, UK) connected to a microscope. The image was viewed and digitized on a display screen, and the morpho-logical parameters were measured using a cursor and digitizing table (Fig. 1). The data were saved on an IBM XT computer (IBM Corporation, USA) interfaced to the VIDS III system. Fiber and axon diameters of the semi-thin sections were measured at 1000× magnification

in five different fields for each specimen (rat), following Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical which they were stored and summarized for statistical analysis. Fiber diameter and internodal distance of the teased nerve segments were measured at 400× magnification in 300 fibers of each specimen (rat), following which they were stored and summarized for statistical analysis (Fig. 2). Figure 1 Semi-thin section of a sciatic nerve. Cross-section of a sciatic Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical nerve 200 days after transection and repair. The shortest lengths of the outer and inner margins of the myelin sheath were measured to determine the fiber diameter (FD) and axon diameter … Figure 2 Teased nerve fiber. Teased nerve segment 200 days after transection and repair. The internodal length between the nodes of Ranvier (IL) Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical and the fiber diameter (FD) were measured. Magnification is 400×. Statistical analysis

MVC was compared between groups using a nonparametric Kruskal–Wallis one-way analysis of variance by ranks test. Morphometric parameters were expressed as mean ± standard error of the mean, and PH-797804 in vitro pairwise

differences were tested using Tukey’s honestly significant difference and Student’s Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical t-tests. Relationships between the morphometric parameters and time after nerve transection were tested by best fit analyses using linear or logarithmic equations, and the correlation coefficients (r) were tested. P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results Motor nerve conduction study The mean MCV in the control group was 74.2 m/sec; this was significantly higher than that measured in the four rat groups allowed to recover for 50, 100, 150, and 200 days (Table 1). The mean MCV increased with time between 50 and 200 days Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical after transection, and the mean MCV of the 200-day regeneration group was significantly higher than that of the 50-day group, indicating partial regeneration and functional recovery of the sciatic and common peroneal else nerves. There was no significant difference between the 100-, 150-, and 200-day groups. Table 1 Motor nerve conduction velocities and morphometric measurements at different times after nerve transection Morphometric analysis Figure 3 presents the frequency distribution histograms of fiber diameter as measured in the control and transection groups. All four histograms compiled from the common peroneal nerves studied after 50, 100, 150, and 200 days of recovery were unimodal, with the proportion of nerve fibers shifted to larger nerve diameters (to the right) with longer recovery times (Fig. 3A–D).