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In vitro production of short-chain fatty acids by bacterial fermentation of dietary fiber compared with effects of those fibers on hepatic sterol synthesis in rats.

The aim of this study was to determine the effects of fiber feeding on short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) production in laboratory rats and in an in vitro fermentation model using fecal inocula from rats adapted to a high fiber diet. In addition, the effect of fiber intake on endogenous sterol synthesis was evaluated. Twenty male Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into four groups and fed a control or 30% fiber diet (cellulose, pectin or pea fiber) for 4 wk. In vitro fermentation was compared with measurements of cecal SCFA content of fiber-adapted rats. Sterol synthesis in isolated hepatocytes was determined in groups of five to seven rats fed 15% dietary fiber for 4 wk. Cellulose was poorly fermented in both the in vitro and in vivo experiments. Pectin fermentation produced high levels of propionate, whereas pea fiber was associated with notable butyrate production. Adaptation to pectin produced seven times more SCFA in rat cecal contents (515 +/- 78 mumol) in comparison to a fiber-free diet (70.6 +/- 4.9 mumol), with similar results observed in vitro. Sterol synthesis in hepatocytes of rats fed pectin was significantly greater than in those of control or cellulose-fed rats. Despite significantly higher rates of SCFA production in pectin-fed rats, cholesterol synthesis was not inhibited, suggesting that SCFA are not the cholesterol-lowering factor of highly fermentable fiber sources.

Acetates↗

Arabinoxylan fiber from a by-product of wheat flour processing behaves physiologically like a soluble, fermentable fiber in the large bowel of rats.

Arabinoxylan is a major dietary fiber component of many cereals. Its physiological effects in the colon are largely unknown. This study examined the effects of an arabinoxylan-rich fiber (AX) extracted from a by-product of wheat flour processing in the rat colon compared with well-characterized soluble/rapidly fermentable and insoluble/slowly fermentable fibers. Rats were fed diets containing no fiber (NF) or 100 g/kg of total dietary fiber from AX, guar gum (GG) or wheat bran (WB) for 4 wk. Cecal mass and short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) pool were significantly higher while pH was significantly lower in the fiber-supplemented groups, particularly in the AX and GG groups. The pattern of SCFA production in the cecum was altered; AX fiber was a good source for acetate while GG and WB favored propionate and butyrate production, respectively. Fecal output was 7-, 6- and 5-fold higher, respectively, in the AX, GG and WB than in the NF groups (P < 0.01). All epithelial proliferation indices (crypt column height, number of mitotic cells/crypt column and mitotic index) differed significantly across the groups in a descending order of AX > GG > WB > NF. Distal mucosal dipeptidyl peptidase IV activities, which indicate cell differentiation status, were significantly lower in fiber-supplemented groups than in the NF groups. Distal mucosal alkaline phosphatase activities, induced as a response to injury or stress, were significantly higher for the AX and GG groups than for the NF or WB groups (P < 0.001). These results indicate that AX fiber behaves like a rapidly fermentable, soluble fiber in the rat colon.

Animals↗

Fiber-type composition and fiber size of the human cricopharyngeal muscle and the pharyngeal constrictor muscle.

BACKGROUND: Despite a similar density of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors, the upper esophageal sphincter is sensitive to partial neuromuscular block, whereas the pharyngeal constrictor muscle is more resistant. In order to postulate possible mechanisms behind this difference in pharmacological response, basic knowledge of morphological and physiological features of these muscles is needed. The aim of this study was to compare the muscle fiber-type composition, the size and the morphology of the muscle fibers of the cricopharyngeal muscle, the main component of the upper esophageal sphincter, with that of the pharyngeal constrictor muscle. METHODS: Muscle specimens were obtained from five patients undergoing surgery with laryngectomy. Muscle fiber type was determined by myosin heavy chain immunohistochemistry and the muscle fiber cross-sectional area was measured for each fiber type by planimetry. Morphology of muscle fibers was evaluated by histochemistry. RESULTS: The muscle fiber cross-sectional area was generally smaller in the cricopharyngeal muscle compared with the pharyngeal constrictor muscle (P < 0.001). The composition of fiber types showed a large interindividual variability with no distinct difference between the studied muscles. Aberrant histological features were common in both the cricopharyngeal muscle and the pharyngeal constrictor muscle. CONCLUSION: The main morphological difference between the neuromuscular blocking agents sensitive cricopharyngeal muscle and the more resistant pharyngeal constrictor muscle is a uniformly smaller size of contributing fiber types in the cricopharyngeal muscle than in the pharyngeal constrictor muscle. The muscle fiber-type composition does not differ between the two studied muscles.

Adult↗

Electrophysiological effects of encainide and its metabolites in normal canine Purkinje fibers and Purkinje fibers surviving infarction.

In this study, we assessed the effects of O-demethyl encainide (0.5 microM), the most active metabolite of encainide, and the combination with 3-methoxy-O-demethyl encainide (0.5 microM) and encainide (0.1 microM) on cardiac action potential characteristics in normal canine Purkinje fibers and Purkinje fibers surviving 24 h of myocardial ischemia. O-demethyl encainide decreased Vmax and conduction in normal Purkinje fibers and Purkinje fibers surviving infarction. Further decreases were observed with the combination. Action potential duration at both 50 and 95% repolarization was decreased by O-demethyl encainide. The combination of O-demethyl encainide, 3-methoxy-O-demethyl encainide, and encainide had no further effect. The combination of O-demethyl encainide, 3-methoxy-O-demethyl encainide, and encainide produced a smaller change in effective refractory period than O-demethyl encainide in normal Purkinje fibers and in Purkinje fibers surviving infarction. O-demethyl encainide and the combination shifted the membrane responsiveness curve to more negative potentials in both normal Purkinje fibers and Purkinje fibers surviving infarction. It is apparent from this study that there are differences in the effects of O-demethyl encainide and the combination of O-demethyl encainide, 3-methoxy-O-demethyl encainide, and encainide in normal Purkinje fibers compared with Purkinje fibers surviving infarction. Also, the combination used in this study had different electrophysiological effects than those of O-demethyl encainide alone.

Action Potentials↗

MHC-based fiber type and E-C coupling characteristics in mechanically skinned muscle fibers of the rat.

In this study, we investigated whether the previously established differences between fast- and slow-twitch single skeletal muscle fibers of the rat, in terms of myosin heavy chain (MHC) isoform composition and contractile function, are also detectable in excitation-contraction (E-C) coupling. We compared the contractile responsiveness of electrophoretically typed, mechanically skinned single fibers from the soleus (Sol), the extensor digitorum longus (EDL), and the white region of the sternomastoid (SM) muscle to t-system depolarization-induced activation. The quantitative parameters assessed were the amplitude of the maximum depolarization-induced force response (DIFR(max); normalized to the maximum Ca(2+)-activated force in that fiber) and the number of responses elicited until the force declined by 75% of DIFR(max) (R-D(75%)). The mean DIFR(max) values for type IIB EDL and type IIB SM fibers were not statistically different, and both were greater than the mean DIFR(max) for type I Sol fibers. The mean R-D(75%) for type IIB EDL fibers was greater than that for type I Sol fibers as well as type IIB SM fibers. These data suggest that E-C coupling characteristics of mechanically skinned rat single muscle fibers are related to MHC-based fiber type and the muscle of origin.

Animals↗

Temporal coding of resonances by low-frequency auditory nerve fibers: single-fiber responses and a population model.

1. We recorded responses of low-frequency auditory nerve fibers (characteristic frequency (CF) less than 3 kHz) in the cat to resonant stimuli with varied natural frequencies, damping coefficients, and sound pressure levels. Responses to resonances were synchronized to frequencies lying between the peak frequency of the stimulus spectrum and a frequency near the fiber's CF. The frequency of the dominant synchrony in the response varied systematically as a function of the stimulus parameters. 2. More lightly damped resonances, which have sharp spectral peaks, elicited synchrony closer to the peak frequency, whereas the broader peaks of more highly damped resonances elicited synchrony closer to the fiber's CF. Thus as the stimulus was varied from an undamped tone to a highly damped transient, the dominant component of the synchronized response moved from the peak frequency of the stimulus toward the CF of the fiber. The trajectory of the dominant component varied as a function of stimulus level, with higher levels resulting in synchrony biased toward the peak of the stimulus spectrum over a wider range of damping. 3. The frequency tuning and synchronization characteristics of a fiber, along with the stimulus parameters, determined the temporal properties of its response to complex stimuli. Using reverse correlation (revcor) filters to characterize the tuning and synchronization of auditory nerve fibers, we were able to predict the temporal properties of responses to resonant stimuli. 4. A parametric model was fit to measured revcor functions derived from responses of auditory nerve fibers to wideband noise. In this way, a bank of model revcor filters was developed based on our population of measured filters. 5. The filter bank was used to model the response of a population of auditory nerve fibers to resonances. Temporal patterns present in the response of a population of fibers encoded the parameters of resonant stimuli. 6. The model revcor filter bank provided a means of studying temporal response patterns of the population of fibers to other complex sounds. 7. The output of the population model is a representation of the temporal information provided by the auditory periphery to the central nervous system; thus it provides a potentially useful tool for testing hypotheses concerning the processing of temporal information by the central auditory system.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Animals↗

Effects of mineral fibers on the expression of genes whose product may play a role in fiber pathogenesis.

To determine which factors are useful for the risk assessment of man-made fibers, we examined the gene expression of proinflammatory cytokines, growth factors, manganese superoxide dismutase (MnSOD), and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) in mineral fiber-exposed rats by means of reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Male Wistar rats received a single intratracheal instillation of either saline (control) or two types of fibers (2 mg of Union Internationale Centre le Cancer (UICC) chrysotile or alumina silicate refractory ceramic fiber [RCF]). Expression of interleukin-1 alpha (IL-1 alpha), interleukin-6 (IL-6), tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha), platelet-deriving growth factor-A, (PDGF-A), platelet-deriving growth factor-B (PDGF-B), transforming growth factor beta 1 (TGF-beta 1), basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF), MnSOD, and iNOS mRNA from lung and lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated alveolar macrophages (AM) were assessed by RT-PCR. Among these factors, IL-1 alpha, TNF-alpha, IL-6, bFGF, and iNOS would be the possible parameters for the risk assessment of fibers. In a follow-up study, we investigated the time course (3 days, 1 week, 1 month, and 3 months) of expression of IL-1 alpha and TNF-alpha by LPS-stimulated AM exposed to mineral fibers in vivo. Male Wistar rats were instilled intratracheally with saline or fibers (2 mg of Union Internationale Contre le Cancer UICC crocidolite or potassium octatitanate whisker [TW]). The expression of IL-1 alpha mRNA by fibers was greatest in TW, crocidolite, chrysotile, and RCF-instilled rat AM, in that order. The increase of IL-1 alpha and TNF-alpha mRNA in AM peaked at 1 month and 3 days after exposure to crocidolite or TW, respectively. The expression of IL-1 alpha by fibers (crocidolite, chrysotile, TW, and RCF) may be a good indicator of the pathologic potential of fibers.

Administration, Inhalation↗

Quantification of the fate of dietary fiber in humans by a newly developed radiolabeled fiber marker.

A radiolabeled cellulose (131I-fiber) that retains the essential physical and chemical properties of this class of fiber was developed in our laboratory. We quantified the fate of orally ingested 131I-fiber in healthy individuals by external gamma camera monitoring and fecal collections. The marker passes virtually intact through the human gastrointestinal tract with negligible release and absorption of the label in the gut. Comparison of the gastric emptying rate of 131I-fiber with that of a predominantly aqueous marker, 99mTc-diethylenetriamine pentaacetic acid (99mTc-DTPA), showed that 131I-fiber strands were evacuated more slowly than intragastric fluids. An important finding was that some 131I-fiber emptying occurred during most time periods, even before liquids were completely evacuated. This suggests that the human stomach is able to empty simultaneously liquids and fiber strands (1-15 mm in length) that are resistant to grinding by antral mechanical forces and to digestion by acid-peptic secretion. Thus, some nondigestible solids may be emptied with the bulk of a meal, although at a slower rate. 131I-Fiber may be a useful marker for quantifying gastric emptying of nondigestible solids. Further, the stability of 131I-fiber in the gut, as opposed to most other physiologic solid labels, should enable future investigation of intestinal and colonic transit of fiber, which is an important component of the human diet.

Adult↗

[Chilean edible sea macroalgae as sources of dietary fiber: effect on apparent digestibility of protein, fiber, and energy and fecal weight of rats].

The inclusion of algae as a source of fiber in the diet is justified by the present need to increase the intake of this nutrient. The aim of this study was to study on rats, the effect of dietary algae fiber on fecal weight and apparent digestibility of energy, protein and fiber. The type of algae studied were cochayuyo (frond) and ulte (basal part) (Durvillea antarctica), luche verde (Ulva lactuca) and luche rojo (Porphyra columbina). All these algae were boiled and dried at 55 degrees under air flow. Male rats, Wistar strain of 25 days of age, were fed during 29 days with diets containing casein plus the inclusion of 10% (weight) of one of these algae dietary fiber. A group having no fiber intake was used as a Control group. Algae content of dietary fiber ranged between 58.2-75.6 g/100 g (dry weight), soluble fiber portion constituted 37.9-52.4%. In relation to the Control group it was found significant reduction in the apparent digestibility of protein and energy, and a significant reduction in fecal weight. Dietary fiber digestibility ranged between 21.1 and 43.1%. This study shows that algae can be an excellent dietary fiber source, very useful to prevent or treat different fiber-deficiency related diseases.

Analysis of Variance↗

[A case of congenital myopathy with the pathologic transformation from fiber type disproportion to type 1 fiber predominance myopathy].

Many patients with a severe infantile form of congenital myopathies have respiratory and feeding difficulties from early infancy. We experienced a male patient who required an artificial ventilation soon after birth and showed marked generalized muscle weakness involving the facial muscles. He had skull deformity and mild mental retardation at the age of one year and 10 months. The first muscle biopsy at the age of 1 month showed small caliber fibers and an increase in the number of undifferentiated type 2C fibers, indicating muscle fiber immaturity. Since type 1 fibers were smaller than type 2 fibers, he was tentatively diagnosed as having congenital fiber type disproportion myopathy. The muscle biopsied findings improved significantly in the second biopsy at 1 year of age which showed type 1 fiber predominance but no cytoarchitectural abnormalities. Accordingly, he was diagnosed as having congenital myopathy with type 1 fiber predominance. A severe neonatal form of congenital myopathies may show striking muscle fiber immaturity in the early infancy. This may later develop into characteristic morphologic findings such as the formation of nemalines and cores, and abnormal fiber type distribution.

Biopsy↗

Corticocortical fiber connections of the rabbit visual cortex: a fiber degeneration study.

Corticocortical fiber projections of the striate and occipital cortex of the rabbit, as degined by Rose ("31), have been determined by fiber degeneration methods following the production of cortical lesions within each of 24 rabbits. We have assumed that the striate and occipital cortices correspond respectively to the visual cortical areas 1 and 2 (VI and V2) which have been demarcated electrophysiologically by Thompson et al. ("50). A study of the ipsilateral fiber projections of the striate and occipital cortex of the rabbit reveals three distinct sets of associational corticocortical connections. (1) Neurons located in layers I-III of all regions of the striate cortex and the occipital cortex send fibers to terminate prodominantly in layer V, but also in layers IV and VI, immediately beneath the cells of origin; however, the cells in the supragranular layers have not been found to send fibers to any other region of cerebral cortex. (2) The binocular portions of VI and V2 appear to be interconnected ipsilaterally since cells in layers IV-VI of the lateral striate cortex have been shown to project to all layers of a restricted, adjacent portion of the medial occipital cortex; and the cells in layers IV-VI of medial occipital cortex send a similar, restricted projection to the adjacent lateral striate cortex. (3) Nerve cells in layers IV-VI of the lateral striate cortex (binocular VI) send a restricted projection to the lateral portion of the occipital cortex. (4) After all lesions of the striate and/or occipital cortices, degenerating fibers are seen radiating away from the lesion in layer I; the origin of these degenerating fibers could not be determined. The following observations have been made concerning the origins and terminations of commissural corticortical fibers. (1) after ablation of most of the visual cortex of one side, commissural fibers are seen to terminate in all cortical layers in two narrow bands of visual cortex: one band occupies both sides of the striate-occipital boundary; the second band is found in the lateral portion of occipital cortex. (2) More punctate lesions reveal that commissural fibers arise from layers IV-VI of the lateral striate cortex and medial occipital cortex (binocular portions of V1 and V2 respectively) and end in homotopic areas of the contralateral cortex.

Animals↗

Propagation on a central fiber surrounded by inactive fibers in a multifibered bundle model.

We studied uniform propagation on a central active fiber surrounded by inactive fibers in a multifibered bundle model lying in a large volume conductor. The behavior of a fully active bundle is considered in a companion paper. The bundle is formed by concentric layers of small cylindrical fibers (radius 5 microns), with a uniform minimum distance (d) between any two adjacent fibers, to yield a bundle radius of about 72 microns. Individual fibers are identical continuous cables of excitable membrane based on a modified Beeler-Reuter model. The intracellular volume fraction (fi) increases to a maximum of about 90% as d is reduced and remains unchanged for d < 0.01 micron. In the range of d < 0.01 micron, the central fiber is effectively shielded from external effects by the first concentric layer of inactive fibers, and a large capacitive load current flows across the surrounding inactive membranes. In addition, the fiber proximity produces a circumferentially nonuniform current density (proximity effect) that is equivalent to an increased average longitudinal interstitial resistance. The conduction velocity is reduced as d becomes smaller in the range of d < 0.1 micron, the interstitial potential becomes larger, and both the maximum rate of rise and time constant of the foot of the upstroke are increased. On the other hand, for d > 0.1 micron, there are negligible changes in the shape of the upstroke, and the behavior of the central fiber is close to that of a uniform cable in a restricted volume conductor. For d larger than about 1.2 microns, the active fiber environment is close to an unbounded isotropic volume conductor.

Action Potentials↗

Effect of fiber position and orientation on fracture load of fiber-reinforced composite.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to determine the effect of fiber position and orientation on the initial and final fracture loads of fiber-reinforced composite (FRC). METHODS: Test specimens made of two indirect particulate composites (BelleGlass HP, Kerr, Orange, CA) or (Targis, Ivoclar Vivadent, Amherst, NY) were reinforced with ultra high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) fiber ribbon (Connect, Kerr, Orange, CA), woven E-glass fibers (Vectris Frame, Ivoclar Vivadent, Amherst, NY) or unidirectional R-glass fibers (Vectris Pontic, Ivoclar Vivadent, Amherst, NY). Fibers were placed with different positions, orientations or geometry into the rhombic test specimens (2 x 2 x 25 mm3). Control specimens did not contain fiber reinforcement. The test specimens (n=6) were stored in distilled water for 1 week at 37 degrees C before testing in a three-point loading test to determine the initial and final fracture load values. RESULTS: Initial failure loads varied from 22.6 to 172.1 N. The lowest value resulted from one UHMWPE reinforcement fiber located in diagonal orientation and the highest from two unidirectional glass fiber reinforcements, one located on the tension side and the second on the compression side. SIGNIFICANCE: Position and fiber orientation influenced the load to initial and final failure, and specimen deflection. Tension side reinforcement was most effective in increasing the load to initial and final fracture.

Analysis of Variance↗

A randomized study of a coaxial fiber versus a naked fiber for endoscopic Nd:YAG laser therapy of esophageal and rectal tumors.

The aim of the study was to determine whether the number of Nd:YAG laser sessions necessary to produce the maximal endoscopic effect was different with the noncontact method using the coaxial fiber than with the contact method using the naked fiber inserted into the tumor. Over a 6-month period, 40 consecutive patients were treated for esophageal and rectal cancers or for benign tumors too large to be removed with a diathermy snare. All of the patients who were offered this treatment had been assessed as unsuitable for surgery and radiotherapy. Twenty patients were randomly assigned to the coaxial fiber group and 20 patients to the naked fiber group. Before treatment, patients in the two groups were not different with respect to age, sex, kind of tumor, contraindication for surgery and radiotherapy, luminal patency, and tumor circumferential extent. At the end of the treatment, the endoscopic score, the transit score, and the evolution of rectal hemorrhage and mucous secretions were not different between the two groups. The number of treatments required to achieve the maximal endoscopic benefit was 6.7 +/- 4.9 (range, 2 to 20) (median = 5) in the coaxial fiber group and 3.4 +/- 1 (range, 2 to 5) (median = 3) in the naked fiber group (p = 0.01). Treatment tolerance and complications were not different between the two groups, but the financial cost related to the fiber was lower in the naked fiber group than in the coaxial fiber group. Therefore, we recommend the contact method using the naked fiber inserted into the tumor in endoscopic Nd:YAG laser therapy for gastrointestinal tumors.

Aged↗

Optimal NS0 cell growth in a hollow fiber bioreactor requires increased serum concentration or a cholesterol supplement on the cell side of the fiber.

An NSO/GS cell line secreting a humanized antibody was routinely propagated in a T-flask using 2% serum. For scale-up of antibody production, this cell line was inoculated into a hollow fiber system using the same serum concentration. The metabolic activity increased for a few days in the hollow fiber system, but invariably the activity dropped dramatically as the cells died by day 7. A hollow fiber micro-bioreactor was used as a screening tool to examine possible reasons for cell death in the large-scale system. As seen in the hollow fiber system, cells died when 2% serum was used either on the cell side only or on both sides of the fiber in the micro-bioreactor. In contrast, the use of 20% serum on the cell side of the fiber and basal medium on the non-cell side resulted in good cell expansion at high viability. Regardless of the cell side serum concentration, no further growth enhancements were seen when up to 20% serum was placed on the non-cell side of the fiber. These results suggest that a serum component that does not readily cross the fiber is limiting cell growth in the hollow fiber bioreactors. The addition of a cholesterol-rich lipid supplement resulted in better cell growth in the micro-bioreactor, while the addition of other non-cholesterol lipid supplements resulted in no growth enhancement. The growth-enhancing properties of the cholesterol supplement were more pronounced at lower serum concentrations, suggesting that poor growth at low serum concentration was due to suboptimal cholesterol levels. When the cell side serum concentration was increased to 20% in the hollow fiber system, cells grew and filled the bioreactor, allowing a 39-day production run. These results demonstrate that this NSO cell line requires an increased cell side serum concentration for optimal growth and that this requirement is likely due to the inherent cholesterol dependency of this cell line.

Animals↗

Strong growth polarity of yeast prion fiber revealed by single fiber imaging.

Using the yeast prion as a model, we have developed a novel system to observe the growth of individual prion fibers directly. NM fragments, the prion-determining region of the yeast protein Sup35p, were labeled by either red or green fluorescent dyes, and the fiber growth was observed under a fluorescence microscope. When green-Sup35NM was added to the preformed fibers made of red-Sup35NM, 70-97% of green fibers grew unidirectionally, from only one end of individual red fibers, whereas the remainder grew from both ends. Similarly, the majority of red fibers grew from only one end of green fibers when the order of addition was reversed. Sonication of preformed fibers to expose fresh ends did not change the results, excluding a possibility of occasional deformation of one end as the reason of the apparent unidirectional growth. These results indicate the polarity of Sup35 prion fibers and impose constraints on the models of fiber growth.

Base Sequence↗

Characterization of the fiber diameter distributions of synthetic mineral fiber products and their dusts.

Procedures to measure the fiber diameter distributions of bulk synthetic mineral fiber products in order to characterize product differences and the diameters of airborne fibers emitted from them have been investigated. Bulk fibers were prepared for size measurement by two methods--one that gently teased fibers apart and another that lightly ground them in a liquid slurry. Bulk products exhibited different contents of respirable fibers, but these were significantly greater when products were prepared by grinding rather than teasing. This was established to result from preferential breakdown of finer fibers into shorter lengths with the former method. Airborne fibers emitted during work operations with products had diameter distributions similar to those of ground fibers, indicating that similar breakdown of finer fibers into shorter lengths occurs for dusts emitted during such operations.

Air Pollutants, Occupational↗

Morphological studies of fiber types of striated muscle fibers of the cremaster in the guinea pig.

THe fine structure of the striated muscle fibers of the cremaster of the guinea pig was studied using the cholinesterase technique and light and electron microscopy. Under light microscopy, isolated single muscle fibers showed two types of nerve endings: the first one presented elliptic or oval areas having digit-like structures inside, some of the borders of which were heavily stained. These fibers had only one end-plate. The second type presented elongated clear areas with most of the density located on the borders. Several nerve endings were apparent in these fibers. By electron microscopy, the former had large and numerous sarcolemmal foldings and these characteristics were also observed in unstained fibers. In the latter, the foldings were scanty or absent. At the ultrastructural level, the fibers having only one end-plate presented a regular array of fibrils with an abundant sarcoplasmic reticulum ('Fibrillenstruktur' type) in contrast to the multi-innervated fiber with an irregular distribution pattern of fibrils and a scarce sarcoplasmic reticulum ('Felderstruktur' type). The striated muscle fiber layer of the cremaster probably contains both fast and slow fibers. The possible functional role for the slow striated muscle fibers is discussed.

Abdominal Muscles↗