• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.31-35
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• 2011

Background: Circumcision is a painful intervention frequently performed in pediatric surgery. We aim to compare the efficacy of caudal block versus dorsal penile block (DPNB) under general anesthesia for children undergoing circumcision. Methods: This study was performed between July 1, 2009 and October 16, 2009. Fifty male children American Society of Anesthesiolgists physical status classification I, aged between 3 and 12 were included in this randomized, prospective, comparative study. Anesthetic techniques were standardized for all children. Patients were randomized into 2 groups. Using 0.25% 0.5 ml/kg levobupivacain, we performed DPNB for Group 1 and caudal block for Group 2. Postoperative analgesia was evaluated for six hours with the Flacc Pain Scale for five categories; (F) Face, (L) Legs, (A) Activity, (C) Cry, and (C) Consolability. For every child, supplemental analgesic amounts, times, and probable local or systemic complications were recorded. Results: No significant difference between the groups (P > 0.05) was found in mean age, body weight, anesthesia duration, FLACC pain, and sedation scores (P > 0.05). However, on subsequent measurements, a significant decrease of pain and sedation scores was noted in both the DPNB group and the caudal block group (P < 0.001). No major complication was found when using either technique. Conclusions: DPNB and caudal block provided similar postoperative analgesic effects without major complications for children under general anesthesia.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.21 no.5
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• pp.1285-1290
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• 2007

The present study aims to identify and characterize genes that cause differen genes between non-responders and responders to electroacupuncture (EA) on mechanical allodynia following peripheral nerve injury. Under sodium pentobarbital anesthesia, animals were subjected to unilateral transection of the superior caudal trunk at the level between S1 and S2 spinal nerves. EA stimulation (2Hz, 0.3 ms, 0.2-0.3 mA) was delivered to Zusanli (ST36) for 30 min 2 weeks after the surgery. The degree of mechanical allodynia was assessed quantitatively by touching the tail with von Frey hair (2.0 g) at 10 min intervals. The rats, which showed an EA-induced decrease of response frequencies under 10 %, were classified as non-responders and those displaying an EA-induced decrease of response frequencies 20 % or more were classified as responders. Results from oligonucleotide microarray, to which cDNAs from the spinal dorsal horn (DH) were applied, showed that hemoglobin beta chain complex and chondroitin sulfate proteoglycan-5 decreased and limbic system-associated membrane protein increased in the non-responder group, whereas calcium-independent alpha-Iatrotoxin receptor homolog-3 increased in the responder group. These results suggest that The functional abnormality of molecules regulating cell adhesion, intracellular signal transduction and cell differentiation in the spinal DH may be involved in the anti-allodynic effect of EA.

• Journal of Acupuncture Research
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• v.18 no.3
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• pp.56-68
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• 2001

Objective : Functional brain mapping study on acupuncture stimulation using the [14C]2-deoxyglucose([14C]2-DG) autoradiography provides quantitative data and visualized pathway in central nervous system(CNS). We aimed to investigate the neural pathway and spatial distribution of metabolic activity elicited in CNS on electroacupuncture stimulation using [14C]2-DG autoradiography. Methods : The study were divided into three groups by stimulation times. 45-mins stimulation group according to Sokoloffs method, 5-mins stimulation group according to Duncun's method, and 15-mins stimulation group. ;A venous catheter was equipped into right jugular vein. The rats (Sprague-Dawley rats, 230-260g) were kept fastened loosely on a holding platform without anesthesia. Electroacupuncture stimulation (5 ms, 2 Hz, 1~3 mA) were applied on the left Zusanli (ST36) acupoint and [14C]2-DG ($25{\mu}Ci/rat$) injection was performed through the catheter. After sacrifice, the brain and the spinal cord were made to sections for film image. The film images were digitalized as the isotope concentration based upon comparison of optical densities with that of the standards and normalized by the optical density of corpus callosum. Results : 1. 15-mins stimulation group was most effective among 3 experiments. 2. On 15-mins stimulation group, medial geniculate nucleus, intetpeduncular nucleus intermedius, ventral periolivary nucleus, caudal periolivary nucleus, medial superior olive, lateral paragigantocellular nucleus, including hypothalamic arcuate nucleus were increased by more than 25% (at least, p<0.05) by electroacupuncture stimulation. 3. Especially, the metabolism in hypothalamic arcuate nucleus was increased by 90% (p<0.05). 4. The fact that arcuate nucleus of hypothalamus might play a role of interconnection area between ascending and descending pathway of acupuncture stimulation was demonstrated visually. Conclusions : Advanced study on electroacupuncture stimulation elicited significant increase of metabolic activity in various nuclei of hypothalamus will provide the important experimental basis in research of the relationship between electroacupuncture stimulation and internal visceral functions.

• Journal of Biomedical Engineering Research
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• v.38 no.1
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• pp.16-24
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• 2017

For the development of feasible retinal prosthesis, one of the important elements is acquiring proper judging tool if electrical stimulus leads to patient's visual perception. If evoked potential to electrical stimulus is recorded in primary visual (V1) cortex, it means that the stimulus effectively evokes visual perception. Therefore, in this study, we established VEP recording system on V1 cortex using BioPAC modules as the judging tool. And the measuring system was evaluated by recording VEP of mice. After anesthesia, normal mice (C57BL/6J strain; n = 6) were secured to stereotaxic apparatus (Harvard Apparatus, USA). For the recording of VEP, the stainless steel needle electrode (impedance: $2-5k{\Omega}$) was positioned on the surface of the cortex through the burr hole at 2.5 mm lateral and 4.6 mm caudal to bregma. DA 100C and EEG 100C BioPAC modules were used for the trigger signal and VEP recording, respectively. When left eye was blocked by black cover and right eye was stimulated by flash light using HMsERG (RetVet Corp, USA), VEP response at left V1 cortex was detected, but there was no response at right V1 cortex. Amplitudes and latencies of P2, N3 peaks of VEP recording varied according to the depths of the electrodes on V1 cortex. From the surface upto $600{\mu}m$ depth, amplitudes of P2 and N3 increased, while deeper than $600{\mu}m$, those amplitudes decreased. The deeper the insertion depth of the electrode, the latency of N1 peaks tends to be delayed. However, there was no statistically significant difference among the latencies of P2 and N3 peaks (P > 0.05, ANOVA). Our VEP recording data such as the insertion depth and the latency and amplitudes of peaks might be used as guidelines for electrically-evoked potential (EEP) recording experiment in near future.

• International Journal of Oral Biology
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• v.34 no.1
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• pp.1-6
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• 2009

The purpose of the present study was to examine the role of peripheral nitric oxide (NO) pathways in the onset of interleukin (IL)-1$\beta$-induced mechanical allodynia in the orofacial area. Experiments were carried out on male Sprague-Dawley rats weighing 230-280 gm and surgical procedures were performed under pentobarbital sodium (40 mg/kg, i.p.). Under anesthesia, a polyethylene tube (PE10) was implanted into the subcutaneous area of one vibrissa pad, which enabled the injection of IL-1$\beta$ or other chemicals. We subcutaneously injected 50 ${\mu}L$ of IL-1$\beta$ into a vibrissa pad through the implanted polyethylene tube with a 100 ${\mu}L$ Hamilton syringe. After the administration of 0.01, 0.1, 1, or 10 pg of IL-1$\beta$, withdrawal behavioral responses were examined. The subcutaneous injection of saline had no effects on the air-puff thresholds. Following the subcutaneous injection of 0.01, 0.1, 1, or 10 pg of IL-1$\beta$, the threshold of air puffs decreased significantly to 12 $\pm$ 3, 7 $\pm$ 2, 5 $\pm$ 1, or 5 $\pm$ 1 psi, respectively, in a dose dependent manner. Pretreatment with L-NAME, a nitric oxide synthase (NOS) inhibitor, blocked IL-1$\beta$-induced mechanical allodynia. However, neither D-NAME, an inactive isomer of L-NAME, nor vehicle affected the IL-1$\beta$-induced mechanical allodynia. Subcutaneous injection of IL-1$\beta$ increased the number of c-fos-like immunoreactive neurons, whereas pretreatment with L-NAME decreased this number, in the trigeminal caudal nucleus. These results suggest that pro-inflammatory cytokines and NO are important contributors to the pathogenesis of persistent and exaggerated IL-1$\beta$-induced pain states. Based on these observations, peripheral application of NOS inhibitors may be of therapeutic value in treating pain disorders in the clinic.