A. Claude (1899-1983), C. de Duve (1917-) and G. E. Palade (1912-): Nobel Prize for discoveries in integrated cell physiology. Clarification of aetiology and pathogenesis of a great number of diseases

The cell theory and cellular pathology: Discovery, refinements and applications fundamental to advances in biology and medicine

This review explores the developments leading up to the establishment of the cell theory and cellular pathology and their subsequent refinements and applications while focusing on the individuals who have made seminal advances in the field. The links between cell biology, cell pathology and cell injury research are emphasized. Recognition also is given to the importance of technological advances in microscopy, histology, biochemical and molecular methods for discovery in cell biology and cell pathology. Particular attention is focused on the work of Rudolph Virchow and his former students in the formulation of the cell theory in biology and pathology and John F. R. Kerr and colleagues who identified and developed a comprehensive characterization of apoptosis, thereby giving impetus to the contemporary field of cell injury research. Cell injury research remains an important and fruitful field of ongoing inquiry and discovery.

Contributions of electron microscopy to understand secretion of immune mediators by human eosinophils

Mechanisms governing secretion of proteins underlie the biologic activities and functions of human eosinophils, leukocytes of the innate immune system, involved in allergic, inflammatory, and immunoregulatory responses. In response to varied stimuli, eosinophils are recruited from the circulation into inflammatory foci, where they modulate immune responses through the release of granule-derived products. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) is the only technique that can clearly identify and distinguish between different modes of cell secretion. In this review, we highlight the advances in understanding mechanisms of eosinophil secretion, based on TEM findings, that have been made over the past years and that have provided unprecedented insights into the functional capabilities of these cells.