Changes in regional blood flow during simulated normobaric diving were studied in the conscious Antarctic Weddell seal (Leptonychotes weddelli) by injecting 25-microns radioactive microspheres into the left ventricle. Injections were performed before and 8--12 min after submersion of the head in iced seawater. Diving was associated with a fall in cardiac output from a mean control value of 39.8 +/- 10.2 to 5.6 +/- 3.4 l/min (mean +/- SD) and in heart rate from 52 +/- 15 to 15 +/- 4 beats/min. Blood flow to the splanchnic and peripheral vascular bed was reduced by more than 90%, cerebral blood flow was unchanged, right and left ventricular blood flow decreased by 85%, and adrenal blood flow decreased by 39%. The pulmonary fraction of the injected microsphere dose increased from 7.9 to 29.9% during diving. This may signify a large increase of peripheral arteriovenous shunting during the dive and/or increased bronchial artery blood flow. It is concluded that blood flow during diving is directed to organs and tissues according to their metabolic requirements.

Arterial blood gas tensions, pH, and hemoglobin concentrations were measured in four free-diving Weddell seals Leptonychotes weddelli. A microprocessor-controlled sampling system enabled us to obtain 24 single and 31 serial aortic blood samples. The arterial O2 tension (PaO2) at rest [78 +/- 13 (SD) Torr] increased with diving compression to a maximum measured value of 232 Torr and then rapidly decreased to 25-35 Torr. The lowest diving PaO2 we measured was 18 Torr just before the seal surfaced from a 27-min dive. A consistent increase of arterial hemoglobin concentrations from 15.1 +/- 1.10 to 22.4 +/- 1.41 g/100 ml (dives less than 17 min) and to 25.4 +/- 0.79 g/100 ml (dives greater than 17 min) occurred during each dive. We suggest that an extension of the sympathetic outflow of the diving reflex possibly caused profound contraction of the Weddell seal's very large spleen (0.89% of body wt at autopsy), although we have no direct evidence. This contraction may have injected large quantities of red blood cells (2/3 of the total) into the seal's central circulation during diving and allowed arterial O2 content to remain constant for the first 15-18 min of long dives. The increase of arterial CO2 tensions during the dive and the compression increase of arterial N2 tensions were also moderated by injecting red blood cells sequestered at ambient pressure. After each dive circulating red blood cells are oxygenated and rapidly sequestered, possibly in the spleen during the first 15 min of recovery.

Arterial blood nitrogen tensions of free-diving Weddell seals (Leptonychotes weddelli) were measured by attaching a microprocessor-controlled blood pump and drawing samples at depth to determine how these marine mammals dive to great depths and ascend rapidly without developing decompression sickness. Forty-seven samples of arterial blood were obtained from four Weddell seals during free dives lasting up to 23 minutes to depths of 230 meters beneath the sea ice of McMurdo Sound, Antarctica. Peak arterial blood nitrogen tensions of between 2000 and 2500 millimeters of mercury were recorded at depths of 40 to 80 meters during descent, indicating that the seal's lung collapses by 25 to 50 meters. Then arterial blood nitrogen tensions slowly decreased to about 1500 millimeters of mercury at the surface. In a single dive, alveolar collapse and redistribution of blood nitrogen allow the seal to avoid nitrogen narcosis and decompression sickness.

We have developed and successfully used the first microprocessor-controlled monitors for collection of data on depth, heart rate, and body temperature of one fetal and five adult male freely swimming Weddell seals. Adult seals almost invariably experienced a prompt bradycardia at the start of each dive, and the mean heart rate during diving was significantly lower for dives greater than 20 min (P greater than 0.999). The heart rate was also significantly greater during the ascent portion of dives when compared with the descent portion (P greater than 0.95). The fetal seal experienced a slow onset of bradycardia when its mother dived; during diving the fetal heart rate decreased by an average of 1.1 beats/min for each minute of the dive. The fetal heart rate generally took approximately 10 min to recover to predive levels after its mother resurfaced to breathe. The body temperature of one adult male Weddell seal showed a decrease of greater than 1.5 degrees C from resting levels before dives of greater than 15 min were initiated and a drop of over 2 degrees C before dives of greater than 30 min duration.

Levels of circulating cytokines were measured in 22 hospitalized patients with pneumococcal infections during the first week after admission, to test for age-associated differences. Twenty-two healthy age- and sex-matched subjects were included as controls. Concentrations of tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha, interleukin (IL)-1beta, IL-6, IL-1 receptor antagonist, soluble TNF receptor I (sTNFR-I), and IL-10 were increased on admission (P<.05), but macrophage inflammatory protein (MIP)-1beta was not. Whereas levels of cytokines were similar on admission, levels of TNF-alpha and sTNFR-I after 1 week were higher (P<.05) in elderly (68-91 years) than in young (37-55 years) patients. Furthermore, plasma levels of IL-10 and sTNFR-I after 1 week were positively correlated with age, and the declines in sTNFR-I and in the TNFalpha/IL-10 ratio from day 0 to day 7 were correlated with age. Thus, aging was associated with prolonged inflammatory activity. This may reflect decreased ability to control the infection or a dysregulated cytokine response.