Editorial: Microscopy and Microanalysis—Journal Updates, FAQs, and Some Random Thoughts from the Editor-in-Chief

Abstract

It is difficult to believe that I have now completed five years as the Editor-in-Chief (EIC) of Microscopy and Microanalysis (MAM) and that this issue, Volume 20(1), is the start of the 20th year of the journal. Time passes quickly when one enjoys their work, and I have certainly enjoyed interacting with the majority of the many authors, reviewers, and editors associated with MAM. During my five years as EIC, we have seen significant growth of the journal and have experienced some growing pains along the way. Despite some of these growing pains and associated problems, I believe (although obviously a biased opinion) that we have been able to significantly enhance the quality of the manuscripts we are publishing and the overall product that the members of the Microscopy Society of America (MSA) and other subscribers receive. The purpose of this editorial is to provide some details on how much MAM has grown, to describe some of the problems and solutions associated with the growth, and to provide information to prospective authors on how to improve their experience of publishing in MAM by discussing some common errors that occur during submission and review of manuscripts.

Skeletal muscle fibroblasts in health and disease

“…Using a novel method of serial block face imaging (Denk and Horstmann, 2004), researchers created detailed 3D reconstructions of skeletal muscle ECM as well as fibroblasts. These images and 3D reconstructions depict the close relationship between fibroblasts and the ECM, as well as show that these cells are spread over very long biological distances of ~100 µm ((Gillies et al, 2014); Figs. 2 & 3), suggesting that fibroblasts are potentially involved in the deposition/remodeling of collagen cables.…”

“…Perimysial ECM is dominated by so called perimysium ‘cables’ that are thick bundles primarily composed of tightly packed collagen I and III fibrils (Borg and Caulfield, 1980; Light and Champion, 1984). Recent electron microscopy has imaged these structures in great detail and has even allowed for the creation of 3-dimensional (3D) reconstructions aimed at further understanding the role of perimysium in skeletal muscle (Gillies and Lieber, 2011; Gillies et al, 2014). The location and wavy structure observed in 3D reconstructions of perimysial cables suggests that these cables act as parallel elastic elements within the muscle to bear passive load (Fig.…”

“…The epimysium of skeletal muscle surrounds the entire muscle belly and can easily be isolated from the muscle tissue (Gillies et al, 2014). Due to this ease of dissection, epimysial mechanical properties are easily measured and recent studies have described large collagen bundles in the epimysium and well as a finite element model that describes the non-linear nature of epimysial ECM (Gao and Kostrominova, 2008; Gao et al, 2008).…”

Lipid droplets in leukocytes: Organelles linked to inflammatory responses

“…Under interaction with a variety of pathogens such as parasites, bacteria, viruses and fungi, LDs accumulate in the host cell cytoplasm, increase in size and undergo ultrastructural alterations (reviewed in [21-23]). A list of pathogens that induce LD biogenesis within leukocytes and other mammalian cells is shown in a previous review [21].…”

“…During inflammatory responses, the numbers and sizes of LDs remarkably increase, occupying large portions of the leukocyte cytoplasm. Even the organelle osmiophilia can change, especially during infectious diseases, indicating that LDs are active organelles, able to modify their composition/structure in concert with cell activation (reviewed in [2, 23]). Alterations in the LD ultrastructure within leukocytes likely reflect the cascade of events involved in the synthesis of inflammatory mediators, as discussed below.…”