Category Histology

Introduction The main transport systems are the circulatory systems, in which substances are dissolved or suspended in liquid and carried from one part of the body to another in a series of tubes (vessels). There are two main circulatory systems:…

Introduction The immune system is part of an array of defence systems used to combat disease. The body must constantly protect itself from invasion by a variety of pathogens, which may gain entry via the skin, gut, respiratory tract and…

Introduction The blood is a mixture of cellular elements, fluid, proteins and metabolites. Blood has four major elements: Red blood cells (erythrocytes) transport oxygen from the lungs to the peripheral tissues. White blood cells (leukocytes) have a defensive role, destroying…

Introduction The nervous system allows rapid and specific communication between widely spaced areas of the body by the action of specialized nerve cells (neurons), which gather and process information and generate appropriate response signals. The nervous system is divided into…

Introduction Several cell types are specialized to generate motile forces through contraction. This chapter presents an overview of the main types of contractile cells. The general structure of each type of cell is described, together with details of their fine…

Introduction The cells that form tissues can be divided into two types: parenchymal cells , which provide the main function of a tissue, and support cells , which provide the structural scaffolding of a tissue. Support cells comprise a set…

Introduction Epithelial cells are sheets of specialized cells that cover and line the interior and exterior surfaces of the body, for example, the outer layers of the skin and the inner luminal surface of the gastrointestinal tract. They have diverse…

Introduction Cells of all types have several common defining attributes and are composed of a fluid material ( cytosol ) that contains smaller elements, termed subcellular structures, which provide the framework for cellular activities. Each cell is contained within a…

Introduction Histology is the study of the microscopic structure of biological material and the ways in which individual components are structurally and functionally related. Histology is central to biological and medical sciences, standing at the crossroads between a range of…