Ninjin'yoeito Modulates Baseline and Reperfusion-Induced Changes in the Arteriole Diameter and Blood Flow in the Cerebral Cortex of Anesthetized Mice.

Objective: Intragastric administration of ninjin'yoeito (NYT), a traditional Japanese herbal medicine, reportedly prevents the decrease in baseline cerebral blood flow (CBF) in the cortex following gastric administration of water. We investigated the effect of NYT on baseline and dynamic changes in cerebral cortical arteriole diameter.

Methods: Urethane-anesthetized mice were intragastrically administered 1 g/kg NYT or distilled water (DW).

Sympathetic modulation of hindlimb muscle contractility is altered in aged rats.

It has recently been demonstrated that reflex excitation of muscle sympathetic nerves triggered by muscle contraction contributes to the maintenance of tetanic force (TF) in rat hindlimb muscles. We hypothesized that this feedback mechanism between the contraction of hindlimb muscles and the lumbar sympathetic nerves declines during aging. In this study, we examined the contribution of sympathetic nerves on skeletal muscle contractility in young adult (4-9 months old, n = 11) and aged (32-36 months old, n = 11) male and female rats.

Mild thermal stimulation of the buttock skin increases urinary voiding efficiency in anesthetized rats.

In the present study, we examined the effects of mild thermal stimulation of the skin on voiding efficiency using urethane-anesthetized rats with reduced voiding efficiency. Spontaneous urination was induced by infusing saline. For each voiding, the voiding efficiency was calculated from the voided volume and the bladder capacity measured.

Trigger Point Acupuncture and Exercise for Chronic Low Back Pain in Older Adult: a Preliminary Randomized Clinical Trial.

Background: Exercise therapy is the first choice non-pharmacotherapeutic approach for musculoskeletal pain; however, it often interferes with the implementation and continuation of exercise due to fear-avoidance behaviors. Trigger point acupuncture (TrPAcp) has been reported to reduce musculoskeletal pain.

Objectives: To examine the efficacy of exercise combined with TrPAcp compared to exercise alone for older patients with chronic low back pain (CLBP), the most common subjective symptom reported by old people of both sexes in Japan.

Managing office worker presenteeism by providing financial aid for acupuncture therapy: a pragmatic multicenter randomized comparative study.

To evaluate whether financial aid for acupuncture therapy is beneficial for non-manufacturing job workers (office workers) who are aware of reduced job performance due to health issues (presenteeism), a four-wk pragmatic multicenter randomized controlled trial was conducted with office workers who were aware of their presenteeism. The control group only implemented the workplace-recommended presenteeism measures, whereas the intervention group received financial aid for acupuncture therapy of up to 8,000 JPY (Japanese yen) in addition to implementing the presenteeism measures recommended by each workplace. The major outcome measure was the World Health Organization Health and Work Performance Questionnaire relative presenteeism score.

Influence of Intragastric Administration of Traditional Japanese Medicine, Ninjin'Yoeito, on Cerebral Blood Flow via Muscarinic Acetylcholine Receptors.

Ninjin'yoeito (NYT) is a traditional medicine that has been used for mitigating physical frailty, such as fatigue and anorexia, as well as for cognitive dysfunction. Maintenance of adequate cerebral blood flow (CBF) is important for preventing cognitive dysfunction. The present study aimed to examine the effect of NYT on CBF.

Maintenance of contractile force of the hind limb muscles by the somato-lumbar sympathetic reflexes.

This study aimed to clarify whether the reflex excitation of muscle sympathetic nerves induced by contractions of the skeletal muscles modulates their contractility. In anesthetized rats, isometric tetanic contractions of the triceps surae muscles were induced by electrical stimulation of the intact tibial nerve before and after transection of the lumbar sympathetic trunk (LST), spinal cord, or dorsal roots. The amplitude of the tetanic force (TF) was reduced by approximately 10% at 20 min after transection of the LST, spinal cord, or dorsal roots.

Cerebral artery dilation during transient ischemia is impaired by amyloid β deposition around the cerebral artery in Alzheimer's disease model mice.

Transient ischemia is an exacerbation factor of Alzheimer's disease (AD). We aimed to examine the influence of amyloid β (Aβ) deposition around the cerebral (pial) artery in terms of diameter changes in the cerebral artery during transient ischemia in AD model mice (APP) under urethane anesthesia. Cerebral vasculature and Aβ deposition were examined using two-photon microscopy.

Chronic Electrical Stimulation of the Superior Laryngeal Nerve in the Rat: A Potential Therapeutic Approach for Postmenopausal Osteoporosis.

Electrical stimulation of myelinated afferent fibers of the superior laryngeal nerve (SLN) facilitates calcitonin secretion from the thyroid gland in anesthetized rats. In this study, we aimed to quantify the electrical SLN stimulation-induced systemic calcitonin release in conscious rats and to then clarify effects of chronic SLN stimulation on bone mineral density (BMD) in a rat ovariectomized disease model of osteoporosis. Cuff electrodes were implanted bilaterally on SLNs and after two weeks recovery were stimulated (0.

Thyroxin and calcitonin secretion into thyroid venous blood is regulated by pharyngeal mechanical stimulation in anesthetized rats.

The effects of the pharyngeal non-noxious mechanical stimulation on the secretion of immunoreactive thyroxin (iT4), immunoreactive calcitonin (iCT), and immunoreactive parathyroid hormone (iPTH) into thyroid venous blood were examined in anesthetized rats. Secretion rates of iT4, iCT, and iPTH were calculated from their concentration in thyroid venous plasma and the plasma flow rate. A mechanical stimulation was delivered to the pharynx by a rubber balloon placed on the tongue that was intermittently pushed into the pharyngeal cavity.

Age-Related Changes in Neuromodulatory Control of Bladder Micturition Contractions Originating in the Skin.

The brainstem is essential for producing micturition contractions of the urinary bladder. Afferent input from perineal skin evoked by gentle mechanical stimulation inhibits micturition contractions by decreasing both ascending and descending transmissions between the brainstem and spinal cord. Dysfunction of this inhibitory mechanism may be one cause of the increase in the prevalence of overactive bladder in old age.

Effects of a Gentle, Self-Administered Stimulation of Perineal Skin for Nocturia in Elderly Women: A Randomized, Placebo-Controlled, Double-Blind Crossover Trial.

Background: Somatic afferent nerve stimuli are used for treating an overactive bladder (OAB), a major cause of nocturia in the elderly. Clinical evidence for this treatment is insufficient because of the lack of appropriate control stimuli. Recent studies on anesthetized animals show that gentle stimuli applied to perineal skin with a roller could inhibit micturition contractions depending on the roller's surface material.