Histological comparison of long-bone cortex between 11-year-old giant cow with dermal dysplasia and the child cow aged 8.5 years.

Young calves are known to be formed with laminar bone in long-bone cortex during growing periods and the osteon formation begins later. Previously, we reported that an 11-year-old giant Holstein cow with dermal dysplasia showed a delayed osteon formation. An 8.5-year-old cow, born from the giant Holstein cow, also showed some dermal dysplasia and the outer-half layer of the child almost retained laminar bone similar to that of the mother, although the body weight was approximately normal. The mother had formed the inner circumferential lamella and the child was going to form the inner circumferential lamella, but their outer circumferential lamellas were not formed yet in both of them, when compared with a 12-years-old cow as a control of the mother. Therefore, we suggest on long-bone formation pattern that the child resembled the mother rather than the control, and that the child had more or less succeeded to the mother genes of delayed osteon formation as well as dermal dysplasia which seemed to be genetic collagen disorder, although there were mild gene appearances.

Fine structure and mineral components of primary calculi in some human prostates.

The fine structure of prostatic calculi has not been elucidated yet, although the chemical components were reported in detail. We studied the primary or endogenous calculi removed from eight human prostates by secondary scanning electron microscopy, backscattered electron imaging, energy-dispersive X-ray microanalysis and X-ray diffraction. The primary calculi containing Mg, Zn and S, besides Ca and P were basically classified into four stone groups (I-IV) by fine structure and mineral components. Stone I had the core deposits of calcospherites showing concentric rings and the laminated deposits concentrically around the core. Their deposits were identified as apatite. Stone II was occupied with the calcospherite deposits of apatite although the stone growth showed a rough concentric formation. Stone III contained the core of calcospherites and concentric laminated structures, similar to a smaller type of group I, whereas the wider peripheral region was deposited with needle-like structures, identified as calcium oxalates. Stone IV had the core deposits containing small hexahedral structures, identified as whitlockite, which were surrounded with several incompletely concentric laminated bands of apatite. Whitlockite crystals were also found between the fused large calculi. The initial and formative calculi were basically observed as the deposition of mineralizing spherical structures suggesting variously sized corpora amylaceous bodies. Thus, the primary prostatic calculi of stones I-III will begin from the mineralization of amylaceous bodies as a core, while the organic substances, which form stone IV, might be derived from the simple precipitation of prostatic secretion.

Histological and physicochemical studies of hypercalcified primear lines in the laminar bone of young calves.

There are many reports on laminar bone in various young animals during their growth periods. One of the concentric laminar bone units around the long-bone marrow periphery consists of three components: bright line, woven bone, and lamellar bone in the long-bone cortex of young calves and pigs. However, the fine structure, especially the uniform bright line or 'hypercalcified line' present in the unit-center, has not been elucidated as yet. The laminar bone of young calves was found to be initially formed from the hypercalcified lines; that is, 'hypercalcified primear' reported previously by the other authors. Such primear lines containing collagen fibrils scattered deposits of rod-like structures containing fine non-collagenous fibrils and globular structures showing no fibrils and some remnants. Osteocytes occasionally existed in the lines as well as adjacent to the lines, although no cells have been reported in the line. The cell lacunae were larger than those of woven bone and lamellar bone. The hypercalcified primear lines contained higher Ca and P content, and the molar ratio (1.78) was similar to 1.75 in the woven bone and lamellar bone. However, the physical and chemical resistances were significantly lower than that of the surrounding bone. Therefore, the hypercalcified primear lines are strongly suggested to show a lower crystallization. Further, fine structural observations of the primear-line forming cells and histochemical and immuno-histochemical investigations of the primear lines will be necessary.

Short administration of polyclonal anti-T cell antibody (ALS) in NOD mice with extensive insulitis prevents subsequent development of autoimmune diabetes.

Treatment of overtly diabetic NOD mice with antilymphocyte serum (ALS), a polyclonal anti-T cell antibody, leads to cure of diabetes. Here, we investigated whether ALS-treatment of NOD mice after development of extensive insulitis prevents onset of diabetes. Female NOD mice were treated with two doses of ALS at 14, 19 or 23 weeks of age. No further treatment was given. In untreated female NOD mice, diabetes developed starting at 13 weeks and reached 68% by 37 weeks. ALS-treatment at 14, 19 or 23 weeks when histology showed progressive insulitis completely prevented onset of overt diabetes in 9/12, 11/12 or 12/12 mice, respectively. Intraperitoneal glucose tolerance tests in 43 week-old ALS-treated, diabetes-free mice showed a normal pattern. Co-adoptive transfer of lymphoid cells prepared from ALS-treated diabetes-free mice together with splenocytes from overtly diabetic NOD mice resulted in marked delay in diabetes onset in NOD.SCID mice, suggesting the presence of autoimmune regulatory cells in ALS-treated mice. Autoimmune regulatory cells were CD4(+)CD25(+), but not CD4(+)CD25(-), T cells. Thus, treatment of euglycemic individuals who already show signs of autoimmune diabetes with a short course of polyclonal anti-T cell antibody may effectively prevent onset of type 1 diabetes mellitus.

Preliminary study of histological comparison on the growth patterns of long-bone cortex in young calf, pig, and sheep.

Some young large farm animals show a laminar bone formation in the long-bone cortex. Such a laminar bone is gradually replaced by Haversian bone with osteons during their growth periods. In this preliminary study, we observed the transverse ground samples of tibia cortex in young calves, pigs, and sheep by backscattered electron imaging. The cortex bones of all the newborn (NB) animals were basically formed with laminar bone structures. The NB and 1-month-old (1-M) calves had a typical concentric structure of laminar bone, whereas the NB and 1-M pigs showed a wire-netting bone with laminar-bone units. The NB sheep was similar to the calf rather than the pig. In the growth rate of bone volume, sheep was similar to calf up to 6 months after birth (6-M). Such calf and sheep showed a more rapid ratio of bone volume than pig. A few osteons had initially appeared in the innermost layer of the 6-M calf. A 1-year-old (1-Y) calf showed scattered osteons in the bone cortex, but many laminar-bone units were still retained in the outer layer. A 6-M pig had many osteons in the entire cortex but only a few osteons in the outermost layer. In the 6-M sheep, no osteons were observed, whereas a 1-Y sheep showed a relatively small number of osteons mainly in the middle layer but a higher osteon-volume than the 1-Y calf. In the 1-Y sheep, the more widely absorbed areas by bone-remodeling with osteons were observed as compared with the 1-Y calf, and the bone volume was decreased from the 6-M into the 1-Y sheep because of the remarkable bone-absorption. Thus, calf kept on possessing many laminar-bone units for a longer time in the growth period than sheep, while pig showed the earliest bone-remodeling with osteons. These results may be caused by their different body size and withers height in calf and sheep after growing and the difference of the dependence upon mother's body during juvenile period between pig and calf with sheep. The initial region of osteon formation may be distinguishable among their animals, respectively. However, further detailed investigations of their young animals at successive stages will be necessary.

Structural and analytical comparison of gallbladder stones collected from a single patient: studies of five cases.

We observed the gross and fine structure of gallbladder stones collected from five adult patients (cases I-V) by optical photography, radiography, scanning electron microscopy, and backscattered electron microscopy, and then measured the components by energy-dispersive X-ray microanalysis and infrared spectroscopy. From the stones, calcium (Ca) phosphate, Ca bilirubinate, and Ca palmitate or fatty acid Ca were identified. The 3 cholesterol stones (case I) and the 2 brown pigment stones (case II) showed macroscopic homogeneity, respectively. In addition, their fine structure and components were also similar to each other. The black pigment stones (case III) showed macroscopic homogeneity, but they were divided into radiopaque (approximately 30 stones) and radiolucent types (approximately 60 stones). The former had Ca phosphate in the center surrounded with Ca bilirubinate, and the latter was dotted with minute deposits of Ca bilirubinate. The 6 cholesterol stones (case IV) were divided into two types in size. The 5 large stones, of macroscopic homogeneity, had a core region of Ca palmitate and clear concentric rings of Ca phosphate, whereas the smaller stone was almost filled with Ca phosphate deposits in the center. From the different distributions of Ca phosphate, the smaller stone may have been formed later than the 5 large stones. Case V contained 4 stones. The 3 large cholesterol stones, of more or less macroscopic homogeneity, had a core region and concentric rings of Ca phosphate, but 1 smaller stone was dotted with minute deposits mainly containing iron (Fe) and/or silicon elements (rare type). Therefore, the stones of cases III, IV, and V showed considerable heterogeneity, respectively. In many stones, the initial precipitation of Ca salts will have become the nidus, and the concentric rings and dotted deposits of Ca salts may have accelerated cholesterol stone growth. In addition, the dotted deposits of Ca bilirubinate in the black pigment stones and the dotted deposits containing Fe in the rare stone may have become also the nidi.

Preliminary report on the correlations among pineal concretions, prostatic calculi and age in human adult males.

By using quantitative image analysis of soft X-ray photographs on the bulk of extracted pineal glands and prostates, we made a preliminary investigation into the correlations among pineal concretions (% by mass), prostatic calculi (% by mass) and age (years) in 40 human adult males, ranging in age from 31 to 95 years (mean (+/-SD) 69.9 +/- 15.2 years), who died and underwent the routine dissection course. The mass concentrations of pineal concretions and prostatic calculi were 17.68 +/- 13.56% (range 0-51.34%) and 0.93 +/- 1.31% (range 0-5.82%), respectively. There was no correlation between the mass concentration of pineal concretions and aging (r = 0.03; P < 1.0). There was no correlation between mass concentration of prostatic calculi and aging (r = 0.28; P < 0.5). No pineal concretions and no prostatic calculi were observed in seven and 10 cases, respectively; in addition, in one case, neither-concretions nor calculi were seen. From such data and from the previously reported suggestion on the counteracting functions between the pineal gland and prostate, a negative correlation between the mass concentrations of pineal concretions and prostatic calculi was expected. This was certainly obtained, but the correlation was low (r = -0.39; P < 0.05). Such a low correlation and no correlations between the concentrations of pineal concretions and aging or between prostatic calculi and aging may have been caused by the examination of relatively older humans. Therefore, further investigations using a number of pair samples collected from males including younger age generations will be necessary.

Original article scanning electron microscopic observations of surface prismless enamel formed by minute crystals in some human permanent teeth.

It might have been recognized that surface prismless enamel with no prism sheaths or boundaries is formed by needle-shaped crystals in parallel arrangements and shows almost the same crystal size as the underlying prismatic enamel. This study found that some island- and band-shaped prismless enamel in third molars and dome-shaped prismless areas in the region adjacent to the partial hypoplastic enamel of a premolar were formed by minute crystals compared with the underlying prismatic enamel when observing afibrillar cementum and cementicle-like structures by scanning electron microscopy. Their minute crystals became smaller in size towards the natural enamel surface. In the band- and dome-shaped prismless enamel, the minute crystals abruptly changed to the usual-sized crystals in the underlying prismatic enamel, although the minute crystals in the dome-shaped prismless areas tended to show random arrangements. The band-shaped prismless layers might be similar to afibrillar cementum, but shallow Tomes' process pits were present in the natural surface and no appositional laminations were observed in the fractured surface. The minute crystal formation in such prismless regions might be caused by the remarkable decline of ameloblast activity immediately after the disappearance of Tomes' processes producing prism structures surrounded by prism sheaths during the final stage of amelogenesis.

Fine structure and mineral components of fibrous stonelike masses obtained from the human mesenteries.

We investigated the fine structure and mineral components of 29 stonelike masses obtained from the mesenteries of four adult cadavers, using optical microscopy, backscattered electron imaging, scanning electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray microanalysis, and X-ray diffraction. Although the overall appearance of the stonelike masses measuring about 5-20 mm in diameter and 0.06-3.1 g in dry weight was roughly grouped into smooth bulb- and uneven bulk-shaped types, all the calcified masses basically consisted of core and mantle regions. The smooth bulb-shaped masses had a broad mantle with many concentric rings, whereas the uneven bulk-shaped masses contained a large core. In their core regions, spherulitic and short bundle-shaped deposits composed of needle-shaped apatite crystals were mainly found among loose collagen fibers. Their mantle regions, on the other hand, showed the concentric structures of dense collagen fibers in the intra- and/or extrafibrous calcification with fine sandy grain-shaped deposits. The mineral elements were mainly Ca and P, and the major crystals were hydroxyapatite. Hexahedral whitlockite containing Mg was a minor component. The fiber-rich mantle regions showed lower calcification and lesser crystallization than the fiber-poor core region. When necrotic or some tumor adipose tissues and necrotic lymphoid tissues that might have been caused by some digestive diseases are recognized as foreign matter, their tissues occasionally will be calcified and grow into stonelike masses. These stonelike masses tend to occur more often in women than in men.

Scanning electron microscopy and energy-dispersive X-ray microanalysis studies of afibrillar cementum and cementicle-like structures in human teeth.

We examined afibrillar cementum (AFC) and cementicle-like structures (CLS) in human teeth by scanning electron microscopy and energy-dispersive X-ray microanalysis. The AFC showed a spur- or island-, plate- and mass-like structure with appositional laminations, while large masses in the enamel fissures enclosed CLS showing concentric appositional rings. Such AFC was observed in enamel fissures, an abnormal enamel pit, dens invaginatus and root furcations with enamel droplets, as well as on the cervical enamel surfaces, where ameloblasts are differentiated at the later or last stage of enamel formation. Cementicle-like structures were occasionally found independent from AFC and some CLS contained epithelial cell-like or ameloblast-like remnants in the core, surrounded by a few or many concentric rings. In addition, cementicles (CEC) in the root furcations also contained the remnants of Malassez's epithelial-rest cells surrounded by a few concentric rings. In some areas, AFC was mixed with enamel structures. These results show that the organic material in some parts of AFC and CLS may be derived from epithelial cells similar to that of CEC. Calcification values of AFC and CLS were significantly higher than that of fibrillar cementum, and the minute crystals are probably apatite.