Maximum Isometric Tetanic Force Measurement of the Tibialis Anterior Muscle in the Rat

Author(s):  
Meiwand Bedar ◽  
Tiam M. Saffari ◽  
Patricia F. Friedrich ◽  
Guilherme Giusti ◽  
Allen T. Bishop ◽  
...  
2014 ◽  
Vol 120 (5) ◽  
pp. 1125-1130 ◽  
Author(s):  
Torpon Vathana ◽  
Tim H. J. Nijhuis ◽  
Patricia F. Friedrich ◽  
Allen T. Bishop ◽  
Alexander Y. Shin

Object Choline acetyltransferase (ChAT) is an enzyme synthesized within the body of a motor neuron whose role is to form the neurotransmitter acetylcholine. Quantification of ChAT levels in motor or mixed nerves has been proposed to provide information regarding the viability of a proximal nerve stump for motor neurotization following brachial plexus injury. To do so requires information regarding normal ChAT levels and those in injured nerves, as well as the correlation of ChAT level determined at surgery with eventual motor recovery. The purpose of this study was to determine ChAT activity in the normal and injured sciatic/peroneal nerve in a rat model, evaluate the correlation between ChAT and motor recovery, find the relationship between ChAT activity and isometric muscle force, and elucidate the parallel between ChAT activity and acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity. Methods Sixty animals were divided into 3 groups. The sciatic nerves in Group 1 were transected without repair. Nerves in Group 2 were transected and repaired. Nerves in Group 3 sustained a crush injury followed by transection and reconstruction. All animals were allowed 12 weeks of recovery followed by evaluation of ChAT levels in the peroneal nerve, correlated with measures of maximal isometric tibialis anterior muscle force and muscle weight (the operated side normalized to the control side). Karnovsky AChE staining of peroneal nerve segments was also compared with radiochemical assay of ChAT activity in the same nerve. Results A significant difference in the tibialis anterior isometric tetanic force and the tibialis anterior muscle weight index (TAMI) was noted between Group 1 and Groups 2 and 3 (p < 0.0001); no significant difference was found comparing Group 2 with Group 3. The correlation between the force measurement and the TAMI was 0.382. Both AChE measurement and ChAT activity demonstrated significantly fewer fibers in the operated nerve compared with the contralateral nerve. Intergroup variability could also be illustrated using these tests. The correlation coefficient between the isometric tetanic force measurement and the ChAT analysis in Groups 1 and 2 was 0.468. The correlation for the AChE staining and the isometric tetanic force measurement was 0.111. The correlation between the TAMI and the ChAT levels was 0.773. The correlation between the TAMI and the AChE-stained fibers was 0.640. Correlating AChE staining to the ChAT analysis produced a correlation of 0.712. Conclusions The great variability in all groups and weak correlations to the functional muscle assessments and the ChAT radiochemical assay made this technique an unreliable method of determining motor nerve viability.


Microsurgery ◽  
2008 ◽  
Vol 28 (6) ◽  
pp. 452-457 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard H. Shin ◽  
Torpon Vathana ◽  
Goetz A. Giessler ◽  
Patricia F. Friedrich ◽  
Allen T. Bishop ◽  
...  

1996 ◽  
Vol 126 (1) ◽  
pp. 266-272 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel Taillandier ◽  
Charles-Yannick Guezennec ◽  
Philippe Patureau-Mirand ◽  
Xavier Bigard ◽  
Maurice Arnal ◽  
...  

2015 ◽  
Vol 118 (5) ◽  
pp. 613-623 ◽  
Author(s):  
Irina V. Ogneva ◽  
V. Gnyubkin ◽  
N. Laroche ◽  
M. V. Maximova ◽  
I. M. Larina ◽  
...  

Altered external mechanical loading during spaceflights causes negative effects on muscular and cardiovascular systems. The aim of the study was estimation of the cortical cytoskeleton statement of the skeletal muscle cells and cardiomyocytes. The state of the cortical cytoskeleton in C57BL6J mice soleus, tibialis anterior muscle fibers, and left ventricle cardiomyocytes was investigated after 30-day 2- g centrifugation (“2- g” group) and within 12 h after its completion (“2- g + 12-h” group). We used atomic force microscopy for estimating cell's transverse stiffness, Western blotting for measuring protein content, and RT-PCR for estimating their expression level. The transverse stiffness significantly decreased in cardiomyocytes (by 16%) and increased in skeletal muscles fibers (by 35% for soleus and by 29% for tibialis anterior muscle fibers) in animals of the 2-g group (compared with the control group). For cardiomyocytes, we found that, in the 2- g + 12-h group, α-actinin-1 content decreased in the membranous fraction (by 27%) and increased in cytoplasmic fraction (by 28%) of proteins (compared with the levels in the 2- g group). But for skeletal muscle fibers, similar changes were noted for α-actinin-4, but not for α-actinin-1. In conclusion, we showed that the different isoforms of α-actinins dissociate from cortical cytoskeleton under increased/decreased of mechanical load.


2016 ◽  
Vol 116 (4) ◽  
pp. 1848-1858 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ryan M. Peters ◽  
Monica D. McKeown ◽  
Mark G. Carpenter ◽  
J. Timothy Inglis

Age-related changes in the density, morphology, and physiology of plantar cutaneous receptors negatively impact the quality and quantity of balance-relevant information arising from the foot soles. Plantar perceptual sensitivity declines with age and may predict postural instability; however, alteration in lower limb cutaneous reflex strength may also explain greater instability in older adults and has yet to be investigated. We replicated the age-related decline in sensitivity by assessing monofilament and vibrotactile (30 and 250 Hz) detection thresholds near the first metatarsal head bilaterally in healthy young and older adults. We additionally applied continuous 30- and 250-Hz vibration to drive mechanically evoked reflex responses in the tibialis anterior muscle, measured via surface electromyography. To investigate potential relationships between plantar sensitivity, cutaneous reflex strength, and postural stability, we performed posturography in subjects during quiet standing without vision. Anteroposterior and mediolateral postural stability decreased with age, and increases in postural sway amplitude and frequency were significantly correlated with increases in plantar detection thresholds. With 30-Hz vibration, cutaneous reflexes were observed in 95% of young adults but in only 53% of older adults, and reflex gain, coherence, and cumulant density at 30 Hz were lower in older adults. Reflexes were not observed with 250-Hz vibration, suggesting this high-frequency cutaneous input is filtered out by motoneurons innervating tibialis anterior. Our findings have important implications for assessing the risk of balance impairment in older adults.


2015 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 332-334
Author(s):  
AS Hegde

A muscle hernia is defined as a protrusion of the muscle belly through an acquired or congenital fascial defect. Muscle herniation through fascia is a relatively rare entity. Though predominantly asymptomatic, rarely they can be cause of vague pain in the leg, aggravated by exercises. Various conservative measures have been described for asymptomatic hernias, but treatment of symptomatic cases remains controversial. Here we present a case of symptomatic post traumatic tibialis anterior muscle herniation which was treated successfully with autologous fascia lata graft in Yenepoya Medical College, Mangalore in the month of January 2013.Muscle hernias should be kept in mind as a rare differential diagnosis whenever patients present with persisting vague leg pain with or without swelling. If conservative treatment fails, we recommend closure with autologous graft or fasciotomy to relieve the symptoms.Kathmandu Univ Med J 2013; 11(4): 332-334


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