No abstract available.
Autonomic Pathways* ; Rectal Neoplasms* ; Urodynamics*

No abstract available.
Autonomic Pathways ; Diabetes Mellitus ; Gastroesophageal Reflux

No abstract available.
Autonomic Pathways ; Diabetes Mellitus ; Gastroesophageal Reflux

BACKGROUND: During the past eight years, we have been performing partial autonomic nerve preservation surgery (PANP) for the treaolent of advanced rectal cancer in order to reduce the postoperative male sexual dysfunctions. METHODS: This is a prospective study of 25 rectal cancer patients who underwent PANP from 1990 to 1997. All patient were in Duke C stage and their ages were between 30 and 55. Patients were divided into four types: 1) Partial sacrifice of inferior mesenteric plexus (PSIP). 2) Partial sacrifice of preaortic nerve (PSPN). 3) Complete sacrifice of preaortic nerve with complete pelvic nerve preservation (CSPN). 4) Unilateral sacrifice of pelvic autonomic nerve (USPN). RESULTS: The percentage of ejaculation and erection difficulties at each surgery was as follows: PSIP 0/5 (0%) for ejaculation vs. 0/5 (0%) for erection, respectively, PSPN 5/7 (71.4%) vs. 2/7 (28.6%), CSPN 6/7 (85.7%) vs. 0/7 (0%) and USPN 6/6 (100%) vs. 5/6 (83.3%). Summary: PANP is possible for the treatment of advanced rectal cancer.
Autonomic Pathways* ; Ejaculation ; Humans ; Male* ; Prospective Studies ; Rectal Neoplasms*

Local release of neurotransmitters from autonomic nerve fibers in the nasal mucosa is known to play an important role for the protection of the lower airways. In addition to classical neurotransmitters, a diverse collection of neuropeptides are found in the sensory, parasympathetic, and sympathetic nerve fibers and may act as co-transmitters or modulators of effects induced by classical neurotransmitters. In the nasal mucosa, these neuropeptides are known to regulate the blood flow and content, secretory activity, and other epithelial functions and to be involved in the regulation of immunological reactions. There are increasing evidences that neuropeptides may play an important role in the pathophysiologic events in both specific and nonspecific hyperreactivity. Further study on the neuropeptides is needed to clarify the pathophysiologic mechanisms of nasal mucosal hyperreactivity.
Autonomic Pathways ; Nasal Mucosa* ; Nerve Fibers ; Neuropeptides ; Neurotransmitter Agents

OBJECTIVETo explore the effects of expression ways and traits of anger emotion on autonomic nerve in the emotion recovery stage.

METHODSThe 48 healthy undergraduate students were recruited as subjects, who were assigned to four groups, i.e., anger-out of high trait group, anger-in of high trait group, anger-out of low trait group, anger-in of low trait group, 12 in each group. The changes of autonomic nerve in emotion recovery stage [mainly including heart rate (HR), finger pulse volume (FPV), heart rate variability (HRV), and galvanic skin response (GSR)] were observed in an experimental paradigm processed dynamically by emotion induction (by watching movie clips) and emotion regulation (by phraseology chewing and regulating body reaction to anger).

RESULTSIn the emotion recovery stage all increased data of vegetative reactions decreased in the four groups. The decrease extent of HR, FPV, and GSR was lower in the anger-in groups than that in the anger-out groups (P < 0.05). The HRV showed a decreasing trend, but with no statistical significance (P > 0.05). The decrease extent of HR was lower in the low-anger groups than in the high-anger group (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONSBoth expression ways and traits of anger exerted influence on the autonomic nerve in the emotion recovery stage. The former influenced more broadly. The influence of anger-in on the autonomic nerve would be more sustainable.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The cardiac autonomic nervous system is an emerging target for therapeutic control of atrial fibrillation (AF). We evaluated the effects of low-intensity autonomic nerve stimulation (LI-ANS) on atrial electrophysiology, AF vulnerability, and neural remodeling. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Fourteen dogs were subjected to 3 hours rapid atrial pacing (RAP, 5 Hz) and concomitant high frequency LI-ANS (20 Hz, at voltages 40% below the threshold) as follows: no autonomic stimulation (control, n=3); or right cervical vagus nerve (RVN, n=6), anterior right ganglionated plexi (ARGP, n=3), and superior left ganglionated plexi (SLGP, n=2) stimulation. Programmed and burst atrial pacing were performed at baseline and at the end of each hour to determine atrial effective refractory period (ERP), window of vulnerability (WOV), and inducibility of sustained AF. RESULTS: Atrial ERP was significantly shortened by 3 hours RAP (in control group, DeltaERP=-47.9+/-8.9%, p=0.032), and RAP-induced ERP shortening was attenuated by LI-ANS (in LI-ANS group, DeltaERP=-15.4+/-5.9%, p=0.019; vs. control, p=0.035). Neither WOV for AF nor AF inducibility changed significantly during 3 hours RAP with simultaneous LI-ANS. There was no significant difference between the control and LI-ANS group in nerve density and sprouting evaluated by anti-tyrosine hydroxylase and anti-growth associated protein-43 staining. Among the various sites for LI-ANS, the ARGP-stimulation group showed marginally lower DeltaWOV (p=0.077) and lower nerve sprouting (p=0.065) compared to the RVN-stimulation group. CONCLUSION: Low-intensity autonomic nerve stimulation significantly attenuated the shortening of atrial ERP caused by RAP. ARGP may be a better target for LI-ANS than RVN for the purpose of suppressing atrial remodeling in AF.
Animals ; Atrial Fibrillation ; Atrial Remodeling ; Autonomic Nervous System ; Autonomic Pathways* ; Dogs ; Electrophysiology* ; Ganglion Cysts ; Vagus Nerve

To investigate role of autonomic nerves on penile erection and to further characterize the laboratory rat as animal model of penile erection, this experiment was performed by means of monitoring intracavernosal pressure following nerve stimulation in 46 rats. The results obtained were summarized as follows: Increased intracavernosal pressure as well as erection was observed following electrical stimulation( 1-10 volt, 0.5-5 Hz) on each autonomic nerve, although the hypogastric nerve required higher intensity of electrical stimuli than the parasympathetic nerve (pelvic or cavervnous nerve) to induce erectile response. Combined stimulation of the pelvic nerve and the hypogastric nerve resulted in synergistic increase of intracavernosal pressure. These results indicate the hypogastric nerve may have a potential role in mediation of penile tumescence as the parasympathetic(pelvic or cavernous) nerve and that this rat model would contribute to the further study of penile erection.
Animals ; Autonomic Nervous System ; Autonomic Pathways* ; Male ; Models, Animal ; Negotiating ; Penile Erection* ; Rats*

OBJECTIVES: Autonomic nerve system dysfunction has been reported in patients following traumatic brain injury (TBI). However, studies providing direct evidence of a link between the two have been scarce. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate cardiac autonomic modulation in post-acute ambulatory outpatients with TBI using an analysis of heart rate variability (HRV). METHODS: Twenty-one patients with TBI and 21 age- and gender-matched normal controls were evaluated. The HRV assessments were performed using conventional time and frequency domain analyses as well as non-linear complexity analysis. RESULTS: In the patient group, standard deviation values of the RR intervals (SDNN), the square root of the mean squared differences of successive normal sinus intervals (RMSSD), total successive RR interval difference (TSRD), and the very low frequency (VLF) power spectral parameter were significantly lower than in the control group. The patients with moderate severity of TBI exhibited a significantly lower value of VLF than those with mild severity. The severity of anxiety symptoms had a tendency to be correlated with the mean heart rate and the ratio of low-to-high frequency spectral power. CONCLUSION: The results of the present study provide evidence that TBI is associated with reduced HRV, suggesting the critical involvement of central autonomic structures in the pathogenesis of TBI. The HRV measures may serve as an index for monitoring aspects of autonomic function in patients with TBI.
Aluminum Hydroxide ; Anxiety ; Autonomic Nervous System ; Autonomic Pathways ; Brain Injuries ; Carbonates ; Heart ; Heart Rate ; Humans ; Outpatients

BACKGROUND: The nature of the interactions between the vestibular and autonomic systems is complex and has not been fully defined. The vestibuloocular reflex induced by sinusoidal rotation and the activity of the autonomic nerves in the heart were measured to investigate the interactions between the vestibular system and the autonomic nervous system in healthy adults. METHODS: Eye movements induced by sinusoidal rotation of the whole body or optokinetic stimulation at 0.04 Hz were analyzed in regards to their gain, phase, and symmetry. EKG was measured during vestibular stimulation and analyzed in heart rate variabilities including mean R-R interval, standard deviation (SD) and coefficient of variance (CV) of R-R interval, and power spectrum of the low frequency region (LF) and high fre-quency region (HF). RESULTS: The gain of eye movement was 0.65 degree +/-0.03 by rotatory stimulation and 0.70 degree +/-0 . 0 2 by optokinetic stimulation. The gain of visual suppression was 0.08 degree +/-0.02, which was a significant decrease com-pared with the rotatory stimulation, and visual enhancement increased the gain significantly, 0.84 degree +/-0.04 (p<0.01). In the R-R interval, the resting condition (control) was 0.82 degree +/-0.03 sec. Rotatory and optokinetic stimulations did not show any significant differences compared with the control, however, visual suppression showed a significant increase and visual enhancement showed a significant decrease (p<0.01). CV was 0.06 degree +/-0.02 in the control and visual enhancement increased significantly (p<0.05). In LF/HF the control was 1.40 degree +/-0.23, which was not different from the rotatory or optokinetic stimulation. However, visual suppression decreased the LF/HF significantly and visual enhancement increased the LF/HF significantly compared with the control (p<0.01). CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that the degree of gain corresponds with LF/HF and that increased gain in visual enhancement is related to the activity of the sympathetic nerves.
Adult* ; Autonomic Nervous System ; Autonomic Pathways ; Electrocardiography ; Eye Movements ; Heart Rate* ; Heart* ; Humans ; Reflex, Vestibulo-Ocular*