• Applied Microscopy
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• v.32 no.3
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• pp.291-301
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• 2002

The present study was performed to compare the morphological differences of flight muscles among 3 species from insects (Xylocopa appendiculata circumvolans Smith, Davidins lunatus B. and Serrognathus platymelus castanicdor M.) by investigating ultrastructural observation and stereological analysis. Xylocopa appendiculata circumvolans Smith has the most flight hours. In addition, the number and arrangement of mitochondria and the structure of sarcomere were similar to those of vertebrates. However sarcomere structure of Davidins lunatus B. was irregular and the sarcomere length was longer than that of Xylocopa appendiculata circumvolans Smith. In Serrognathus platymelus castanicdor M. which has the least flight hours, the length of sarcomere appeared longer than that of Davidins lunatus B. In results of stereological analysis, Serrognathus platymelus castanicdor M. had the highest volume density of myofibrils in all species. The volume and numerical density of mitochondria and the volume density of sarcoplasmic reticulum were highest Xylocopa appendiculata circumvolans Smith and Davidins lunatus B. respectively. This study suggests that the flight hours and flight pattern by different ecological habitats may cause the morphological changes of flight muscle.

• Applied Microscopy
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.1-14
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• 1992

This experiment was performed to study the morphological responses of the parafollicular cells of rat following X-ray irradiation. Male rats were divided into normal and experimental groups. The head and neck region of the rat, under sodium thiopental anesthesia, was exposed to 3,000 rads or 6,000 rads of radiation in a single dose, respectively. The source was a Mitsubishi Linear Accelerator ML-4MV. The target to skin distance was 80 cm, and the dose rate was 200 rads/min. The rate of experimental groups were sacrificed on the 6th hour, 2nd and 6th day after X-ray irradiation. Pieces of the tissue taken from the thyroid gland were fixed in 2.5% glutaraldehyde-1.5% paraformaldehyde (0.1M Millonig's phosphate buffer, pH 7.3), and in 1% osmium tetroxide (0.1M Millonig's phosphate buffer, pH 7.3), and embedded in araldite mixture. The ultrathin sections stained with uranyl acetate and lead citrate were observed with JEM 100 CX-II electron microscope. The results were as follow; 1. Two types of the parafollicular cells, according to their electron densities, were found, i. e., light cells and dark cells. 2. Three types of the parafollicular cells, according to their sizes of secretory granules were found, i.e., small granule cells ($85nm{\pm}20.1;64{\sim}102nm$), medium granule cells ($120nm{\pm}26.5;77{\sim}179nm$), and large granule cells ($165nm{\pm}25.7;128{\sim}189nm$). 3. The differential ultrastructural changes of the cells according to their cell types, i.e., dark and light cell, or small, medium and large granule cells, were hardly observed in the time and dose range covered by this study. 4. The morphological changes of the parafollicular cells were not pronounced after exposure to 3,000 rads of X-ray. 5. Swollen cisternae of the granular endoplasmic reticulum and partial cytolysis were observed after exposure to 6,000 rads of X-ray. 6. Above results suggest that the parafollicular cells showed the alterations of mitochondrial and granular endoplasmic reticular swelling, and partial cytolysis, but only in doses of 6,000 rads.

• Applied Microscopy
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.39-48
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• 1998

The spermatozoa of bagrid catfish, Pseudobagrus fulvidraco are approximately $76{\mu}m$ in length, and a relatively simple and elongated cell composed of a spherical head, a short middle piece and a tail. The ultrastructure of spermatozoa of P. fulvidraco is characterized by the following features. The acrosome is absent as in most teleost. The round nucleus measuring about $1.67{\mu}m$ in length and diameter is depressed with a deep nuclear fossa. The nuclear fossa, the length of which is about three-fifths of the nuclear diameter, contains the proximal and distal contrioles. The two centrioles are oriented approximately $160^{\circ}$ to each other. The filamentous materials give rise to satellite appendages arranged tangentially from the triplets of the distal centriole and the doublets of the anterior end of the axoneme toward the nuclear envelope. The mitochondria are not fused and their number is 20 or more. They are arranged in two or three layers and two rings within the cytoplasmic collar and surround the axoneme. They are separated from the axoneme by the cytoplasmic canal. The axoneme is of the 9+2 microtubular pattern and has inner but no outer dynein arms. The two lateral fins are in the same plane with the two central microtubules, the doublets 3 and 8, which are ultrastructural characteristics of the sperm tail unlike other siluroids lacking the lateral fins.

• Applied Microscopy
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• v.31 no.1
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• pp.37-47
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• 2001

In order to investigate a pathogenesis of liver damage induced by skin burn, thermal injury was induced by scald burn on entirely dorsal surface in rats (total burn surface area $20\sim25\%$) except for inhalated injury. At 5 and 24 h after scald burn, biochemical assay and morphological changes in serum and liver tissue were examined. Skin burn increased liver weight (% of body weight, p<0.05) and the activity of serum aniline amino-transferase (ALT, p<0.05), in addition, the activity of xanthine oxidase (XO), an enzyme of oxygen free radical generating system, was elevated (p<0.01) in serum, but not in skin and in liver. Postburn treatment of allopurinol intraperitoneally decreased liver weight, serum ALT activity and serum XO activity. Scald burn induced ultrastructurally swelling of endoplasmic reticulum, ribosome detachment, accumulation of lipid, dilatation of bile canaliculi and intercellular space, neutrophil infiltration, activation of Kupffer's cells and degeneration of hepatocytic microvilli. Futhermore , thermal injury decreased not only the protein concentration in plasma but also the number of intravascular leukocytes, that indicates induction of edema formation with protein exudation and inflammation by neutrophil infiltration into the internal organs. However allopurinol injection after burn inhibited post burn ultrastructural changes. These data suggest that acute dermal scald burn injury leads to liver damage, that is related to elevation of xanthine oxidase activity in serum. Xanthine oxidase may be a key role in the pathogenesis of liver damage induced by skin burn.

• Applied Microscopy
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• v.42 no.2
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• pp.61-66
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• 2012

Ultrastructural characteristics of blacktip grouper, Epinephelus fasciatus spermatozoa were investigated using transmission and scanning electron microscopy. The spermatozoa of E. fasciatus consisted of a spherical head part, a midpiece with cytoplasmic canal entrance and a flagellum with lateral fins. Internal ultrastructurally, the nucleus contains high electron dense chromatin having granular particles and has no acrosome. The centriolar complex lies outside of the nuclear fossa and it is connected by the osmophilic filaments. Also the osmophilic filaments connect between the centriolar complex and the nuclear membrane. The midpiece contains eight to nine spherical mitochondria, cytoplasmic canal and necklaces. The flagellum has a typical 9+2 axonemal structure. The lateral fins contain vesicles and a typical 9+2 axonemal structure. Consequently this study contributes to comparative grouper spermatology and provide useful systematic taxonomic characters.

• Applied Microscopy
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• v.42 no.1
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• pp.9-16
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• 2012

The goal of this study was to identify neurotransmitters in endings (p-endings) presynaptic to low-threshold mechanoreceptive vibrissa afferents in the laminae III/IV of cat trigeminal caudal nucleus (Vc). Rapidly-adapting vibrissa afferents were intra-axonally labeled after electrophysiological identification, and postembedding immunogold staining with antisera against ${\gamma}$-aminobutyric acid (GABA) and glycine was performed, followed by quantitative ultrastructural analysis of p-endings presynaptic to the labeled vibrissa afferent terminals. Sixteen p-endings, which are presynaptic to the HRP-labeled vibrissa afferent terminals, were analyzed in this study: Eight p-endings (50%, 8/16) were immunopositive to GABA but immunonegative to glycine (GABA+ p-ending), and remaining 8 p-endings (50%, 8/16) exhibited immunoreactivity to both GABA and glycine. Bouton volume of the p-endings was not significantly different between the two groups. However, the p-endings differed from each other in relative content of GABA and glycine. These findings suggest that low-threshold mechanoreceptive information conveyed through vibrissa afferent at Vc is presynaptically modulated by GABA and/or glycine, and that degree of presynaptic modulation may differ among each vibrissa afferent terminal.

• Applied Microscopy
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• v.38 no.4
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• pp.375-382
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• 2008

In order to investigate shape of synaptic vesicles of the tooth pulp afferent boutons and their presynaptic endings (p-endings), and the neuroactive substance of the p-endings in the trigeminal nucleus principalis, rat incisor tooth pulp afferents were labeled by the horseradish peroxidase (HRP) and quantitative ultrastructural analysis and postembedding immunogold labeling were performed. Labeled tooth pulp afferent boutons contained clear, spherical synaptic vesicles (diameter: $45{\sim}55\;nm$) and occasionally dense core vesicles(diameter: $80{\sim}120\;nm$). They formed symmetrical synapses with unlabeled axon terminals (p-endings) containing pleomorphic synaptic vesicles. The ratio of short to long diameter (form factor) of synaptic vesicles of pulp afferent boutons was 0.6 to 0.99, whereas that of p-endings was 0.25 to 0.99. In addition, most of the p-endings showed GABA-like immunoreactivity. These results indicate that the shape of synaptic vesicles is quite different between the tooth pulp afferent boutons and p-endings, and the p-endings may contain GABA as a neuroactive substance in the trigeminal nucleus principalis.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.24 no.7
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• pp.721-727
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• 2014

Mushroom-derived ${\beta}$-glucan, a polysaccharide (GLP) isolated from the mycelium of Ganoderma lucidum, was previously shown to have inhibitory effects against tumor-bearing mice in vivo. We investigated the apoptotic effect of mushroom-derived ${\beta}$-glucan in a sarcoma-180 tumor cell- bearing mice model using an ELISA to determine the levels of tumor necrosis factor-${\alpha}$ (TNF-${\alpha}$) in the mice. The morphology of the tumor cells was assessed with transmission electron microscopy (TEM). GLP was injected into the tumor-bearing mice at a dose (i.p.) of 20 mg/kg for 10 days. After 30 days, the tumor mass from the inguinal region was collected, weighed, and assayed using TEM and a TNF-${\alpha}$ ELISA kit. The tumors that developed in the mice treated with GLP were 71.4% smaller than those in the control group, showing the ability of GLP to inhibit tumor growth. The levels of TNF-${\alpha}$ in the serum of the sarcoma-180 bearing mice were 12 times greater than in the serum of the nonbearing tumor mice. An ultrastructural study demonstrated that the GLP-treated sarcoma-180 tumor cells were condensed, with rearranged chromatin. In addition, the marginated chromatin in nucleus induced the nuclear compartment, and there were many vacuolization in the cell. GLP could be an effective apoptosis-inducing compound in sarcoma-type cancers.

• Applied Microscopy
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• v.35 no.2
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• pp.89-96
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• 2005

The ultrastructures of the fertilized egg envelope from Hyphessobrycon serpae belonging to Characidae was studied using scanning and transmission electron microscopes to get systematic fundamental data for classification of species and to confirm whether micropyle is a common trait of Characidae or not. The fertilized egg was of colorless, transparent, spherical, adhesive and demersal type. There were not oil droplets in vitelline membrane and attached structures in the outside of fertilize egg envelope. The egg envelope had a single micropyle resembling the pathway of sperm in the area of the animal pole. The micropyle was surrounded by 13 to 15 protruded lines of the egg envelope in a radiated form. The outer surface of fertilized egg envelope was covered by reticular adhesive fibrous structures and irregularly arranged by pore canals. The fertilized egg envelope consisted of three distinct layers an outer adhesive fibrous layer with high electron density, a middle layer with pore canals, and an inner layer consisting of 6 to 7 lamellae alternating layers with interlamellae of lower electron density. These ultrastructural characters of fertilized egg envelope form Hyphessobrycon serpae can be utilized in taxonomy of teleost, and as fundamental data for study on early development of fertilized egg. It seems that the morphology of micropyle is a common trait of Characidae

• The Korean Journal of Malacology
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• v.31 no.1
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• pp.9-19
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• 2015

Germ cell development and cyclic changes in the epithelial cells of the seminal vesicle of the male rapa whelk, Rapana venosa, were investigated by cytological and histological observations. The process of germ cell development can be classified into five stages: (1) spermatogonial, (2) primary spermatocyte, (3) secodary spermatocyte, (4) spermatid, and (5) spermatozoon. In particular, four atypical cells (Type IA, IB, IIA and IIB cells) occur among normal germ cells in the acini during spermatogenesis. Presumably, the atypical cells, which have lysosome-like vacuoles or lysosome-like bodies in the cells, are involved in breakdown and absorption themselves in the acini. However, atypical cells were not found in the epithelial cells of the inner layer of the seminal vesicle. A considerable amount of spermatozoa are transported from the testis towards the the seminal vesicles until late July. The main coupulation period is between June and July. The process of the cyclical changes of the seminal vesicles can be classified into three phases: (1) resting, (2) accumulating, and (3) spent. Yellow granular bodies are involved in resorption or digestion of residual spermatozoa.