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Ultrastructural alterations in liver of mice exposed chronically and transgenerationally to aqueous extract of betel nut: Implications in betel nut-induced carcinogenesisEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
The aqueous extract of betel nut (AEBN) induces the formation of preneoplastic nodules in the liver of Swiss Albino mice and leads to increased predisposition to cancer when administered transgenerationally. The aim of this investigation was to elucidate the alterations in ultrastructure of subcellular organelles in the liver nodules using transmission electron microscopy and to determine whether these alterations have implications in AEBN-induced carcinogenesis. Male and female Swiss Albino mice were exposed to AEBN chronically and transgenerationally at a dose of 2 mg/mL in drinking water for 24 weeks. Extensive polymorp...
Source: Microscopy Research and Technique - October 16, 2009 Category: Laboratory Medicine Authors: Yashmin Choudhury, Rajeshwar N. Sharan Source Type: journals

Quantitative analysis of spatial proteoglycan content in articular cartilage with Fourier transform infrared imaging spectroscopy: Critical evaluation of analysis methods and specificity of the parametersEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
To evaluate the specificity of the current Fourier transform infrared imaging spectroscopy (FT-IRIS) methods for the determination of depthwise proteoglycan (PG) content in articular cartilage (AC). In addition, curve fitting was applied to study whether the specificity of FT-IRIS parameters for PG determination could be improved.Two sample groups from the steer AC were prepared for the study (n = 8 samples/group). In the first group, chondroitinase ABC enzyme was used to degrade the PGs from the superficial cartilage, while the samples in the second group served as the controls. Samples were examined with FT-IRIS and anal...
Source: Microscopy Research and Technique - October 15, 2009 Category: Laboratory Medicine Authors: L. Rieppo, S. Saarakkala, T. Närhi, J. Holopainen, M. Lammi, H.J. Helminen, J.S. Jurvelin, J. Rieppo Source Type: journals

Chemical and morphological features of dental composite resin: Influence of light curing units and immersion mediaEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
The study evaluated the influence of light curing units and immersion media on superficial morphology and chemistry of the nanofilled composite resin Supreme XT (3M) through the EDX analysis and SEM evaluation. Light curing units with different power densities and mode of application used were XL 3000 (480 mW/cm2), Jet Lite 4000 Plus (1230mW/cm2), and Ultralume Led 5 (790 mW/cm2) and immersion media were artificial saliva, Coke®, tea and coffee, totaling 12 experimental groups. Specimens (10 mm × 2 mm) were immersed in each respective solution for 5 min, three times a day, during 60 days and stored in artificial saliva a...
Source: Microscopy Research and Technique - October 15, 2009 Category: Laboratory Medicine Authors: Patrícia Aleixo Dos Santos, Patrícia Petromilli Nordi Sasso Garcia, Ana Luisa Botta Martins De Oliveira, Michelle Alexandra Chinelatti, Regina Guenka Palma-Dibb Source Type: journals

Development and neuronal dependence of cutaneous sensory nerve formations: Lessons from neurotrophinsEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Null mutations of genes from the NGF family of NTs and their receptors (NTRs) lead to loss/reduction of specific neurons in sensory ganglia; conversely, cutaneous overexpression of NTs results in skin hyperinnervation and increase or no changes in the number of sensory neurons innervating the skin. These neuronal changes are paralleled with loss of specific types of sensory nerve formations in the skin. Therefore, mice carrying mutations in NT or NTR genes represent an ideal model to identify the neuronal dependence of each type of cutaneous sensory nerve ending from a concrete subtype of sensory neuron, since the developm...
Source: Microscopy Research and Technique - October 15, 2009 Category: Laboratory Medicine Authors: Juan A. Montaño, Pablo Pérez-Piñera, Olivia García-Suárez, Juan Cobo, Jose A. Vega Source Type: journals

Progressive chorion morphology during egg development in Samia ricini (Donovan)Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
The egg of Samia ricini (Donovan), is oval or laterally flattened ellipsoid, freshly laid eggs are candid white while the chorion is colorless and semi-transparent. The surface of the chorion is covered with network patterns of polygons and their shapes are common in the whole surface region. The boundaries between polygons made ridges had distinct acropyles at three-cell junctions. The numbers of aeropyles are variable according to their structures both in the lateral flat and marginal regions. During the course of egg development, no significant structural changes were observed in either the polygonal structures or the o...
Source: Microscopy Research and Technique - September 25, 2009 Category: Laboratory Medicine Authors: Collin Z. Renthlei, Arumugam Raghuvarman, Besterwell Kharbuli, Sudip Dey Source Type: journals

Green fluorescent protein as indicator of nonviral transient transfection efficiency in endometrial and testicular biopsiesEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
In conclusion, nonviral methods are attractive for an improvement of the gene therapy and our protocol could provide useful indications for in vivo gene therapy applications. Microsc. Res. Tech., 2009. © 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc. (Source: Microscopy Research and Technique)
Source: Microscopy Research and Technique - September 24, 2009 Category: Laboratory Medicine Authors: Antonio Zizzi, Daniele Minardi, Andrea Ciavattini, Federica Giantomassi, Rodolfo Montironi, Giovanni Muzzonigro, Roberto Di Primio, Guendalina Lucarini Source Type: journals

MRT letter: In situ observation method for microstructural changes of steel during hot deformationEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
We report on the result of an in situ method for observing microstructural changes during hot deformation. The observation of microstructural changes of steel at 1,473 K under tensile strain is demonstrated using the reported method. The development of deformed structures and the formation of a new grain boundary, which subsequently moved with increased strain, were clearly observed. The effectiveness of this method was confirmed by the results of several examples. © 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc. (Source: Microscopy Research and Technique)
Source: Microscopy Research and Technique - September 24, 2009 Category: Laboratory Medicine Authors: Yasuhiro Yogo, Hirohisa Takeuchi, Kouji Tanaka, Noritoshi Iwata, Koukichi Nakanishi, Takashi Ishikawa Source Type: journals

Spermatozoon and its relationship with the ovarian lamellae in the internally inseminating catfish Trachelyopterus galeatusEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
We examined the spermatozoa and their relationship with the ovarian lamellae in the catfish Trachelyopterus galeatus by classical light microscopy, high-resolution light microscopy, and transmission electron microscopy. Trachelyopterus galeatus is an internally inseminating species the spermatozoon of which presented an elongated cylindrical head (12.3 ± 1.5 [mu]m), elongated midpiece (5.0 ± 0.7 [mu]m), and flagellum (23.9 ± 2.8 [mu]m). Fertilized eggs or embryos were not found in its ovaries. Spermatozeugmata were demonstrated for the first time in this species. At the ultrastructural level, the anterior region of the ...
Source: Microscopy Research and Technique - September 24, 2009 Category: Laboratory Medicine Authors: Gleydes G. Parreira, Hélio Chiarini-Garcia, Rossana C.N. Melo, Francisco O. Vieira, Hugo P. Godinho Source Type: journals

Autophagosomal glycogen-degrading activity and its relationship to the general autophagic activity in newborn rat hepatocytes: The effects of parenteral glucose administrationEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
The effects of the administration of parenteral glucose on the postnatal glycogen autophagic activity and its relationship to the general autophagic activity, were studied in newborn rat liver using electron microscopy and biochemical methods. Glucose abolished the normal postnatal hypoglycemia and preserved the hepatocytic hyaloplasmic glycogen to the levels of birth. It also inhibited the normal postnatal increase in the number and volume of autophagic vacuoles. Glucose especially decreased the rate of postnatal development of the glycogen-containing autophagic vacuoles. This decrease was greater than that of the autopha...
Source: Microscopy Research and Technique - September 24, 2009 Category: Laboratory Medicine Authors: Stefanos A. Kalamidas, Dimitrios J. Kondomerkos Source Type: journals

A novel approach for correlative light electron microscopy analysisEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Correlative light and electron microscopy (CLEM) is a multimodal technique of increasing utilization in functional, biochemical, and molecular biology. CLEM attempts to combine multidimensional information from the complementary fluorescence light microscopy (FLM) and electron microscopy (EM) techniques to bridge the various resolution gaps. Within this approach the very same cell/structure/event observed at level can be analyzed as well by FLM and EM. Unfortunately, these studies turned out to be extremely time consuming and are not suitable for statistical relevant data. Here, we describe a new CLEM method based on a rob...
Source: Microscopy Research and Technique - September 1, 2009 Category: Laboratory Medicine Authors: Giuseppe Vicidomini, Maria C. Gagliani, Katia Cortese, Jens Krieger, Peter Buescher, Paolo Bianchini, Patrizia Boccacci, Carlo Tacchetti, Alberto Diaspro Source Type: journals

Immunohistochemical characterization of TH13-L2 spinal ganglia neurons in sheep (Ovis aries)Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
In this study, some of the widely used neuronal markers, neurofilament 200 kDa (NF200), substance P (SP), calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) and isolectin B4 (IB4), were employed to characterize neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS)-immunoreactivity (-IR) in sheep (Ovis aries) SG (Th13-L2) neurons. The majority of the SG neurons were IB4-labeled (79 ± 10%), followed by NF200- (45 ± 4%), NOS- (44 ± 10%), SP- (42 ± 5%) and CGRP-IR (35 ± 7%) neurons. The triple staining experiments showed that a higher percentage (75 ± 16%) of NOS-IR neurons bound both IB4 and CGRP, or both IB4 and SP (49 ± 6%). The IB4 marker show...
Source: Microscopy Research and Technique - August 31, 2009 Category: Laboratory Medicine Authors: Domenico Russo, Paolo Clavenzani, Maurizio Mazzoni, Roberto Chiocchetti, Giovanni Di Guardo, Giovanna Lalatta-Costerbosa Source Type: journals

Histometric and histomorphologic comparison of combustion and ambustion using in vivo reflectance-confocal microscopyEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Conclusions: RCM evaluates significant histomorphological differences in superficial burns caused by combustion and ambustion. The term "superficial burn" should consider the underlying cause and thus supplemented by the term "combustion" or "ambustion." Microsc. Res. Tech., 2009. © 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc. (Source: Microscopy Research and Technique)
Source: Microscopy Research and Technique - August 31, 2009 Category: Laboratory Medicine Authors: Ahmet Ali Altintas, Peymaneh Amini, Mehmet Ali Altintas, Walter Perbix, Vu Phan, Tilman Stasch, Gerald Spilker Source Type: journals

Parallel deconvolution of large 3D images obtained by confocal laser scanning microscopyEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Various deconvolution algorithms are often used for restoration of digital images. Image deconvolution is especially needed for the correction of three-dimensional images obtained by confocal laser scanning microscopy. Such images suffer from distortions, particularly in the Z dimension. As a result, reliable automatic segmentation of these images may be difficult or even impossible. Effective deconvolution algorithms are memory-intensive and time-consuming. In this work, we propose a parallel version of the well-known Richardson-Lucy deconvolution algorithm developed for a system with distributed memory and implemented wi...
Source: Microscopy Research and Technique - August 31, 2009 Category: Laboratory Medicine Authors: Piotr Pawliczek, Anna Romanowska-Pawliczek, Zbigniew Soltys Source Type: journals

The toxic effect of ketamine on SH-SY5Y neuroblastoma cell line and human neuronEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Ketamine used as an injectable anesthetic in human and animal medicine is also a recreational drug used primarily by young adults often at all night dance parties in nightclubs. The percentage of ketamine users has grown very fast in the last 5 years worldwide. However, this leads to the serious question of the long-term adverse effects of ketamine on our nervous system, particularly the brain, because ketamine as an NMDA antagonist could cause neurons to commit apoptosis. Our study therefore aimed to find out the chronic effect of ketamine on neuron using prolonged incubation (48 h) of neuronal cells with ketamine in cult...
Source: Microscopy Research and Technique - August 31, 2009 Category: Laboratory Medicine Authors: Ying T. Mak, Wai P. Lam, Lanhai Lü, Yeuk W. Wong, David T. Yew Source Type: journals

Differences between nanoscale structural and electrical properties of AZO:N and AZO used in polymer light-emitting diodesEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Conducting atomic force microscopy and scanning surface potential microscopy were adopted to investigate the nanoscale surface electrical properties of N-doped aluminum zinc oxide (AZO:N) films that were prepared by pulsed laser deposition (PLD) at various substrate temperatures. Experimental results demonstrated that when the substrate temperature is 150°C and the N2O background pressure is 150 mTorr, the N-dopant concentration on the surface is optimal. In addition, the root-mean-square roughness value of the film surface, the low contact current ( (Source: Microscopy Research and Technique)
Source: Microscopy Research and Technique - August 31, 2009 Category: Laboratory Medicine Authors: Sy-Hann Chen, Chang-Feng Yu Source Type: journals

Time-series investigation of fused vesicles in microvessel endothelial cells with atomic force microscopyEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Vesicles or caveolae within endothelial cells, fusing together to form vacuolar organelles, are implicated in macromolecular transport and cellular element transmigration across the blood-brain barrier (BBB) during inflammation and ischemia. Vacuolar organelles have been described by transmission electron microscopy and immunofluorescence, but the details of their dynamics have not been well addressed yet. Herein, by using tapping mode atomic force microscopy (AFM), we observed the time-series changes of fused vesicles within the serum-free cultured rat cerebral microvessel endothelial cells. The fused vesicles were certai...
Source: Microscopy Research and Technique - August 31, 2009 Category: Laboratory Medicine Authors: Long Chen, Weiguo Chu, Yonggang Xu, Peipei Chen, Fang Lao, Quanmei Sun, Xizeng Feng, Dong Han Source Type: journals

A novel method for shape from focus in microscopy using Bezier surface approximationEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
In this article, we introduce a novel shape from focus method to compute 3D shape of microscopic objects, based on modified-pixel intensities and Bezier surface approximations. A new and simple but effective focus measure is proposed. In our focus measure, the original intensities of a sequence of small neighborhood are modified by subtracting the maximum of the values of first and last frames. An initial depth map is calculated by finding the maximum of the pixel's focused energy and its corresponding frame number. Missing information between two consecutive frames, false depth detection, and enhancement of noise related ...
Source: Microscopy Research and Technique - August 31, 2009 Category: Laboratory Medicine Authors: Mannan Saeed Muhammad, Tae-Sun Choi Source Type: journals

Automated compensation of light attenuation in confocal microscopy by exact histogram specificationEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) enables us to capture images representing optical sections on the volume of a specimen. The images acquired from different layers have a different contrast: the images obtained from the deeper layers of the specimen will have a lower contrast with respect to the images obtained from the topmost layers. The main reasons responsible for the effects described above are light absorption and scattering by the atoms and molecules contained in the volume through which the light passes. Also light attenuation can be caused by the inclination of the observed surface. In the case of the surf...
Source: Microscopy Research and Technique - August 31, 2009 Category: Laboratory Medicine Authors: Stefan G. Stanciu, George A. Stanciu, Dinu Coltuc Source Type: journals

MRT letter: Recovering weak-textured surfaces using image focusEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
This article presents a new SFF algorithm which can compute precise depth of dense as well as weak textured objects. Segmentation is applied to discard wrong depth estimate and then later interpolating them from accurate depth values of their neighbors. The performance of the proposed method is tested, using different image sequences of synthetic and real objects, with varying textures. Microsc. Res. Tech., 2009. © 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc. (Source: Microscopy Research and Technique)
Source: Microscopy Research and Technique - August 31, 2009 Category: Laboratory Medicine Authors: Mannan Saeed Muhammad, Tae-Sun Choi Source Type: journals

Methodological assessment of acid-etching for visualizing the osteocyte lacunar-canalicular networks using scanning electron microscopyEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Osteocytes are the most abundant of the bone cells. Each osteocyte is contained within its own lacuna and connected to adjacent osteocytes via fillipodial processes, which form an intricate network of canaliculi within the matrix. Studying this intricate network of cells and their processes is difficult, because it exists embedded within a densely mineralized matrix. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) has been shown to be a useful tool for visualizing this cellular network, yet the techniques involved for preparing specimens has not been systematically explored. The goal of this study was to investigate how variations in a...
Source: Microscopy Research and Technique - August 31, 2009 Category: Laboratory Medicine Authors: Daniel J. Kubek, Vincent H. Gattone II, Matthew R. Allen Source Type: journals

The olfactory organ of the trout Salmo trutta fario: A novel localization for a progestin receptorEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
A progestin receptor (PR) has been detected in the olfactory organ of the trout Salmo trutta fario. The specificity of this receptor was high for 17[alpha],20[beta]-dihydroxy-4-pregnen-3-one (17[alpha],20[beta]-DP), but it also bound 17[alpha]-hydroxy-progesterone (17[alpha]-OHP) and 21-hydroxyprogesterone (21-OHP), even when present at low concentrations (10-fold in relative binding affinity assay). Progesterone (P) competed effectively at much higher concentrations (1,000-fold in relative binding affinity assay). Immunohistochemical studies carried out with three different monoclonal antibodies against human progesterone...
Source: Microscopy Research and Technique - August 31, 2009 Category: Laboratory Medicine Authors: Ettore Varricchio, Elena Coccia, Rosalba Putti, Marina Paolucci Source Type: journals

A model for predicting pathologist's velocity profiles when navigating virtual slidesEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
This article presents a soft computing model, which permits to anticipate the pathologist trajectories in diagnosis tasks when exploring virtual slides. The Bayesian strategy combines an offline model of a baseline pathologist knowledge (the prior) and a prediction online module (the likelihood) that captures a particular pathologist navigation pattern. While optimal parameters for the biologically inspired offline model are calculated using an Expectation-Maximization strategy, prediction is carried out by a particle filter. Parameters are estimated from several series of actual navigations performed by several pathologis...
Source: Microscopy Research and Technique - August 31, 2009 Category: Laboratory Medicine Authors: Francisco Gómez, Eduardo Romero Source Type: journals

Cortactin/tyrosine-phosphorylated cortactin interaction with connexin 43 in mouse seminiferous tubulesEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Deletion of the cortactin gene leads to male infertility. Considering that cortactin is an actin filament (F-actin)-binding protein associated with intercellular junctions, we measured changes in the expression and distribution of cortactin and tyrosine phosphorylated cortactin (P-cortactin) in the seminiferous epithelium of developing and adult mice to address the physiological significance of cortactin to germ cell differentiation. Cortactin was expressed in neonatal and developing Sertoli cells. Cortactin levels decreased early during puberty, while P-cortactin increased. Cortactin labeling was intense in the basal and ...
Source: Microscopy Research and Technique - August 31, 2009 Category: Laboratory Medicine Authors: María Leiza Vitale, Casimir D. Akpovi, R.-Marc Pelletier Source Type: journals

Differentiation of Leydig cells in the Mongolian gerbilEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
In conclusion, the process of differentiation of ALC population in gerbil follows the pattern previously established for other rodents. However, the resulting mature ALC are strikingly different due their singular asymmetric morphology and presence of a cytoplasmic canaliculus and as well as their functional heterogeneity. Microsc. Res. Tech., 2009. © 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc. (Source: Microscopy Research and Technique)
Source: Microscopy Research and Technique - August 20, 2009 Category: Laboratory Medicine Authors: Maria Etelvina Pinto, Fernanda De Mattos Egydio, Sebastião Roberto Taboga, S.M.L. Chamindrani Mendis-Handagama, Rejane Maira Góes Source Type: journals

An automatic integrated approach for stained neuron detection in studying neuron migrationEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Neurons that come to populate the six-layered cerebral cortex are born deep within the developing brain in the surface of the embryonic cerebral ventricles. It is very important to detect these neurons for studying histogenesis of the brain and abnormal migration that had been linked to cognitive deficits, mental retardation, and motor disorders. The visualization of labeled cells in brain sections was performed by immunocytochemical examination and its image data were documented to microscopic pictures. Based on the fact, automatic accurate neurons labeling is prerequisite instead of time-consuming manual labeling. In thi...
Source: Microscopy Research and Technique - August 19, 2009 Category: Laboratory Medicine Authors: Yue Huang, Xuezhi Sun, Guangshu Hu Source Type: journals

Role of MMP9 on invadopodia formation in cells from adenoid cystic carcinoma. Study by laser scanning confocal microscopyEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Migration, invasion and protease activity are essential for tumor progression and metastasis. Metastatic cells rely on invadopodia to degrade and invade extracellular matrix (ECM). Invadopodia are membrane protrusions with enzymes required for ECM degradation. These protrusions contain cortactin and membrane type 1 matrix metalloproteinase (MT1-MMP) superimposed to areas of digested matrix. Here we characterized invadopodia in a cell line (CAC2) derived from human adenoid cystic carcinoma. We carried out fluorescent-substrate degradation assay to assess in situ protease activity of CAC2 cells. Digestion spots in fluorescen...
Source: Microscopy Research and Technique - August 5, 2009 Category: Laboratory Medicine Authors: Camila F. Nascimento, Letícia N. Gama-De-Souza, Vanessa M. Freitas, Ruy G. Jaeger Source Type: journals

Regenerating titanium ventricular assist device surfaces after gold/palladium coating for scanning electron microscopyEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Titanium is one of the most commonly used materials for implantable devices in humans. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) serves as an important tool for imaging titanium surfaces and analyzing cells and other organic matter adhering to titanium implants. However, high-vacuum SEM imaging of a nonconductive sample requires a conductive coating on the surface. A gold/palladium coating is commonly used and to date no method has been described to "clean" such gold/palladium covered surfaces for repeated experiments without etching the titanium itself. This constitutes a major problem with titanium-based implantable devices whi...
Source: Microscopy Research and Technique - July 29, 2009 Category: Laboratory Medicine Authors: Hardean E. Achneck, Michael J. Serpe, Ryan M. Jamiolkowski, Leslie M. Eibest, Stephen L. Craig, Jeffrey H. Lawson Source Type: journals

Is there a role for thyroid hormone on spermatogenesis?Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Appropriate level of thyroid hormone is essential for normal development and metabolism in most vertebrate tissues and altered thyroid status impacts adversely on them. For many years the testis was regarded as a thyroid hormone unresponsive organ, but consistent evidence accumulated in the past two decades has definitively changed this classical view. Currently, the concept that thyroid hormone plays a critical role in testis development, in rats and other vertebrate species, is clearly established. Although the effects of thyroid hormone on Sertoli and Leydig cells in the immature testis are well described, its role on t...
Source: Microscopy Research and Technique - July 27, 2009 Category: Laboratory Medicine Authors: Marcia Santos Wagner, Simone Magagnin Wajner, Ana Luiza Maia Source Type: journals

A novel and effective multistage classification system for microscopic starch grain imagesEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
This article presents a novel and effective multistage system for classifying Chinese Materia Medica microscopic starch grain images. The proposed classification system is constructed based on the Gaussian mixture model-based clustering, the feature assignment algorithm, and the similarity measurement. Several features for each starch grain image are extracted and every class of drug is represented by a set of characteristic features. For each stage of the system, only one feature is chosen and assigned to that stage via the feature assignment algorithm, and the corresponding characteristic features are subdivided into sma...
Source: Microscopy Research and Technique - July 20, 2009 Category: Laboratory Medicine Authors: Siu-Kai Choy, Chong-Sze Tong, Zhong-Zhen Zhao Source Type: journals

Morphological and crystallographic evolution of bainite transformation in Fe-0.15C binary alloyEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
In this article, an in situ observation method, combining laser scanning confocal microscopy and electron backscattering diffraction, was used to investigate the morphological and crystallographic evolution of bainite transformation in a Fe-0.15C binary alloy. The nucleation at a grain boundary and inclusions, sympathetic nucleation, and impingement event of bainitic ferrite were directly shown in real time. The variant evolution during bainite transformation and misorientation between bainitic ferrites were clarified. Strong variant selection was observed during sympathetic nucleation. Microsc. Res. Tech., 2009. © 2009 W...
Source: Microscopy Research and Technique - July 8, 2009 Category: Laboratory Medicine Authors: Di Zhang, Hidenori Terasaki, Yuichi Komizo Source Type: journals

New methods for chicken embryo manipulationsEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
The capacity to image a growing embryo while simultaneously studying the developmental function of specific molecules provides invaluable information on embryogenesis. However, until recently, this approach was accomplished with difficulty both because of the advanced technology needed and because an easy method of minimizing damage to the embryo was unavailable. Here, we present a novel way of adapting the well-known EC culture of whole chick embryos to time-lapse imaging and to functional molecular studies using blocking agents. The novelty of our method stems from the ability to apply blocking agents ex ovo as well as i...
Source: Microscopy Research and Technique - July 6, 2009 Category: Laboratory Medicine Authors: Nissrine El-Ghali, Maes Rabadi, Akouavi M. Ezin, Maria Elena De Bellard Source Type: journals

Changes in MAPK pathway in neonatal and adult testis following fetal estrogen exposure and effects on rat testicular cellsEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Concerns have been raised about the possible role of the phytoestrogen genistein and the xenoestrogen Bisphenol A (BPA) as endocrine disruptors. In the present study, we examined the effects of fetal exposure to genistein and BPA on the Mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway and on testicular cell populations in neonatal and adult rat testes. At postnatal day (PND) 3, genistein (0.1-10 mg/kg/day) and BPA (1-200 mg/kg/day) induced Raf1 and Erk1/2 mRNA and protein increases in testes, mainly in Sertoli cells. No changes were seen for Mek1. At PND60, Erk1/2 protein expression remained robust in Sertoli cells and in s...
Source: Microscopy Research and Technique - June 29, 2009 Category: Laboratory Medicine Authors: Raphael Thuillier, Gurpreet Manku, Yan Wang, Martine Culty Source Type: journals

A simple method for multiday imaging of slice culturesEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
We describe a simple method to image a slice culture preparation during the course of multiple days and over many continuous hours, without noticeable damage to the tissue or photobleaching. Our method uses a simple, inexpensive custom-built insulator constructed around the microscope to maintain controlled temperature and uses a perfusion chamber as used for in vitro slice recordings. Microsc. Res. Tech., 2009. © 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc. (Source: Microscopy Research and Technique)
Source: Microscopy Research and Technique - June 28, 2009 Category: Laboratory Medicine Authors: Armin H. Seidl, Edwin W Rubel Source Type: journals

Ontogeny of the androgen receptor expression in the fetal and postnatal testis: Its relevance on Sertoli cell maturation and the onset of adult spermatogenesisEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
From fetal life to adulthood, the testis evolves through maturational phases showing specific morphologic and functional features in its different compartments. The seminiferous cords contain Sertoli and germ cells, surrounded by peritubular cells, and the interstitial tissue contains Leydig cells and connective tissue. Sertoli cells secrete anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH), whereas Leydig cells secrete androgens. In the fetal and early postnatal testis, Leydig cells actively secrete androgens. Sertoli cells are morphologically and functionally immature - e.g., they secrete high levels of AMH - and germ cells proliferate by m...
Source: Microscopy Research and Technique - June 24, 2009 Category: Laboratory Medicine Authors: Rodolfo A. Rey, Mariana Musse, Marcela Venara, Héctor E. Chemes Source Type: journals

Structural study of the salivary glands of Anocentor nitens (Acari: Ixodidae) during the feeding cycleEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
The salivary glands of Anocentor nitens (Neumann,) occur in pairs and are located in the anterolateral region of the general cavity, with milky white color and approximately equal sizes. They consist of a secretory portion and an excretion duct. In some glandular acini, all the cells had a basophilic appearance they were stained by hematoxylin, whereas others presented cells with different staining affinities. In this work, we describe the variations observed in these glands during the feeding cycle of ticks [after feeding (0 h) and successively at 24, 48, 72, 96, 120, and 144 h]. The cells stained by hematoxylin were show...
Source: Microscopy Research and Technique - June 18, 2009 Category: Laboratory Medicine Authors: Vanderlei C. da Silva, Nadja L. Pinheiro, Vinícius R. Ribeiro, Raimundo W. de Carvalho, Paulo O. Scherer, Marco Antônio J. dos Santos, Jacenir Reis dos Santos-Mallet Source Type: journals

Self-assembled monolayers of DNA on cysteamine modified Au(111) surface: Atomic force microscopy studyEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
The [lambda]-DNA molecules self-assemble on cysteamine-modified gold (111) surface to form flat-lying self-assembled monolayers (SAMs). The formation kinetics of such DNA SAMs is studied by atomic force microscopy (AFM). AFM results show that DNA molecules do not arrange themselves on cysteamine-modified gold (111) surface into a well-ordered monolayer. It is also found that the surface density of DNA monolayer does not increase as the DNA concentration increases. The high temperature of DNA solution and the immersing in ultrapure water produce some obvious DNA bundles. Whereas divalent cations in DNA solution result in th...
Source: Microscopy Research and Technique - June 18, 2009 Category: Laboratory Medicine Authors: Yonghai Song, Wenping Lian, Sucai Zhao, Li Wang, Zhuang Li Source Type: journals

PIV as a method for quantifying root cell growth and particle displacement in confocal imagesEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
In conclusion, PIV measured displacements successfully in images of living root cells and the external granular medium, revealing much potential for use by microscopists. Microsc. Res. Tech., 2009. © 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc. (Source: Microscopy Research and Technique)
Source: Microscopy Research and Technique - June 16, 2009 Category: Laboratory Medicine Authors: A. Glyn Bengough, Joachim Hans, M. Fraser Bransby, Tracy A. Valentine Source Type: journals

Single photon fluorescent microlithography for live-cell imagingEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Using fluorescent dyes to trigger the polymerization of a commercial polyurethane resin allows a rapid fabrication of micrometer and submicrometer sized fluorescent structures by one-photon absorption. Here, we show that standard He-Ne lasers emitting at 632.8 nm can be used to start the photopolymerization and that very low laser power is required. This procedure allows the fabrication of fiduciary fluorescent references on standard glass coverslips, mica sheets, or gold-coated coverslips for laser scanning or standard fluorescent microscopy. The biocompatibility of the polymerized resin with cells in culture was tested b...
Source: Microscopy Research and Technique - June 11, 2009 Category: Laboratory Medicine Authors: Darío Kunik, Pedro F. Aramendia, Oscar E. Martínez Source Type: journals

Authenticating and distinguishing the eight species of traditional Tibetan medicine "Meiduoluomi" by microscopic techniqueEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Because of the morphological and macroscopic similarity, many species of Erigeron and Aster (Asteraceae) are confusable and usually used under the same name "Meiduoluomi" in traditional Tibetan medicine (TTM). To find an easy, quick, and reliable method to authenticate and distinguish the eight main medicinal plants of these species, the light microscope was used to reveal the morphoanatomic details. The fixed, sectioned, and stained plant materials and epidermis materials were studied by microscopic techniques. The results of the microscopic features are systematically described and illustrated, and comparison parameters ...
Source: Microscopy Research and Technique - June 11, 2009 Category: Laboratory Medicine Authors: Jing An, Jie Li, Jiang-Gang Wang, Zhi-Feng Zhang, Chu Chen, Hao Zhang Source Type: journals

Regulated production of SnoN2 is a feature of testicular differentiationEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
The objective of this study was to determine the cellular localization of phosphorylated SMAD2/3 and the transcriptional repressor SnoN (Ski-like), a modifier of SMAD2/3 transcriptional activity, in mouse testes. Western blot established that only the smaller SnoN isoform, SnoN2, is produced in the testis. By immunohistochemistry, widespread phospho-SMAD2/3 distribution was observed in somatic and germ cells at all ages. In contrast, SnoN2 production was highly regulated, being detected only in gonocytes and interstitial cells at birth and in pachytene spermatocytes at puberty. In the adult, SnoN2 expression differed to th...
Source: Microscopy Research and Technique - June 11, 2009 Category: Laboratory Medicine Authors: Catherine Itman, Penny A.F. Whiley, Wei Zhou, Marvin Meistrich, Zeliha Sahin, Kate Lakoski Loveland Source Type: journals

Effects of di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate on gap and tight junction protein expression in the testis of prepubertal ratsEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
The aim of this study was to analyze whether di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP), a Sertoli and Leydig cell toxicant, is able to induce alterations in the expression of testicular gap and tight junction proteins. DEHP was administered by gavage (1 g/5 mL corn oil/kg body weight/day) to 25-day-old male Sprague-Dawley rats for 2 days (DEHP-27d) and control rats were treated with corn-oil vehicle for 2 days (C-27d); animals were killed 24 h after the last treatment. Testes of DEHP-27d rats showed different degrees of germ cell sloughing of seminiferous tubules (ST). No alterations of the blood testis barrier (BTB) by lanthanum ...
Source: Microscopy Research and Technique - June 11, 2009 Category: Laboratory Medicine Authors: Cristian M. Sobarzo, Livia Lustig, Roberto Ponzio, María Olga Suescun, Berta Denduchis Source Type: journals

Color-based tumor tissue segmentation for the automated estimation of oral cancer parametersEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
This article presents an automatic color-based feature extraction system for parameter estimation of oral cancer from optical microscopic images. The system first reduces image-to-image variations by means of color normalization. We then construct a database which consists of typical cancer images. The color parameters extracted from this database are then used in automated online sampling from oral cancer images. Principal component analysis is subsequently used to divide the color features into four tissue types. Each pixel in the cancer image is then classified into the corresponding tissue types based on the Mahalanobi...
Source: Microscopy Research and Technique - June 11, 2009 Category: Laboratory Medicine Authors: Yung-nien Sun, Yi-ying Wang, Shao-chien Chang, Li-wha Wu, Sen-tien Tsai Source Type: journals

Study of intussusceptive angiogenesis in inflammatory regional lymph nodes by scanning electron microscopyEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
The aim of the present study was to verify the occurrence of intussusceptive angiogenesis in blood vessels from submandibular lymph nodes responsible for lymphatic drainage of the tongue. A surgical wound inflicted on the ventral tongue of male Wistar rats and submandibular regional lymph nodes were evaluated at different postoperative periods. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was used to observe 123 lymph nodes at times 2, 3, 7, 10, 14, and 21 postoperative days. During the analysis of the vascular models with SEM, intussusceptive angiogenesis was observed in all groups evaluated. This was more extensive on the second a...
Source: Microscopy Research and Technique - June 11, 2009 Category: Laboratory Medicine Authors: Tíssiana Rachel Rossi-Schneider, Flaviana Dornela Verli, Sandra Aparecida Marinho, Liliane Soares Yurgel, Maria Antonieta Lopes De Souza Source Type: journals

Measurement of edge verticality of optical recording bits on blu-ray discs using scanning probe microscopyEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
This work investigates recording bits on recordable and rewritable blu-ray discs using atomic force microscopy and conducting atomic force microscopy with high contrast, respectively. The geometric structure of the recording bits is clearly observed in images, which, when coupled with cross-section analysis, yields precise bit dimensions, and edge horizontal extended length values. The microscopic results are a valuable reference for increasing the recognition rate of digital signals in optical storage media. Furthermore, such a rapid and convenient measuring mode is an indispensable research tool for developing new record...
Source: Microscopy Research and Technique - May 31, 2009 Category: Laboratory Medicine Authors: Sy-Hann Chen, Wen-Siou Lin, Wen-Ching Wang Source Type: journals

Expression of patched-1 and smoothened in testicular meiotic and post-meiotic cellsEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Desert hedgehog (Dhh) signaling plays an essential role in the normal development of the testis and in the process of spermatogenesis. Little is known about the involvement in spermatogenesis of the prototypic member of the family, Ptc1, which acts to suppress hedgehog signaling through Smoothened (Smo). Here, we have examined the expression of Ptc1, Smo, and Dhh in mouse and rat seminiferous epithelium. Our findings demonstrate that Ptc1 and Smo are expressed by primary spermatocytes and by round and condensing spermatids whereas Dhh is expressed by Sertoli cells. The findings suggest that Sertoli cells coordinate Dhh-dep...
Source: Microscopy Research and Technique - May 29, 2009 Category: Laboratory Medicine Authors: Carlos R. Morales, Andrew Fox, Mohamed El-Alfy, Xiaoyan Ni, W. Scott Argraves Source Type: journals

Apoptotic DNA fragmentation can be revealed in situ: An ultrastructural approachEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
A common pattern of apoptotic death is DNA cleavage, initially producing large fragments (50 kbp), followed by the production of nucleosomic/oligonucleosomic fragments. Nevertheless, apoptosis without DNA fragmentation, at least of the nucleosomic type, has been reported. To investigate the spatial relationship between DNA cleavage and chromatin condensation, we applied the TUNEL technique to the ultrastructural analysis of apoptotic cells. A modified method, utilizing a gold-conjugated antidigoxigenin antibody, was carried out on U937 versus Molt-4 cells, both exposed to UVB radiation or staurosporine treatment. Gold part...
Source: Microscopy Research and Technique - May 29, 2009 Category: Laboratory Medicine Authors: Sabrina Burattini, Paola Ferri, Michela Battistelli, Alessandra D'emilio, Laura Biagiotti, Piero Sestili, Marco B. L. Rocchi, Elisabetta Falcieri Source Type: journals

Substrate influence on cell shape and cell mechanics: HepG2 cells spread on positively charged surfacesEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
A human hepatoma cell line (HepG2) was cultured on positively and negatively charged polyelectrolytes. Cell/surface adhesion and cell shape evolution were followed with quartz microbalance with dissipation (QCM-D) and optical microscopy as a function of time, respectively. In particular, substrates coated with poly(ethyleneimine) (PEI) led to fast cell attachment and further spreading, with average maximum frequency [Delta]f = 79 Hz and dissipation [Delta]D = 40 × 10-6. On the contrary, no cell spreading was observed on poly(sodium-4-styrenesulfonate) (PSS), with [Delta]f = 33 Hz and [Delta]D = 4.5 × 10-6. Atomic force m...
Source: Microscopy Research and Technique - May 29, 2009 Category: Laboratory Medicine Authors: Veronica Saravia, José L. Toca-Herrera Source Type: journals

A scanning electron microscopic study on the cephalic cuticular sensillae of different larval stages of Antheraea assamensis, an indigenous silkworm species of Northeast IndiaEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Scanning electron microscopy revealed the presence of a number of cuticular sensillae on the head of different larval stages of the "Muga" silk moth, Antheraea assamensis. These include four types of sensilla trichodea, bead-like folded sensilla, two types of sensilla basiconica, and sensory pegs. The study seems to be the first attempt in describing the morphology and distribution pattern of the cephalic cuticular sensillae of different larval stages of the silk moth Antheraea assamensis, an indigenous species of Northeast India. The possible significance of the sensillae in searching behavior of the larval stages during ...
Source: Microscopy Research and Technique - May 29, 2009 Category: Laboratory Medicine Authors: Sudip Dey, Surendra Singh, Rahul Chakraborty, Rupa Nylla Kynta Hooroo, Sudipto Choudhury Source Type: journals

Increased androgen receptor and remodeling in the prostatic stroma after the inhibition of 5-alpha reductase and aromatase in gerbil ventral prostateEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Prostate require high levels of steroidogenic enzymes such as 5[alpha]-reductase (5[alpha]-r) and Aromatase (Aro) for the formation of active steroids. Dihydrotestosterone (DHT), the prostate dominant androgen, is converted from testosterone (T) by the action of 5[alpha]-r. Aro provides an alternative pathway for estrogen, via T aromatization. Since prostatic maintenance is dependent on both reciprocal stromal-epithelial interaction and regulation by steroids, this study aimed to elucidate what the absence of 5[alpha]-r and Aro enzymes provokes in the prostate microenvironment after their long-term inhibition. Data obtaine...
Source: Microscopy Research and Technique - May 29, 2009 Category: Laboratory Medicine Authors: Lara S. Corradi, Rejane M. Góes, Patricia S.L. Vilamaior, Sebastião R. Taboga Source Type: journals

Visualization of wound periderm and hyphal profiles in pine stems inoculated with the pitch canker fungus Fusarium circinatumEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Postpenetration behavior of Fusariumcircinatum in stems of pine species was investigated with light and transmission electron microscopy. Two-year-old stems of Pinus rigida and P. densiflora were wound-inoculated with the fungal conidial suspension and subjected to 25°C for up to 30 days. It was common to observe the formation of wound periderm on each pine species, recovering wounded sites with newly formed tissues. The outermost thick layer of wound periderm was pink to red colored with the phloroglucinol-EtOH staining, indicating heavy deposition of lignin in wound periderm. The cork layers in the wound periderm of the...
Source: Microscopy Research and Technique - May 29, 2009 Category: Laboratory Medicine Authors: Ki Woo Kim, In Jung Lee, Vilakon Thoungchaleun, Chang Soo Kim, Don Koo Lee, Eun Woo Park Source Type: journals