Bücher der Reihe Electron Microscopy in Biology and Medicine

Advances in the development and application of electron microscopic techniques have occurred recently such that the electron microscope has evolved to become an essential tool in both basic and clinical research.

In the last few years, the adoption and worldwide proliferation of clinical procedures for medically assisted conception have been associated with the examination and analysis of spermatozoa, oocytes and early embryos under a variety of in vivo and in vitro conditions.

When established four years ago, the scope of this international series in electron microscopy essentially was to provide an opportunity for the pUblication of selected review contributions by specialists in ultrastructural research.

Since its development by Murakami, the corrosion cast method for scanning electron microscopy has come to be considered one of the most efficient means in clarifying the three-dimensional features of the microcirculation of organs and tissues.

Recent advances in electron microscopy have opened up new dimensions and perspectives in the field of morphology, and these are presently being integrated with biochemical and physiopathological phenomena occurring in cells, tissues, and organs.

This volume, the sixth of the series, represents the natural counterpart of the previous volume, Ultra structure of the Digestive Tract.

The chapters, prepared by recognized authorities in the field, present traditional information on the topic in a concise manner and, with a valuable selection of original illustrations, show what the integration of new microscopic methods can contribute to the subject in terms of new concepts.

Male urogenital glands (also named male accessory sex glands) have received relatively little attention from electron microscopists, with the possible exception of the prostate gland.

The chapters, prepared by recognized authorities in the field, present traditional information on the topic in a concise manner and, with a valuable selection of original illustrations, show what the integration of new microscopic methods can contribute to the subject in terms of new concepts.

The calcified tissues have fundamental functions in the biology of organisms, not only because their strength, solidity, and elasticity permit movement and mechanical activities, and protect soft tissues against traumatic forces, but also on account of their role in mineral homeostasis. For this reason, extensive investigation in the last 30 years has provided much to explain the complex chemical and physical processes occurring in cells and matrices composing the skeleton, and their alterations in pathological conditions. The use of ultrastructural methods such as immunocytochemistry, scanning and transmission electron microscopy, cytoautoradiography, freeze/fracture etching, high voltage, etc. has proven to be of great value when applied to cells and matrix components of bone and cartilage, in spite of the technical difficulties due to the hardness of these tissues. However, available information on this subject is disseminated in a variety of scientific and medical articles. This volume is an attempt to collect together the most significant data on the ultrastructure of cartilage and bone in normalcy and pathology. Obviously, it cannot be a complete report of all these data, its principal aim being that of: a) giving a comprehensive statement of the results concerning the basic structures common to these tissues, especially collagen fibrils, noncollagenous proteins, and proteoglycans, and their relationships with the mineral substance (for which another volume of this series can also be consulted; see Ruggeri A. , Motta P. M. (eds.