixed"""""""" fast and slow twitch muscle fiber population when mature), and the medial gastrocnemius (an appendicular muscle control of """"""""mixed"""""""" fast and slow twitch fiber population when mature) in order to draw expiratory-inspiratory, ventilatory-appendicular, and rostral-caudal comparisons. By characterizing these developmental properties in expiratory and inspiratory muscle, we will deepen our understanding of the functional potential of the developing ventilatory pump.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI)
Type
Clinical Investigator Award (CIA) (K08)
Project #
5K08HL002491-04
Application #
3082926
Study Section
Special Emphasis Panel (SRC (VR))
Project Start
1990-08-01
Project End
1995-07-31
Budget Start
1993-08-01
Budget End
1994-07-31
Support Year
4
Fiscal Year
1993
Total Cost
Indirect Cost
Name
Magee-Women's Hospital of Upmc
Department
Type
DUNS #
City
Pittsburgh
State
PA
Country
United States
Zip Code
15213
Lattari, A; Daood, M J; Sieck, G C et al. (1997) Rat diaphragm oxidative capacity, antioxidant enzymes, and fatigue: newborn versus adult. Pediatr Res 42:60-5
Watchko, J F; Daood, M J; LaBella, J J (1996) Creatine kinase activity in rat skeletal muscle relates to myosin phenotype during development. Pediatr Res 40:53-8
Johnson, B D; Wilson, L E; Zhan, W Z et al. (1994) Contractile properties of the developing diaphragm correlate with myosin heavy chain phenotype. J Appl Physiol 77:481-7
Watchko, J F; Balsan, M J (1994) Ventilatory pump failure in premature newborns. Pediatr Pulmonol 17:231-3
Watchko, J F; Johnson, B D; Gosselin, L E et al. (1994) Age-related differences in diaphragm muscle injury after lengthening activations. J Appl Physiol 77:2125-33
Brozanski, B S; Watchko, J F; O'Day, T L et al. (1993) Effect of undernutrition on contractile and fatigue properties of rat diaphragm during development. J Appl Physiol 74:2121-6
Brozanski, B S; Daood, M J; Watchko, J F et al. (1993) Postnatal expression of myosin isoforms in the genioglossus and diaphragm muscles. Pediatr Pulmonol 15:212-9
Vazquez, R L; Daood, M; Watchko, J F (1993) Regional distribution of myosin heavy chain isoforms in rib cage muscles as a function of postnatal development. Pediatr Pulmonol 16:289-96
Watchko, J F; Sieck, G C (1993) Respiratory muscle fatigue resistance relates to myosin phenotype and SDH activity during development. J Appl Physiol 75:1341-7
Watchko, J F; Daood, M J; Vazquez, R L et al. (1992) Postnatal expression of myosin isoforms in an expiratory muscle--external abdominal oblique. J Appl Physiol 73:1860-6

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