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Electron microscopic appearances of rapidly frozen lung
Author(s) -
Mazzone Robert W.,
Durand Carlita M.,
West John B.
Publication year - 1979
Publication title -
journal of microscopy
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.569
H-Index - 111
eISSN - 1365-2818
pISSN - 0022-2720
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-2818.1979.tb01183.x
Subject(s) - lung , electron microscope , fixation (population genetics) , chemistry , materials science , biomedical engineering , pathology , medicine , optics , physics , biochemistry , gene
SUMMARY Analysis of pulmonary structure‐function relationships by microscopy requites that the lung be fixed under carefully controlled physiological conditions, since lung structure is extremely responsive to the relationship between airway and vascular pressures. Unfortunately, standard post‐mortem fixation techniques leave some doubt as to the exact relationship between these pressures during fixation. This problem can be circumvented by stabilizing lung structure by rapid freezing under carefully controlled physiologic conditions. Using ethylene glycol in a freeze substitution technique we have developed procedures which yield a degree of preservation compatible with the high degree of resolution of the electron microscope. These can be used to obtain a more detailed understanding of pulmonary structure‐function relationships under well‐defined physiological conditions.