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The calcified tissues have fundamental functions in the biology of organisms, not only because their strength, solidity, and elasticity permit movement and mechanical activities, and protect soft tissues against traumatic forces, but also on account of their role in mineral homeostasis. For this reason, extensive investigation in the last 30 years has provided much to explain the complex chemical and physical processes occurring in cells and matrices composing the skeleton, and their alterations in pathological conditions. The use of ultrastructural methods such as immunocytochemistry, scanning and transmission electron microscopy, cytoautoradiography, freeze/fracture etching, high voltage, etc. has proven to be of great value when applied to cells and matrix components of bone and cartilage, in spite of the technical difficulties due to the hardness of these tissues. However, available information on this subject is disseminated in a variety of scientific and medical articles. This volume is an attempt to collect together the most significant data on the ultrastructure of cartilage and bone in normalcy and pathology. Obviously, it cannot be a complete report of all these data, its principal aim being that of: a) giving a comprehensive statement of the results concerning the basic structures common to these tissues, especially collagen fibrils, noncollagenous proteins, and proteoglycans, and their relationships with the mineral substance (for which another volume of this series can also be consulted; see Ruggeri A. , Motta P. M. (eds.
List of contents
1. The ultrastructure of calcified tissues: Methods and technical problems.- 2. The original contributions of the scanning electron microscope to the knowledge of bone structure.- 3. Collagen mineralization: Aspects of the structural relationship between collagen and the apatitic crystallites.- 4. Ultrastructural immunohistochemistry of noncollagenous proteins in calcified tissues.- 5. Ultrastructure of cartilage.- 6. Ultrastructural cytochemistry of cartilage proteoglycans and their relation to the calcification process.- 7. Ultrastructural localization of calcium in normal and pathologic cartilage.- 8. Glucocorticoid effects on the ultrastructure of epiphyseal cartilage.- 9. Ultrastructural aspects of osteochondrodysplasias.- 10. The ultrastructure of the cartilaginous tumors.- 11. The electron microscopic structure of the osteoblast.- 12. The ultrastructure of the osteocyte.- 13. Ultrastructural biology and pathology of the osteoclast.- 14. The ultrastructural effects of parathyroid hormone, calcitonin and vitamin D on bone.- 15. The ultrastructure of bone tumors.
