This study was conducted to assess the morphology of eggs and histology of the ovaries in female Isophya nervosa Ramme, 1931 (Orthoptera: Tettigoniidae). While the egg morphology of I. nervosa was studied and examined by a stereomicroscope, a light microscope, and a scanning electron microscope, respectively, the morphology and histology of the ovary of this species were studied and examined by a stereomicroscope, a light microscope, a scanning electron microscope, and a transmission electron microscope, respectively. We found that the adult female had two pairs of ovaries, lateral oviduct, common oviduct, and spermatheca. Morphological study of the ovariole revealed that it is categorized under panoistic type of ovariole which is divided into three regions, the terminal filament, the germarium, and the vitellarium. We also observed that the eggs in I. nervosa have an ellipsoidal shape and are brown in color. Three different layers such as extrachorion, exochorion, and endochorion were observed. When the egg morphology is examined, it is understood that the surface pattern of the egg and the features of the micropylar areas may be distinguishing characters at the subfamily level, in addition to known classical taxonomic characters.

The coffee berry borer, Hypothenemus hampei (Ferrari), can survive in residual coffee berries during the inter-harvest period, while new fructification only appears 2–3 months after the last harvest. The dispersal of colonizing females is an adaptation that enables the life cycle of the species to go ahead whenever his flight aptitude allows. This paper focuses on accurately determining the rate of inseminated females ready to reproduce when emerging from residuals berries to colonize new ones, which constitutes a characteristic of the live cycle far from common in Curculionidae. We dissected females caught in traps baited with a mixture of alcohols during the inter-harvest season, females from infested residual berries collected from branches, and virgin females obtained from pupae reared individually in the laboratory. After microscopic preparation with Giemsa stain, spermathecae were observed to identify the physiological status of each specimen. Out of the females found in the traps, 98.4% displayed recent and abundant insemination and 1.6% sporadic insemination. In contrast, in residual berries, most of females were recently inseminated (84.5%), followed by virgin females (10.5%) and older inseminated females (5%). In addition, the flight tests of the virgin females were negative. These results indicate that all colonizing females were inseminated, ready for flying and oviposition, females inside residual berries showed different physiological status, and virgin females could not migrate since they could not flight. The large number of inseminated females inside the residual berries, and the capacity of migrating females to colonize and reproduce, suggest that it is necessary to control residual berries and use traps to stop the dispersal and reproduction of this pest.

Two methods are especially suited for tomographic imaging with histological detail of macroscopic samples that consist of multiple tissue types (bone, muscle, nerve or fat): Light sheet (based) fluorescence microscopy (LSFM) and micro-computed tomography (micro-CT). Micro-CT requires staining with heavy chemical elements (and thus fixation and sometimes dehydration) in order to make soft tissue imageable when measured alongside denser structures. LSMF requires fixation, decalcification, dehydration, clearing and staining with a fluorescent dye. The specimen preparation of both imaging methods is prone to shrinkage, which is often not mentioned, let alone quantified. In this paper the presence and degree of shrinkage are quantitatively identified for the selected preparation methods/stains. LSFM delivers a volume shrinkage of 17% for bone, 56% for muscle and 62% for brain tissue. The three most popular micro-CT stains (phosphotungstic acid, iodine with potassium iodide, and iodine in absolute ethanol) deliver a volume shrinkage ranging from 10 to 56% for muscle and 27–66% for brain, while bone does not shrink in micro-CT preparation.

Currently there are no methods available for staining rat and human myocardial microvasculature on thick sections that would allow for specific staining and differentiation of arterioles, venules, and capillaries. A non-injection technique is described that allows for labeling of the microvascular bed (MVB) in formalin-fixed pieces of the myocardium from humans and the white rat Rattus norvegicus, as well as human full-mount pericardium. Vessel staining is based on the activity of phosphatases (ATPases) and the precipitation of the released phosphate with calcium ions at high pH (pH 10.5–11.5). The resulting precipitate subsequently is converted to black or brown lead sulfide. The specificity of this reaction to vessels of the MVB allows arterioles, venules, capillaries, and pre- and postcapillaries to be clearly visualized in thick (60–100 µm) and ultra-thick (300–500 µm) sections against an unstained background of muscle and connective tissue. In addition, smooth muscle cells of arterioles are also stained allowing for differentiation between arteriolar and venular beds. These observations have not been reported in rat or human myocardium using other methods. This procedure should benefit studies of coronary microcirculation in experimental and pathological conditions, as well as in pharmacological investigations.

A simple aceto-carmine procedure was developed to relax, fix, stain, and clear excystcd metacercariae of Echinostoma caproni and E. trivolvis. This procedure allowed for morphologic details on whole metacercariae comparable to those seen with more elaborate staining procedures. Differences in dimensions and staining intensities between the two species of metacercariae are described.

Acetic orcein stain may be dropped onto the specimen before applying a cover slip. This single reagent reveals cercarial and metacercarial structures that would otherwise be made visible only by complicated and time consuming procedures

All 23 6–8-week old outbred female ICR mice, each fed 100 metacercarial cysts of Echinostoma caproni, were infected on days 2, 4, 6, and 8 postinfection (PI) with a mean of 45 worms/host. To examine worm distribution in the mouse, the small intestine was divided into five equal sections (segments 1–5 beginning with the pylorus). Worms were found mainly in segments 3 and 4 and were never found in segment 1. Mean body area of worms fixed in 10% neutral buffered formalin (NBF), hot alcohol-formalin-acetic acid (AFA) and aceto-carmine increased slowly until day 4 and then rapidly until day 8 PI. There was a significant difference in the mean body area of worms fixed in hot AFA, NBF, and aceto-carmine on all days except 4 and 6. Distinction of the ovary and ootype was apparent by day 6 and uterine cooling was observed by day 8 PI. Only 2 of 50 worms showed eggs in the uterus on day 8 PI.

The viability of 4 human isolates of Giardia intestinalis cysts using either the fluorogenic vital dyes fluorescein diacetate (FDA) and propidium iodide (PI) or in vitro excystation was assessed. Whereas viable cysts, as defined by in vitro excystation were present in each of the 4 isolates, cysts from only 3 of the 4 isolates took up the vital dyes. FDA consistently over-estimated cyst viability whilst PI under-estimated non-viable cysts when compared with in vitro excystation. Following in vitro excystation, both FDA and PI stained a proportion of unexcysted cysts indicating that FDA stained cysts which were incapable of excystation, whereas PI did not stain all cysts which were incapable of excystation. One human cyst isolate, which underwent in vitro excystation, could not be stained with either FDA or PI. In the absence of currently more specific fluorescent indicators of viability, PI alone could be used to determine the lower limit of nonviability in positive water-related samples, where small numbers of cysts are to be expected.

A combination of transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and in situ tensile testing in an environmental scanning electron microscopy (ESEM) was used to evaluate the static bulk and dynamic surface morphologies of medical polyurethanes. TEM results showed phase-separated hard segment and soft segment structures. Surface morphology as a function of strain was studied using ESEM in conjunction with a tensometer.

We have developed a microwave protocol for a paraffin-embedding microtechnique of the shoot apical meristem of Zea mays and have successfully applied this protocol to other plant tissues. This protocol decreases the time required for all aspects of microtechnique tissue processing, including fixation (24 hr to 15 min), dehydration (73 hr to 10 min), and infiltration (96 hr to 3 hr). Additionally, the time required to adhere paraffin ribbons to gelatin-coated slides and for the Johanson's safranin O, fast green FCF staining protocol has been significantly decreased. Using this technique, the quality of tissue preservation and subsequent in situ localization of knotted mRNA was increased by using microwaves.