1,721,003 research outputs found
Combining back scattered and secondary emission scanning electron microscopy to study articular cartilage morphology on undecalcified unstained samples: a descriptive study
No full textBACKGROUND: The use of undecalcified and unstained samples for articular cartilage’s study (as Authors suggest) will enable
to better preserve its three-dimensional structure. Feasibility of such approach will reduce time and complexity when analyzing a
great number of specimens.
OBJECTIVE: To test the possibility of studying articular cartilage morphology on the undecalcified inclusion blocks, avoiding
cutting and staining thin sections.
METHODS: Femoral condyles were obtained from White New Zealand rabbits and from Sardinian sheep, fixed in
paraformaldehyde, dehydrated in ethyl alcohol, and embedded into poly-methylmethacrylate. Blocks were cut and ground,
sputter-coated with gold-palladium and analyzed by a Jeol JSM 6310 electron microscope, operated between 20 and 25 kV. Data
from secondary emission scanning electron microscopy were combined with data from back scattered electron microscopy
(BSEM), performed sequentially over the same area.
RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: In the rabbit, it was easy to discern the passage between uncalcified and calcified cartilage but it
was difficult to highlight the small chondrocytic lacunae in zones II and III. The sheep proved to be more suitable for easily
discerning all the zones of articular cartilage and its cellularity; BSEM excelled in defining the structure of calcified cartilage and
the “tidemark” front. Large canals could be demarcated, digged through subchondral bone and calcified cartilage, topped by
non-calcified cartilage. The results suggested that the possibility of describing articular cartilage morphology on undecalcified and
unstained embedding blocks, by avoiding the cutting of thin sections, was illustrated. This provides an obvious advantage in terms
of less time needed and less complexity required in comparison with classical histomorphology. It may be an opportunity when a
relevant number of samples must be analyzed
Energy dispersive analysis (EDX) of a degradable bioactive–glass coating on Ti6 Al4V in vivo
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