Microscopic study of human nasal cavity microanatomy using semi-thin resin embedding and methylene blue staining

The nasal cavity is a part of the respiratory tract which humidifies, filters, and warms the air we breathe, as well as being the organ of olfaction. It is easily accessible in terms of morphological and histopathological evaluation for clinical and research purposes. There have been many studies and textbooks showing the histological evaluation of the nasal cavity’s three functional regions: the vestibule, respiratory, and olfactory. The present study aimed to examine the nasal mucosa in a detailed manner in 11 predetermined anatomic areas. Specimens were collected from six fresh-frozen cadavers using a standard punch biopsy procedure. Microscopic evaluation was done on the nasal mucosa, glands, blood vessels, muscles, connective tissue, and neural anatomy. Also, examined and described were the epithelial cell and glandular transitions in the mucosal lining. The microscopic investigation of these features in the nasal cavity provided important information for both clinical and research purposes.     

美蓝标记定位在椎管内肿瘤手术中的应用

目的探讨术前美蓝标记定位并照片在椎管内肿瘤手术中的应用价值。方法回顾性分析2010年9月至2012年9月我院收治的84例椎管内肿瘤患者的临床资料。依据患者是否采用美蓝标记定位椎管内肿瘤分为标记组和对照组。比较2组患者手术时间、术中出血、肿瘤全切率、脊柱不稳率、肿瘤复发率、再手术率。结果标记组患者手术时间显著短于对照组患者,术中出血显著少于对照组患者,P〈0．05具有统计学意义;标记组患者肿瘤全切率显著高于对照组患者,P〈0．05具有统计学意义。2组患者术后1年内脊柱不稳率、肿瘤复发率及再手术率上比较差异均无统计学意义。结论美蓝标记定位简单方便,为手术切除提供了有利条件,减少了手术时间及术中出血量,增加了肿瘤全切除率。     

Effects of probenecid and brilliant blue G on rat enteric glial cells following intestinal ischemia and reperfusion

The P2X7 receptor participates in several intracellular events and acts with the pannexin-1 channel. This study examined the effects of probenecid (PB) and brilliant blue G (BBG), which are antagonists of the pannexin-1 channel and P2X7 receptor, respectively, on rat ileum enteric glial cells after on ischemia and reperfusion. The ileal vessels were occluded for 45 min with nontraumatic vascular tweezers, and reperfusion was performed for periods of 24 h and 14 and 28 days. After ischemia (IR groups), the animals were treated with BBG (BG group) or PB (PB group). The double-labeling results demonstrated the following: the P2X7 receptor was present in enteric glial cells (S100β) and enteric neurons positive for HuC/D; enteric glial cells exhibited different phenotypes; some enteric glial cells were immunoreactive to only S100β or GFAP; and the pannexin-1 channel was present in enteric glial cells (GFAP). Density (in cells/cm²) analyses showed that the IR group exhibited a decrease in the number of cells immunoreactive for the P2X7 receptor, pannexin-1, and HuC/D and that treatment with BBG or PB resulted in the recovery of the numbers of these cells. The number of glial cells (S100β and GFAP) was higher in the IR group, and the treatments decreased the number of these cells to the normal value. However, the PB group did not exhibit recovery of S100β-positive glia. The cell profile area (μm²) of S100β-positive enteric glial cells decreased to the normal value after BBG treatment, whereas no recovery was observed in the PB group. The ileum contractile activity was decreased in the IR group and returned to baseline in the BG and PB groups. BBG and PB can effectively induce the recovery of neurons and glia cells and are thus potential therapeutic agents in the treatment of gastrointestinal tract diseases.     

Selective double staining of interstitial cells of Cajal and macrophage-like cells in small intestine by an improved supravital methylene blue technique combined with FITC-dextran uptake

Summary By a brief exposure of small intestine (mouse, rat, guinea pig) to lysolecithin prior to vital methylene blue staining we were able to demonstrate in a selective way the complete network of interstitial cells of Cajal, located in the space between the longitudinal and circular muscle layers. A combination with fluorescence labeling (FITC-dextran uptake) of macrophage-like cells, allowed us to demonstrate 1) the complete, regular distribution of both cell populations along the entire small intestine, and 2) the constant, intimate associations between interstitial cells of Cajal and macrophage-like cells.In relation to current hypotheses concerning a role of interstitial cells of Cajal in motility regulation, our results call attention to the possible involvement of another cell type, the macrophage-like cell.A preliminary account of this study was published in the proc. of The XIth Symp. Gastrointest. Motil., Oxford, 1987, in: Digest. Dis. Sci. 32:922