ABSTRACT
Introduction: Hypertension is one of the leading disorders contributing to significant morbidity and mortality in the world today. Today’s stressful life and modern life styles including the food habits have increased the incidence, acquiring a status of modern day epidemic along with diabetes mellitus. The onset and severity of complication in a system is said to be dependent on the duration of hypertension and the degree of its control. Autonomic dysfunction is drawing more and more attention of the medical fraternity for its supposed role in sudden deaths observed in hypertensive and diabetics. Aim of the study: Our aim is to Hand grip test and Cold presser test in normotensive and moderately hypertensive patients. Materials and methods: A comparative study of cardiovascular autonomic function tests in hypertensive and normotensive individuals was conducted in the Department of Physiology, Department of Community Medicine, RMMCH-Urban Health Centre, Chidambaram on 25 hypertensive patients in the age group of 30-40 years and age matched control group of 25 normotensive individuals. The study was programmed to assess sympathetic nerve functions based on cardiovascular parameters like blood pressure and heart rate measurement. Among the autonomic function tests discussed in the review of literature. Results: In HGT this is an indicator for sympathetic insufficiency. Rise in DBP of > 16 mmHg is taken as normal. In autonomic disorder the rise is < 10 mmHg.
ABSTRACT
Background: Obesity is an important and independent risk factor for cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. High incidence of cardiac autonomic nerve dysfunction has been noted in obese subjects who are at increased risk for sudden death Objective: To study the relationship between sympathetic nerve function and obesity. Methods: This cross sectional study was conducted in the Department of Physiology, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University between July 2006 to June 2007 and 40 apparently healthy obese subjects aged18-40 years of both sexes with BMI > 25 kg/m2 in study group. Age and sex matched 40 apparently healthy nonobese subjects with BMI range of 18.5-22.9 kg/m2 were also included for comparison (Control). Two noninvasive cardiovascular reflex tests like blood pressure response to sustained handgrip and blood pressure response to standing were done to assess sympathetic nerve function status. Unpaired Student’s ‘t’ test and Pearson correlation coefficient test were used for statistical analysis. Results: Mean values of resting heart rate, resting systolic and diastolic blood pressure were significantly(p<0.05) higher and both the sympathetic nerve function parameters(BP response to hand grip and BP response to standing) were significantly (p>0.05) lower in obese compared to those of non obese control subjects. Again, BP response to hand grip were negatively and BP response to standing were positively correlated with BMI in all subjects. These correlations are statistically significant(p<0.05). Conclusion: The results of this study revealed that sympathetic nerve function may be reduced in obesity.
ABSTRACT
A large number of negative air ions have been detected in forests, at spas, and near waterfalls. The air ion had been reported to improve the feelings of comfort, feelings of fatigue and occupational efficiency. Almost all the studies were reported by the short-term exposure of the air ions (2-5 hours) on human. We analyzed the physiological effects and laboratory findings of the long-term exposure of negative air ion (ca. 5000/cc, 5 hours/day, 3 weeks) in double-blind methods.<br>For this study, we made the negative air ion producing machines, in which the steam was combined with electric discharge by high-voltage electrodes. The machines could constantly produce high amount of negative ions (ca. 5, 000 counts/cc). We set these machines in the rest rooms of ten volunteer and programmed to spout negative air ions when they were sleeping at midnight (AM1:00-6:00) for 3 weeks. After 3 weeks exposure of negative air ions or sham condition, we checked the physical and mental tests and sampled the blood.<br>In the exposure of negative air ions, some of the depressive scales and subjective feelings (scores from Arthritis Impact Measurement Scales (AIMS2)) were better than in those in the sham condition, and the local perspiration of palm, which reflected sympathetic nerve function, also decreased by mental and physical stress in the exposure ions more than in the sham condition. This showed that the negative air ion decreased the stress of the sympathetic nerve function. In laboratory findings, there were no significant differences between the clinical data with ions and without ions, and it was shown that ion was harmless in the range of 5, 000 counts/cc 5 hours/day. The percentage of natural killer (NK) cells with the exposure of the ions was lower than without ions. This also indicated the air ion decreased the stress of human.<br>It was shown that the negative air ion might improve human activities and remove the stress. The mechanism of the negative air ions for human is not clear, so that further studies will be needed.