Electrophysiological analysis of the ascending and descending components of the micturition reflex pathway in the rat.

Electrophysiological techniques were used to examine the organization of the spinobulbospinal micturition reflex pathway in the rat. Electrical stimulation of afferent axons in the pelvic nerve evoked a long latency (136 +/- 41 ms) response on bladder postganglionic nerves, whereas stimulation in the dorsal pontine tegmentum elicited shorter latency firing (72 +/- 25 ms) on these nerves. Transection of the pelvic nerve eliminated these responses.

Mechanisms underlying the recovery of urinary bladder function following spinal cord injury.

Micturition in cats and rats with an intact neuraxis is dependent upon a spinobulbospinal reflex activated by A delta bladder afferents. This report describes changes in micturition reflexes 2 h to 14 weeks following spinal cord transection at the lower thoracic level. In acute spinal cats micturition reflexes were blocked, however, several weeks after transection, a long latency (180-200 ms) spinal reflex could be activated by C-fiber bladder afferents.

Morphological plasticity in efferent pathways to the urinary bladder of the rat following urethral obstruction.

Partial urethral ligation in female Wistar rats produces changes in the neural control of the lower urinary tract including bladder hyperactivity and facilitation of a spinal micturition reflex pathway. To gain insight into the mechanisms underlying these changes, axonal tracing studies were conducted to examine the postganglionic efferent limb of the micturition reflex pathway which originates in the major pelvic ganglion (MPG). Forty microliters of the tracer Fluoro-Gold (4%) were injected into the right side of the bladder in urethral-obstructed (n = 10) and control (n = 4) rats 6 weeks after urethral ligation or sham surgery.

Effects of streptozotocin-induced diabetes on bladder function in the rat.

Streptozotocin-induced (STZ, 60 mg./kg. I.

Effects of m-chlorophenylpiperazine on penile and bladder function in rats.

The effects of m-chlorophenylpiperazine (MCPP), a serotonin agonist, on spontaneous and evoked neural firing in nerves supplying the penis and bladder were examined in the urethan-anesthetized rat. MCPP (0.1-10 mg/kg iv) elicited, after a 2- to 4-min delay, an increase in spontaneous firing in cavernous nerves but no detectable firing in bladder nerves.

Electrophysiological study of micturition reflexes in rats.

Electrophysiological techniques were used to examine the asynchronous and evoked activity on postganglionic nerves to the urinary bladder in the urethananesthetized rat. Distension of the bladder (0.4-0.

Excitatory and inhibitory influences on bladder activity elicited by electrical stimulation in the pontine micturition center in the rat.

Electrical stimulation at various sites in the dorsal pontine tegmentum in urethane anesthetized rats modulated activity of the urinary bladder as well as efferent firing on bladder postganglionic nerves. Electrical stimulation (0.2 ms 50 Hz, 5-20 V or 30-150 microA, 2-5 s train duration) using a microelectrode (tip diameter, 10-20 microns) in an excitatory area located rostral and medial to the locus coeruleus evoked short latency (less than 2 s) large amplitude (greater than 20 cm H2O) bladder contractions and increased firing on the bladder postganglionic nerves.

Effect of bladder outlet obstruction on micturition reflex pathways in the rat.

The effect of outlet obstruction on neural pathways to the bladder was examined six weeks after urethral ligation in rats. Ligated rats exhibited a seven-fold increase in bladder weight, a six-fold increase in volume, and significant increases (p less than 0.001) in micturition pressure, residual volume and compliance measured under urethane anesthesia.

Electrophysiological study of neural activity in penile nerve of the rat.

Electrophysiological techniques were used to examine the axonal composition and reflex activity of the penile nerve of the rat. Stimulation of either the pelvic nerve, hypogastric nerve, or sympathetic chain elicited synaptic and axonal volleys in the penile nerve. Synaptic responses were suppressed by nicotinic ganglionic blockade, indicating that they were mediated by cholinergic transmission in peripheral ganglia.

The use of indwelling ureteral stents in managing ureteral injuries due to external violence.

Eighteen consecutive cases of ureteral injury due to external violence occurring over a 6-year period were reviewed. The diagnosis of ureteral injury was made either preoperatively on an intravenous urogram, or intraoperatively using indigo carmine. No patient had an isolated ureteral injury.

Benign retroperitoneal neurilemoma without von Recklinghausen's disease: a rare occurrence.

We describe a rare case of a primary retroperitoneal neurilemoma that was confused initially on ultrasonography and computerized tomography for a renal carcinoma. These tumors vary in vascularity on arteriography, are more often solid than cystic and usually are benign in the absence of von Recklinghausen's disease. The preferred treatment is wide surgical excision.

Anatomical localization and some pharmacological effects of vasoactive intestinal polypeptide in human and monkey corpus cavernosum.

Vasoactive intestinal polypeptide is hypothesized to be a nonadrenergic, noncholinergic neurotransmitter important in the physiology of penile erection. To further explore this concept, anatomical localization of vasoactive intestinal polypeptide, in vitro muscle bath studies and in vivo injection experiments were undertaken in the monkey and man. Using immunohistochemical techniques vasoactive intestinal polypeptide was localized at the light microscopic level to nerves within the monkey and human penis.

Testis tumors: the clinical significance of the tumor-contaminated scrotum.

Between 1977 and 1979 we evaluated 224 patients with testicular cancer. Of these patients 32 had undergone inadequate primary procedures, such as transscrotal orchiectomy, transcrotal exploration, biopsy or aspiration. These 32 patients were compared to a cohort population who had undergone radical inguinal orchiectomy.

Some pharmacologic effects of yohimbine on human and rabbit penis.

The pharmacologic effects of yohimbine on human and rabbit penile tissue were studied in 2 experimental systems. Yohimbine (10(-7) to 10(-4) M), in a dose-related manner, partially antagonized norepinephrine-induced contraction of human corpus cavernosum in an in vitro muscle bath. Yohimbine alone, however, did not alter the baseline tension of strips of human corpus cavernosum.