EM of human atherosclerosis: Aortic fatty streaks with transitional lesion features

The earliest distinctive lesions in human atherosclerosis are fatty streaks (FS), characterized initially by lipid-laden foam cell formation. Fibrous plaques (FP), the clinically significant lesions, differ from FS in several respects. In addition to foam cells, the FP also exhibit fibromuscular proliferation and a necrotic core region rich in extracellular lipid. The possible transition of FS into mature FP has long been debated, however. A subset of FS described by Katz etal., was intermediate in lipid composition between ordinary FS and FP. We investigated this hypothesis by electron microscopic cytochemistry by employing a tissue processing technique previously described by our laboratory. Osmium-tannic acid-paraphenylenediamine (OTAP) tissue preparation enabled ultrastructural analysis of lipid deposits to discern features characteristic of mature fibrous plaques.

Ultrastructural Cytochemical Study of Human Gastric Cancer: Observation of AKP ase,ACP ase,G6P ase,TPP ase and CO ase

The activities and distributions of AKPase ,ACPase,G6Pase,TPPase and COase in human normal gastric mucosa and gastric cancer tissues were studied histochemically at light microscopic level. These enzymes are the marker enzymes of cell membrane lysosome endoplasmic reticulum, Golgi apparatus and mitochondrion objectively. On the basis of the research we set up a special ultrastructural cytochemical technique and first researched into gastric cancer domesticly. Ultrastructural cytochemistry is also called electron microscopic cytochemistry. This new technique possesses both the sensitivity of cytochemical reaction andi the high resolution of electron microscope. It is characterized by direct observation,exact localization and the combination morphology with function.The distributions of AKPase,ACPase,G6Pase,TPPase and COase in 14 cases of gastric cancer and 1 case of gastric Denign lesion were studied ultrastructurally. The results showed: 1. normal gastric epithelium had no AKPase reaction. The reaction of ACPase,G6Pase,TPPase and Coase were found in the corresponding organella, which were consistent with their function.