Resting-state brain network remodeling after different nerve reconstruction surgeries:a functional magnetic resonance imaging study in brachial plexus injury rats

Distinct brain remodeling has been found after different nerve reconstruction strategies,including motor representation of the affected limb.However,differences among reconstruction strategies at the brain network level have not been elucidated.This study aimed to explore intranetwork changes related to altered peripheral neural pathways after different nerve reconstruction surgeries,including nerve repair,endto-end nerve transfer,and end-to-side nerve transfer.Sprague–Dawley rats underwent complete left brachial plexus transection and were divided into four equal groups of eight:no nerve repair,grafted nerve repair,phrenic nerve end-to-end transfer,and end-to-side transfer with a graft sutured to the anterior upper trunk.Resting-state brain functional magnetic resonance imaging was obtained 7 months after surgery.The independent component analysis algorithm was utilized to identify group-level network components of interest and extract resting-state functional connectivity values of each voxel within the component.Alterations in intra-network resting-state functional connectivity were compared among the groups.Target muscle reinnervation was assessed by behavioral observation(elbow flexion)and electromyography.The results showed that alterations in the sensorimotor and interoception networks were mostly related to changes in the peripheral neural pathway.Nerve repair was related to enhanced connectivity within the sensorimotor network,while end-to-side nerve transfer might be more beneficial for restoring control over the affected limb by the original motor representation.The thalamic-cortical pathway was enhanced within the interoception network after nerve repair and end-to-end nerve transfer.Brain areas related to cognition and emotion were enhanced after end-to-side nerve transfer.Our study revealed important brain networks related to different nerve reconstructions.These networks may be potential targets for enhancing motor recovery.

Effects of Yogurt Containing <i>Lactobacillus gasseri</i>OLL2716 on Autonomic Nerve Activities and Physiological Functions

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of yogurt containing Lactobacillus gasseri OLL2716 (LG21) on autonomic nerve activities, peripheral blood flow, skin condition (skin pig-mentations and moisture), saliva s-IgA and examination of quality of life (QOL). 20 healthy female volunteers (yogurt containing LG21 group: 10 people, yogurt containing Bifidobacterium (Bif) group: 10 people) were examined. The subjects ingested 100 g of yogurt twice daily for 4 weeks. Analysis was before and after 4 weeks dosage. By the effects for the autonomic nervous activity, parasympathetic increase was observed in the LG21 yogurt group, but was not significant increase. The LG21 yogurt was significantly increased on the peripheral blood flow. The LG21 yogurt was significantly increased on saliva s-IgA. The LG21 yogurt and Bif yogurt were significantly decrease on skin pigmentation. Also, LG21 yogurt was significantly increased on skin moisture. As a result of QOL questionnaire, incomplete evacuation, lower abdominal fullness, cold extremities and pimply or rough skin improved in LG21 yogurt and Bif yogurt after the administration period. These results suggest that the improvement effects of LG21 yogurt may be related to the activity of the parasympathetic nervous system.

Autonomic and sensory nerve dysfunction in primary biliary cirrhosis

AIM:Cardiovascular autonomic and peripheral sensoryneuropathy is a known complication of chronic alcoholicand non-alcoholic liver diseases.We aimed to assess theprevalence and risk factors for peripheral sensory nerveand autonomic dysfunction using sensitive methods inpatients with primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC).METHODS:Twenty-four AMA M2 positive female patientswith clinical,biochemical and histological evidence of PBCand 20 age matched healthy female subjects were studied.Five standard cardiovascular reflex tests and 2d-h heartrate variability(HRV)analysis were performed to defineautonomic function.Peripheral sensory nerve function onmedian and peroneal nerves was characterized by currentperception threshold(CPT),measured by a neuroselectivediagnostic stimulator(Neurotron,Baltimore,MD).RESULTS:Fourteen of 24 patients(58%)had at least oneabnormal cardiovascular reflex test and thirteen(54%)had peripheral sensory neuropathy.Lower heart rateresponse to deep breathing(P=0.001),standing(P=0.03)and Valsalva manoeuvre(P=0.01),and more profounddecrease of blood pressure after standing(P=0.03)wasfound in PBC patients than in controls.As a novel findingwe proved that both time domain and frequency domainparameters of 24-h HRV were significantly reduced in PBCpatients compared to controls.Each patient had at leastone abnormal parameter of HRV.Lower CPT values indicatedhyperaesthesia as a characteristic feature at peronealnerve testing at three frequencies(2000 Hz:P=0.005;250 Hz:P=0.002;5 Hz:P=0.004)in PBC compared tocontrols.Correlation of autonomic dysfunction with theseverity and duration of the disease was observed.Lowertotal power of HRV correlated with lower CPT values atmedian nerve testing at 250 Hz(P=0.0001)and at 5 Hz(P=0.002),as well as with those at peroneal nerve testingat 2000 Hz(P=0.01).CONCLUSION:Autonomic and sensory nerve dysfunctionsare frequent in PBC.Twenty-four-hour HRV analysis is moresensitive than standard cardiovascular tests for detectingof both parasympathetic and sympathetic impairments.Ournovel data suggest that hyperaesthesia is a characteristicfeature of peripheral sensory neuropathy and mightcontribute to itching in PBC.Autonomic dysfunction is relatedto the duration and severity of PBC.

Changes in reaction time, coefficient of variance of reaction time, and autonomic nerve function in the mental fatigue state caused by long-term computerized Kraepelin test workload in healthy volunteers

Fatigue is a common sense caused by crushing labor, stressful social events and various illnesses. It is usually judged by their subjective symptoms, but it should be evaluated in an objective perspective. Here we show that the decrease of working efficiency and sympathetic hyperactivity are associated with mental fatigue state caused by prolonged mental workload. Recently we made a new mental fatigue model of healthy volunteers caused by long-term computerized Kraepelin test (CKT) workload. CKT is our new software for automatically checking the calculation capability, with which it is easy to determine the reaction time (RT), coefficient of variance of reaction time (CV), and accuracy of the answers (AC) during tasks. We put 24 healthy volunteers into the fatigue state by subjecting them to 120 minutes’ CKT workload, and then studied the changes in fatigue sensation, RT, CV, and AC before and after the CKT workload. The fatigue sensation, RT, and CV were clearly increased by the fatigue-inducing task and recovered during the resting period. We also studied the changes in autonomic nerve activity by using heart rate variability analysis. The low/high frequency component ratio (LF/HF) was signifi-cantly increased by the fatigue-inducing task and decreased by resting, suggesting that mental stress causes a relatively sympathetic nerve activity-dominant state. Therefore, our new fatigue model involving a long-term CKT workload is a good mental fatigue model to provide much information about the fatigue state simultane-ously, and the increase of RT, CV, and proportion of sympathetic activity (LF/HF) are associated with mental fatigue state. These might be useful objective biomarkers or evaluating a mental fatigue state.

The effect of complete and incomplete Pelvic Autonomic nerves Preservation on Urination Function in Patient With Resection of Rectal Carcinoma

Objective： To evaluate the influence of complete and incomplete pelvic autonomic nerve preservation （PANP） on urination function in patients with resection of rectal carcinoma. Methods： The changes of pre-and post-operative residual urine volume （RUV） in patient undergoing complete PANP （n = 15） and incomplete PANP （n = 17） were observed. Results： In fifteen cases with complete PANP, preoperative RUV was 4.09 ml, 14 days and 3 months after operation RUV were 8.00 ml and 7.02 ml （P 〉 0.05）. In seventeen cases with incomplete PANP, preoperative RUV was 3.90 ml, 14 days and 3 months after operation RUV were 36.55 ml and 22.64 ml （P 〈 0.001 ）. Conclusion： Complete and incomplete pelvic autonomic preservation may affect urination function in patients with resection of rectal carcinoma and RUV is an effective indicator if the pelvic autonomic nerves are preserved completely.

Effects of Laparoscopic Pelvic Autonomic Nerve-Preserving Radical Resection of Rectal Cancer on Urinary and Sexual Function

Objective:To investigate and analyze the effect of laparoscopic pelvic autonomic nerve-preserving radical resection of rectal cancer on urinary and sexual function.Methods:Cases of laparoscopic radical resection of rectal cancer in our hospital from April 2018 to April 2023 were selected,and 60 patients who met the requirements were included as research subjects.The patients were divided into an experimental group and a reference group by a double-blind mechanism,with 30 cases in each group.The experimental group underwent laparoscopic pelvic autonomic radical resection,while the reference group underwent ordinary radical resection.The voiding function,urodynamics,sexual function,and blood indexes of the patients of both groups were compared.Results:The total incidence of voiding dysfunction in the experimental group was significantly lower than in the reference group(P<0.05).Urodynamics such as abdominal leak point pressure(ALPP),maximum urethral pressure(MUP),maximum urethral closure pressure(MUCP),and functional urethral length(FUL)in the experimental group were significantly better than those in the reference group(P<0.05).The incidences of erectile dysfunction and ejaculatory dysfunction in the experimental group were significantly lower than those in the reference group(P<0.05).Before the surgery,there were no significant differences in the blood indexes such as C-reactive protein(CRP),cortisol(Cor),and pre-albumin(PA)between the two groups(P>0.05);after the operation,the blood indexes of the patients in the experimental group were significantly better than those in the reference group(P<0.05).Conclusion:Laparoscopic pelvic autonomic nerve-preserving radical resection of rectal cancer has lesser effects on urinary and sexual functions.

Silk-based nerve guidance conduits with macroscopic holes modulate the vascularization of regenerating rat sciatic nerve

Peripheral nerve injuries induce a severe motor and sensory deficit. Since the availability of autologous nerve transplants for nerve repair is very limited, alternative treatment strategies are sought, including the use of tubular nerve guidance conduits(tNGCs). However, the use of tNGCs results in poor functional recovery and central necrosis of the regenerating tissue, which limits their application to short nerve lesion defects(typically shorter than 3 cm). Given the importance of vascularization in nerve regeneration, we hypothesized that enabling the growth of blood vessels from the surrounding tissue into the regenerating nerve within the tNGC would help eliminate necrotic processes and lead to improved regeneration. In this study, we reported the application of macroscopic holes into the tubular walls of silk-based tNGCs and compared the various features of these improved silk^(+) tNGCs with the tubes without holes(silk^(–) tNGCs) and autologous nerve transplants in an 8-mm sciatic nerve defect in rats. Using a combination of micro-computed tomography and histological analyses, we were able to prove that the use of silk^(+) tNGCs induced the growth of blood vessels from the adjacent tissue to the intraluminal neovascular formation. A significantly higher number of blood vessels in the silk^(+) group was found compared with autologous nerve transplants and silk^(–), accompanied by improved axon regeneration at the distal coaptation point compared with the silk^(–) tNGCs at 7 weeks postoperatively. In the 15-mm(critical size) sciatic nerve defect model, we again observed a distinct ingrowth of blood vessels through the tubular walls of silk^(+) tNGCs, but without improved functional recovery at 12 weeks postoperatively. Our data proves that macroporous tNGCs increase the vascular supply of regenerating nerves and facilitate improved axonal regeneration in a short-defect model but not in a critical-size defect model. This study suggests that further optimization of the macroscopic holes silk^(+) tNGC approach containing macroscopic holes might result in improved grafting technology suitable for future clinical use.

A comprehensive review of heart rate variability as an indicator in the regulation of the autonomic nervous system by acupuncture:a bibliometric analysis

This study sought to conduct a bibliometric analysis of acupuncture studies focusing on heart rate variability(HRV)and to investigate the correlation between various acupoints and their effects on HRV by utilizing association rule mining and network analysis.A total of 536 publications on the topic of acupuncture studies based on HRV.The disease keyword analysis revealed that HRV-related acupuncture studies were mainly related to pain,inflammation,emotional disorders,gastrointestinal function,and hypertension.A separate analysis was conducted on acupuncture prescriptions,and Neiguan(PC6)and Zusanli(ST36)were the most frequently used acupoints.The core acupoints for HRV regulation were identified as PC6,ST36,Shenmen(HT7),Hegu(LI4),Sanyinjiao(SP6),Jianshi(PC5),Taichong(LR3),Quchi(LI11),Guanyuan(CV4),Baihui(GV20),and Taixi(KI3).Additionally,the research encompassed 46 reports on acupuncture animal experiments conducted on HRV,with ST36 being the most frequently utilized acupoint.The research presented in this study offers valuable insights into the global research trend and hotspots in acupuncture-based HRV studies,as well as identifying frequently used combinations of acupoints.The findings may be helpful for further research in this field and provide valuable information about the potential use of acupuncture for improving HRV in both humans and animals.

Anatomical Basis and Clinical Research of Pelvic Autonomic Nerve Preservation with Laparoscopic Radical Resection for Rectal Cancer

The clinical effect of laparoscopic rectal cancer curative excision with pelvic autonomic nerve preservation（PANP） was investigated. This study evaluated the frequency of urinary and sexual dysfunction of 149 male patients with middle and low rectal cancer who underwent laparoscopic or open total mesorectal excision with pelvic autonomic nerve preservation（PANP） from March 2011 to March 2013. Eighty-four patients were subjected to laparoscopic surgery, and 65 to open surgery respectively. The patients were followed up for 12 months, interviewed, and administered a standardized questionnaire about postoperative functional outcomes and quality of life. In the laparoscopic group, 13 patients（18.37%） presented transitory postoperative urinary dysfunction, and were medically treated. So did 12 patients（21.82%） in open group. Sexual desire was maintained by 52.86%, un-ability to engage in intercourse by 47.15%, and un-ability to achieve orgasm and ejaculation by 34.29% of the patients in the laparoscopic group. Sexual desire was maintained by 56.36%, un-ability to engage in intercourse by 43.63%, and un-ability to achieve orgasm and ejaculation by 33.73% of the patients in the open group. No significant differences in urinary and sexual dysfunction between the laparoscopic and open rectal resection groups were observed（P〉0.05）. It was concluded that laparoscopic rectal cancer radical excision with PANP did not aggravate or improve sexual and urinary dysfunction.

Cardiac autonomic nerve fiber regeneration in chronic heart failure Do Akt gene-transduced mesenchymal stem cells promote repair?

BACKGROUND： Transplantation of Akt-over-expressing mesenchymal stem ceils （Akt-MSCs） has been shown to repair infarcted myocardium and improve cardiac function. However, little is known about the therapeutic effects of Akt-MSCs on cardiac autonomic neuropathy in chronic heart failure （CHF）. OBJECTIVE： The present study used adriamycin-induced CHF rat models to observe the effect of Akt-MSCs on cardiac autonomic nervous regeneration and the factors mediating this effect. DESIGN, TIME AND SETTING： A randomized, controlled animal experiment was performed at the Central Laboratory of Basic Medical College, China Medical University, between September 2008 and April 2009. MATERIALS： Rabbit anti-choline acetyltransferase （CHAT）, growth associated protein-43 （GAP-43） synaptophysin （SYN） polyclonal antibodies and the secondary antibody （goat anti-rabbit IgG） were purchased from Boster, China. Cat-A-Kit assay system was provided by Amersham, USA. METHODS： （1） Adult rat MSCs were isolated and cultured for the preparation of Akt-MSCs. （2） Forty male Wistar rats were intramyocardially administered adriamycin at 2 mg/kg over 3 days for a total of five times and once a week for additional five times thereafter to establish CHF models. At 2 weeks after final adriamycin treatment, 34 successful CHF rat models were randomized to three groups： Akt-MSCs （n = 11）, simple MSCs （s-MSCs, n =11）, and control （n = 12）. Each group was intravenously administered Akt-MSCs （2x106 cells in 100 IJL PBS）, s-MSCs （2×10^6 cells in 100 μL PBS） or equal volume of phosphate buffered saline, once a day for a total of three times. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES： At 4 weeks after final adriamycin treatment, myocardial norepinephrine （NE） content was detected using a Cat-A-Kit assay system. Myocardial CHAT, SYN and GAP-43 were performed by immunohistochemistry and Western blot analysis. Prior to, 2 and 4 weeks after adriamycin treatment, echocardiographic examination was performed and left ventricular ejection fraction （LVEF） was determined. RESULTS： Myocardial NE content, as well as SYN-positive and GAP-43-positive nerve fiber density and expression, and LVEF, was the greatest in the Akt-MSCs group, followed by the s-MSCs group, and lastly the control group （P 〈 0.05 or P 〈 0.01）. ChAT expression was similar between Akt-MSCs and s-MSCs groups, but it was higher compared with the control group （P 〈 0.05）. NE contents were negatively correlated to LVEF （r = -0.64, P = 0.015）. CONCLUSION： Transplantation of MSCs, in particular Akt-MSCs, promotes cardiac nervous regeneration in failing heart, which might be mediated by GAP-43.

Cardiac autonomic nerve distribution and arrhythmia

OBJECTIVE： To analyze the distribution characteristics of cardiac autonomic nerves and to explore the correlation between cardiac autonomic nerve distribution and arrhythmia. DATA RETRIEVAL： A computer-based retrieval was performed for papers examining the distribution of cardiac autonomic nerves, using “heart, autonomic nerve, sympathetic nerve, vagus nerve, nerve distribution, rhythm and atrial fibrillation” as the key words. SELECTION CRITERIA： A total of 165 studies examining the distribution of cardiac autonomic nerve were screened, and 46 of them were eventually included. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES： The distribution and characteristics of cardiac autonomic nerves were observed, and immunohistochemical staining was applied to determine the levels of tyrosine hydroxylase and acetylcholine transferase （main markers of cardiac autonomic nerve distribution）. In addition, the correlation between cardiac autonomic nerve distribution and cardiac arrhythmia was investigated. RESULTS： Cardiac autonomic nerves were reported to exhibit a disordered distribution in different sites, mainly at the surface of the cardiac atrium and pulmonary vein, forming a ganglia plexus. The distribution of the pulmonary vein autonomic nerve was prominent at the proximal end rather than the distal end, at the upper left rather than the lower right, at the epicardial membrane rather than the endocardial membrane, at the left atrium rather than the right atrium, and at the posterior wall rather than the anterior wall. The main markers used for cardiac autonomic nerves were tyrosine hydroxylase and acetylcholine transferase. Protein gene product 9.5 was used to label the immunoreactive nerve distribution, and the distribution density of autonomic nerves was determined using a computer-aided morphometric analysis system. CONCLUSION： The uneven distribution of the cardiac autonomic nerves is the leading cause of the occurrence of arrhythmia, and the cardiac autonomic nerves play an important role in the occurrence, maintenance, and symptoms of arrhythmia.

Autonomic reinnervation and functional regeneration in autologous transplanted submandibular glands in patients with severe keratoconjunctivitis sicca

Autologous submandibular gland（SMG） transplantation has been proved to ameliorate the discomforts in patients with severe keratoconjunctivitis sicca. The transplanted glands underwent a hypofunctional period and then restored secretion spontaneously.This study aims to investigate whether autonomic nerves reinnervate the grafts and contribute to the functional recovery, and further determine the origin of these nerves. Parts of the transplanted SMGs were collected from the epiphora patients, and a rabbit SMG transplantation model was established to fulfill the serial observation on the transplanted glands with time. The results showed that autonomic nerves distributed in the transplanted SMGs and parasympathetic ganglionic cells were observed in the stroma of the glands. Low-dense and unevenly distributed cholinergic axons, severe acinar atrophy and fibrosis were visible in the patients＇ glands 4–6 months post-transplantation, whereas the cholinergic axon density and acinar area were increased with time. The acinar area or the secretory flow rate of the transplanted glands was statistically correlated with the cholinergic axon density in the rabbit model, respectively. Meanwhile, large cholinergic nerve trunks were found to locate in the temporal fascia lower to the gland, and sympathetic plexus concomitant with the arteries was observed both in the adjacent fascia and in the stroma of the glands. In summary, the transplanted SMGs are reinnervated by autonomic nerves and the cholinergic nerves play a role in the morphological and functional restoration of the glands. Moreover, these autonomic nerves might originate from the auriculotemporal nerve and the sympathetic plexus around the supplying arteries.

The relationship between sleep condition and autonomic nervous function in women in their 70s with type 2 diabetes mellitus

The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between sleep condition and autonomic nervous function of women in their 70s with type 2 diabetes mellitus by analyzing the activity counts (AC) on actigraphs and heart rate variability (HRV). Ten healthy women in their 30s to 40s as control and four women patients with type 2 diabetes in their 70s wore the electrocardiograph and an actigraph for 24 hours while keeping a diary of activities, including their sleep and food intake. The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index was used to assess subjective sleep conditions. The subjective sleeping results were significantly correlated with those measured by the AC and HRV. However, AC and HRV correlation pattern showed different activity in the patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. The quality of sleep of those with chronic diabetes was not good even if their HbA1c was well controlled. Furthermore, their automatic nervous function was different from the control group. The sleeping hours of patients with type 2 diabetes were shorter or longer than those of healthy women. Ultimately, this study maintains that it is important to examine automatic nervous functions using objective examination index during the early stage of diabetes mellitus.

Effects of mammography positioning on the autonomic nervous function

The physical and psychological burden on patients during mammography was analyzed using the autonomic function index in 34 adult females. The indices included heart rate (HR), high frequency (HF) of the R-R interval on an electrocardiogram, and the ratio of HF to LF (low frequency) (LF/HF). HR is an indicator of the degree of mental and physical activity, HF indicates the parasympathetic index and LF/HF indicates the sympathetic index. For the mediolateral oblique (MLO) view in mammography, autonomic function indices were measured before and during mammography. Statistical analysis was performed by the Mann-Whitney U test and the significance level was set at 5%. The autonomic function indices were compared before and during mammography and all showed no significant differences. The average value before imaging and the reference value at rest were compared. The results showed that HR increased 1.3-fold, HF increased 0.4-fold, and LF/HF increased 3.2-fold over reference values. Chronological changes during mammography showed that HF increased and LF/HF decreased from 120 seconds after the start of imaging. From these observations, it is evident that the state before mammography is not the same as the resting state and that the sympathetic index is dominant before imaging. They also suggest that some aspects of the psychological burden experienced during mammography are not due to the pain of breast compression alone.

Effect of Endurance Training on the Autonomic Nervous System Function of Young Male

In this study, healthy young males were randomized into groups with moderate intensity training (n = 24), high intensity training (n = 24) and utmost intensity training (n = 24). At the end of 8-week training period, HRV measurements demonstrated a marked increase of RMSSD (P = 0.003), PNN50 (P = 0.002), HF (P = 0.002), SDNN (P = 0.002) and LF (P = 0.003) in the moderate intensity group and a decreasing tendency in LFn and LF/HF;however, in the utmost intensity group HFn (P = 0.012) decreased prominently while its LF (P = 0.032), LFn (P = 0.039) and LF/HF (P = 0.015) increased significantly. Nevertheless marked changes were not found in the above indexes of the high intensity group. While resting HR of the three groups declined significantly at the end of 8 weeks (P was 0.001, 0.0001 and 0.001 respectively);RMSSD, PNN50, HF, LF and SDNN were significantly higher in the moderate intensity group than in the other two groups (P P = 0.012) was significantly lower but its LFn and LF/HF were markedly higher (P was 0.025 and 0.015 respectively);LF/HF of both the high and utmost intensity group was significantly higher (P was 0.033 and 0.037 respectively). Despite a significant reduction of plasma NE in all the three groups at the end of 8-week training period (P was 0.016, 0, 0.031 respectively), plasma NE level of moderate and high intensity group was much lower than that of the utmost intensity group (P was 0.001, 0 respectively). Utmost and moderate endurance training results in altered sympathetic and parasympathetic balance towards sympathetic dominance and parasympathetic dominance respectively;whereas high intensity endurance training almost has no effect on ANS function. CPT and HUTT reveal the potential danger posed by utmost intensity endurance training.

The Effect of Brief, Low-Intensity Stretching Gymnastics on Autonomic Nervous System Activity and Cognitive Function

Purpose: Stretching exercise and gymnastics both have beneficial effects, such as improvement of autonomic nervous system activity and mood. Additionally, studies on the effects of exercise on cognitive function have been conducted covering a wide range of age groups and have attracted much attention. However, conventional studies have set up programs with implementation times of 20 to 30 minutes. Therefore, shorter stretching programs are needed in order to fit them more easily into one’s free time. We examined the effects of a short 7-minute stretching gymnastics regime on the autonomic nervous system activity and cognitive function in 21 healthy participants. Methods: In this study, the participants performed a 10-minute cognitive task, followed by either Stretch Well Gymnastics, Stretch Band Gymnastics, or Radio Gymnastics sessions on different days. The participants then performed the cognitive task again. Heart rate was measured continuously throughout the experiment and we analyzed the heart rate variability. The cognitive tasks completed by all of the participants were evaluated for inhibitory control and cognitive flexibility. Results: A significant increase was shown in the sympathetic nerve activity during the Stretch Well Gymnastics, compared to the Radio Gymnastics and Stretch Band Gymnastics. Parasympathetic nerve levels were significantly increased after the gymnastics, compared to during the gymnastics, although there were no significant differences between any of the tasks. Additionally, in both the Stroop task and the number-Letter task, reaction times were faster in all of the sessions. In particular, the Stroop task showed the highest values for the Radio Gymnastics sessions, with marginally significantly lower scores for the Stretch Well Gymnastics sessions. Conclusion: The results showed that these heart rate variability responses supported the effects of autonomic activity associated with conventional low-intensity exercise. Additionally, stretching gymnastics for less than 10 minutes showed a positive effect on inhibitory function and cognitive flexibility.

Clinical Study on Evaluation of Autonomic Nervous Dysfunction Based on Imaging Urodynamic Examination with Slow Filling and Synchronous Blood Pressure Monitoring in the Patients with Cervicothoracic Spinal Cord Injury

Objective: Explore the rule of autonomic nervous dysfunction in the patients with urination disorder after high level spinal cord injury, and seek a safe, objective and accurate method to evaluate autonomic nervous function. Patients and Method: 48 patients with dysuria after cervicothoracic SCI were selected. Before, during and after imaging urodynamic examination with slow filling in supine position, blood pressure and ECG were monitored simultaneously. The symptoms of sweating, shivering, headache, flushing and chills were observed and recorded. The study of the relationship among the changes of blood pressure, heart rate and urodynamic indexes and the above symptoms was analyzed. Results: They were divided into three groups: group A (no obvious abnormality), group B (hyperactivity) and group C (hypoactivity) according to their BP, HR and existing the symptoms or not. Conclusion: The incidence of autonomic dysfunction in the high level SCI patients with dysuria was very high (79.17%), most of them were hyperactivity, and a few were low function. The changes of SBP and DBP in the hypoactivity group all appeared an increasing and then declining trend, while the change of HR in the low function one was lower than normal and decreased continuously. The main inducements of AD are neurogenic detrusor overactivity, detrusor sphincter dyssynergia, elevated abdominal pressure and abnormal bladder sensitivity. The asymptomatic patients had a higher occurrence rate (43.75%). Only by imaging urodynamic examination with slow filling and synchronous blood pressure monitoring, can autonomic nervous function of the patients be evaluated safely, objectively, early and accurately.

Low-Power CMOS IC for Function Electrical Stimulation of Nerves

A low-power IC for function electrical stimulation （FES） of nerves is designed for an implantable system and fabricated in CSMC＇s 0.6μm CMOS technology. The IC can be used for stimulating animals＇ spinal nerve bundles and other nerves connected with a cuff type electrode. It consists of a pre-amplifier,a main amplifier,and an output stage. According to the neural signal spectrum,the bandwidth of the FES signal generator circuit is defined from 1Hz to 400kHz. The gain of the circuit is about 66dB with an output impedance of 900. The 1C can function under a single supply voltage of 3-5V. A rail-to-rail output stage helps to use the coupled power efficiently. The measured time domain performance shows that the bandwidth and the gain of the IC agree with the design. The power consumption is lower than 6mW.

A Survey on an Emerging Safety Challenge for Autonomous Vehicles:Safety of the Intended Functionality

As the complexity of autonomous vehicles(AVs)continues to increase and artificial intelligence algorithms are becoming increasingly ubiquitous,a novel safety concern known as the safety of the intended functionality(SOTIF)has emerged,presenting significant challenges to the widespread deployment of AVs.SOTIF focuses on issues arising from the functional insufficiencies of the AVs’intended functionality or its implementation,apart from conventional safety considerations.From the systems engineering standpoint,this study offers a comprehensive exploration of the SOTIF landscape by reviewing academic research,practical activities,challenges,and perspectives across the development,verification,validation,and operation phases.Academic research encompasses system-level SOTIF studies and algorithm-related SOTIF issues and solutions.Moreover,it encapsulates practical SOTIF activities undertaken by corporations,government entities,and academic institutions spanning international and Chinese contexts,focusing on the overarching methodologies and practices in different phases.Finally,the paper presents future challenges and outlook pertaining to the development,verification,validation,and operation phases,motivating stakeholders to address the remaining obstacles and challenges.