General tips

1. Start at LOW POWER (4X) and narrow down what the structure could be
2. Use higher magnification to verify the presence of distinguishing structures
3. Items in bold are “$money$” identifiers that are definitely worth knowing
4. There is a lot more information about newer repro structures than is necessary for
this test, but hopefully useful for the final
5. If something is wrong on this list, let me know ASAP, better yet, send it as a
REPLY ALL so no one is misled.

Connective Tissue

LOOSE DENSE
ORDINARY IRREGULA
CELLS Numerous Few
GROUND Abundant Small amou
SUBSTANCE
COLLAGEN Moderate, Predominan
FIBERS random Non-paralle
BLOOD
Reticular Connective Tissue
- Forms structure in lymph nodes
Numerous Few
VESSELS
- Must be Silver-stained to show reticular (Collagen III) – fibers

Dense irregular CT (skin-dermis)

MECHANICAL Flexible, not Resistant to
- Collagen fibers arranged in lattice-work with few elastic fibers and ground
substance
PROPERTIES
- Vascular resistant to stress
Dense Regular CT (tendon)
- Parallel thick collagen fibers
stress
- Fibroblast nuclei, and possible small vessels apparent
LOCATIONS Lamina propria, Dermis,
around blood organ
vessels, glands capsules
THE SLIDE BOX

Slide 2 - Ear
- Stained for collagen, matrix appears very messy
- Elastic fibers not apparent, but looks much less ordered than hyaline cartilage

Slide 3 – Aerolar (loose) connective tissue

- Loose CT found in dermis, and under all epithelia with external openings
- Collagen fibers, elastic, and reticular all present

Slide 4 – Fat
- Nuclei pushed to the outside of large cells
- Don’t confuse with lungs
Cartilage
- Avascular
- Chondrocytes in lacunae “Fish-eyes”
-
Slide 5 – Hyaline Cartilage
- Most common type of cartilage, lines bones and joints
- Matrix is “clean/homogenous” (collagen type II, glycosaminoglycans and
proteoglycans, no elastic fibers present)
Slide 6 Rabbit ear
Slide 7 – Human Ear
- Elastic cartilage (looks very similar to hyaline, but has a messier matrix due to
the presence of elastic fibers)

Slide 8 – Fibrocartilage
- Chondrocytes in lacunae (in columns and singly), few cells
- Collagen fibers (type I) appear arranged in densely packed bundles the same
direction as the fibroblast columns.

Slide 9 - Ground bone

- Osteon systems with osteocytes in lacunae
- Volkmans canals (maybe) visible
- For BONE –
o Distinguish compact from spongy Spongy (trabeculae).
o Endochondrial from intramembranous ossification

Slide 10 – Bone diaphysis with marrow

- Adipocytes and lymphocytes
- Osteon’s/bone visible around outside

Slide 11 – (NOT on Virtual)

- Spongy Bone (look for trabeculae)
Slide 12 – Developing bone
- Cartilage (hyaline) present within the epiphysis as well as metaphysic

Slide 13 Muscle Types

Skeletal muscle
- Many peripheral elongated nuclei (nuclei are small in comparison
to m-fibers)
- Striations visible
- Generally much thicker than smooth and cardiac
(10-100um)

Cardiac muscle
- intercalated discs, striated
- central, round nuclei

Smooth muscle
- central cigar-box shaped nuclei
- striations absent
- Vascular

Slide 15 – Muscle/Tendon junction

- Dense regular CT - has much fewer nuclei than smooth muscle (look at slide
13 for comparison)

Slide 16 Spinal Cord Smear

- Neurons with large axon (lighter staining in the cytoplasm near where the
axon begins
- Multiple dendrites

Slide 17 Peripheral Nerve

- High power scanning of the field will reveal Nodes of Ranvier/axons

Slide 19 – Spinal Cord

- Large motor neurons are visible in the anterior horn on high power
- Ependymal cells line central canal and produce CSF
- Many axons in white matter
- Look at the slide grossly (you can’t pick it up, but you can still look at it,
very characteristic shape)

Slide 20 Dorsal Ganglion

- Cell bodies are clustered together (dorsal ganglion dense collection of cell
bodies)

Slide 21 Sympathetic ganglion

- Cell bodies are scattered (Sympathetic has scattered)
Slide 22 – Motor nerve ending
- Skeletal muscle fibers present
- Nerve fibers present
- Motor synapse very difficult to see, but axon appears to thicken and rest on
skeletal muscle fiber

Slide 23 – Telencephalon (cerebral cortex)

- Acellular most superficial layer (layer I from neuro)
- Grey matter is next most superificial (layers II-VI; layers not distinguishable),
pyramidal cells may be found in layers III and V
- White matter is deeper, with many small nuclei of oligodendrocytes which are
supporting the axons

Slide 24 – Cerebral cortex silver stained (Brown)

- Look for darkly stained axons all projecting towards the center of the
structure (which is white matter, although not white on this slide)
- Nerve processes look sort of like reticular fibers, but aren’t arranged in mesh-
work pattern

Slide 25 – Cerebellum
- Purkinje Layer – Large cells; sandwiched between Outer layer (molecular
layer, mostly acellular) and Inner layer (granular layer, highly cellular)

Slide 26 – Cerebellum silver stained (Brown)

- Same as above, purkinje’s cells visible

Slide 27 – Distributing artery (Muscular Artery)

- Thick tunica media, (low Tunica adventitia/tunica media ratio) may have
vasa vasorum visible

Vein
- Tunica media less prominent than tunica externa

Slide 28 - Aorta
- Much larger than other arteries, probably wont be in cross section
- Thick tunica intima
- Elastic fibers present (distinguish from vena cava)

Slide 29- Semilunar Valve

- Loose connective tissue core surrounded by dense regular connective tissue.
- Endothelium on BOTH sides.
- Root of the Aorta and/or Cardiac tissue may be visible.

Slide 30 – Vena Cava

- Has thick tunica intima (tempting to confuse with AORTA)
 - No visible elastic Fibers
Slide 31 Heart
- Cardiac Muscle Should always be the giveaway
- Look for centrally located, circular nuclei
- Possible intercalated discs (if in longitudinal section)

Slide 32 Heart with Purkinje Fibers

- Cardiac muscle still giveaway (information below should clarify this)

Skeletal muscle
- Many peripheral elongated nuclei
- Striations visible
- Generally much thicker than smooth and cardiac
(10-100um)

Cardiac muscle
- intercalated discs, striated
- central, round nuclei

Smooth muscle
- central cigar-box shaped nuclei
- striations absent
- Vascular

Slide 33 – Blood
Slide 34 – Bone marrow smear (blood cells)
- look for abundance of RBC and WBC precursors to distinguish blood smear
from bone marrow smear

Slide 35 – Lymph Node

- Capsule (not epithelium, distinguishes it from tonsils)
- Follicles form peripheral ring around medulla

Slide 36 Spleen
- look for white pulp (with central artery) / red pulp pattern (Should identify
with 4x lens)

Slide 37 - Thymus
- Look for lobules with Hassals corpuscle in the lighter medulla center and a
darker cortex surrounding the medulla contains many T-cells
- Lighter staining Septa divide lobules

Slide 38 Palatine tonsil

- Stratified non-keratinized squamous epithelium
- Long crypts with MULTIPLE lymphoid follicles per crypt
Slide 39 Pharyngeal tonsil
- Pseudostratified columnar epithelium (respiratory epithelium)
- Crypts not as deep as palantine tonsils

Slide 40 Lingual Tonsil

- Stratified non-keratinized squamous epithelium
- Single Crypt for each lymphoid follicle
- Muscle and salivary glands underneath

Slide 42 – Lip
- Transition between keratinized and non-keratinized stratified squamous
epithelium
- Glands (mucous on non-keratinized side, sebaceous glands with hair) present
- Hair possible present on outer surface

Slide 44 Soft palate

- Respiratory epithelium on one side, non-karetinized SSE on the other
- NO Bone present (if bone visible, hard palate)

Slide 45 - Developing tooth

- basophilic “U” of cells surrounding mesenchymal cells with the U opening
into the mouth (this sounds confusing, but look at the structure.

Slide 46 - Erupting tooth

Slide 47 – Ground Tooth

Slide 48 Tongue (circumvallate papillae and filiform)

- Circumvallate are large circular structure with gustatory cells present
- Filiform are keratinized taste buds and don’t have gustatory cells

Slide 49 – Tongue (foliate papillae)

- Box-shaped taste buds with gustatory cells
- Most-likely only taste bud on slide

Slide 50 Parotid
- NOT ON TEST (straight from Dr. H. himself)

Slide 51 – Submandibular Gland

- Primarily serous acini, with mucous cells occasionally interspersed
- Ducts present

Slide 52 – Sublingual gland

- Primarily mucous cells, few if any acini are composed exclusively of serous
cells
- Serous demilunes present
 - Ducts present

Slide 53/54 – Esophagous

- Non-keratinized stratified squamous epithelium with basophilic stratum
basal
- Muscularis mucosae
- Inner musclularis externa is circular, outer is longitudinal
- Adventitia on outside

Slide 55 Cardio-esophageal junction

- Esophagus has NON-karatinized epithelium (this helps distinguish it from
anal-colon junction where the anus has keratinized epithelium)
- Look for large glands, if they are present you should consider cervix-vaginal
junction (esophagus also has glands, but smaller, be sure to compare this with
Slide 101 to give better idea)

Slide 56 Stomach Fundus

- Look for Gastric Pits, ¾ gland (long glands) ; ¼ pit

Slide 57 Stomach Pyloris and Duodenum

- Look for Gastric pits (short) and villi
- Villi with Brunner’s glands in Duodenum
- Gastric pits is Pyloris, much more prominent muscularis externa has 3 layers
of muscle (Pyloric sphincter is very prominent smooth muscle structure at
transition)

Slide 58/59 Duodenum/Jejunum/Ileum

- All have both Velli and Crypts, micro-villi on simple columnar epithelium,
Duodenum
- Brunners glands (in submucosa)
Jejunum
- Plicae circularis (more prominent here)
Ileum
- Payer’s patches

Slide 60 – Bad Slide – IGNORE

- Shows plicae circularis in a section of Ilium w/out Payer’s patches

Slide 61- Colon

- No Villi (you can skate along)
- Crypts of Leiberkuhns with many Goblet cells present (No Gastric Pits)
- Tinea coli (4x identifies this) (collections of muscularis externa)

Slide 62 - Appendix
- Crypts of Lieberkuhn present
- NO Villi, and continuous ring of lymph follicles
Slide 63 – Recto-anal junction
- DON”T CONFUSE WITH ESOPHAGUS/Cardia, Cervix/vagina
- Look for Karatinized epithelia, crypts of Leiberkuhn with no gastric pits in
colon
- Transition between simple columnar epithelium and keratinized SSE
- Skeletal muscle present, but hard to distinguish

Slide 64/65/66 - Liver

- Central vein with sinusoids
- Distinct Portal triad (Bile duct, arteriole, portal vein)

Slide 67 Gallbladder
- No Crypts of Leiberkuhn
- Very villous structure
- simple columnar epithelium and NO MUSCULARIS mucosae

Slide 68 Pancreas
- Islets of Langerhorn (Use 4x to identify)
- Primarily serous cells when it isn’t an Islet cell

Slide 69 Nasal Septum

- Bone with respiratory epithelium on both sides

Slide 70 – Olfactory epithelium (Don’t confuse with respiratory epithelium)

- No mucus cells, high ciliated columnar cells
- Cilia
- Nervous tissue underneath
- Bowman’s glands

Slide 71

Slide 72 – Trachea
- Incomplete ring of hyaline cartilage
- Respiratory epithelium lined tube
- Thyroid may be visible
- Esophagus also likely on slide

Slide 73

Slide 74/75 Lung

Mesothelial layer lines the outside of the lung, produces fluid to reduce friction
Bronchus – lined by respiratory epithelium, pockets of hyaline cartilage support it
Bronchioles – no longer supported by cartilage
Slide 76-79 Skin
Thick skin
- Has striatum basale, Stratum spinosum, Stratum granulosum, Stratum
lucidium (clear layer that’s absent in thin skin), Stratum corneum
- No hair follicles
Thin Skin
- Covers most of body, see above for distinguishing characteristics
- Much thinner, look for hair follicles
Slide 82 – Eye
Slide 83 -- Lacrimal
Slide 85 Kidney Cortex
- Renal corpuscles

Slide 86 – Kidney minor calyx

- Ducts of Bellini (high cuboidal to columnar as you move towards transitional
epithelium lined minor calyx)

Slide 87 Ureter
- Transitional epithelium
- 1/1 Wall to Lumen
- 2 Muscle Layers

Slide 88/89 Bladder

- Three layers of (smooth muscle)
- Transitional Epithelium (rounded cells on top when not stretched, 3-5 cell
layers thick) ; when stretched (few nuclei on top, possibly none)

Slide 90 Penile Urethra

- Glands of Littre (have mucous cells lining the lumen, and intensely basophilic
cuboidal cells also potentially lining them)
- Cavernous spaces – lined with endothelial cells
Dense connective tissue forming the tunica albuginea

Slide 91 – Pituitary
- Dense regular connective tissue capsule may be visible
- Adenohypophysis – Both acidophilic (Prolactin, GH) and basophilic cells, and
chromophobes
- Pars Intermedia – Rathke’s cysts with colloid
- Pars Nervosa – pituiticytes

Slide 92 – Thyroid-Parathyroid
- Follicular cells with thyroglobulin colloid visible, Can VARY Greatly in
properties depending on supply of iodine
- Parafollicular cells (make calcitonin)

Slide 93 – Parathyroid
 - Many small basophilic cells (chief cells) secrete PTH
- Few oxyphilic cells (used of chief cells-increase with age)
- Also contains adipocytes

Slide 94 – Adrenal Gland

- Glomerulosa – spherical clusters of aldosterone producing cells
- Fasciculata – Chords of glucocorticoid producing cells (mostly cuboidal)
- Reticularis – Dense collection of cells
- Medulla – Brown/Reddish staining chromafin cells

Slide 95 – Pineal Body

- Look for brain-sand (corpora arenacea)
- Nervous tissue with septa

Slide 96 – Ovary
Primordial – squamous theca, if visible at all, and is close to the tunica albiginea

Primary – Cuboidal granulose, a theca interna, and the oocyte is still centrally
located
Secondary – Look for follicular fluid

Tertiary(mature) – (difficult to ask unless looks like it’s about to burst, should be
on the edge of the ovary ready to burst)

Oviduct (Simple Columnar Non-ciliated and ciliated epithelium)

- Secretory and non-secretory cells
- Has Muscularis (2 layers)
- When distinguishing the various “repro tubes”, make your living on
wall/lumen ratio and epithelium, both should always be fairly clear

Infundibulum – has fimbriae (finger-like projections)

Ampulla
- Many mucosal folds which make it look like a maze
- Wall/Lumen 1/1 Ratio

Isthmus
- Narrow portion Wall-Lumen 3/1 Ratio
- A few infoldings

Intramural Ovaduct (no example in slidebox, but on objective list)

- Simple columnar epithelium, seen in the wall of the uterus
- Wall/Lumen (Huge)

Slide 97 -Infundibulum
- Has Fimbrae (larger structures), very low wall/lumen
Slide 99 – Ampulla
- 1/1.5 Wall/Lumen ratio
- Cuboidal, ciliated and non-ciliated
- Many invaginations (looks like a maze)

Slide 100 – Isthmus

- 3/1 ratio of Wall/lumen (vas deferens is about 6/1
- Smooth muscle forms wall

Slide 101
- Cervical glands (circular/round glands lined with Ciliated and non-ciliated
(simple columnar epithelium)ithelium (Don’t Confuse with Rathke’s Cysts)
- Cervix (has simple columnar epithelium – no-cilia
- Vagina – Has stratified non-karatinized epithelium
o No muscularis mucosae

Slide 103 - Uterus (proliferative phase)

- Glands appear fairly straight, spaced out
- Myometrium
- Endometrium
o Stratum basalis
 Basophilic, at the transition between myometrium
o Stratum functionalis
 Varies in appearance
Slide 127/147 Uterus (secretory phase)
- Glands are VERY convoluted and densely packed

Slide 104 Vagina

- No Muscularis mucosa
- Stratified squamous non-karatinized

Slide 105 Umbilical Cord

- Wharton’s jelly –mesenchymal
- Umbilical arteries – many layers with “white filler” in between, circular
- Umbicilical vein – is Flat

Slide 106 – Placenta

- Maternal component (decidua)
o Contains large, round basophilic cells with clear borders and round
nuclei
- Fetal component
o Chorion
 Villi (both primary-no mesenchyme and form on chorionic
plate; secondary; large with mesenchyme project to deciduas
and contain fetal blood vessels)
  Villi lined by syncytiotrophoblasts (dark basophilic nuclei
 Internal to syncytiotrophoblasts are cytotrophoblasts (light
staining nuclei)
- Maternal Blood Lacuna (lake)
o Between fetal and maternal components of placenta

Slide 134 – Ovary – Corpus Luteum

Ovary
- Simple squamous/cuboidal epithelium coving a white dense irregular CT
(tunica albuginea)

Primordial follicles (4N)

- Oocyte (single layer of flattened granulosa cells)

Primary (growing follicles) (4N)

- oocyte (growth of oocyte and formation of zona pellucida)
- cuboidal granulosa cells present
- theca interna (steroid producing structure)
- can be unilamellar or multilamellar

Secondary follicle (4N)

- Antrum (fluid filled space full of nutrients and hormones) begins to appear –
this is the KEY criteria for differentiating from primary

Tertiary follicle (hard to ask – but should be BULGING from ovary surface, ready to
burst)
Uterus

Endometrium surface
- Ciliated and non-ciliated (simple columnar epithelium)

Functionalis
- Glandular
Stratum basale
- Basophilic zone closest to myometrium (regenerative layer)
- Also contains glands (lined with Ciliated and non-ciliated (simple columnar
epithelium)ithelium)

Arcuate arteries
- small arteries in the middle of the myometrium with “arched” lumen

Slide 107 - Mammary glands (inactive)

- Lots of connective tissue and adipose tissue separating almost sickly looking
“modified eccrine sweat glands” which here, do look more eccrine than
apocrine (if you see apocrine, think active mammary gland)

Slide 108 Mammary glands – pregnant/active – but NOT in secretory stage yet
- Cuboidal, fairly densely packed, intensely basophilic cells make up lobules with
collagen separating them.

Male Reproductive

STEREOCILA – function to absorb fluid (main function)

Slide 109 – Testis
- Testis (covered with Tunica Albuginea, contains seminiferous tubules (non-
ciliated columnar, tend to be convoluted – spermatids may be visible)

Spermatogonia (2N)
- Located at Base of Sartoli cells
- Spherical cells with spherical nucleus

Primary spermatocytes (4 N)
- Large, basophilic nucleus (because it’s 4N), with condensed chromatin
(white spots are visible within it)
- Spherical cell

Secondary spermatocyte (2N)

- We aren’t responsible for identifying

Early Spermatid (1N)

- Smaller than primary spermatocytes, but Cytoplasm still present
 - Located on the edge of the lumen

Late Spermatid
- Assume characteristic sperm shape
- Still some cytoplasm left, and are Attached to the sertoli cells still

Spermatozoa
- Free in the Lumen

- Myoid cell layer (squamous/smooth muscle appearing cells surrounding the

seminiferous tubules
- Tubuli recti – (short, lined by columnar epithelium) – located in Dense
connective tissue of Tunica Albuginea and have define myoid layer. More
Basophilic than Rete testis

- Rete testis – Lined by simple cuboidal epithelium (also in tunica albuginea,

tend to be more centrally located

Slide 110 Epididymus

- Pseudostratified columnar with Strereocilia
- Typically non-convoluted
- Multiple tubes on same view

Slide 111 – Vas Deferens

- Wall/Lumen ratio (6/1)
- 3 distinct layers of smooth muscle (inner/outer are longitudinal) muscle
- Single tube in view, cells can have stereocilia

Slide 112 – Seminal Vesicle

- Smooth muscle lines very highly folded secretory epithelium
- Adipose tissue separates tubes
- Many complex infoldings of structure

Slide 113/114 Prostate

- Look for Prostatic ducts (lined with simple cuboidal)
- And Prostatic Glands (tubulo-acinar mucus glands)
- Look for glycogen inclusions Corpora amylacea or prostatic concretions
are spherical or irregularly shaped accumulations of glycoproteins found in
the lumen of prostate glands that often calcify and increase in both size and
number with age

Slide 116 – Eye

Slide 117 – Penis

- It looks like a Penis