The relation between conduction velocity and axonal length

Motor evoked potentials (MEPs) obtained by electrical root stimulation and F waves were used to examine the proximal nerve conduction velocity (CV) to tibialis anterior (TA), extensor digitorum brevis (EDB), flexor carpi radialis (FCR), and abductor pollicis brevis (APB) muscles in 40 humans. By subtracting motor latencies obtained by stimulating the peripheral nerve at the same point from the F-wave and MEP latencies, we could measure the CV over identical proximal segments. It was found that proximal CV to TA and FCR was significantly higher than to EDB and APB, respectively. Combining the data of the proximal CV to all four muscles in relation with axonal length resulted in a highly significant inverse relationship (r² = 0.77). Thus the axonal length explained to a large extent the higher CV of the arm nerves and also the inverse relation between body height and CV. The distal CV was always lower than proximal CV; however, there was no support for an additional effect of this gradient in explaining the relationship between CV and height since it was constant for all body heights. © John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Frequency and Output-Dependent Change in Conduction Over Slow Pathways in a Patient with Sustained Ventricular Tachycardia Unrelated to Coronary Artery Disease

In a patient with sustained ventricular tachycardia, we obtained two different paced QRS morphologies from a single pacing site. In one QRS morphology the stimulus to the QRS complex was long, 150 msec, and in the other it was 100 msec. At the paced cycle length of 600 msec and the stimulus output of 4 V, one QRS morphology with the stimulus to the onset of QRS activation (St-QRS) interval of 150 msec was observed. At the paced cycle length of 400 msec, the other QRS morphology with a St-QRS interval of 100 msec was observed alternatively with the former. At the paced cycle length of 353 msec or 316 msec, the latter with a shorter St-QRS interval was exclusively observed. When the stimulus output was increased from 4 to 10 V, keeping with the paced cycle length at 400 msec, the St-QRS interval was shortened from 100 to 80 msec. For the two QRS morphologies with two St-QRS intervals, two slowly conducting pathways would be responsible. The site of the block in the faster pathway must be located at the proximity of the pacing site and the conduction at a shorter paced cycle length would be explained by "supernormal conduction."     

Effects of local nerve cooling on conduction in vagal fibres shed light upon respiratory reflexes in the rabbit

In ten vagus nerves the effect of local cooling on the compound action potential was studied in the temperature range of 34 to 0 °C in spontaneously breathing, anaesthetized rabbits. The mean temperature at which the myelinated (A) fibres were completely blocked, was 10.2±2.4 °C (mean ± S.D.). In nine nerves, local vagus cooling to 0 °C failed to block all non-myelinated (C) fibres. In one nerve, total blocking occurred at 2.0 °C. We conclude that in the rabbit, the earlier found increase in tonic activity of the diaphragm following lung inflation or deflation during bilateral local vagus cooling to a temperature between 8 and 0 °C is due to afferent impulses in vagal C fibres.     

Effect of ultrasound on the myocardium and cardiac conduction (A morphological study)

Focused ultrasound is used to create local foci of lesions in the myocardium. It is shown that this method can be used for the treatment of monofocal tachycardias. The effect of focused ultrasound on the myocardium, coronary artery, and atrioventricular node is studied in experiments on dogs, and the ultrasound-destroyed zones of the myocardium are investigated morphologically. Translated fromByulleten' Eksperimental'noi Biologii i Meditsiny, Vol. 118, N ^o 7, pp. 104–107, July, 1994 Presented by F. G. Uglov, Member of the Russian Academy of Medical Sciences     

脊髓型颈椎病对周围神经传导的影响

目的：探讨颈脊髓损伤对周围神经功能的影响。方法：对３２例脊髓型颈椎病患者分别于术前、术后１～５天及３个月三次检测周围神经传导速度。结果：术前下肢远段感觉神经传导速度和波幅异常者占８１％，于术后３个月内复查发现已明显恢复。结论：颈脊髓损伤对下肢远段感觉神经传导功能有影响     

Duchenne muscular dystrophy and idiopathic hyperCKemia segregating in a family

A 7-month-old boy with gross motor delay and failure to thrive presented with rhabdomyolysis following an acute asthmatic episode. During hospitalization an electrocardiographic conversion to a Wolff-Parkinson-White type 1 (WPW) pattern took place. Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) was suspected based on elevated creatine kinase (CK) serum levels, muscle biopsy, and family history. The diagnosis was confirmed by molecular analysis, which documented a deletion corresponding to cDNA probe 1-2a in the dystrophin gene, in the propositus and in an affected male cousin of his mother. “Idiopathic” hyperCKemia was found in the propositus, his father, and 5 of his relatives. We suggest that the unusually early and severe manifestations of DMD in this patient may be related to the coincidental inheritance of the maternal DMD gene and of a paternal gene, causing hyperCKemia. © 1995 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

Nkx2.5‐negative myocardium of the posterior heart field and its correlation with podoplanin expression in cells from the developing cardiac pacemaking and conduction system

Recent advances in the study of cardiac development have shown the relevance of addition of myocardium to the primary myocardial heart tube. In wild‐type mouse embryos (E9.5–15.5), we have studied the myocardium at the venous pole of the heart using immunohistochemistry and 3D reconstructions of expression patterns of MLC‐2a, Nkx2.5, and podoplanin, a novel coelomic and myocardial marker. Podoplanin‐positive coelomic epithelium was continuous with adjacent podoplanin‐ and MLC‐2a‐positive myocardium that formed a conspicuous band along the left cardinal vein extending through the base of the atrial septum to the posterior myocardium of the atrioventricular canal, the atrioventricular nodal region, and the His‐Purkinje system. Later on, podoplanin expression was also found in the myocardium surrounding the pulmonary vein. On the right side, podoplanin‐positive cells were seen along the right cardinal vein, which during development persisted in the sinoatrial node and part of the venous valves. In the MLC‐2a‐ and podoplanin‐positive myocardium, Nkx2.5 expression was absent in the sinoatrial node and the wall of the cardinal veins. There was a mosaic positivity in the wall of the common pulmonary vein and the atrioventricular conduction system as opposed to the overall Nkx2.5 expression seen in the chamber myocardium. We conclude that we have found podoplanin as a marker that links a novel Nkx2.5‐negative sinus venosus myocardial area, which we refer to as the posterior heart field, with the cardiac conduction system. Anat Rec, 290:115–122, 2007. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.     

肌电图和运动神经传导速度检查诊断周围神经损伤

对136例周围神经损伤患者进行肌电图(EMG)与运动神经传导速度(MCV)分析。损伤神经支配的168块肌肉,EMG均为神经原性损害。166条受损神经MCV均有不同程度的减慢或缺失,其中周围神经完全断伤29.52％,严重损伤21.69％,中度损伤21.08％,轻度损伤27.71％。本文认为对周围神经损伤的定位和损伤程度的判断EMG和MCV是可靠和有效的方法。     

Experimental muscle pain changes motor control strategies in dynamic contractions

This study investigated the effect of muscle pain on muscle activation strategies during dynamic exercises. Ten healthy volunteers performed cyclic elbow flexion/extension movements at maximum speed for 2 min after injection of (1) hypertonic (painful) saline in the biceps brachii, (2) hypertonic saline in both biceps brachii and triceps brachii, and (3) isotonic (nonpainful) saline in the biceps brachii muscle. Surface electromyographic (EMG) signals were collected from the upper trapezius, biceps brachii, triceps brachii, and brachioradialis muscles (to estimate EMG amplitude) and with an electrode arrays from biceps brachii (to estimate muscle fiber conduction velocity [CV]). In all conditions, the acceleration of the movement decreased throughout the exercise, and kinematic parameters were not altered by pain. With respect to the control condition, pain induced a decrease of the biceps brachii (mean ± SE, –23±4%) and brachioradialis (–10±0.4%) integrated EMG (IEMG) in the beginning of the exercise, and an increase (45±3.5%) of the upper trapezius IEMG at all time points during the exercise. The biceps brachii IEMG decreased over time during the nonpainful exercises (–11±0.6%) while it remained constant in the painful condition. Biceps brachii CV decreased during painful conditions (–12.8±2.2%) while it remained constant during the nonpainful condition. In conclusion, muscle pain changes the motor control strategy to sustain the required dynamic task both in the relative contribution between synergistic muscles and in the motor unit activation within the painful muscle. Such a changed motor strategy may be highly relevant in models of occupational musculoskeletal pain conditions.