title: Autonomic and sensitive somatic innervation of the ostrich elbow and knee joints articular capsule.
abstract: The present research was carried out on the fibrous layer of the ostrich's elbow and knee joints articular capsule, employing opportunely modified gold chloride Ruffini's method, to study the autonomic and sensitive somatic nerve components. The distribution of both nerve components followed frequently the vascular networks. The autonomic innervation was represented by isolated or grouped ganglion cells, frequently placed along the course of nerve trunks, close to the epineurium or located within the perineural connective tissue. The sensitive somatic innervation was constituted by free and encapsulated corpuscles. The last one, morphologically classified as Pacini, Pacini-like and Golgi-Mazzoni's corpuscles, were found isolated or grouped to constitute simple and complex flower sprays, "opposito-polar corpuscles" and "poichilomorphous fibres". The very few Golgi-Mazzoni's corpuscles were found only in the knee joint articular capsule. The two nerve components, found in the considered districts, did not shown significant quanti-qualitative and topographic differences. This datum, at least in appearance, seems to conflict with the ostrich functional aptitudes. In fact, the ostrich is a bird unable to fly but very able to run.
authors.affiliation: Department of Animal Biology, Sassari University, Italy. fanatvet@uniss.it
authors.forename: Giovanni
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Palmieri
authors.forename: Luisa Bo
authors.initials: LB
authors.lastname: Minelli
authors.forename: Maddalena
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Botti
authors.forename: Ferdinando
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Gazza
authors.forename: Salvatore
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Desantis
authors.forename: Michele
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Deflorio
authors.forename: Giuseppe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Costa
authors.forename: Maria Grazia
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Cappai
authors.forename: Franca
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Acone
mesh_terms: D000320:Adrenergic Fibers / Q000648:ultrastructure; D000344:Afferent Pathways / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D000818:Animals; D017776:Autonomic Pathways / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D003238:Connective Tissue / Q000294:innervation; D005552:Forelimb / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D005728:Ganglia, Sympathetic / Q000166:cytology; D006057:Golgi-Mazzoni Corpuscles / Q000166:cytology; D006614:Hindlimb / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D017746:Joint Capsule / Q000166:cytology / Q000294:innervation*; D007596:Joints / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000166:cytology / Q000294:innervation*; D008465:Mechanoreceptors / Q000166:cytology; D009475:Neurons, Afferent / Q000166:cytology; D010141:Pacinian Corpuscles / Q000166:cytology; D011984:Sensory Receptor Cells / Q000166:cytology; D020310:Struthioniformes / Q000033:anatomy & histology*