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The nerve electrophysiological tests may differentiate the treatment of primary premature ejaculation (PPE) in our previous studies. However, no study verifies if the results will be affected by abstinence time. From January to December in 2016, fifty PPE patients ejaculated within 2 min and 28 control subjects were enrolled. The nerve electrophysiological tests, including dorsal nerve somatosensory evoked potential (DNSEP), glans penis somatosensory evoked potential (GPSEP), and penile sympathetic skin response (PSSR), were recorded before and immediately after ejaculation. The abstinence day was not correlated with the latencies of SEPs or PSSR neither in PE group (P = 0.170, 0.064, and 0.122, respectively) nor in control group (P = 0.996, 0.475, and 0.904, respectively). No statistically differences were found in the latencies of SEPs and PSSR before and after ejaculation in PE patients (P = 0.439, 0.537, and 0.576, respectively) or control subjects (P = 0.102, 0.198, and 0.363, respectively). Thus, abstinence time does not interfere with the nerve electrophysiological test, which is stable in determining the nerve function of PPE patients.

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and hypertension are closely linked conditions. Disordered breathing events in OSA are characterized by increasing efforts against an occluded airway while asleep, resulting in a marked sympathetic response. This is predominantly due to hypoxemia activating the chemoreflexes, resulting in reflex increases in sympathetic neural outflow. In addition, apnea – and the consequent lack of inhibition of the sympathetic system that occurs with lung inflation during normal breathing – potentiates central sympathetic outflow. Sympathetic activation persists into the daytime, and is thought to contribute to hypertension and other adverse cardiovascular outcomes. This review discusses chemoreflex physiology and sympathetic modulation during normal sleep, as well as the sympathetic dysregulation seen in OSA, its extension into wakefulness, and changes after treatment. Evidence supporting the role of the peripheral chemoreflex in the sympathetic dysregulation seen in OSA, including in the context of comorbid obesity, metabolic syndrome, and systemic hypertension, is reviewed. Finally, alterations in cardiovascular variability and other potential mechanisms that may play a role in the autonomic imbalance in OSA are also discussed.

The purpose of the present study was to elucidate whether the sympathetic response to perturbation in stance represents multiple mental responses, whether perturbation-induced fear of fall is one of the mental responses, and whether the sympathetic response is task specific. While healthy humans maintained stance, the support surface of the feet translated in the forward or backward direction. The phasic electrodermal response (EDR), representing the sympathetic response, appeared 1–1.5 s after the support surface translation. Mostly, perturbation-induced EDRs comprised one peak, but some EDRs were comprised of two peaks. The onset latency of the two-peak EDR was much shorter than that of the one-peak EDR. The second peak latency of the two-peak EDR was similar to the peak latency of the one-peak EDR, indicating that the first peak of the two-peak EDR was an additional component preceding the one-peak EDR. This finding supports a view that perturbation-induced EDR in stance sometimes represents multiple mental responses. The amplitude of the EDR had a positive and significant correlation with fear, indicating that perturbation-induced EDR in stance partially represents perturbation-induced fear of fall. The EDR amplitude was dependent on the translation amplitude and direction, indicating that perturbation-induced EDR in stance is a task specific response. The EDR appeared earlier when the participants prepared to answer a question or when the perturbation was self-triggered, indicating that adding cognitive load induces earlier perturbation-induced mental responses.

Cancer has been one of the biggest silent killers during the 20ths and 21st centuries. In addition to this disease, one of the social factors that promote the chances of having diseases is stress. Recent studies have shown that chronic stress can lead to gastric cancer by activating adrenergic signaling pathway which plays a fundamental role in tumorigenesis. Furthermore, the plasma levels of catecholamines and cortisol elevate in stressful situations. These hormones play a role in inducing progress and metastasis of gastric carcinoma. Stress management has been a vital factor for the people of this century. Although stress is not well-explained clearly, recent studies have shown that people with low income, loads of work, family problems, etc. are of environmentally challenging and present a high possibility of being victim to gastric neoplasms and other diseases.

Stress resilience plays a key role in task performance during emergencies, especially in occupations like military special forces, with a routine consisting of unexpected events. Nevertheless, reliable and applicable measurements of resilience in predicting task performance in stressful conditions are still researched. This study aimed to explore the stress response in the Hellenic Navy SEALs (HN-SEALs), using a cognitive–physiological approach. Eighteen candidates under intense preparation for their enlistment in the HN-SEALs and 16 healthy controls (HCs) underwent Stroop tests, along with mental-state and personality examination. Simultaneously, electrodermal activity (EDA) was assessed during each one of cognitive testing procedures. Compared to healthy control values, multiple components of EDA values were found decreased (p < 0.05) in the HN-SEALs group. These results were associated with an increase in resilience level in the HN-SEALs group, since a restricted sympathetic reactivity according to the reduced EDA values was observed during the stressful cognitive testing. This is the first report providing physiological measurements of the sympathetic response of HN-SEALs to a stressful situation and suggests that EDA turns out to be a simple and objective tool of sympathetic activation and it may be used as a complementary index of resilience in HN-SEALs candidates.

Background Lambert-Eaton myasthenic syndrome (LEMS) is a type of paraneoplastic syndrome that may initially manifest itself with proximal weakness and gait abnormalities. Approximately up to 50% of LEMS patients have a primary autonomic dysfunction. Case presentation We present here a case of a 75-year-old male with symmetric proximal muscle weakness, dry mouth and constipation. The cutaneous response to scratch and upright tilt-table testing were positive. A repetitive nerve stimulation test showed that there was a decremental response of compound muscle action potential (CMAP) amplitude at 3 Hz while an incremental response at 20 Hz. The presence of antibodies against voltage-gated calcium channels (VGCC) confirmed the diagnosis. Because of the prominent symptom of autonomic disorder, the patient further underwent the test of skin sympathetic response (SSR). Lower amplitude and longer response duration were found in palms, while it evoked no response in soles. Conclusions In this case, we present the detailed results of SSR test on a patient suffering LEMS with autonomic disorder. Since autonomic dysfunction has a significant impact on clinical management and SSR test is an effective detection method, we recommend that SSR test be performed on patients with LEMS regularly.

Background: Temperature regulation is impaired in iron-deficient anemic humans and rats at rest during cold exposure. However, there is a paucity of data regarding the interplay of cold exposure, anemia, and exercise on thermal and cardiovascular responses. Therefore, we aimed to explore thermal and cardiovascular responses of individuals with chronic mild iron-deficiency anemia during exercise in the cold compared to controls. Methods: Nine anemic (5 F, 4 M) and nine control (5 F, 4 M) individuals, matched for body fat, size, and mass but different by design in hematological parameters and physical fitness, participated in the study. The participants cycled in cold 11 °C with 40% relative humidity (RH) and neutral (22 °C, 40% RH) conditions at an intensity ~10% below the respiratory threshold until 1 °C increase in rectal temperature (Tre) or 1 h of exercise, whichever occurred first. Results: In the cold, the anemic individuals showed a lower rate of Tre rise (p = 0.047) and lower mean skin temperature (Tsk) (p = 0.03) compared to controls, while only controls increased heat production compared to the neutral condition (p = 0.035). Moreover, the anemic group exhibited an exaggerated blood pressure response in the cold compared to the neutral environment (p < 0.05), due to heightened total peripheral resistance (p < 0.05) and vasomotor response (p < 0.001). Conclusions: In summary, chronic mild iron-deficiency anemia impaired temperature regulation as judged from the lower rate of Tre rise and an inability to activate further the metabolism at cold. Concomitantly, the anemic participants demonstrated increased cardiovascular strain. This is notable because anemia and these environmental conditions are encountered in the workplace, recreational activities, and athletic endeavors. These findings may inform safety guidelines for athletes, workers, and patients exposed to cold environments.

To evaluate the use of nasal mucosal autonomic nerve responses as an objective indicator for assessing the efficacy of vidian neurectomy (VN) in treating allergic rhinitis (AR). Thirty-five patients with moderate to severe AR and 35 healthy controls were included. Autonomic nerve responses were measured before and 1 month after VN surgery, using respiratory stimulation on the nasal mucosa and the opisthenar area. Three waveform types (P-type, N-type and M-type) were identified. While three waveform types were identified in the nasal mucosa, only the M-type was observed in the opisthenar sympathetic skin response. Preoperative measurements showed higher autonomic responses in patients with AR compared with controls. Following VN, the responses in patients with AR decreased significantly, aligning closely with the control group. No significant changes were observed in the opisthenar responses, indicating a localised effect of VN. Comorbidities such as nasal polyps, sinusitis and deviated septum did not impact the results. Nasal mucosal autonomic nerve response provides a reliable, objective measure for evaluating the effectiveness of VN in treating AR.

In addition to A-beta fibres the human hairy skin has unmyelinated (C) fibres responsive to light touch. Previous functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies in a subject with a neuronopathy who specifically lacks A-beta afferents indicated that tactile C afferents (CT) activate insular cortex, whereas no response was seen in somatosensory areas 1 and 2. Psychophysical tests suggested that CT afferents give rise to an inconsistent perception of weak and pleasant touch. By examining two neuronopathy subjects as well as control subjects we have now demonstrated that CT stimulation can elicit a sympathetic skin response. Further, the neuronopathy subjects’ ability to localize stimuli which activate CT afferents was very poor but above chance level. The findings support the interpretation that the CT system is well suited to underpin affective rather than discriminative functions of tactile sensations.