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B L MUNGER

Publications and source records attributed to B L MUNGER.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

The cytology of the normal parathyroid glands of man and Virginia deer; a light and electron microscopic study with morphologic evidence of secretory activity.

The normal parathyroids of six humans and a Virginia deer were studied by light and electron microscopy. The parenchyma of the deer parathyroid is composed of uniform chief cells, which contained 100 to 400 mmicro electron-opaque, membrane-limited granules, presumed to be secretory granules, in addition to the usual cytoplasmic organelles. Desmosomes are present between adjacent cells, and rare cilia are observed protruding from the chief cells into the intercellular space. The human parathyroids contain chief cells in two phases-active and inactive-as well as oxyphil cells. Active chief cells have a large Golgi apparatus, sparse glycogen, numerous secretory granules, and rare cilia. Inactive chief cells contain a small Golgi apparatus, abundant glycogen, and few secretory granules. Both forms have the usual cytoplasmic organelles and, between adjacent cells, desmosomes. Oxyphil cell cytoplasm is composed of tightly packed mitochondria and glycogen granules, with rare secretory granules. Cells with cytoplasmic characteristics intermediate between chief and oxyphil cells, possibly representing transitional cells, have been observed. Secretory granules of both man and deer are composed of 100 to 200 A particles and short rods, and the granules develop from prosecretory granules in the Golgi region of the cell. The human secretory granules are smaller and more variable in shape than those of the deer. The granules are iron and chrome alum hematoxylin-positive, argyrophilic, and aldehyde fuchsin-positive, permitting light microscopic identification. They are also found in the capillary endothelial cells of the parathyroid and in its surrounding connective tissue. The secretory granules of the parathyroid cells can thus be followed from their formation in the Golgi apparatus almost to their extrusion into the blood stream.

Animals↗

The ultrastructure and histophysiology of human eccrine sweat glands.

The electron microscopy of human eccrine sweat glands has been studied before and after stimulation by pilocarpine iontophoresis. The identity of the dark and clear cells in the secretory segment as defined by Montagna et al. (23) was determined by studying serial sections, thin for electron microscopy and thick for light microscopy. Cells with numerous apical secretory vacuoles are termed mucoid (dark) cells, since these vacuoles stain positively for acid mucopolysaccharide. Clear cells are intimately associated with intercellular canaliculi. The "cuticular border" of surface cells of the duct is a condensation of tonofilaments and granules. Numerous mitochondria are concentrated in basal cells of the duct. The presence of mucoid cells in the secretory segment may bear on the interpretation of the pathologic findings in the disease cystic fibrosis of the pancreas, and suggests that this disease may be due to a basic disorder of mucopolysaccharide production. The possible roles of the various cellular components in the elaboration of sweat are discussed.

Cell Membrane↗

An electron microscopic study of eccrine sweat glands of the catfoot and toe pads--evidence for ductal reabsorption in the human.

The eccrine sweat glands of the cat foot and toe pads have been studied by light and electron microscopy before and after stimulation with mecholyl. The ultrastructure of these glands in the cat is found to be entirely comparable to that in the human (13). The ultrastructure and staining properties of the secretory segment of the two species are identical. The ductal part of the feline gland is shorter and the ductal cells have only scant mitochondria as compared with the human. Since Brusilow et al. (1) have observed that the secretion of the cat foot pad is isotonic as compared with human sweat, which is hypotonic, and since the secretory segments of the two species are structurally identical, the striking difference in the morphology of the duct is regarded as being responsible for the difference in the chemistry of the secretion of the two species. Thus the duct in the human is capable of reabsorbing sodium and chloride.

Animals↗

Polarization optical properties of the pancreatic acinar cell of the mouse.

The birefringence of fresh and fixed mouse pancreatic acinar tissue was studied, utilizing whole mounts of pancreas from which the mesentery had been removed. Fresh pancreas in Tyrode's solution demonstrated positive birefringence with respect to the radial axis (the axis radiating from the nucleus as spokes from a wheel). Formol fixation reversed the sign of birefringence to negative with respect to the radius. The magnitude of birefringence increased with longer fixation. Neutral formol also reversed the sign to radially negative, but the magnitude did not increase with longer fixation. Tissue fixed in 2 per cent osmium tetroxide or potassium permanganate demonstrated strongly negative birefringence with respect to the radius. The cytoplasm of tissue fixed in acetic acid, though finely granular, still possessed radially positive birefringence. Birefringent areas could be seen in tissue fixed in potassium dichromate, but the sign of birefringence could not be determined. Ethyl alcohol, chromic acid, picric acid, and mercuric chloride all produced a brilliant cytoplasm in which no birefringence could be demonstrated. Freezing markedly decreased the radially positive birefringence of fresh tissue. Fresh tissue placed in increasing concentrations of glycerol demonstrated increasing radially positive birefringence. When formol-fixed tissue was placed in glycerol, the radially negative birefringence decreased. Osmium tetroxide-fixed tissue in 50 per cent glycerol was isotropic. The granularity of ethyl alcohol-fixed tissue disappeared in 50 per cent glycerol, and radially positive birefringence was evident. Frozen tissue showed increasing radially positive birefringence in increasing concentrations of glycerol. The results are discussed in relation to theories of fixation.

Acinar Cells↗