The plate body: 3D ultrastructure of a facultative organelle of alveolar epithelial type II cells involved in SP-A trafficking.

Plate bodies are facultative organelles occasionally described in the adult lungs of various species, including sheep and goat. They consist of multiple layers of plate-like cisterns with an electron dense middle bar. The present study was performed to elucidate the three-dimensional (3D) characteristics of this organelle and its presumed function in surfactant protein A (SP-A) biology.

Spermidine supplementation and voluntary activity differentially affect obesity-related structural changes in the mouse lung.

Obesity is associated with lung function impairment and respiratory diseases; however, the underlying pathophysiological mechanisms are still elusive, and therapeutic options are limited. This study examined the effects of prolonged excess fat intake on lung mechanics and microstructure and tested spermidine supplementation and physical activity as intervention strategies. C57BL/6N mice fed control diet (10% fat) or high-fat diet (HFD; 60% fat) were left untreated or were supplemented with 3 mM spermidine, had access to running wheels for voluntary activity, or a combination of both.

A transmural gradient of myocardial remodeling in early-stage heart failure with preserved ejection fraction in the pig.

Heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) is characterized by diastolic dysfunction. This study aimed to analyze whether early HFpEF is already associated with ultrastructural alterations and whether they differ quantitatively among the layers of the left ventricular wall. HFpEF was induced in pigs by deoxy-corticosterone acetate (DOCA) treatment along with a high-salt/high lipid diet over 3 months and compared with weight-matched normal pigs (n = 5 each).

Assessment of cardiac fibrosis: a morphometric method comparison for collagen quantification.

Fibrotic remodeling of the heart is a frequent condition linked to various diseases and cardiac dysfunction. Collagen quantification is an important objective in cardiac fibrosis research; however, a variety of different histological methods are currently used that may differ in accuracy. Here, frequently applied collagen quantification techniques were compared.