The organization of the collagen fibrils in the human umbilical cord at term is directly visualized by means of a scanning electron microscopy cell maceration method. This technique clearly reveals that there is a much more extensive collagen fibrillar architecture within the umbilical cord than that reported in the classical histological descriptions. The Wharton's jelly, in fact, appears as a spongy network of interlacing collagen fibres and small woven bundles apparently arranged at random and forming a continuous soft skeleton that encases the umbilical vessels. The collagen fibrillar network shows the presence of a wide system of interconnected cavities consisting of canalicular-like structures as well as cavernous and perivascular spaces. This system of cavities might play a mechanical role allowing the storing of the ground substance of the jelly and its diffusion during twisting or compression. Furthermore, it may have an important role facilitating the diffusion throughout the jelly of diffused materials (i.e. water and trophic metabolites) either from or to the umbilical vessels and the amniotic cavity, thus overcoming the lace of a proper vasculature with the jelly.
Ciliation in endometrial fibroblasts and myometrial muscle cells of the rat was examined by transmission electron microscopy. Quantification of the number of ciliated cells during the estrus cycle did not show any firm relationship between ciliation and ovarian hormonal activity. In the case of most cilia, there is a spatial relationship between their basal centrioles and the Golgi complex, so that a Golgi-cilium complex is created. A possible role of ciliation in uterine fibroblasts and smooth muscle cells is discussed.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.