Electronmicroscopic examination of myometrium scar after use of monoand bipolar cauters

Uterine fibroids, which, according to various estimates, are found in 50% of cases, is the most common benign disease of the female genital area. A radical method of treating this disease is surgical removal. In radical operations are actively used bi- and monopolar cauters, both for cutting and for coagulation. After such an exposure necrotic scars are often formed, leading to gross deformations of the tissue and, as a consequence, to the impossibility of a normal onset and course of pregnancy. The question of studying postoperative myometrium scars at the ultrastructural level, with the aim of possible optimization of physical parameters for the most gentle operation, is highly important, since allows to estimate changes in tissues at the level of cellular and subcellular structures. At the moment, this experience is absent in our country. The electron microscopic investigation of a myometrium subjected to an electric current is considered in the article.

Light and Electronmicroscopic Examination of Calf Lung Tissue after Left Ventricular Assisted Circulation with the Spindle Pump

The influence of the spindle pump, a nonpulsatile blood pump, used as LVAD on calf lung tissue was examined by means of the actual 16th protoype, which was applied in 3 “acute ” tests up to 13 hours of pumping duration and 8 prolonged experiments with pumping periods up to 63 hours. Samples were taken during the operation and after exitus of the test animal and investigated by light and electronmicroscopy. Histological findings of tissue changes could be ascribed to mechanical manipulations and shock-like influences. Regardless of the time of nonpulsatile perfusion this tissue damage remained within an acceptable range, indicating the absence of a deleterious effect of nonpulsatile flow.

Merkel cells as targets of the mechanosensory nerves in salamander skin

Previous investigations showed that the morphological basis of the low- threshold rapidly adapting mechanoreceptors in the salamander skin is the neurite-Merkel cell complex located in the epidermis. We have now examined whether sensory nerves are required for the appearance of Merkel cells, and whether these cells act as specific targets for ingrowing sensory axons. Electronmicroscopic examination of denervated skin shows that Merkel cells survive in normal density and appearance in the epidermis for at least six months without nerves. In addition, mechano­sensory function of such skin is restored when the skin becomes reinner­vated either by collaterally sprouting (intact) nerves or by regenerating ones, and Merkel cells are then found to have nerve terminals associated with them. These experiments suggest that Merkel cells do act as targets for ingrowing nerves in these circumstances. Further experiments were done on skin that had regenerated in the total absence of any innervation to the limb; such new skin contained nerve-free Merkel cells that were normal in appearance, density and location. When nerves were allowed to innervate this new skin the sensory axons grew to the ‘new’ Merkel cells and established typical neurite-Merkel cell complexes, and normal mechanosensory function. Since the new skin had developed without nerves, the sensory axons were not following ‘old’ pathways to the Merkel cells. We conclude that the Merkel cells are the true targets for the mechanosensory axons; these cells attract the sensory axons to them and/or contain specific markers that allow the ingrowing axons to recognize them. Once a Merkel cell becomes innervated it loses this ‘target cell’ quality. In addition, mechanosensory function of the sensory endings appears to occur only when the endings have developed a morphological association with a Merkel cell.

Rapid detection of Australia/SH antigen and antibody by a simple and sensitive technique of immunoelectronmicroscopy

A simple and practical method is presented for demonstrating the presence of the Australia/SH antigen and its corresponding antibody in serum specimens, both qualitatively and quantitatively. The method is based on the electronmicroscopic visualization of characteristic aggregates of antigen–antibody complexes formed in the mixture of a serum specimen and the appropriate Australia/SH detector reagent. It involves the use of a microtechnique requiring minute amounts of reagents and provides, as a result of diffusion and filtration through agar gel, partially purified and concentrated preparations, ready for electronmicroscopic examination in less than an hour. The method is highly specific and yields reproducible results. Its sensitivity was found to be greater than that of the crossover electrophoresis test and closely approximates that of the complement fixation test, with the added advantage of not being affected by the "prozone phenomenon." The method can be recommended for use in laboratories equipped with electronmicroscopic facilities to establish a differential diagnosis of viral hepatitis cases, perform rapid screening of blood samples (blood products) for the presence of Australia/SH antigen, and clarify equivocal results obtained by other methods. It is expected that the agar–diffusion–filtration technique will also prove useful, in general, for enhancing the chances of detecting virus particles in suspensions of relatively low virus concentrations.