• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.11 no.4
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• pp.155-161
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• 2007

In order to characterize the role of sympathetic activity in obesity, we repeatedly assessed sympathetic activity via power spectral analyses of heart rate variability in the same subjects at 7, 11, 25, and 60 weeks, using monosodium glutamate (MSG)-induced obese and control rats. The effects of lower sympathetic activity on obesity were also evaluated. Fat mass in MSG rats was already higher at 7 weeks, but the sympathetic activity did not differ between 7 and 25 weeks. Between 25 and 60 weeks, the increase in fat mass, food efficiency, and body weight gain was higher in MSG rats. The increase in sympathetic activity between 25 and 60 weeks and sympathetic activity at 60 weeks were lower in MSG rats. Fat mass at 60 weeks was inversely correlated with changes in sympathetic activity between 25 and 60 weeks. Reduced plasma epinephrine levels by bilateral adrenal demedullation induced increase of fat mass. In, an attenuated increase of sympathetic activity with age may partly be responsible for aggravated obesity in MSG rats. Additionally, reduced sympathetic activity per se induced obesity in rats. These results suggest that lower sympathetic activity contributes to obesity in rats.

• Journal of the Korean Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons
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• v.32 no.1
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• pp.1-7
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• 2006

The present study was aimed to explore the role of sympathetic and parasympathetic nerves in the regulation of sodium transporters and water channels in the salivary gland. Rats were denervated of their sympathetic and parasympathetic nerves to the submandibular gland, and the glandular expression of sodium transporters and water channels was determined by Western blot analysis. The expression of either ${\alpha}1$ or ${\beta}1$ subunit of Na, K-ATPase was not significantly affected either by the sympathetic or by the parasympathetic denervation. The expression of subunits of epithelial sodium channels was significantly increased both in the denervated and contralateral glands either by the sympathetic or by the parasympathetic denervation. Neither the sympathetic nor the parasympathetic denervation significantly altered the expression of aquaporin-1 (AQP1). Nor was the expression of AQP4 affected significantly by the parasympathetic or the sympathetic denervation. On the contrary, the expression of AQP5 was significantly increased not only by the parasympathetic but also by the sympathetic denervation. These results suggest that sympathetic and parasympathetic nerves have tonic regulatory effects on the regulation of certain sodium transporters and AQP water channels in the salivary gland.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.139-143
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• 1995

Hyperhidrosis is the state of abnormal sweating on the palm, sole and axillary region. The main treatment of hyperhidrosis are surgical sympathectomy and a thoracic sympathetic ganglion block with neurolytics. Among them, a thoracic sympathetic ganglion block is used in pain clinic for the treatment of hyperhidrosis. I have successfully performed a thoracic sympathetic ganglion block on a 21 year old female patients with pure alcohol. I concluded that the thoracic sympathetic ganglion block was one of the most effective treatment of hyperhidrosis.

• Journal of Korean Medicine Rehabilitation
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.167-184
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• 2023

Objectives This study was designed to assess the effectiveness of ultrasound therapy at the ST11 for regulation of sympathetic hyperactivity. Methods Forty healthy adult subjects were assigned to experimental group and control group. After taking mental stress, ultrasound therapy was applied at the ST11 in experimental group and sham-ultrasound therapy was applied in control group. The evaluation of sympathetic activity was measured by blood pressure, pulse rate, and heart rate variability at 3 times (Time 1: before the stress stimulation, Time 2: after the stress stimulation, Time 3: after the intervention). The primary end point was consisted of normalized (norm) low frequency (LF)/high frequency (HF) ratio, LF (norm), HF (norm). The secondary end point was consisted of systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, pulse rate, mean heart rate, standard deviation of NN intervals, root mean square of the successive differences, total power (log). Results After the stress stimulation, all subjects showed sympathetic hyperactivity. After the intervention, the experimental group showed lower sympathetic activity than the control group. Comparing the Time 3 and Time 1, the experimental group showed no significantly differences in sympathetic activity while the control group showed higher sympathetic activity in Time 3 than Time 1. Comparing the Time 3 and Time 2, the experimental group showed lower sympathetic activity in Time 3 than Time 2 while the control group showed higher sympathetic activity in Time 3 than Time 2. Conclusions We suggest that the ultrasound therapy at ST11 can decrease sympathetic activity in sympathetic hyperactivity condition.

• Restorative Dentistry and Endodontics
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.375-384
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• 1996

The purpose of this study was to investigate the functional involvement of sympathetic nerve in the control of the microcirculation in the dental pulp with the aim of elucidation of the involvement of neuropeptides and sympathetic nerve in neurogenic inflammation. Experiments were done on the 7 cats anesthetised with sodium pentobarbital, and sympathetic nerve to the' dental pulp was stimulated electrically (10 Hz, 4 V, 1.5 ms, 3.5 mins). Ana-adrenoceptor antagonist phentolamine and a neuropeptide Y antagonist D-myo-inositol-1,2,6-trisphosphate (PP56) were injected close intra-arterially into the dental pulp without changing the systemic blood pressure. The probe of laser Doppler flowmeter was placed on the buccal surface of ipsilateral canine teeth to the stimulation, and pulpal blood flow was measured. Stimulation of the sympathetic nerve decreased pulpal blood flow by $55.24{\pm}7.74\;%$ (mean${\pm}$SEM, n = 13). Stimulation of the sympathetic nerve following the injection of the ${\alpha}$-adrenoceptor antagonist phentolamine ($0.1{\mu}g$/kg) caused decrease of pulpal blood flow by $14.35{\pm}3.43%$ (mean${\pm}$SEM, n=5). Phentolamine attenuated the sympathetic nerve-induced pulpal blood flow decrease by $74.02{\pm}9.32%$ (mean${\pm}$SEM) Stimulation of the sympathetic nerve following the injection of the neuropeptide Y antagonist PP56 (2.3 mg/kg) caused decrease of pulpal blood flow by $30.64{\pm}7.92%$ (mean${\pm}$SEM, n=6). PP56 attenuated the sympathetic nerve-induced pulpal blood flow decrease by $44.37{\pm}11.01%$ (mean${\pm}$SEM). These data provide evidences of the co-contribution of nerepinephrine and neuropeptide Y on the sympathetic nerve-induced vasoconstriction in the feline dental pulp. In addition, they show functional evidences that sympathetic nerve plays an active role in controlling the microcirculation of the dental pulp.

• Journal of Korean Medicine Rehabilitation
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• v.34 no.2
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• pp.51-69
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• 2024

Objectives This scoping review aimed to suggest a Korean medicine approach by analyzing domestic and international clinical studies targeting the thoracic sympathetic ganglia. Methods This study was conducted based on Arksey and O'Malley's five steps and guided by the preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses extension for scoping reviews checklist and appendix. We searched seven electronic databases for studies on thoracic sympathetic ganglia reported untill August 23, 2023. The search terms used were 'thoracic sympathetic chain', 'thoracic paravertebral sympathetic ganglia', and 'thoracic paravertebral ganglion'. Results One hundred twenty-nine studies were finally selected. 90 papers were non-comparative studies (69.8%). The most common disease or symptom was hyperhidrosis (n=109, 66.9%), associated with the T1-7 levels of thoracic sympathetic ganglia (n=107, 65.6%). There were 17 studies (13.2%) of percutaneous approaches targeting the thoracic sympathetic ganglia, five studies (3.1%) targeting the mid-lower thoracic sympathetic ganglia. Conclusions This study broadly analyzed trends in domestic and international research targeting the thoracic sympathetic ganglia and attempted to propose a future Korean medicine approach. Further studies are needed.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• v.6 no.2
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• pp.258-260
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• 1993

We experienced a rare case of erection failure which developed after unilateral lumbar sympathetic block. A 43 year old male patient suffering from reflex sympathetic dystrophy, which had developed after multiple communitted fracture of the right ankle, underwent right lumbar sympathetic block with 99.9% alcohol. The effectiveness of the lumbar sympathetic block was evaluated by monitoring the clinical symptoms, signs and temperature changes by digital infrared thermographic imaging. Postoperatively, the temperature of the affected side limb rose about $2^{\circ}C$, but the patient's conditions gradually returned to normal. Ten days after the operation the patient complainted of difficulty in achieving an erection. The patient was examined by a urologst without much results. The patient gradually recovered his ability to achieve an erection approximately 5 weeks after the lumbar sympathetic block.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.41 no.6
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• pp.807-810
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• 2008

From October 2005 to August 2006, sympathetic nerve reconstruction with using the intercostal nerve was performed in 4 patients with severe compensatory hyperhidrosis following thoracoscopic sympathetic surgery for facial hyperhidrosis. The interval between the initial sympathetic clipping and the sympathetic nerve reconstruction was a median of 23.1 months. The compensatory sweating after sympathetic nerve reconstruction was improved for 2 patients, but it was not improved for 2 patients. Thoracoscopic sympathetic nerve reconstruction may be one of the useful treatment methods for the patients with severe compensatory hyperhidrosis after they under go sympathetic nerve surgery for hyperhidrosis.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.26-38
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• 1996

In a normal state, sympathetic efferent activity does not elicit discharges of sensory neurons, whereas it becomes associated with and excites sensory neurons in a pathophysiological state such as injury to a peripheral nerve. Although this sympathetic-sensory interaction is reportedly adrenergic, involved subtypes of adrenoreceptors are not yet clearly revealed. The purpose of this study was to determine which adrenorceptor subtypes were involved in sympathetic-sensory interaction that was developed in rats with an experimental peripheral neuropathy. Using rats that received a tight ligation of one or two of L4-L6 spinal nerves 10~15 days previously, a recording was made from afferent fibers in microfilaments teased from the dorsal root that was in continuity with the ligated spinal nerve. Electrical stimulation of sympathetic preganglionic fibers in T13 or L1 ventral root (50 Hz, 2-5 mA. 0.5 ms pulse duration, 10 sec) was made to see if the activity of recorded afferents was modulated. About half of afferents showing spontaneous discharges responded to sympathetic stimulation, and had the conduction velocities in the A-fiber range. Most of the sympathetically induced afferent responses were excitation. This sympathetically induced excitation occurred in the dorsal root ganglion (DRG), and was blocked by yohimbine (${\alpha}_2$ blocker), neither by propranolol ($\beta$ blocker) not by prazosine (${\alpha}_1$ blocker). The results suggest that after spinal nerve ligation, sympathetic efferents interact with sensory neurons having A-fiber axons in DRG where adrenaline released from sympathetic nerve endings excites the activity of sensory neurons by acting on 2-adrenoreceptors. This 2-adrenoreceptor mediated excitation of sensory neurons may account for sympathetic involvement in neuropathic pain.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.161-164
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• 2005

Background: Chemical lumbar sympathetic ganglion block could potentially be used to treat plantar hyperhidrosis; therefore, we analyzed the outcome of lumbar sympathetic ganglion block using alcohol for the treatment of plantar hyperhidrosis. Methods: Between March 1992 and June 2003, 356 patients with plantar hyperhidrosis underwent lumbar sympathetic ganglion block using alcohol. All 356 patients were followed up for 2 years and the results evaluated. There were 185 and 171 male and female patients, respectively, with a mean age of 25.1 years, ranging from 15.3 to 56.5 years old. Lumbar sympathetic ganglion block using alcohol was performed with fluoroscopic guidance under local anesthesia. Results: The recurrence rate after 2 years was 34%. Compensatory hyperhidrosis, ejaculation failure, lower back pain and genitofemoral neuritis developed as complications in 132, 4, 12 and 2 patients, respectively. Of the 356 patients, 65% were satisfied. Conclusions: Lumbar sympathetic ganglion block using alcohol is an effective and safe method for the treatment of plantar hyperhidrosis, but more information about the complications and relatively high recurrence rates should be provided to the patient.