Foundations of histology
This discipline studies the microscopic organization of cells, tissues and organs and relates structure to function.
What is histology?
This first major step in routine tissue preparation stabilizes tissue components and minimizes autolysis before further processing.
What is fixation?
Based on the number of layers, epithelia can be simple or.
What is stratified?
The extracellular matrix of connective tissue can be divided into these two major components.
Adipocytes with one large lipid droplet characterize this type of adipose tissue.
What is unilocular adipose tissue?
This property describes the ability of an optical system to distinguish two closely spaced objects as separate structures.
In routine H&E staining, this dye produces the blue-purple appearance of nuclei and other basophilic structures.
What is hematoxylin?
This epithelium appears multilayered because its nuclei lie at different heights, although all of its cells contact the basement membrane.
What is pseudostratified epithelium?
This spindle-shaped resident connective-tissue proper cell is the principal producer of collagen, elastic-fiber components, proteoglycans, GAGs, and adhesive glycoproteins.
What is a fibroblast?
A glassy-appearing matrix rich in type II collagen and aggrecan, with chondrocytes occupying lacunae, identifies this cartilage type.
What is hyaline cartilage?
What is numerical aperture?
These relatively pale regions of the nucleus contain less-condensed chromatin and are generally associated with greater transcriptional activity.
What is euchromatin?
Large dome-shaped “umbrella cells” and the ability to change appearance during distension are characteristic of this epithelium.
What is urothelium?
These connective-tissue fibers are specialized primarily to resist tensile forces.
What are collagen fibers?
Thick type I collagen bundles with chondrocytes positioned between them, and no perichondrium, identify this cartilage type.
This light-microscopy technique converts phase difference caused by variations in refractive index into visible contrast, making it especially useful for living, unstained cells.
What is phase-contrast microscopy?
This characteristic is displayed by tissue and cell structures which strongly attract basic colorants, for example, the nucleus and the rough endoplasmic reticulum.
What is basophilia?
These actin-based apical projections greatly increase absorptive surface area and are especially prominent in intestinal and proximal renal tubular cells.
Deficiency of this vitamin interferes with hydroxylation during collagen synthesis and can lead to fragile connective tissues, easy bruising, gingival abnormalities, and impaired wound healing.
What is vitamin C?
This multinucleated bone cell belongs to the monocyte/macrophage lineage and creates an acidic microenvironment to resorb mineralized bone.
What is an osteoclast?
A researcher needs to examine mitochondrial cristae and other cellular ultrastructure at a resolution far beyond conventional light microscopy. This would be the appropriate FIXATIVE for his samples.
What is xylene?
These junctions create intercellular channels through which ions and small signaling molecules can pass directly between adjacent cells.
What are gap junctions?
Large molecules made of a core protein attached to long sugar chains called glycosaminoglycans, which fill the extracellular matrix to provide hydration and structural support.
What are proteoglycans?
In this type of bone formation, bone develops on a pre-existing cartilage model rather than directly within mesenchymal connective tissue.
What is endochondral ossification?