The acute effects of acupuncture upon autonomic balance in healthy subjects.

Restoration of the sympathovagal (S/V) balance, involving a lowering of sympathetic and/or an augmentation of vagal modulation or a combination of both is associated with improvements in cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. To determine whether acupuncture exerts a favorable influence upon resting blood pressure and sympathovagal balance, a single-blind cross-over investigation was used to study the acute effects of acupuncture on S/V balance in normal healthy subjects. The ANOVA revealed a significant lowering of the sympathovagal balance (LF:HF) during rest for the acupuncture treatment from pre (4 +/- 2 nu) to post (2.

The effect of chemoreceptor stimulation upon muscle sympathetic nerve activity.

The aim of this investigation was to quantify the combined peripheral and central chemoreceptor contribution to sympathetic outflow above (post) and below (pre) the chemoreceptor ventilatory threshold (CVT). We measured muscle sympathetic nerve activity (MSNA) in seven subjects during hypoxic/hypercapnic and room air rebreathe protocols. Comparisons were made using a repeated measures analysis of variance with two within subject factors.

Evaluation of blood pressure and baroreflex sensitivity by radial artery tonometry versus finger arteriolar photoplethysmography.

Background: Published normative data of noninvasive blood pressures (BPs) and autonomic modulations have been primarily derived from the finger arteriole using the Finapres (Ohmeda Co., Englewood, CO), a device that is no longer manufactured. Currently, beat-to-beat BP are obtained from the radial artery using the Colin tonometer.

Low arterial compliance in young African-American males.

Hypertension remains a common public health challenge because of its prevalence and increase in co-morbid cardiovascular diseases. Black males have disproportionate pathophysiological consequences of hypertension compared with any other group in the United States. Alterations in arterial wall compliance and autonomic function often precede the onset of disease.