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At least 127 records · Page 7Linked to original sources

Metal particles in a ceramic matrix--scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy characterization.

This paper is concerned with ceramic matrix (Al(2)O(3)) composites with introduced metal particles (Ni, Fe). The composites were obtained via sintering of powders under very high pressure (2.5 GPa). Scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy were chosen as the tools for the identification and description of the shape, size and distribution of the metal particles. The Al(2)O(3)-Ni composite contained agglomerates of the Ni particles surrounded by ceramic grains and nanometre-size Ni particles located inside the ceramic grains and at the ceramic grain boundaries. In the Al(2)O(3)-Fe composite, the Fe particles were mostly surrounded by ceramic grains. Moreover, holes left by the Fe particles were found. The high pressure used in the fabrication of the composites changed the shape of the metal and ceramic powder grains via plastic deformation.

Journal Article↗

Demonstration of equine infectious anemia virus in primary leukocyte cultures by electron microscopy.

Electron microscopy was used to demonstrate the presence of viral particles in primary cultures of leukocytes taken from a horse after SC inoculation with the Wyoming strain of equine infectious anemia virus. Unlike previous studies, the exposure virus was not passaged through cell culture prior to horse inoculation. Cultures were begun approximately 1 week before and 1 week after the 1st pyrexic period after inoculation. In both samples, viral particles and cytoplasmic alterations were observed resembling those previously reported in equine infectious anemia virus and other retravirus-infected cells.

Animals↗

Combined intravital microscopy and electron microscopy of the blind beginnings of the mesenteric lymphatic capillaries of the rat mesentery. A preliminary report.

The blind beginnings (so-called terminal lymphatics) of the mesenteric lymphatic capillaries have been studied in the rat mesentery by means of intravital microscopy and electron microscopy. Intraluminal objects were observed to move slowly downstream, probably carried by the movement of the lymphatic fluid. No simultaneous changes in capillary lumen could be observed, and the subsequent electron microscope analysis of the same lymphatic capillary demonstrated the absence of smooth muscle cells in the wall of the lymphatic vessel. Interendothelial gaps were present, allowing the uptake of interstitial fluid into the blind ending of the lymphatic capillary.

Animals↗

Application of high-angle annular dark field scanning transmission electron microscopy, scanning transmission electron microscopy-energy dispersive X-ray spectrometry, and energy-filtered transmission electron microscopy to the characterization of nanoparticles in the environment.

A major challenge to the development of a fundamental understanding of transport and retardation mechanisms of trace metal contaminants (<10 ppm) is their identification and characterization at the nanoscale. Atomic-scale techniques, such as conventional transmission electron microscopy, although powerful, are limited by the extremely small amounts of material that are examined. However, recent advances in electron microscopy provide a number of new analytical techniques that expand its application in environmental studies, particularly those concerning heavy metals on airborne particulates or water-borne colloids. High-angle annular dark field scanning transmission electron microscopy (HAADF-STEM), STEM-energy-dispersive X-ray spectrometry (EDX), and energy-filtered TEM (EFTEM) can be effectively used to identify and characterize nanoparticles. The image contrast in HAADF-STEM is strongly correlated to the atomic mass: heavier elements contribute to brighter contrast. Gold nanocrystals in pyrite and uranium nanocrystals in atmospheric aerosols have been identified by HAADF-STEM and STEM-EDX mapping and subsequently characterized by high-resolution TEM (HRTEM). EFTEM was used to identify U and Fe nanocrystals embedded in an aluminosilicate. A rare, As-bearing nanophase, westerveldite (FeAs), was identified by STEM-EDX and HRTEM. The combined use of these techniques greatly expands the effective application of electron microscopy in environmental studies, especially when applied to metals of very low concentrations. This paper describes examples of how these electron microbeam techniques can be used in combination to characterize a low concentration of heavy metals (a few ppm) on nanoscale particles.

Electron Probe Microanalysis↗

Thermal balloon endometrial ablation: safety aspects evaluated by serosal temperature, light microscopy and electron microscopy.

OBJECTIVES: Thermal balloon endometrial ablation is a new method for treating menorrhagia. The technique appears to be less difficult compared to standard hysteroscopic ablation techniques and to be significantly safer. The influence into the uterine wall of the thermal balloon ablation procedure was investigated with special reference to the ability of total destruction of the endometrium and the thermal action on the myometrium and the serosa. STUDY DESIGN: Temperatures were measured at the uterine serosal surface during thermal balloon endometrial ablation for 8-16 min in eight patients. After subsequent hysterectomy the extent of thermal damage into the myometrium was assessed by light and electron microscopy. RESULTS: The highest temperature measured on the uterine serosa was 39.1 degrees C. Coagulation of the myometrium adjacent to the endometrium could be demonstrated by light microscopy in all patients, with a maximum depth of 11.5 mm. By electron microscopy no influence of heat could be demonstrated beyond 15 mm from the endometrial surface. CONCLUSION: Up to 16 min of thermal balloon endometrial ablation therapy can destroy the endometrium and the submucosal layers. The myometrium is only coagulated to a depth where full thickness necrosis or injury is unlikely.

Adult↗

Scanning electron microscopy and electron probe microanalyses of the crystalline components of human and animal dental calculi.

A review of the use of scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and electron probe microanalyses in the study of dental calculus showed that such studies provided confirmatory and supplementary data on the morphological features of human dental calculi but gave only limited information on the identity of the crystalline or inorganic components. This study aimed to explore the potential of combined SEM and microanalyses in the identification of the crystalline components of the human and animal dental calculi. Human and animal calculi were analyzed. Identification of the crystalline components were made based on the combined information of the morphology (SEM) and Ca/P molar ratios of the crystals with the morphology and Ca/P molar ratio of synthetic calcium phosphates (brushite or DCPD; octacalcium phosphate, OCP; Mg-substituted whitlockite, beta-TCMP; CO3-substituted apatite, (CHA); and calcite. SEM showed similarities in morphological features of human and animal dental calculi but differences in the forms of crystals present. Microanalyses and crystal morphology data suggested the presence of CaCO3 (calcite) and CHA in the animal (cat, dog, tiger) and of OCP, beta-TCMP and CHA in human dental calculi. X-ray diffraction and infrared (IR) absorption analyses confirmed these results. This exploratory study demonstrated that by taking into consideration what is known about the crystalline components of human and animal dental calculi, combined SEM and microanalyses can provide qualitative identification.

Adult↗

Image processing based on the combination of high-resolution electron microscopy and electron diffraction.

A method of crystal structure determination by electron crystallographic image processing based on the combination of high-resolution electron microscopy (HREM) and electron diffraction is introduced. It consists of two stages: image deconvolution and resolution enhancement. In the first stage an image taken at an arbitrary defocus condition is transformed into the structure image with the resolution depending on the resolution of the electron microscope. In the second stage the image resolution is enhanced to the diffraction resolution limit by combining the electron diffraction data and using the phase extension technique so that in the final image most unoverlapped atoms can be resolved individually. The experimental diffraction intensities are corrected for approximating to square structure factors. The principle of the image processing and the procedure of diffraction intensity correction are briefly described and the results of applications are illustrated. Since the method is based on the weak phase object approximation (WPOA), the validity of WPOA is discussed by introducing an approximate image contrast theory named pseudo weak phase object approximation (PWPOA) to demonstrate the image contrast change with the crystal thickness for very thin crystals.

Copper↗

Intranuclear sites of Np 237 in mammalian cells: a study using electron microscopy and electron probe microanalysis.

Two methods, electron microscopy and wavelength dispersive electron probe microanalysis, were used to determine the intracellular sites and chemical form of concentrations of neptunium nitrate 237 after chronic intoxication by the intraperitoneal route in two organs in the rat known to concentrate this element (kidney, liver). Abnormal intranuclear formations in the form of clusters of dense granules containing neptunium, phosphorus, sulphur, and calcium were found in the nuclei of kidney proximal tubule cells and hepatocytes. These formations had a maximum diameter of the order of 2 microns and were located in the central part of the nucleus, away from the nucleolus and peripheral chromatin. Serious nuclear and cytoplasmic ultrastructural lesions are often associated in cells containing neptunium inclusions. The absorbed doses in the kidney and the liver were very low. A relationship between these abnormal intranuclear structures and the carcinogenic effect of neptunium remains to be clarified. This effect is related more probably to the chemical toxicity of Np 237.

Animals↗

Transmission electron microscopy and electron diffraction study of the short-range ordering structure of alpha-LiFeO2.

The basic structure of alpha-LiFeO2, lithium iron oxide, is a cubic NaCl-type structure with a lattice constant of 0.42 nm; some short-range ordering characterized by octahedral clusters exists. The local structure of the short-range ordering was investigated by transmission electron microscopy and electron diffraction. A new short-range ordering structure was found in local areas. The local structure has a cubic lattice with a doubled lattice constant. The occupation factors of cations on Wyckoff sites 4(a) and 4(b) are different from those on 24(d) sites, but the stoichiometric composition in cubic clusters is the same as the macroscopic composition. The number of pairs in which iron cations exist in nearest-neighbor sites and next nearest-neighbor sites is reduced in the structure. This means that a magnetic interaction between the iron cations is reduced by cation ordering even without spin ordering at room temperature.

Journal Article↗

Effect of intravenously injected iodinated lipid emulsion on the liver. An experimental study correlating computed tomography findings with in vivo microscopy and electron microscopy findings.

Iodinated lipid emulsions have been shown to have great potential as site specific contrast media for the liver and spleen. Because of unacceptable adverse reactions none of these emulsions has been adopted for clinical use. In an attempt to find an explanation for these adverse reactions we tested three iodinated lipid emulsions, EOE-13, AG 60.99 and AG 66.18. The following models were used: Computed tomography (CT) of the rabbit liver, in vivo microscopy and electron microscopy of the rat liver. The emulsions contained particles of different sizes and were used in varying doses. We found that the larger the emulsion particles, the more likely they were to be taken up by the Kupffer cells and thereby the higher the opacification of the liver achieved at CT. We also observed changes in the microcirculation of the liver when the emulsions were given in doses required to secure satisfactory opacification of the liver at CT. The main changes were 1) a marked increase in the size of the Kupffer cells, and 2) damage to the sinusoidal endothelium, both contributing to sinusoidal congestion. These changes strongly suggest activation of the macrophages and this in turn probably results in the release of toxic mediators. We suspect that the adverse reactions observed in patients when using iodinated lipid emulsions are due to these toxic mediators.

Animals↗

Combining laser scanning confocal microscopy and electron microscopy in studies of the insect nervous system.

Experimentally determining the synaptic interconnections between neurons in the nervous system is laborious and difficult in any animal species, but especially so in many invertebrates, including insects, where neurons generally have large, finely branching neuritic trees that form both pre- and postsynaptic specializations in dense neuropils with other neuritic trees. Electron microscopy is needed to identify synapses, but correlation of synapse type and location with the overall branching patterns of neurons, which are visible readily only in the light microscope or through extensive reconstruction of serial electron-microscope sections, is very difficult. In this paper, we present a simple method that we have developed (Sun et al. (1995) J. Histochem. Cytochem., 43: 329-335) that combines laser scanning confocal microscopy and electron microscopy for the study of synaptic relationships of neurons in the antennal lobe, the first central neuropil in the olfactory pathway, of the moth Manduca sexta. Briefly, neurons are labeled by intracellular injection with neurobiotin or biocytin, and then processed with a gold-particle tag for electron microscopic study and a fluorescent tag for confocal microscopy, and embedded in plastic. The fluorescence of the labeled neuron in the plastic blocks is imaged in three dimensions with laser scanning confocal microscopy and then the neuron is thin-sectioned at precisely chosen depths for electron microscopic study. The fluorescence pattern can be monitored repeatedly between episodes of thin-sectioning, and subtraction of a fluorescence image from the previous fluorescence image reveals which fluorescent processes have been sectioned. In this way, electron microscopic detail can be mapped onto a three-dimensional light microscopic image of the neuron.

Animals↗

In situ ageing of fine beech roots (Fagus sylvatica) assessed by transmission electron microscopy and electron energy loss spectroscopy: description of microsites and evolution of polyphenolic substances.

Root biomass is quantitatively and qualitatively important in most ecosystems, but its contribution to the pool of organic matter in the soil is not clear. This work was designed to specify root ageing on an ultrastructural scale by transmission electron microscopy combined with microanalysis by electron energy loss spectroscopy. This approach is very suitable for studying the soil/plant interface, and for semi-quantitative analysis of the evolution of polyphenolic substances during root evolution. Three root segments were studied according to a gradient of root senescence: the apical and basal segments of the mycorrhiza and the mycorrhiza-carrier root. Each segment contained a certain proportion of senescent cells, some of which were of fungal origin, and this proportion increased as the root aged. In the three segments, the soil/plant interfaces were differentiated, and the micro-organisms observed in situ were described. Senescent root cells contained many polyphenolic substances and our results showed that these substances were, according to the root segment, differently associated with Ca, N and Si. When all these ultrastructural data are correlated with more global data, they can be usefully applied to root cell physiology, microbiology and pedology. This approach makes it possible to specify the evolution of organic matter in situ in soils whatever its origin.

Cellular Senescence↗

[Guided tissue regeneration: an ultrastructural observation by transmission electron microscopy and scanning electron microscopy].

PTFE membranes are used for guided tissue regeneration in order to treat angular bone defects or forcation involvements in surgical treatment. Ultrastructural investigations have been performed by means of electron transmission and scanning microscopy. In agreement with previous reports, fibroblast cells adhering to the reticular structure of PTFE membrane were observed; these were interposed among coagulated clusters of fibrinous material and blood cells round shaped. Elongated bacterial cells were always present in the microscope fields analysed. These observations were confirmed by means of transmission microscopy; moreover specific techniques enabled us to demonstrate that fibroblast cells were synthetizing collagen, which was present in the form of extracellular fibers mixed to fibrin clusters. Roundish and elongate bacterial cells were always observed both in the extracellular matrix and into macrophages.

Guided Tissue Regeneration, Periodontal↗

Morphological studies of the spleen in idiopathic portal hypertension (so-called Banti's syndrome without liver cirrhosis) using light microscopy, scanning electron microscopy and histometry.

Morphological changes in the spleens of patients with idiopathic portal hypertension (IPH) were studied and compared with the normal spleen. The study used (1) light microscopy with histometry, (2) scanning electron microscopy (SEM) of the splenic tissue with histometry and (3) SEM of the spleen vascular replica. Histometrical studies by light microscopy showed that the volume of red pulp of IPH was increased in a unit area and to a total of 12 times the normal in the whole spleen. The white pulp was scanty of lymphocytes and decreased in a unit area but it was increased in the whole spleen. SEM of the white pulp of IPH demonstrated many channels formed by reticulum cells and running parallel with each other along the central artery. This finding presumably corresponds to periarterial fibrosis in light microscopy. SEM histometry demonstrated that the venous sinuses of IPH were small but increased in number and occupied the same percentage area in a unit red pulp area as in the normal spleen. The Billroth cord of IPH was narrowed and occupied by thickened reticulum cells, which may cause increased pooling and destruction of blood cells in the enlarged spleen (hypersplenism). SEM of the tissue and vascular replica demonstrated open arterial termination in the Billroth cord in the spleen of IPH as well as in the normal spleen. Venous sinuses in the replica of IPH ran parallel with each other forming bundles with fewer intercommunications than normal.

Adult↗

The dynamics of exoskeletal-epidermal structure during molt in juvenile lobster by electron microscopy and electron spectroscopic imaging.

The exoskeletal-epidermal complex of juvenile lobsters at various stages throughout the molt cycle was examined by conventional electron microscopy, freeze-etch replicas, and electron spectroscopic imaging. This latter technique which enables the direct localization of atomic elements superimposed over morphological fine structure has been applied to this tissue complex to determine the spatial distributions and interrelationships of calcium, phosphorus, and sulphur. Chitin microfibril assembly is visualized in thin sections as occurring at the surface of apical membrane plaques which in freeze-etch replicas invariably possess a rich distribution of intramembrane particles on both P and E faces. In early stages of mineralization the exo- and endocuticular zones of the exoskeleton possess a dense Ca-containing lamellar repeat. These bands are unrelated to the helicoidal arrangement of chitin microfibrils. At later stages of development mineral deposits occur within the exocuticle and advance through to the endocuticle. These deposits align with chitin microfibrils and exhibit a helicoidal pattern. Morphological and chemical alterations associated with mineralization and demineralization of the exoskeleton are discussed.

Animals↗

Scanning electron microscopy and electron probe microanalysis of calcified alpha-elastin coacervates.

The uptake of calcium and phosphorus from a serum calcification medium by coacervated alpha-elastin was studied by electron probe microanalysis and scanning electron microscopy. Calcium and phosphorus were bound by the coacervate in ratios similar to that of hydroxyapatite. A significant difference was observed in the secondary electron image of the coacercules from the serum during calcification of the coacervate.

Animals↗