title: [Normal pattern of intraepidermal nerve fibers in 30 healthy volunteers with PGP 9.5].
abstract: Skin biopsy has become an attractive technique to evaluate the terminal regions of small nerve fibers. There is extensive innervation of the skin by both sensory and autonomic fibers as demonstrated by staining for the pan-axonal marker PGP 9,5. The normal pattern is fundamental before any study, since three different techniques described in the literature with different results. Skin biopsy specimens of 3-mm in diameter were obtained from the distal leg of 30 healthy controls. Median intraepidermal nerve fiber density was 5.3/mm. Skin biopsy may be a useful tool for assessing the topographic extent and degree of nerve fiber damage in sensory neuropathies and may be particularly useful in experimental treatment trials for peripheral neuropathies since, in contrast to standard nerve biopsy, the test can be repeated.
authors.affiliation: Setor de Investigação em Doenças Neuromusculares, Escola Paulista de Medicina, Universidade Federal de São PauloSão Paulo, SP, Brasil. lucianamalves@terra.com.br
authors.forename: Luciana
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Moura
authors.forename: Acary Souza Bulle
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Oliveira
authors.forename: Edmar
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Zanoteli
authors.forename: Ricardo
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Cardoso
authors.forename: Beny
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Schmidt
authors.forename: Alberto Alain
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Gabbai
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001706:Biopsy; D004817:Epidermis / Q000737:chemistry / Q000294:innervation* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009412:Nerve Fibers / Q000648:ultrastructure; D043222:Ubiquitin Thiolesterase / Q000032:analysis*
chemical_list: C482860:UCHL1 protein, human; D043222:Ubiquitin Thiolesterase