Topographic and biometric study of radial nerve branches to the muscles of the anterior compartment of the arm / Estudio topográfico y biométrico de los ramos del nervio radial para los músculos del compartimiento anterior del brazo

The radial nerve is a terminal branch of the brachial plexus that innervates the entire posterior compartment of the upper limb. Researches have shown that the branches can contribute to innervation of the muscles from the anterior compartment of the arm. This study sought to identify branches of radial nerve for brachialis and coracobrachialis muscles and its clinical value during surgery. Dissection was performed in 60 arms, from 30 corpses selected from the Human Anatomy Laboratories of Universidade Estadual de Ciências da Saúde de Alagoas (UNCISAL). In each arm, three segments of the same proportion were considered (proximal, middle and distal) in order to observe the number of radial nerve branches to brachialis and coracobrachialis muscles. Branches were identified in 4 of the 60 upper limb (6.66%) with the following distribution: nerve with 1 branch to the brachialis muscle in the distal third (1.66%); with 1 branch to the middle third of the coracobrachialis (1.66%) and 5 branches to the coracobrachialis muscle in the proximal third; 1 branch being found in an upper limb (1.66 %) and 4 branches in the other upper limb (1.66 %). The event was not bilaterally in the same body, and in four cases there was no branching, but only communication with other terminal nerves of the brachial plexus. In conclusion, although most authors do not describe the possibility of the occurrence of radial nerve branches to the muscles of the anterior compartment of the arm, this condition exists as an anatomical variation.

El nervio radial es un ramo terminal del plexo braquial que inerva el compartimiento posterior del miembro superior. Diversos estudios han mostrado que sus ramos pueden contribuir a la inervación de los músculos del compartimiento anterior del brazo. El presente estudio tuvo como objetivo identificar ramos del nervio radial dirigidos a los músculos braquial y coracobraquial y su importancia clínica durante las cirugías. Para ello, se disecaron 60 brazos de 30 cuerpos formolizados en los Laboratorios de Anatomía Humana de la Universidad Estadual de Ciencias de la Salud de Alagoas, Brasil (UNCISAL). En cada brazo, se consideraron tres partes de similares proporciones (proximal, medio y distal) para localizar los ramos dirigidos a los músculos mencionados. En 4 de los 60 brazos (6,66%) se identificaron ramos con la siguiente distribución: un ramo para el músculo braquial en el tercio distal (1,66%); un ramo para el tercio medio del músculo coracobraquial (1,66%) y cinco ramos para este mismo músculo en su tercio proximal; en otro miembro (1,66%)se encontró solo un ramo y en la otra muestra (1,66%) se encontraron cuatro ramos. Ninguno de los casos fue bilateral y en los cuatro casos no había ninguna ramificación. No hubo comunicación con el nervio musculocutáneo pero si con otros ramos del plexo braquial. Aunque la mayoría de los autores no describe la posibilidad de que el nervio radial inerve a los músculos anteriores del brazo, esta disposición existe como una variación anatómica.

Effects of high-intensity intermittent training on carnitine palmitoyl transferase activity in the gastrocnemius muscle of rats

We examined the capacity of high-intensity intermittent training (HI-IT) to facilitate the delivery of lipids to enzymes responsible for oxidation, a task performed by the carnitine palmitoyl transferase (CPT) system in the rat gastrocnemius muscle. Male adult Wistar rats (160-250 g) were randomly distributed into 3 groups: sedentary (Sed, N = 5), HI-IT (N = 10), and moderate-intensity continuous training (MI-CT, N = 10). The trained groups were exercised for 8 weeks with a 10% (HI-IT) and a 5% (MI-CT) overload. The HI-IT group presented 11.8% decreased weight gain compared to the Sed group. The maximal activities of CPT-I, CPT-II, and citrate synthase were all increased in the HI-IT group compared to the Sed group (P < 0.01), as also was gene expression, measured by RT-PCR, of fatty acid binding protein (FABP; P < 0.01) and lipoprotein lipase (LPL; P < 0.05). Lactate dehydrogenase also presented a higher maximal activity (nmol·min-1·mg protein-1) in HI-IT (around 83%). We suggest that 8 weeks of HI-IT enhance mitochondrial lipid transport capacity thus facilitating the oxidation process in the gastrocnemius muscle. This adaptation may also be associated with the decrease in weight gain observed in the animals and was concomitant to a higher gene expression of both FABP and LPL in HI-IT, suggesting that intermittent exercise is a "time-efficient" strategy inducing metabolic adaptation.