OBJECTIVETo investigate the electrical signals propagated along Foot Taiyang Bladder Meridian (BL) in a rat model.

METHODSThe experiments were performed on Dark-Agouti (DA), DA.1U and Sprague Dawley (SD) rats. The antidromic electrical stimulation was applied on the nerve innervating "Pishu" (BL 20) to mimic the acupoint electro-acupuncture (EA). The activities recording from adjacent nerve innervating acupoint "Danshu" (BL 19) or "Weishu" (BL 21) were recorded as indics for acupoint, including the mechanical threshold and discharge rate.

RESULTSAfter mimic EA on BL 20, C and Aδ units from adjacent BL 19 or BL 21 were sensitized including the decrease in mechanical threshold and increase in discharge rates in DA, DA.1U and SD rats, especially in DA rats. The average discharge rate increased from 2.40±0.26 to 6.06±0.55 and from 1.92±0.42 to 6.17±1.10 impulse/min (P<0.01), and the mechanical threshold decreased from 0.52±0.12 to 0.24±0.05 and from 0.27±0.02 to 0.16±0.01 mmol/L (P<0.01) in C (n=15) and Aδ (n=18) units in DA rats. The net change in discharge rates from C units were 152.5%, 144.7% and 42.4% in DA, DA.1U and SD rats, respectively, among which DA rat's was the highest (P<0.05). In Aδ units, the net change in DA rats were also the highest (221.5%, 139.2% and 49.2% in DA, DA.1U and SD rats).

CONCLUSIONSThese results showed that mimic acupoint EA activated adjacent acupoints along BL in three rat strains, which might be related to propagated sensation along meridians (PSM). In addition, DA rats were more sensitive and might be a good model animal for PSM research.

Acupuncture Points ; Animals ; Electroacupuncture ; methods ; Male ; Meridians ; Pain Threshold ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Urinary Bladder ; innervation

OBJECTIVE: Although nerve-sparing radical surgery (NSRS) is an emerging technique for reducing surgery-related dysfunctions, its efficacy is controversial in patients with cervical cancer. Thus, we performed a meta-analysis to compare clinical outcomes, and urinary, anorectal, and sexual dysfunctions between conventional radical surgery (CRS) and NSRS. METHODS: After searching PubMed, Embase, and the Cochrane Library, two randomized controlled trials, seven prospective and eleven retrospective cohort studies were included with 2,253 patients from January 2000 to February 2014. We performed crude analyses and then conducted subgroup analyses according to study design, quality of study, surgical approach, radicality, and adjustment for potential confounding factors. RESULTS: Crude analyses showed decreases in blood loss, hospital stay, frequency of intraoperative complications, length of the resected vagina, duration of postoperative catheterization (DPC), urinary frequency, and abnormal sensation in NSRS, whereas there were no significant differences in other clinical parameters and dysfunctions between CRS and NSRS. In subgroup analyses, operative time was longer (standardized difference in means, 0.948; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.642 to 1.253), while intraoperative complications were less common (odds ratio, 0.147; 95% CI, 0.035 to 0.621) in NSRS. Furthermore, subgroup analyses showed that DPC was shorter, urinary incontinence or frequency, and constipation were less frequent in NSRS without adverse effects on survival and sexual functions. CONCLUSION: NSRS may not affect prognosis and sexual dysfunctions in patients with cervical cancer, whereas it may decrease intraoperative complications, and urinary and anorectal dysfunctions despite long operative time and short length of the resected vagina when compared with CRS.
Constipation/epidemiology/etiology ; Female ; Humans ; Hysterectomy/adverse effects/*methods ; Intraoperative Complications/epidemiology ; *Organ Sparing Treatments/adverse effects/methods ; Pelvis/*innervation/surgery ; Rectum/*innervation/surgery ; Sexual Dysfunction, Physiological/epidemiology/etiology ; Urinary Bladder/*innervation/surgery ; Urinary Retention/epidemiology/etiology ; Uterine Cervical Neoplasms/epidemiology/*surgery ; Uterus/innervation/surgery ; Vagina/innervation/surgery

OBJECTIVE: A prospective, randomized controlled trial was conducted to evaluate the efficacy of nerve-sparing radical hysterectomy (NSRH) in preserving bladder function and its oncologic safety in the treatment of cervical cancer. METHODS: From March 2003 to November 2005, 92 patients with cervical cancer stage IA2 to IIA were randomly assigned for surgical treatment with conventional radical hysterectomy (CRH) or NSRH, and 86 patients finally included in the analysis. Adequacy of nerve sparing, radicality, bladder function, and oncologic safety were assessed by quantifying the nerve fibers in the paracervix, measuring the extent of paracervix and harvested lymph nodes (LNs), urodynamic study (UDS) with International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS), and 10-year disease-free survival (DFS), respectively. RESULTS: There were no differences in clinicopathologic characteristics between two groups. The median number of nerve fiber was 12 (range, 6 to 21) and 30 (range, 17 to 45) in the NSRH and CRH, respectively (p<0.001). The extent of resected paracervix and number of LNs were not different between the two groups. Volume of residual urine and bladder compliance were significantly deteriorated at 12 months after CRH. On the contrary, all parameters of UDS were recovered no later than 3 months after NSRH. Evaluation of the IPSS showed that the frequency of long-term urinary symptom was higher in CRH than in the NSRH group. The median duration before the postvoid residual urine volume became less than 50 mL was 11 days (range, 7 to 26 days) in NSRH group and was 18 days (range, 10 to 85 days) in CRH group (p<0.001). No significant difference was observed in the 10-year DFS between two groups. CONCLUSION: NSRH appears to be effective in preserving bladder function without sacrificing oncologic safety.
Adenocarcinoma/mortality/pathology/surgery ; Adult ; Carcinoma, Adenosquamous/mortality/pathology/surgery ; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell/mortality/pathology/surgery ; Female ; Humans ; Hysterectomy/adverse effects/*methods ; Middle Aged ; *Organ Sparing Treatments/adverse effects/methods ; Pelvis/*innervation/surgery ; Recovery of Function ; Survival Analysis ; Treatment Outcome ; Urinary Bladder/*innervation/physiology/surgery ; Uterine Cervical Neoplasms/mortality/pathology/*surgery ; Uterus/*innervation/surgery

No abstract available.
Female ; Humans ; Hysterectomy/*methods ; *Organ Sparing Treatments ; Pelvis/*innervation ; Rectum/*innervation ; Urinary Bladder/*innervation ; Uterine Cervical Neoplasms/*surgery ; Uterus/*innervation

Circadian clocks are the endogenous oscillators that harmonize a variety of physiological processes within the body. Although many urinary functions exhibit clear daily or circadian variation in diurnal humans and nocturnal rodents, the precise mechanisms of these variations are as yet unclear. In the present study, we demonstrate that Per2 promoter activity clearly oscillates in neonate and adult bladders cultured ex vivo from Per2::Luc knock-in mice. In subsequent experiments, we show that multiple local oscillators are operating in all the bladder tissues (detrusor, sphincter and urothelim) and the lumbar spinal cord (L4-5) but not in the pontine micturition center or the ventrolateral periaqueductal gray of the brain. Accordingly, the water intake and urine volume exhibited daily and circadian variations in young adult wild-type mice but not in Per1-/- Per2-/- mice, suggesting a functional clock-dependent nature of the micturition rhythm. Particularly in PDK mice, the water intake and urinary excretion displayed an arrhythmic pattern under constant darkness, and the amount of water consumed and excreted significantly increased compared with those of WT mice. These results suggest that local circadian clocks reside in three types of bladder tissue and the lumbar spinal cord and may have important roles in the circadian control of micturition function.
Animals ; *Circadian Clocks ; Drinking ; Mice ; Organ Specificity ; Periaqueductal Gray/metabolism/physiology ; Period Circadian Proteins/genetics/*metabolism ; Pons/metabolism/physiology ; Spinal Cord/*metabolism/physiology ; Urinary Bladder/innervation/metabolism/*physiology ; Urination

OBJECTIVE: This study was conducted to ascertain the correlation between preserved pelvic nerve networks and bladder function after laparoscopic nerve-sparing radical hysterectomy. METHODS: Between 2009 and 2011, 53 patients underwent total laparoscopic radical hysterectomies. They were categorized into groups A, B, and C based on the status of preserved pelvic nerve networks: complete preservation of the pelvic nerve plexus (group A, 27 cases); partial preservation (group B, 13 cases); and complete sacrifice (group C, 13 cases). To evaluate bladder function, urodynamic studies were conducted preoperatively and postoperatively at 1, 3, 6, and 12 months after surgery. RESULTS: No significant difference in sensory function was found between groups A and B. However, the sensory function of group C was significantly lower than that of the other groups. Group A had significantly better motor function than groups B and C. No significant difference in motor function was found between groups B and C. Results showed that the sensory nerve is distributed predominantly at the dorsal half of the pelvic nerve networks, but the motor nerve is predominantly distributed at the ventral half. CONCLUSION: Various types of total laparoscopic nerve-sparing radical hysterectomies can be tailored to patients with cervical carcinomas.
Adult ; Aged ; Female ; Humans ; Hypogastric Plexus/injuries ; Hysterectomy/adverse effects/*methods ; Laparoscopy/adverse effects/*methods ; Middle Aged ; Neoplasm Staging ; Pelvis/innervation ; Peripheral Nerve Injuries/etiology/*prevention & control ; Postoperative Period ; Urinary Bladder/*innervation/physiopathology ; Urodynamics ; Uterine Cervical Neoplasms/pathology/*surgery

No abstract available.
Female ; Humans ; Hysterectomy/adverse effects/*methods ; Postoperative Complications/*prevention & control ; Urinary Bladder/*innervation/physiopathology ; Urodynamics/*physiology

OBJECTIVETo investigate the feasibility of unilateral or bilateral nerve-sparing radical hysterectomy and evaluate the recovery of bladder and bowel function postoperatively.

METHODSFrom August 2008 to October 2009, sixty-one patients with cervical cancer stage Ib1 to IIa underwent radical hysterectomy (33 cases) and nerve-sparing radical hysterectomy (28 cases). Unilateral nerve-sparing radical hysterectomy was performed in 10 patients, and bilateral nerve-sparing radical hysterectomy (BNS) was performed in 18 patients. The data of operation time, blood loss, postoperative hospital stay days, residual urine volume, and postoperative complications were collected. The postoperative recovery of bladder and bowel function was evaluated.

RESULTSThere were no significant differences between nerve-sparing radical hysterectomy (NSRH) and radical hysterectomy (RH) groups in operation time [NSRH: (224.5 ± 40.0) min, RH: (176.4 ± 30.0 min)], blood loss [NSRH: (464.3 ± 144.0) ml, RH: (374.2 ± 138.7) ml], postoperative hospital stay days [NSRH: (8.4 ± 2.0) d, RH: (9.2 ± 1.8) d, and residual urine volume [NSRH: (64.8 ± 16.9) ml, RH: (70.6 ± 16.0) ml]. There were also no significant differences between UNSRH and BNSRH groups in operation time [UNSRH: (208.5 ± 28.5) min, BNSRH: (233.3 ± 43.1) min], blood loss [UNSRH: (440.0 ± 104.9) ml, BNSRH: (477.8 ± 162.90) ml], postoperative hospital stay days [UNSRH: 9.1 ± 1.8) d, BNSRH: (8.7 ± 2.1 d], and the residual urine volume [UNSRH: (68.3 ± 12.5) ml, BNSRH: (62.8 ± 20.0) ml]. There was a significant difference in the time of the Foley catheter removal between NSRH [(12.4 ± 5.2) d] and RH [(22.4 ± 9.7) d] groups. There was a significant difference in the time of the Foley catheter removal between UNSRH [(18.2 ± 3.6) d] and BNSRH [(9.1 ± 2.0) d] groups. During the postoperative 3 weeks follow-up, the patients in the NSRH group had a higher rate of satisfaction at urination and defecation (100%, 75%) than the RH group (54.5%, 24.2%).

CONCLUSIONUNSRH and BNSRH are safe and feasible techniques for early stage cervical cancer, and may significantly improve the recovery of bladder and rectal function.

Adult ; Aged ; Blood Loss, Surgical ; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell ; pathology ; surgery ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Hysterectomy ; adverse effects ; methods ; Length of Stay ; Middle Aged ; Neoplasm Staging ; Pelvis ; innervation ; surgery ; Postoperative Complications ; prevention & control ; Postoperative Period ; Rectum ; physiology ; Urinary Bladder ; innervation ; physiology ; surgery ; Urination ; physiology ; Urination Disorders ; prevention & control ; Uterine Cervical Neoplasms ; pathology ; surgery

OBJECTIVETo study the neurophysiologic of detrusor overactivity (DO) due to partial bladder outflow obstruction (PBOO).

METHODSTwenty four female Wistar rats with DO caused by PBOO were studied simultaneously with ten sham-operated rats. An electrophysiological multi-channel simultaneous recording system was used to record pelvic afferent fiber potentials as well as the pudendal nerve motor branch potentials, external urethral sphincter electromyogram (EUS EMG) and abdominal muscle EMG during filling cystometry. To test the effect of the unstable contraction in DO rats after the decentralization of the central nervous system, DO rats were studied the changes of the unstable contraction after transection of the spinal cord (T(8) level), pelvic nerve, the sympathetic trunk, and the pudendal nerve.

RESULTSThe incidence of DO was 62.5% in filling cystometry. During filling cystometry, there are two type of DO contraction according to the changes of pelvic afferent fiber signals, the relevant nerves and muscles responses: the small pressure of the unstable contraction (S-DO) and the big pressure of the unstable contraction (B-DO). For the B-DO, there were significant changes in the recordings of pelvic afferent fiber, the motor branch of the pudendal nerve, EUS EMG, and abdominal muscle EMG. While all these differences have not been recorded during S-DO. Both the filling-voiding cycle and the unstable contraction of B-DO were eliminated and the base line of bladder pressure increased after T(8) spinal cord transection. While the S-DO was not affected by such transection. When bladder relevant nerves were transected by the sequence of the pelvic nerve, the sympathetic trunk, and the pudendal nerve, the filling-voiding cycle was eliminated. The base line of bladder pressure increased significantly. No B-DO was recorded, but the S-DO still existed.

CONCLUSIONThere are some bladder-genic factors take part in the DO contractions induced by PBOO.

Animals ; Disease Models, Animal ; Female ; Pelvic Floor ; innervation ; Rats ; Rats, Wistar ; Urinary Bladder ; innervation ; Urinary Bladder Neck Obstruction ; complications ; physiopathology ; Urinary Bladder, Overactive ; etiology ; physiopathology

OBJECTIVETo assess the feasibility of nerve sparing radical hysterectomy (NSRH) technique and the impact on the improvement of postoperative bladder function in patients with cervical cancer.

METHODSForty-two patients with FIGO stage Ib1 approximately Ib2 cervical cancer were selected to receive NSRH (study group, 21 cases) or routine hysterectomy (RH) (control group, 21 cases). Duration of surgery, blood loss and mean length of postoperative stay were compared between the two groups. Immunohistochemical analysis of surgical margins using a general nerve marker (S-100) was performed to compare the nerve damages.

RESULTSThe operation time of NSRH group and RH group was (248 +/- 24) min and (227 +/- 27) min, respectively, with a significant difference between the two groups (P < 0.01). No significant difference in blood loss was found between the NSRH and RH group [(459 +/- 143) ml vs. (454 +/- 121) ml, P > 0.05]. However, the median urinary catheterization time was 7 days in NSRH group versus 16 days in the RH group, with a statistically significant difference between the two groups (P < 0.01). The rate of patients who had postoperative residual urine volume in bladder (PVR) < or =100 ml was 66.7% in the NSRH group versus 19.0% in the RH group, with a significant difference between the two groups (P < 0.01). No severe perioperative complications occurred in both groups. After a follow-up of 11 to 16 months (median: 14 months), no recurrence was detected in the two groups. Immunohistochemistry with S-100 staining revealed only small nerve fibers in the surgical margins of the NSRH group, but full with large nerve bundles in that of the RH group. There was a significant difference between two group (P < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONThe results of our preliminary study indicate that nerve sparing radical hysterectomy (NSRH) for the patients with FIGO stage Ib1 approximately Ib2 cervical cancer is safe and feasible, and can well preserve the pelvic autonomic nerves and improve the recovery of bladder voiding function.

Adult ; Blood Loss, Surgical ; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell ; metabolism ; pathology ; surgery ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Hypogastric Plexus ; surgery ; Hysterectomy ; methods ; Middle Aged ; S100 Proteins ; metabolism ; Urinary Bladder ; innervation ; surgery ; Urinary Catheterization ; Uterine Cervical Neoplasms ; metabolism ; pathology ; surgery