light and electron microscopic study of the fallopian tube mucosa of pregnant rabbit

Ten pregnant rabbit at full term in addition to the corresponding controls were used in this study. The ampullary regions of the oviducts were subjected to the following techniques: PAS histochemical technique, semithin sections and convential electron microscopy. The morphometric measurement were done using 1 u thick sections stained with toluidine. These investigations revealed a decrease in cell height of both the ciliary and non-ciliary cells at term gestation. A decrease in the percentage of ciliary cells was also observed. Little glycogen was demonstrated in specimens taken at term gestation. The semithin sections examined by the light microscopy showed an increase in the secretory granules of the non-ciliary [secretory] cells. Electron microscopic examination revealed large electron lucid perinuclear granules in the ciliary cells. The nature of these granules is still unknown [Peretz et al., 1981]. Some atrophic cell manifestations were shown also by electron microscopy side by side with the normal cell population in both types of tubal epithelium in late pregnancy

Histological and histochemical changes of the skin with aging

This study comprised skin biopsies from the upper back of 30 healthy males at different ages. They were divided into 3 groups of 10 males each, group I aged [20 - 40 years], group II aged [40 - 60 years] and group III aged over 60 years. The results of the present study showed marked histological and histochemical skin changes occurring with aging. The epidermis was reduced in thickness with flattening of the dermoepidermal junction with age. The thickeness of the epidermis was 67. 5 microm to 189 microm in the first group, 54 microm to 108 microm in the second group, 40. 5 microm to 81 microm in the third group. The basal cell layers of the epidermis showed areas of heterogenicity with variations in the shape, size and staining characters of their cells. The dermis of old subjects showed elastosis with more randomness in the arrangement of the elastic fibres. An overall decrease in the collagenous fibre content of the dermis was also demonstrated with aging. Both alkaline phosphatase and succinic dehydrogenase enzyme activity decreased with aging