Numerous studies on the hand arterial supply have contributed important data for the reconstructive surgery of it. With the aim of contribute to the knowledge of their arteries, we performed a biometric study of the deep palmar branch of the ulnar artery (DPB) in 60 hands from 30 cadavers of brazilian adult individuals of both sexs. The arteries were injected with latex neoprene. The DPB arose from a common branch with the hipothenar muscles branch in 46.7% of the cases; independently from the ulnar artey in 11.7%; from the ulnar proper palmar digital artery of the little finger in 15 % and from the common palmar digital artery of the fourth interosseous space in 6.7 %. In the first disposition, the common branch arose 10.6 ± 4.7 mm distal to the distal wrist crease (DWC) in female and 12.2 ± 4.1 mm in male; in second disposition the DPB origin was 33.6 ± 4.1 mm distal to the DWC in male; in third disposition it originated 35.8 ± 2.88 mm distal to the DWC in male and in last, it originated 41.0 ± 3.54 mm distal to the DWC. In 18.3% of the all cases we observed two DPB and in 1.7% it was no present. The caliber of these vessels were registrated. The DPB is important in hand arterial supply due to form a part of the deep palmar arch and sometimes, in presence of the thrombosis of the radial artery, it can carry the necessary blood to the deep palmar and dorsal regions

The myenteric plexus of the digestive tract of the wild mouse Calomys callosus was examined using a histochemical method that selectively stains nerve cells, and the acetylcholinesterase (AChE) histochemical technique in whole-mount preparations. Neuronal density was 1,500 ± 116 neurons/cm2 (mean ± SEM) in the esophagus, 8,900 ± 1,518 in the stomach, 9,000 ± 711 in the jejunum and 13,100 ± 2,089 in the colon. The difference in neuronal density between the esophagus and other regions was statistically significant. The neuron profile area ranged from 45 to 1,100 µm2. The difference in nerve cell size between the jejunum and other regions was statistically significant. AChE-positive nerve fibers were distributed within the myenteric plexus which is formed by a primary meshwork of large nerve bundles and a secondary meshwork of finer nerve bundles. Most of the nerve cells displayed AChE activity in the cytoplasm of different reaction intensities. These results are important in order to understand the changes occurring in the myenteric plexus in experimental Chagas' disease