Epoxy resin appears to be the best embedding material for preserving tissues for electron micros-copy. Its low linear coefficient of contraction I ensures that no appreciable distortion can occur owing to polymerization damage or excessive shrinkage (1). This plastic also is exceptionally stable in the electron beam, so that surface damage to the section is slight. Although Araldite blocks are ...

Attempts were made to improve fixation and embedding methods for electron microscopy of Alternaria alternata spores. Among 16 methods tested, the ultrastructural images were greatly improved by the use of an en bloc alkaline bismuth stain or an osmium tetroxide-potassium ferrocyanide (reduced osmium) fixative. The cellular membranes were highly contrasted even in unstained sections obtained fro...

An epithelioid line of rabbit kidney cells (RK 13), in which the distribution of blood group antigen A had previously been investigated by mixed agglutination, was chosen for studies of the structure of the cell surface. Cells were grown in monolayer culture, and thin sections were examined by electron microscopy after fixation in glutaraldehyde and osmium tetroxide and staining of the sections...

Golgi impregnation is unique in its ability to display the dendritic trees and axons of large numbers of individual neurons by histology. Here we apply magnetic resonance microscopy to visualize the neuroanatomy of animal models by combining histologic fixation chemistry with paramagnetic contrast agents. Although there is some differential uptake of the standard small-molecular-weight contrast...

Nexuses are described between the smooth muscle cells of the gizzard of the chick and the pigeon, the vas deferens of the mouse and the guinea pig, and the taenia coli of the guinea pig. The nexuses in the gizzard were examined after osmium tetroxide and potassium permanganate had been used as fixatives. Although differences in the dimensions of the unit membranes and the nexuses were noted, th...

Preparation of specimens for pre-embedded immuno-electron microscopic analysis of CNS tissue is challenging. Conventional methods frequently result in significant damage to myelin integrity, ultimately confounding accurate analysis of myelin quality and assessment of changes in the number of lamellae. We have developed and optimized a protocol for maintaining good myelin morphology in CNS tissu...