Browsing by Subject "Fallopian tube"

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    Microplicae-like structures of the fallopian tube in postmenopausal women as shown by electron microscopy
    (Murcia : F. Hernández, 2006) Correr, S.; Makabe, S.; Heyn, R.; Relucenti, M.; Naguro, T.; Familiari, G.
    Female reproductive aging is associated with several morphological changes of the genital tract with a subsequent decline in fertility; however, ultrastructural changes occurring after menopause have still not been well illustrated. Our aim was to characterize the threedimensional microanatomy of the luminal surface of the human fallopian tube in perimenopause and postmenopause. Twenty bioptic samples of fallopian tubes were obtained after surgery under the informed consent of the patients. Samples were processed for transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and fieldemission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM). As age increases the surface epithelium of the fallopian tube appeared somewhat flattened. Correlated TEM/FE-SEM observations showed gradual shortening of microvilli and deciliation. The most interesting finding was the gradual formation of microplicae-like structures on the surface epithelium, particularly from late perimenopause to postmenopause. Microplicae-like structures, associated with other regressive changes, represent an important adaptation of the epithelium of the fallopian tube; these are likely induced by the physiological process of aging, thus better withstanding hormonal changes associated with the advent of the menopause.
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    Ovarian serous carcinogenesis from tubal secretory cells
    (Universidad de Murcia. Departamento de Biología Celular e Histología, 2015) Zhang, Wenjing; Wei, Linxuan; Li, Lingmin; Yang, Binlie; Kong, Beihua; Yao, Guang; Zheng, Wenxin
    Due to a poor understanding of tumorigenesis, ovarian cancers remain the most lethal gynecologic malignancy and cause horrific deaths. In the last decade, a new dualistic model for ovarian cancer was proposed, wherein ovarian serous cancers are classified as either high-grade or low-grade, with each having different tumorigenic processes, and pathologic and clinical features. Surprisingly, both high- and lowgrade ovarian serous cancers were recently found to originate not in the ovaries, but rather from the secretory cells of the fallopian tube, mostly from the tubal fimbriated ends. In this article, we review the evidentiary basis for the aforementioned paradigm shift in the cell origin of ovarian serous cancers, as well as its potential clinical implications