The fate of chondrocytes during ageing of human thyroid cartilage

Mechanical, Cellular, and Proteomic Properties of Laryngotracheal Cartilage

The larynx sometimes requires repair and reconstruction due to cancer resection, trauma, stenosis, or developmental disruptions. Bioengineering has provided some scaffolding materials and initial attempts at tissue engineering, especially of the trachea, have been made. The critical issues of providing protection, maintaining a patent airway, and controlling swallowing and phonation, require that the regenerated laryngotracheal cartilages must have mechanical and material properties that closely mimic native tissue. These properties are determined by the cellular and proteomic characteristics of these tissues. However, little is known of these properties for these specific cartilages. This review considers what is known and what issues need to be addressed.

Morphofunctional evaluation of buccopharyngeal space using three-dimensional cone-beam computed tomography (3D-CBCT)

The present study aims to identify the anatomical functional changes of the buccopharyngeal space in case of singers with canto voice. The interest in this field is particularly important in view of the relation between the artistic performance level, phoniatry and functional anatomy, as the voice formation mechanism is not completely known yet. We conducted a morphometric study on three soprano voices that differ in type and training level. The anatomical soft structures from the superior vocal formant of each soprano were measured on images captured using the Cone-beam Computed Tomography (CBCT) technique. The results obtained, as well as the 3D reconstructions emphasize the particularities of the individual morphological features, especially in case of the experienced soprano soloist, which are found to be different for each anatomical soft structure, as well as for their integrity. The experimental results are encouraging and suggest further development of this study on soprano voices and also on other types of opera voices.

Rib cartilage characterization in patients affected by pectus excavatum

Pectus excavatum (PE) is the most frequent anterior chest deformity which may be frequently associated with connective tissue disorders. We performed microscopic analyses to better understand cartilage behavior and obtain clues on its pathogenesis. In 37 PE patients, none with Marfan syndrome, we analyzed costal cartilage by light microscopy, immunohistochemistry and transmission electron microscopy. Control tissue specimens were harvested from four patients without any connective tissue disease. In both control and PE patients, chondrocytes were on the average <15 µm in diameter and occupied <10% of tissue volume; in most cases the extracellular matrix was stained by alcian blue, instead of safranin; no difference between PE and control samples was significant. All samples showed an uneven collagen type II immunolabeling both within the cells and pericellular matrix, and occasionally of the territorial matrix. In all cases numerous cells underwent apoptosis accompanied by matrix condensation as shown by electron microscopy. Our results suggest that matrix composition and the cell number and size of costal cartilage are dependent on the subject and not on the disease; the microscopic organization of cartilage is correlated with the stabilization of the defective shape rather than with the onset of the deformity.

Histopathological effects of estrogen deficiency on larynx mucosa in ovariectomised rats

Laryngeal manifestations due to estrogen deficiency have been studied in the literature. But to date, the possible histopathological changes of laryngeal mucosa due to estrogen deficiency have not been studied. Therefore, our objective was to determine the histopathological changes of laryngeal mucosa in ovariectomised rats in order to clarify effects of estrogen deficiency on laryngeal tissue. The study is a randomized trial and was conducted at the animal care facility of Haydarpasa Numune Education and Research Hospital. Twenty-one Wistar rats were used throughout the experiment. There were six rats in the sham-operated control group. And others were divided into two groups (4, 8 weeks) according to follow-up time after ovariectomy. We observed significant changes 4 weeks after ovariectomy when we assessed subepithelial edema, inflammation, cilia and goblet cell loss (p < 0.01). It was shown that estrogen deficiency after ovariectomy in rats caused changes in laryngeal tissue when it was studied histopathologically.

Extending the knowledge in histochemistry and cell biology

Central to modern Histochemistry and Cell Biology stands the need for visualization of cellular and molecular processes. In the past several years, a variety of techniques has been achieved bridging traditional light microscopy, fluorescence microscopy and electron microscopy with powerful software-based post-processing and computer modeling. Researchers now have various tools available to investigate problems of interest from bird's- up to worm's-eye of view, focusing on tissues, cells, proteins or finally single molecules. Applications of new approaches in combination with well-established traditional techniques of mRNA, DNA or protein analysis have led to enlightening and prudent studies which have paved the way toward a better understanding of not only physiological but also pathological processes in the field of cell biology. This review is intended to summarize articles standing for the progress made in "histo-biochemical" techniques and their manifold applications.