Surgical Pathology of Spinal Schwannomas: A Light and Electron Microscopic Analysis of Tumor Capsules

Neurosurgery ◽  
2001 ◽  
Vol 49 (6) ◽  
pp. 1388-1393 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mitsuhiro Hasegawa ◽  
Hironori Fujisawa ◽  
Yutaka Hayashi ◽  
Osamu Tachibana ◽  
Shinya Kida ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Tumor Cells ◽  
Light And Electron Microscopy ◽  
Nerve Fibers ◽  
Nerve Tissue ◽  
Electron Microscopic Level ◽  
Fibrous Layer ◽  
Neoplastic Tissue ◽  
Electron Microscopic ◽  
Tissue Layer ◽  
Tumor Capsule

ABSTRACT OBJECTIVE Although spinal schwannomas are often encountered, the pathology of the tumor capsule has not been reported. In this study, we describe the ultrastructural pathology of the tumor capsule of spinal schwannomas. METHODS In 18 patients who underwent total removal of spinal schwannomas (C2–conus), the tumor capsule was collected and examined by light and electron microscopy. RESULTS The thickness of the tumor capsule ranged from 15 to 800 μm (mostly 30–100 μm) and was composed of three layers from the surface to the center: 1) a thinly stretched nerve tissue layer; 2) a fibrous layer of fibrocytes, abundant collagen fibers, and tumor vessels; and 3) a thin transitional layer intermingled with fibrous components and tumor cells. The thickness of each layer varied in different regions of the surface. There was no clear separation between the tumor capsule and the neoplastic tissue, even on the electron microscopic level. A number of nerve fibers ran through the fibrous layer and beneath the capsule as well as in the nerve tissue layer. CONCLUSION Compared with vestibular schwannomas, which have been reported to be covered by an extremely thin layer (3–5 μm) of connective tissue, spinal schwannomas were well encapsulated. The capsule was composed of three distinct components; however, the cleavage between thin capsule and tumor cells was indistinct, and the thickness of the axon-containing capsule varied from site to site. Therefore, resection of the nerve of tumor origin, rather than enucleation, would be justified to avoid tumor recurrence. Surgeons should be aware of this pathology when performing the procedure.

scholarly journals Introduction of Tyramide Signal Amplification (TSA) to Pre-embedding Nanogold-Silver Staining at the Electron Microscopic Level

2005 ◽  
Vol 53 (2) ◽  
pp. 249-252 ◽  
Author(s):  
Seung-won Lee ◽  
Song Eun Lee ◽  
Seong Hyuk Ko ◽  
Eun Kyoung Hong ◽  
Kwang Il Nam ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Signal Amplification ◽  
Matrix Protein ◽  
Light And Electron Microscopy ◽  
Microscopic Level ◽  
Electron Microscopic Level ◽  
Tyramide Signal Amplification ◽  
Electron Microscopic ◽  
Simple Protocol ◽  
Tissue Antigens ◽  
A Cell

The tyramide signal amplification (TSA) technique has been shown to detect scarce tissue antigens in light and electron microscopy. In this study we applied the TSA technique at the electron microscopic level to pre-embedding immunocytochemistry. This protocol was compared to the non-amplified protocol. With the TSA protocol, the labeling of GM130, a cis-Golgi matrix protein, was tested in a cell line and found to be highly sensitive and more enhanced than that with the simple protocol. Moreover, the gold particles were well localized to the cis-side of the Golgi apparatus in both the TSA and the simple protocol.

Histological considerations of the cleavage plane for preservation of facial and cochlear nerve functions in vestibular schwannoma surgery

2009 ◽  
Vol 110 (4) ◽  
pp. 648-655 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tomio Sasaki ◽  
Tadahisa Shono ◽  
Kimiaki Hashiguchi ◽  
Fumiaki Yoshida ◽  
Satoshi O. Suzuki
Keyword(s):  
Connective Tissue ◽  
Basic Protein ◽  
Cleavage Plane ◽  
Nerve Fibers ◽  
Vestibular Nerve ◽  
Cochlear Nerve ◽  
Tissue Layer ◽  
Connective Tissue Layer ◽  
Tumor Capsule ◽  
Tumor Parenchyma

Object The authors analyzed the tumor capsule and the tumor–nerve interface in vestibular schwannomas (VSs) to define the ideal cleavage plane for maximal tumor removal with preservation of facial and cochlear nerve functions. Methods Surgical specimens from 21 unilateral VSs were studied using classical H & E, Masson trichrome, and immunohistochemical staining against myelin basic protein. Results The authors observed a continuous thin connective tissue layer enveloping the surfaces of the tumors. Some nerve fibers, which were immunopositive to myelin basic protein and considered to be remnants of vestibular nerve fibers, were also identified widely beneath the connective tissue layer. These findings indicated that the socalled “tumor capsule” in VSs is the residual vestibular nerve tissue itself, consisting of the perineurium and underlying nerve fibers. There was no structure bordering the tumor parenchyma and the vestibular nerve fibers. In specimens of tumors removed en bloc with the cochlear nerves, the authors found that the connective tissue layer, corresponding to the perineurium of the cochlear nerve, clearly bordered the nerve fibers and tumor tissue. Conclusions Based on these histological observations, complete tumor resection can be achieved by removal of both tumor parenchyma and tumor capsule when a clear border between the tumor capsule and facial or cochlear nerve fibers can be identified intraoperatively. Conversely, when a severe adhesion between the tumor and facial or cochlear nerve fibers is observed, dissection of the vestibular nerve–tumor interface (the subcapsular or subperineurial dissection) is recommended for preservation of the functions of these cranial nerves.

Correlated 3D Light and Electron Microscopy of Large, Complex Structures: Analysis of Transverse Tubules in Heart Failure

1998 ◽  
Vol 4 (S2) ◽  
pp. 440-441
Author(s):  
Maryann E. Martone ◽  
Andrea Thor ◽  
Stephen J. Young ◽  
Mark H. Ellisman.
Keyword(s):  
Electron Microscopy ◽  
Electron Tomography ◽  
Light And Electron Microscopy ◽  
Structural Features ◽  
Electron Microscopic Level ◽  
Specimen Preparation ◽  
Large Sample Size ◽  
Electron Microscopic ◽  
High Voltage Electron Microscopy ◽  
Voltage Electron

Light microscopic imaging has experienced a renaissance in the past decade or so, as new techniques for high resolution 3D light microscopy have become readily available. Light microscopic (LM) analysis of cellular details is desirable in many cases because of the flexibility of staining protocols, the ease of specimen preparation and the relatively large sample size that can be obtained compared to electron microscopic (EM) analysis. Despite these advantages, many light microscopic investigations require additional analysis at the electron microscopic level to resolve fine structural features.High voltage electron microscopy allows the use of relatively thick sections compared to conventional EM and provides the basis for excellent new methods to bridge the gap between microanatomical details revealed by LM and EM methods. When combined with electron tomography, investigators can derive accurate 3D data from these thicker specimens. Through the use of correlated light and electron microscopy, 3D reconstructions of large cellular or subcellular structures can be obtained with the confocal microscope,

Electron microscopic analysis of objects in light microscopic sections

1978 ◽  
Vol 36 (2) ◽  
pp. 80-81
Author(s):  
Arvid B. Maunsbach
Keyword(s):  
Electron Microscopy ◽  
Light And Electron Microscopy ◽  
Microscopic Analysis ◽  
Electron Microscopic Level ◽  
Semithin Section ◽  
Cover Glass ◽  
Electron Microscopic ◽  
Thin Sections ◽  
Glass Slides ◽  
Ultrathin Sections

Structural studies in experimental biology or in pathology are frequently extended from the light to the electron microscopic level. This is often done by cutting both semithin (about 1 μm) and thin sections from the same tissue block after embedding for electron microscopy. However, in many studies it would be of great value to analyse the same structure both by light and electron microscopy, i.e. to be able to study by electron microscopy an object which is first detected by light microscopy in a semithin section. To achieve this, a method has been developed by which ultrathin sections are cut directly from the semithin section containing the object of interest.Semithin sections, about 1 μ in thickness, are cut from Epon or Vestopal embedded tissue. The sections are placed on ordinary glass slides and stained with toluidine blue. The sections are studied in the light microscope without a cover glass or mounted in water.

Techniques Involved in the Acquisition of Serial Sections of the Atrioventricular Node for Light and Electron Microscopy

1968 ◽  
Vol 26 ◽  
pp. 226-227
Author(s):  
Sheila S. Emmett ◽  
J. C. Thaemert
Keyword(s):  
Electron Microscopy ◽  
Osmium Tetroxide ◽  
Light And Electron Microscopy ◽  
Atrioventricular Node ◽  
Electron Microscopic Level ◽  
Serial Sections ◽  
Electron Microscopic ◽  
Trapezoidal Shape ◽  
Old Mice

The acquisition of serial sections of the atrioventricular node for light and electron microscopy is a formidable task. Ordinary techniques are not adequate if the best possible results are to be achieved at the electron microscopic level. The techniques outlined below have proven to be valuable in locating and determining the position of the AV node.Whole hearts of 2-week old mice were fixed, in situ, by perfusion with 1% phosphate-buffered osmium tetroxide. The hearts were removed from the animals, sectioned transversely into 3 slices approximately equal in thickness, dehydrated in graded concentrations of ethanol and embedded in Epon 812. The block faces were trimmed to a trapezoidal shape ranging in size from 0.75 x 1 mm to 4 x 5 mm. Serial sections approximately 2 microns in thickness were cut with glass knives on a Porter-Blum MT-2 Ultramicrotome. While floating on a drop of water on the knife, each section was stretched with 1 drop of a 1:1, xylene in chloroform mixture applied directly to the section. The sections were picked up individually with a brush, transferred to a glass slide and oven dried for several hours prior to staining.

scholarly journals Molecular trapping of a fluorescent ceramide analogue at the Golgi apparatus of fixed cells: interaction with endogenous lipids provides a trans-Golgi marker for both light and electron microscopy.

1989 ◽  
Vol 109 (5) ◽  
pp. 2067-2079 ◽  
Author(s):  
R E Pagano ◽  
M A Sepanski ◽  
O C Martin
Keyword(s):  
Golgi Apparatus ◽  
Light And Electron Microscopy ◽  
Cell Types ◽  
Electron Microscopic Level ◽  
Electron Microscopic ◽  
Fluorescent Marker ◽  
Cellular Lipids ◽  
Endogenous Lipids ◽  
Fluorescent Lipid

We have previously shown that a fluorescent derivative of ceramide, N-(epsilon-7-nitrobenz-2-oxa-1,3-diazol-4-yl-aminocaproyl)-D-eryth ro-sphingosin e (C6-NBD-Cer), vitally stains the Golgi apparatus of cells (Lipsky, N. G., and R. E. Pagano. 1985. Science (Wash. DC). 228:745-747). In the present paper we demonstrate that C6-NBD-Cer also accumulates at the Golgi apparatus of fixed cells and we explore the mechanism by which this occurs. When human skin fibroblasts were fixed with glutaraldehyde and then incubated with C6-NBD-Cer at 2 degrees C, the fluorescent lipid spontaneously transferred into the cells, labeling the Golgi apparatus as well as other intracellular membranes. Subsequent incubations with defatted BSA at 24 degrees C removed excess C6-NBD-Cer from the cells such that fluorescence was then detected only at the Golgi apparatus. Similar results were obtained using other cell types. A method for visualizing the fluorescent lipid at the electron microscopic level, based on the photoconversion of a fluorescent marker to a diaminobenzidine product (Sandell, J. H., and R. H. Masland, 1988. J. Histochem. Cytochem. 36:555-559), is described and evidence is presented that C6-NBD-Cer was localized to the trans cisternae of the Golgi apparatus. While accumulation occurred in cells fixed in various ways, it was inhibited when fixation protocols that extract or modify cellular lipids were used. In addition, Filipin, which forms complexes with cellular cholesterol, labeled the Golgi apparatus of fixed cells and inhibited accumulation of C6-NBD-Cer at the Golgi apparatus. These results are discussed in terms of a simple model based on the physical properties of C6-NBD-Cer and its interactions with endogenous lipids of the Golgi apparatus. Possible implications of these findings for metabolism and transport of (fluorescent) sphingolipids in vivo are also presented.

scholarly journals Polyglycolic Acid Suture in Peripheral Nerve: An Electron Microscopic Study

1975 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 17-21 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alan R. Hudson ◽  
Juan M. Bilbao ◽  
Daniel Hunter
Keyword(s):  
Sciatic Nerve ◽  
Peripheral Nerve ◽  
Microscopic Study ◽  
Suture Material ◽  
Polyglycolic Acid ◽  
Nerve Fibers ◽  
Nerve Tissue ◽  
Absorbable Suture ◽  
Electron Microscopic ◽  
Minimal Scarring

SUMMARY:The aim of this experiment was to investigate the reaction of peripheral nerve tissue to a synthetic absorbable suture material. Polyglycolic acid suture material was placed within the sciatic nerve of rats and the absorption of the material was investigated by means of electron photomicrographs. It was concluded that placement of polyglycolic acid into the peculiar environment of endoneurial tissues results in minimal scarring and in minimal disturbance of the surrounding nerve fibers. The material was progressively absorbed with minimal disturbance of intrafascicular structures.

Cell-to-cell adherens junction formation and actin filament organization: similarities and differences between non-polarized fibroblasts and polarized epithelial cells

1995 ◽  
Vol 108 (1) ◽  
pp. 127-142 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Yonemura ◽  
M. Itoh ◽  
A. Nagafuchi ◽  
S. Tsukita
Keyword(s):  
Epithelial Cells ◽  
Early Stage ◽  
Light And Electron Microscopy ◽  
Adherens Junction ◽  
Cell Polarization ◽  
Stress Fiber ◽  
Electron Microscopic Level ◽  
Electron Microscopic ◽  
Similarities And Differences ◽  
Polarized Epithelial Cells

Cadherin has an intimate spatial relationship with actin filaments (AF) in various types of cells, forming the cell-to-cell adherens junction (AJ). We compared the AJ/AF relationship between non-polarized fibroblasts (NRK cells) and polarized epithelial cells (MTD-1A cells). E/P-cadherin, alpha-catenin, ZO-1 and vinculin were localized with reference to AF in these cells using laser scan microscopy as well as conventional light and electron microscopy. NRK cells adhered to each other at the tips of thin cellular processes, where spot-like AJ were formed, where P-cadherin, alpha-catenin, ZO-1 and vinculin were concentrated. Some stress-fiber-like AF bundles ran axially in these processes and terminated at spot-like AJ on their tips. At the electron microscopic level these spot-like AJ were seen as aggregates of small ‘units’ of AJ, where AF were densely and perpendicularly associated with the plasma membrane. In MTD-1A cells, the AJ/AF relationship was investigated during the cell polarization process after replating or wounding. At the early stage, the AJ/AF relationship was quite similar to that in NRK cells. As polarization proceeded, the spot-like AJs were gradually fused side by side with the concomitant shortening of the associated stress-fiber-like AF bundles. Finally, the belt-like AJ was established, which was lined with circumferential AF bundles. The similarities and differences in the AJ/AF relationship between non-polarized fibroblasts and polarized epithelial cells are discussed.

scholarly journals Complete penetration of antibodies into vibratome sections after glutaraldehyde fixation and ethanol treatment: light and electron microscopy for neuropeptides.

1992 ◽  
Vol 40 (11) ◽  
pp. 1741-1749 ◽  
Author(s):  
I J Llewellyn-Smith ◽  
J B Minson
Keyword(s):  
Spinal Cord ◽  
Light And Electron Microscopy ◽  
Nerve Fibers ◽  
Ethanol Treatment ◽  
Electron Microscopic ◽  
Cytoplasmic Matrix ◽  
Thin Sections ◽  
High Concentrations ◽  
Ethanol Washing ◽  
Ethanol Ethanol

To develop a method for quantitative electron microscopic immunocytochemistry on neural tissue of CNS, we tested the extent to which ethanol treatment would improve the penetration of immunoreagents through vibratome sections fixed in high concentrations of glutaraldehyde without compromising ultrastructure. Transverse or sagittal vibratome sections (60-80 microns) of spinal cord perfused with 1% formaldehyde plus 1% or 2.5% glutaraldehyde were washed in 50% ethanol for 0-70 min and stained to reveal immunoreactivity for neuropeptide Y (NPY). Semi-thin (1 micron) or ultra-thin sections were used to assess the depth to which NPY nerve fibers in the dorsal horn were stained. Without ethanol washing, immunoreactive nerve fibers were visualized only in the surface 5-10 microns of transverse or sagittal vibratome sections. In transverse vibratome sections, NPY nerve fibers, which ran perpendicular to the cut surfaces of the sections, were entirely stained after a 30-min wash in 50% ethanol. The numbers of NPY-immunoreactive varicosities and synapses were comparable at the surfaces and in the centers of the vibratome sections. In sagittal sections, where NPY nerve fibers ran parallel to the cut surfaces, fibers in the centers of vibratome sections could not be labeled even after 70 min in 50% ethanol. Substance P- and enkephalin (Enk)-immunoreactive nerve fibers could also be completely stained in transverse sections of spinal cord or medulla oblongata after 30-min exposure to ethanol. Ethanol washing had no significant deleterious effects on ultrastructure, although the amount of cytoplasmic matrix in neurons decreased with increasing exposure. These results indicate that washing with 50% ethanol for at least 30 min allows immunoreagents to penetrate completely through nerve fibers fixed with high concentrations of glutaraldehyde, as long as the fibers have cut ends at both surfaces of a vibratome section. This technique makes possible quantitative electron microscopic immunocytochemical studies and is proving a useful tool for defining synaptic connections in the CNS.

scholarly journals Axon diameters and conduction velocities in the macaque pyramidal tract

2014 ◽  
Vol 112 (6) ◽  
pp. 1229-1240 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. Firmin ◽  
P. Field ◽  
M. A. Maier ◽  
A. Kraskov ◽  
P. A. Kirkwood ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Primary Motor Cortex ◽  
Pyramidal Tract ◽  
Electrophysiological Study ◽  
Premotor Cortex ◽  
Light And Electron Microscopy ◽  
Electron Microscopic Level ◽  
Conduction Time ◽  
Electron Microscopic ◽  
Electrophysiological Recordings ◽  
Pyramidal Tract Neurons

Small axons far outnumber larger fibers in the corticospinal tract, but the function of these small axons remains poorly understood. This is because they are difficult to identify, and therefore their physiology remains obscure. To assess the extent of the mismatch between anatomic and physiological measures, we compared conduction time and velocity in a large number of macaque corticospinal neurons with the distribution of axon diameters at the level of the medullary pyramid, using both light and electron microscopy. At the electron microscopic level, a total of 4,172 axons were sampled from 2 adult male macaque monkeys. We confirmed that there were virtually no unmyelinated fibers in the pyramidal tract. About 14% of pyramidal tract axons had a diameter smaller than 0.50 μm (including myelin sheath), most of these remaining undetected using light microscopy, and 52% were smaller than 1 μm. In the electrophysiological study, we determined the distribution of antidromic latencies of pyramidal tract neurons, recorded in primary motor cortex, ventral premotor cortex, and supplementary motor area and identified by pyramidal tract stimulation (799 pyramidal tract neurons, 7 adult awake macaques) or orthodromically from corticospinal axons recorded at the mid-cervical spinal level (192 axons, 5 adult anesthetized macaques). The distribution of antidromic and orthodromic latencies of corticospinal neurons was strongly biased toward those with large, fast-conducting axons. Axons smaller than 3 μm and with a conduction velocity below 18 m/s were grossly underrepresented in our electrophysiological recordings, and those below 1 μm (6 m/s) were probably not represented at all. The identity, location, and function of the majority of corticospinal neurons with small, slowly conducting axons remains unknown.

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