• The Journal of Korean Physical Therapy
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• v.2 no.1
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• pp.47-63
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• 1990

The purpose of this study was to determined the effect of low-frequency electrical stimulation on the denervated gastrocnemius muscles of the albino rats, Sprague-Dawley. Fifteen Sprague-Dawley adult male albino rats were divided into non-treated (normal) group, denervated (control) group, denervated and electrical stimulated (experiments). The gastrocnemius muscles of the right leg were submaximally stimulated with 30 Hz electrical stimulation. After 4-week period, the animals were sacrificed, and muscle were removed, fixed by immersion, and processed for light and electron microscopy. The numbers of Ag-NOR increased significantly (p<0.001), but significant reductions of girth(p<0.01), wet muscle weight (p<0.001), high glycogen content fiber (p<0.01), and mitochondrial number (p<0.05) were found in denervated control group. In comparison with control group, significant increase of right leg girth (p<0.05), wet muscle weight (p<0.001), high glycogen content fiber (p<0.05), numbers of Ag-NOR(p<0.001), number of mitochondria (p<0.01), mitochondrial volume found in electrical stimulated experimental group. The results suggest that the electrical stimulation of the muscle partially prevented the denervated atrophy in the rat gastrocnemius muscles.

• Physical Therapy Korea
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• v.7 no.3
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• pp.34-48
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• 2000

The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of mild-intensity exercise training on the denervated muscle atrophy in the sciatic nerve injured rat. Thirty-six male Sprague-Dawley rats (250~300 g) were randomly assigned into three groups; sham-denervated group (n=8), denervated group (n=8), and denervated-exercised group (n=20). Exercise consisted of treadmill running at 20 m/min speed with 0% grade for 30 min/day. The animals were decapitated at the second and sixth weeks postcrush. Soleus and medial gastrocnemius were immediately excised to be weighed. Type I and II fibers of the muscles were differentiated by m-ATPase (pH 9.4) stain, and fiber diameters were evaluated. The results were as follows: 1) The weight of the soleus and medial gastrocnemius muscles showed a tendency to increase in both the denervation-exercised groups compared to the denervated group. 2) In the 2-week denervation-exercised group, type II fiber diameter of soleus and type I fiber diameter of medial gastrocnemius were increased significantly compared to the denervated control group. 3) In the 6-week denervated-exercised group, type I fiber diameter of soleus and type II fiber diameter of medial gastrocnemius were hypertrophied significantly compared to sham-denervated group. The results of this study suggested that treadmill exercise partially prevented denervation atrophy in the soleus and medial gastrocnemius of the rat.

• Perspectives in Nursing Science
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• v.2 no.1
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• pp.19-36
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• 2005

Muscle atrophy is defined as a decrease in muscle mass, cross-sectional area, and myofibrillar protein content. Causes inducing muscle atrophy may be inactivity, denervation, undernutrition and steroid. Inactivity may decrease protein synthesis and increase protein breakdown of skeletal muscle. The muscle atrophy due to inactivity was induced by bed rest, hindlimb suspension, cast, total hip replacement arthroplasty, anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction. Denervated atrophy may be induced by the loss of innervation from lower motor neuron. The atrophy was apparent in the lower limb of hemiplegic patients following ischemic stroke and in the hindlimb of ischemic stroke rats. Protein breakdown of skeletal muscle in the undernourished state results in muscle atrophy. The atrophy due to undernutrition was evident in cancer and leukemia patients and in the undernourished rats. Steroids have been used to treat allergies, inflammatory diseases, autoimmune diseases and to inhibit immune function following transplantation. Steroids may induce muscle atrophy by protein breakdown of skeletal muscle. Muscle Physiology Laboratoryat College of Nursing, Seoul National University proved that dexamethasone may induce hindlimb muscle atrophy in rats and exercise and DHEA may attenuate hindlimb muscle atrophy induced by the steroid in rats. Nurses working with patients undergoing steroid treatment need to be cognizant of steroid induced muscle atrophy. They need to assess whether muscle atrophy is being occurred during and after the steroid treatment. Moreover, they need to apply exercise and DHEA to the patients undergoing steroid treatment in order to attenuate the steroid induced muscle atrophy.

• Journal of Biomedical Engineering Research
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• v.39 no.1
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• pp.1-9
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• 2018

This study was carried out to evaluate the effect of micro-current therapy on muscle atrophy and delayed wound healing process caused by traumatic peripheral nerve injury. For this, twenty-five 5-week-old Sprague Dawley rat were used and assigned to five groups including the normal group (NOR, n=5), the wound group (WD, n=5), the wounded and treated with micro-current electrical therapy group (WD+MET, n=5), the sciatic nerve denervated and wounded group (WD+DN, n=5), and the sciatic nerve denervated, wounded and treated with micro-current electrical therapy group (WD+DN+MET, n=5). In order to assess the changes in length of incisional wound for 12 days and the muscle volume for 2 weeks, the ImageJ analysis of macroscopic analysis and micro-CT data were obtained and analyzed. As a result, significant delay in the process in wound healing were observed and micro-current therapy suppress the postponement of healing process. Furthermore, there were significant changes in muscle volume between electrically treated group and non-treated group. These result shows that electrical stimulation may improve the delayed healing process and muscle atrophy at once.

• The Journal of Korean Physical Therapy
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.63-71
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• 2004

Denervated skeletal muscle produces muscle atrophy as well as changes at the neuromuscular junction which leads to terminal axonal sprouting and an ultrastructural remodeling. NT-3 is expressed in adult muscle and motoneurons. Normally NT-3 has a potential role in regulating adult neuromuscular jungtion and recovering following muscle atrophy. Also, it could influence synaptic neurotransmission between motoneurons and skeletal muscle cells. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of electrical stimulation therapy(EST) on NT-3 expression in neuromuscular junction following sciatic nerve transsection in rats. After EST application during 7 days, the immunoreactivity of NT-3 was increased in neuromuscular junction

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.405-411
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• 2009

This study evaluated the effects of Puerariae Radix on the skeletal muscle atrophy, Muscle atrophy was induced by the sciatic nerve transection in Sprague-Dawley rats, then aqueous-extract of Puerariae Radix was administered for 12 days, Muscle wet weight was measured in soleus, plantaris, and medial gastrocnemius. Muscle fiber type was classified by MHCf immunohistochemistry. Muscle fiber type proportion and cross section area of muscle fiber also was observed in medial gastrocnemius. Bax and Bcl-2 expressions in medial gastrocnemius of the damaged hind limb were evaluated with immunohistochemistry. The results are as follows; Puerariae Radix attenuated muscle atrophy in soleus of the sciatic nerve transectioned rats, but there was statistic significance. Puerariae Radix attenuated significantly atrophy in plantaris at 12 days and in medial gastrocnemius at 8 days and 12 days. Puerariae Radix improved histology of the atrophic changes and increased significantly cross section areas of type-I and type-II muscle fibers in medial gastrocnemius of the sciatic nerve transectioned rats. Puerariae Radix did not affect to muscle fiber type proportion in medial gastrocnemius of the sciatic nerve transectioned rats. Puerariae Radix attenuated significantly Bax positive nuclei but did not affect to Bcl-2 positive muscle fibers in medial gastrocnemius of the sciatic nerve transectioned rats.According to above results, Puerariae Radix may have an anti-atrophy effect on the denervated skeletal muscle through anti-apoptotic effects on muscle fibers.

• Journal of the Optical Society of Korea
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.55-59
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• 2014

Sarcopenia, or reduced muscle mass and volume, is due to various factors such as senile change, neuronal degeneration, drug, malignancy, and sepsis. Sarcopenia with the aging process has been evidenced by the decline in muscle mass by 0.5 to 1% per year with 3-5% reduction in muscle strength for 10 years between the ages of 40 and 50, and a 1-2% of decline of mass every year in people aged 60-70. Therefore, early diagnosis and understanding the mechanism of sarcopenia are crucial in the prevention of muscle loss. However, it is still difficult to image changes of muscle microstructure due to a lack of techniques. In this study, we developed an animal model using denervated rats to induce a rapid atrophy in the tibialis anterior (TA) and imaged its structural changes using optical coherence tomography (OCT) along with histologic and ultrasound analyses. Ultrasound showed changes of overall muscle size. Histology revealed that the atrophic TA muscle displayed an increased size variability of muscle fiber and inflammatory changes. Three dimensional OCT imaged the changes of perimysial grid and muscle fiber structure in real time without sacrifice. These observed advantages of multimodal imaging using OCT and ultrasound would provide clinical benefits in the diagnosis of sarcopenia.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.101-107
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• 2000

Objectives : The evaluation of peripheral nerve injuries has traditionally relied on a clinical history, physical examination, and electrodiagnostic studies. The purpose of the present study was to examine serial magnetic resonance image(MRI) changes following acute muscle denervation under experimental conditions and to identify potential advantages and disadvantages of this use of MRI. Methods : An experimental transection of right sciatic nerve on Spargue-Dawley rats was performed. MRI was performed with T1-weighted spin-echo and STIR sequences. The imaging findings were compared with EMG in order to determine its sensitivity relative to this standard procedure. A simultaneous histopathological study provided information about the morphological basis of the imaging findings. Signal intensities were expressed as a ratio of abnormal to normal. Results : The signal intensity ratio of muscles with the STIR sequence was increased significantly at 2 weeks after sciatic nerve transection(p<0.05), although definite signal change was seen as early as 4 days postdenervation in one. EMG revealed significant denervation potential from 3 days after nerve transection. Diffuse cell atrophy was revealed hostologically at 2 weeks after transection, which was at the same time of significant signal change in MRI. Conclusion : MRI signal changes in denervated muscles secondary to nerve injury correlate with the degree of muscle atrophy on histologic examination. In addition to EMG, MRI can document the course of muscle atrophy and mesenchymal abnormalities in denervation. These results indicate that MRI can play a complementary role in the evaluation of patients with denervation.

• Archives of Reconstructive Microsurgery
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• v.6 no.1
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• pp.73-79
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• 1997

Complete denervation after severe brachial plexus injury make significant muscle atrophy with loss of proper function. It is much helpful to reconstruct the essential function of the elbow flexion movement in patient with total loss of elbow flexion motion after brachial plexus lesion which was not recovered with nerve surgery or long term conservative treatment from onset. In whole arm type brachial plexus injury, if there were no response to neurotization or neglected from injury, the volume of the denervated muscle is significantely reduced month by month. About 18 months most of the muscle fibers change to fibrous tissues and markedly atrophied irreversibly, further waiting is no more meaningful from that period. Authors performed 14 cases of functioning gracilis muscle transfer from 1981 to 1995 with microneurovascular technique, neuromusculocutaneous free flaps were performed for reconstruction of lost elbow flexion function. Average follow-up period was 5 years and 6 months. We used couple of intercostal nerves as a recipient nerve which were anastomosed to muscular nerve from obturator nerve in all cases. Recipient vessels were three deep brachial artery and eleven brachial artery which were anastomosed to medial femoral circumflex artery with end to end or end to side fashion. Average resting length of the transplanted gracilis were 24 cm. We can get average 54 degree flexion range of elbow with fair muscle power from flail elbow. There were one case of muscle necrosis with lately developed thrombosis of microvascular anastomosed site which comes from insufficient recipient arterial condition, 3 cases of partial marginal necrosis of distal skin of the transplanted part which were not significant problem with spontaneously solved with time goes by gracilis muscle has constant neurovascular pattern with relatively easy harvesting donor with minimal donor morbidity. Especially it has similar length and shape with biceps brachii muscle of upper arm and longer nerve pedicle which can neurorrhaphy with intercostal nerve without nerve graft if sufficient mobilization of the nerves from both sides of gracilis and intercostal region. Authors can propose gracilis muscle transplantation with intercostal nerves neurotization is helpful method with minimal donor morbidity for neglected brachial plexus palsy patients.