Soft tissue defects of the lower limb are a challenge to the plastic surgeon but a SOLEUS muscle flap often provides the solution. Various types of SOLEUS muscle flap have been described, based mainly on the vascular supply. This study has been conducted as a descriptive study. The arterial blood supply of the SOLEUS muscle was studied in 45 cadaveric lower limbs. The blood vessels and their branches to the muscle were dissected. The mean length of the SOLEUS muscle was 37±2.2 Cm. In 66.7% of the limbs at least two branches arose from the popliteal artery trunk. The average distance of the first branch was 2.61±1.75 Cm distal to the fibular head. And the second branch was 3.88±0.7 Cm distal to the fibular head. The average number of branches to the SOLEUS muscle from the posterior tibial trunk was 4.3±0.7. The average distance of the first branch was 9.4± 2.3 Cm from medial malleolus and second branch was 15±3.4 Cm. The average number of branches to SOLEUS arising from the proneal artery was 3.8±0.8. The proneal artery gave 2-5 branches to the SOLEUS muscle in the limbs that in 95.6% of the limbs were found three branches from proneal artery trunk to SOLEUS muscle. In this study have been shown, the distribution of the arteries entering the SOLEUS muscle and how the information may be used in the design of SOLEUS muscle flaps. However, clinical application of distal pedicle SOLEUS muscle flaps in Iranian population is not beneficial and we do not recommend it to the surgeons.

Purpose: In this study we compared SOLEUS and gastrocnemius responses to the paired stimulation in order to reveal embedded information in the H- reflex of these muscles.Materials and Method: Four men with ages between 20 and 26 were tested. Because there was no ideal point based on the scientific rules to record the h-reflex from the gastrocnemius, we were to determine an ideal point and electrode placement from anatomical and physiological point of view. After this step, the SOLEUS and gastrocnemius were subjected to the paired stimulus and we record the h-reflex recovery curve of these muscles. To record the recovery curve, 11 pairs of stimulus were delivered to the posterior tibial nerve. The time interval between the 1st pair of the stimulus was 50 ms and was increased by 20 ms steps in the next pairs up to 250 ms. Relation of the second h-reflex amplitude to the first was calculated and expressed in percent. Then we draw the recovery curve using these values.Result and discussion: While the time interval of the paired stimulus was less than 110 ms, the behavior of the curves were similar. In this stage we guess that the muscles are impressed by the renshaw cells inhibition and the fatigue is induced by the first stimulus. When the interval of a pair was 110 ms or more the recovery of SOLEUS was significantly higher than the gastrocnemius. This behavior may be due to a lesser fatigability of the SOLEUS motoneurons and a less renshaw inhibition on the slow motoneurons of the SOLEUS. When the time interval of a pair stimulus was increase1 to more than 170ms, both of the curves behave alike. The cause may be the diminishing of the renshaw cell inhibition and the reduction of the fatigue.Conclusion: Because of the physiological properties of motoneurons, when we excite the h-reflex, smaller motoneurons recruite predominantly; but comparing the SOLEUS (slow) and gastrocnemius (fast) recovery curve behavior shows that the information of the fast motoneuron is included in the h-reflex. Using this procedure, we can assess different motoneuron and renshaw cell activities, indirectly. Of course this needs more controlled studies.

Introduction: The standard methods for reconstruction of soft tissue defects in legs are gastrocnemius flap for proximal third defects, SOLEUS flap for middle third and free flap in the distal third. However, there are problems with the use of free flap, like increased operative time, damage of major vessels and the need for experienced microsurgeon. In this study we examined the ability of the gastrocsoleous flap for coverage of leg soft tissue defects.Methods: This cross-sectional study was undertaken on 23 patients (20 male and 3 female) with the mean age 32.13 years (14 to 65). This group consisted of all of the patients referred to Dr Bahonar Hospital, Kerman with soft tissue defects between April 2011 and April 2012. They were given informed consent for participation in the study and treatment of the defect with muscle flaps.8 patients with proximal third defects were treated with were treated with gastrocnemius flap, 4 with middle third defects with SOLEUS flap and 3 with reverse SOLEUS flap and 8 with distal third defects with reverse SOLEUS flap. The patients were followed up for at least 1 year. Finally the results were analyzed by SPSS 16.Results: The results for patients with soft tissue defect in proximal and middle third of leg repair was successful. In 5 patients with soft tissue defect in distal third of leg, repair was complete but, in 3 of them flap failure was seen. Overall success rate for reverse soleous flap was 72.7%.Conclusion: The success rate of the flap for the upper and lower thirds was similar to other studies and seems that this is the standard method. In the upper half of distal third reverse soleous flap was successful, but in the lower half of the leg it failed in all 3 cases and it seems that preoperative investigations such as angiography must be performed before embarking on such a procedure.

Introduction: Despite the facilitatory effects after applied whole body vibration (WBV), results of some studies have shown the increase of muscle response depression. The purpose of this study was to investigate the acute response of H-reflex recruitment curve in SOLEUS muscle after one session of WBV.Materials and Methods: Twenty six non-athletes volunteer healthy women (mean age±SD; 26.11±2.85 years) were participated in this study. All subjects received two different sham and test sessions. They stood on the vibration plate in semi squat position. In test session, WBV was applied with frequency of 30Hz and peak to peak amplitude of 3mm during 3 minutes. SOLEUS H-reflex recruitment curve was recorded before, immediately after, 5 and 10 minutes after WBV.Results: The intensity of H-reflex recruitment curve threshold and Hmax were significantly increased immediately after WBV in both sessions (P<0.05). Peak to peak amplitude of initial H-reflex were prominently decreased in both sessions whereas, peak to peak amplitude of Hmax was decreased only in sham session (P <0.05). The analysis of threshold and peak to peak amplitude, the parameters of H-reflex recruitment curve, between two sessions showed no significant difference (P>0.05).Conclusion: Considering the right shift of H-reflex recruitment curve and depression response in two sham and test sessions, it seems that maintaining of semi squat position and activated control mechanisms, such as extensor muscles contraction, affects this inhibitory response and WBV had no facilitatory effect on this depression response.

Background: Afferent and efferent pathways of F wave and efferent pathway of H reflex are composed of alpha motor neurons. Afferent neurons of H reflex are large sensory fibers. Despite the well-accepted opinion that sensory fibers generally conduct impulses faster than motor fibers, histologic examination of the peripheral nerves have revealed similar diameters for both motor and sensory nerves suggesting similar conduction velocities. Materials and Methods: In this study tibial nerves of eighty-one healthy volunteers with an age range of 20 to 30 years were stimulated in order to measure Hand F wave latencies of SOLEUS muscles.. Electrodes of electromyography were in8erted in the popliteal fossa of the patients. Maximum height of H reflex was measured with an increasing direct current starting with 1 milliamper for one millisecond. H reflex latency was measured from the time of stimulation. In the same way, F wave and its latency was also measured. Results: Mean latency of F wave was 28.3 millisecond (23.2-35.6 millisecond). Mean latency of H reflex was 27.6 millisecond (22-30.8 millisecond). Mean difference of F and H waves (F-H) was 8 milliseconds. Turn around time for motor neuron reactivation in the spinal cord was 1 millisecond, which is at least 0.3 milliseconds shorter than synaptic transmission time of H reflex. Conclusion: It can be concluded that H wave conduction velocity is faster than F wave in healthy subjects. The findings also shown that large sensory neurons are faster than motor neurons.

Based on mitochondrial aging theory, oxidative stress plays a major role in aging and ‎age related degenerative diseases. Since oxygen consumption and ROS (reactive ‎oxygen species) rate increase during aerobic exercise, we supposed that heavy aerobic ‎training can lead to enhance mtDNA deletion. Two experimental groups of adult male ‎Wistar 14848 rats with 2 month-age were trained by running on a treadmill for 3 ‎months (5day/wk, E40: N=10, 40 m/min, 20 min, E20: N=10, 20 m/min, 40 min, ‎and slob=6%). mtDNA deletion of SOLEUS muscle in these groups were compared with ‎that in two control groups (Con1: N=10, aged 2 months and Con2" N=10, aged 5 ‎months) and two sedentary groups that participated only in aerobic exercises at the ‎end of the study (CE40: N=10, 40m/min, 20min, CE20: N=10, 20 m/min, ‎‎40 min, and slob=6%). Multiplex PCR products based on the agar (2%) indicated that ‎mtDNA deletion (4.6kb0 induced by heavy aerobic training in E40 group. This ‎deletion was not shown in other groups. This result was confirmed by sequencing ‎analysis‏.‏