Morphology
Peer-review quarterly medical journal.
Editor-in-chief
- Associate professor Roman V. Deev, MD, Cand. Sci. (Medicine)
ORCID iD: 0000-0001-8389-3841
Publisher
- Eco-Vector Publishing Group
WEB: https://eco-vector.com/
About
“Morphology” journal (“Morfologiia") (previous title — Archives of Anatomy, Histology, and Embryology) is a leading morphological scientific journal which is published continuously since 1916.
The journal was founded by a prominent Russian histologist A.S. Dogiel, and for many years most distinguished Russian scientists worked in its Editorial Board, passing the baton to the modern generation of morphologists.
In the last decades the Journal is published under the auspices of the International Association of Morphologists (the successor of all-Union Scientific Society of Anatomists, Histologists, and Embryologists).
Types of accepted articles
- reviews
- systematic reviews and metaanalyses
- original research
- clinical case reports and series
- letters to the editor
- short communications
- guidelines
Publications
- in English and Russian
- quarterly, 4 issues per year
- continuously in Online First
- with NO Article Processing Charges (APC)
- distribution in hybrid mode - by subscription and/or Open Access
(OA articles with the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0))
Indexation
- Russian Science Citation Index (Web of Science)
- Russian Science Electronic Library (eLibrary.ru)
- Google Scholar
- Ulrich's Periodicals directory
- WorldCat
- Crossref
Announcements More Announcements...
![]() The "Morphology" journal starts to publish articles in ChinesePosted: 02.08.2024
The 'Morphology' journal has started publishing articles in Chinese. From the issue 1 (2024) each article will be published with necessary data in Chinese (title, abstract, keywords). In addition, the editors of the journal begin accepting manuscripts from authors in Chinese. |
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![]() Russian Scientific Conference "Histogenesis, reactivity and tissue regeneration"Posted: 28.06.2024
The purpose of the All-Russian scientific conference “Histogenesis, reactivity and tissue regeneration”, held by the Department of Histology with the course of embryology of the S.M. Kirov Military Medical Academy in May 2024, there was a discussion of current problems of histology, embryology and cytology as a fundamental science and educational discipline. Along with the fundamental and applied aspects of modern tissue science, current issues of teaching morphological disciplines in medical universities were discussed, reflecting the importance of traditions and continuity in the study of histology, embryology and cytology. |
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Current Issue
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Vol 161, No 4 (2023)
- Year: 2023
- Published: 30.07.2024
- Articles: 13
- URL: https://j-morphology.com/1026-3543/issue/view/7893
- DOI: https://doi.org/10.17816/morph.20231614
Original Study Articles
Features of the circadian rhythm in the size of the mitochondria of rat hepatocytes under conditions of dark deprivation and chronic alcohol intoxication
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Circadian rhythms of body functions and processes are normally strictly coordinated with each other and environmental factors, which ensures optimal maintenance of the functioning of body organs and systems. However, no studies have assessed the circadian rhythms of hepatocyte organelles under experimental conditions.
AIM: To assess the daily dynamics of the cross-sectional area of rat hepatocyte mitochondria under conditions of dark deprivation, chronic alcohol intoxication, and their combination.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study analyzed 80 male and 80 female Wistar rats, divided into 4 groups of each sex: group 1 was kept under a fixed light regimen, group 2 under dark deprivation, group 3 in the same conditions as the control group but were subjected to chronic alcohol intoxication, and group 4 under dark deprivation and chronic alcohol intoxication. Liver samples, after fixation and wiring, were analyzed under a transmission electron microscope. Micromorphometric methods were used to assess the mitochondrial apparatus of hepatocytes.
RESULTS: In rat hepatocytes from the experimental groups of both sexes, the circadian rhythm of the cross-sectional area of the mitochondria with similar parameters was detected. Dark deprivation and chronic alcohol intoxication, acting both separately and together, resulted in the restructuring of mitochondrial size distribution, which was more pronounced in males.
CONCLUSION: The study indicates that the circadian rhythm of mitochondrial size is dependent on the lighting regimen and toxic effects of ethanol and its metabolites. The size ranges of the mitochondria in the hepatocytes of females, compared with those of males, are more resistant to the effects of dark deprivation and alcohol intoxication.
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Influence of sex and degree of prematurity on the heart structure in the late postnatal period of ontogenesis
Abstract
BACKGROUND: People born prematurely have an increased risk of early heart disease. However, to date, based on the results of clinical studies, drawing a clear conclusion about the influence of sex and degree of prematurity on the structure of the heart of people born prematurely is impossible. Experimental studies aimed at identifying the structural features of the myocardium of preterm animals depending on the sex and degree of prematurity are relevant.
AIM: To present the morphological characteristics of the left ventricle of preterm rats on days 42–180 of the postnatal period of ontogenesis, taking into account sex and degree of prematurity.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study was conducted on full-term, 12- and 24-h preterm male and female Wistar rats. Each group included 24 animals, including 12 males and 12 females. To obtain premature rat offspring, preterm birth was induced by antiprogestin mifepristone (10 mg/kg) injection. Histological and immunohistochemical studies of the left ventricle of premature male and female rats were performed on days 42, 56, and 180 of the postnatal period of ontogenesis. The following parameters were determined in the left ventricular wall: wall thickness, diameter and relative volume of the cardiomyocytes, and number of caspase 3-positive cardiomyocytes in 1 mm2 of the myocardium.
RESULTS: The left ventricular wall of preterm and full-term animals on days 42–180 of the postnatal period of ontogenesis has a fundamentally similar structure. However, preterm birth, regardless of sex, leads to a decrease in the relative volume of left ventricular cardiomyocytes. On day 56 of the postnatal period of ontogenesis, the number of caspase 3-positive cardiomyocytes increased only in male rats with a greater degree of prematurity.
CONCLUSION: Preterm birth influenced the relative volume of the cardiomyocytes and number of caspase 3-positive cardiomyocytes of the left ventricle; however, the influence of sex and degree of prematurity on these parameters is unclear. An earlier increase in the number of caspase 3-positive cardiomyocytes in the left ventricle of rats born 24 h preterm indicates the different adaptive potential of the myocardium of animals with different degrees of prematurity. The results of the study suggest a cardioprotective effect of female sex steroids in premature animals.
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Immunohistochemical study of the nervous structures of the mediastinal organs
Abstract
BACKGROUND: No studies have sufficiently evaluated the innervation of the mediastinal organs in the P1 period when the blood circulation switches from placental to pulmonary and the regulation of respiration and functioning of the cardiovascular system begin.
AIM: This study aimed to conduct a comparative immunohistochemical analysis of the innervation of the mediastinal organs of newborn rats.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: Immunohistochemical methods were employed for identifying neuronal markers: PGP 9.5 protein, tyrosine hydroxylase, and synaptophysin. Primary antibodies were applied to mediastinal sections after they had been deparaffinized.
RESULTS: Analysis of frontal sections of the cardiopulmonary complex of rats at P1 showed that the bronchi, esophagus, great vessels (aorta and pulmonary artery trunks), veins (pulmonary and caval), adipose tissue, lymph nodes, lung fragments, and heart occupied the upper and middle sections of the mediastinum. Closely adjacent parasympathetic and sympathetic ganglia, microganglia, nerve trunks, and plexuses of nerve fibers were identified using neuronal markers in the interstitium between organs. In the upper and middle mediastinum of newborn rats, synaptic structures were identified in the ganglia and paraganglia, mixed lobules of adipose tissue, esophageal and bronchial wall, around small arteries and arterioles for the first time using immunohistochemical methods.
CONCLUSION: This comparative study revealed that in the early period of postnatal development of rats, the walls of the esophagus, trachea, and main bronchi are most innervated in the mediastinum; in the myocardium and lungs, these nervous apparatuses are typically rare or absent. A high concentration of synaptic structures in the conducting myocardium has been described.
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Regenerative osteogenesis at the interface of tissue–osteoplastic material
Abstract
BACKGROUND: About a half a century ago, the concept of physiological regeneration of bone tissue was introduced, which is based on the functioning of basic multicellular units (BMUs). Later, such an approach can also be used to understand the regularities of reparative regeneration. Bone grafting using gene-activated synthetic replacement materials introduces additional features into the reparative process because the material becomes an active participant in the process. Bone grafts sequentially undergo resorption and metabolism and become a matrix on the basis of which the BMUs implement regenerative osteogenesis.
AIM: To reveal the function of BMUs in a human bone wound during implantation of a gene-activated osteoplastic material from octacalcium phosphate.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: Microfocal computed tomography, histological and immunohistochemical studies, histomorphometry were analyzed and processed statistically.
RESULTS: When using an ordinary product and a gene-activated material based on octacalcium phosphate, the bone regenerate was represented by a multi-tissue structure formed by bone beams surrounding non-resorbed fragments of bone replacement products. In the histomorphometric analysis of gene-activated material, the median area of the unresorbed granules was 0.039 [0.013; 0.079] mm2, and the median area of the osteoclasts was 67 [22; 235] cells/mm2. In the group using an ordinary product, the values were 0.029 [0.009; 0.068] mm2 and 15 [0; 79] cells/mm2, respectively.
CONCLUSION: BMUs that are in various phases of functional activity (resorption, reversion, formation, and rest) can be detected at the gene-activated material–bone interface. The last phase appears only in cases when the components of the material do not induce osteogenesis.
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Morphofunctional features of inflammation in the ovary after exposure to local electron irradiation and platelet-rich plasma administration
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Radiotherapy for malignant neoplasms of the pelvic organs can lead to radiation-induced damage to healthy ovarian tissue, premature ovarian failure, and infertility. Research on reactive changes in the ovaries in response to electron irradiation and testing of radioprotective agents, such as platelet-rich plasma, remains relevant.
AIM: This study aimed to assess the inflammatory response in the ovary after platelet-rich plasma administration in a radiation-induced ovarian failure model.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: Fragments of the ovaries of four groups (I, control (n=10); II, fractional irradiation with electrons in a total dose of 20 Gy (n=10); III, fractional irradiation with electrons in a total dose of 20 Gy + platelet-rich plasma (n=10), and IV, platelet-rich plasma (n=10)) were studied histologically and immunohistochemically using antibodies to pro- (interleukin [IL]-1 and IL-6) and anti-inflammatory (IL-4, IL-10) cytokines, as well as CD3 and CD20.
RESULTS: The immunohistochemical study revealed that electron irradiation led to an increase in the expression of both pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines and the number of CD3+ and CD20+ immunocompetent cells in the interstitial tissue of the ovaries, fractionally irradiated with electrons at a total dose of 20 Gy. The T-cell component was predominant over the B-cell component. Moreover, pre-irradiation administration of platelet-rich plasma contributed to a smaller change in the degree of morphological changes, expression of pro- (IL-1 and IL-6) and anti-inflammatory (IL-4 and IL-10) cytokines, and proportion of CD3+ and CD20+ immunocompetent cells in the interstitial tissue of the ovaries. In addition, the T-cell component of immunity was predominant.
CONCLUSION: Components of platelet-rich plasma, having anti-inflammatory and radioprotective properties, reduce the severity of inflammatory response (based on expression levels of pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines) and number of T and Bimmunocompetent cells, which slow down the development of radiation-induced ovarian failure when exposed to fractional local irradiation with electrons in a total dose of 20 Gy.
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Сharacterization of the immune microenvironment’s cellular composition and its influence on gene expression during metaplastic changes of the gastric mucosa epithelium
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Intestinal metaplasia of the gastric mucosa epithelium in chronic atrophic gastritis is considered a precancerous condition; however, it is potentially reversible. The study of the regulation mechanisms of metaplastic epithelial changes may help in understanding carcinogenesis and cancer prevention.
AIM: To determine whether the microenvironment is related to the development of gastric mucosa epithelium metaplasia in patients with chronic atrophic gastritis by assessing gene expression and cellular composition of immune infiltrates.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this retrospective cohort study, the alternative hypothesis was that the composition of the immune microenvironment of the gastric mucosa differed between cases with and without metaplastic changes in the epithelium. Biopsy specimens of the mucosa (n=38) obtained during endoscopic examination from five stomach sites (2 from the antrum, 2 from the body, and 1 from the corner) in patients with chronic atrophic gastritis of unspecified etiology and results of RNA sequencing of biopsy specimens of patients with chronic gastritis registered in the NCBI open database (n=12) were analyzed. Histological analysis, histochemical staining methods, and immunohistochemical study and morphometric, statistical, and bioinformatic analyses were performed.
RESULTS: The proportion of macrophages, T-cytotoxic lymphocytes, and plasmocytes increased in the samples with metaplastic changes of the gastric mucosa epithelium. A correlation was found between T-cytotoxic lymphocytes and risk for metaplasia. It was found that changes in the number of B cells, macrophages M2, T-regulatory cells and NK-cells are associated with increase in the expression of six genes most specific for intestinal-type epithelium.
CONCLUSION: The significant difference in the composition of the immune microenvironment between samples with and without metaplastic changes in the mucosal epithelium indicates the potential influence of immune cells on the development of metaplasia and progression of the pathological process along the Correa cascade. One of the mechanisms of regulation of metaplasia development by the microenvironment may be their influence on gene expression as an epigenetic factor.
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Reviews
Variant anatomy of the internal iliac vein and its applications
Abstract
The article analyzed data from relevant literature that focused on anatomical variations of the internal iliac vein (IIV), its structure, and morphometric characteristics.
P.A. LePage et al. (1991), D. Venieratos et al. (2012), and P. Kanjanasilp et al. (2019) have previously evaluated anatomical variations of the IIV using postvital materials. M. Shin et al. (2015) extensively analyzed the architectonics of the main trunk of the IIV according to vestibular methods (n=2488) and identified eight variants. This approach formed the basis of a similar work (n=1071) by A. Hekimoglu and O. Ergun (2021). D. Sat-Muñoz et al. (2020) and M.G. Shkvarko et al. (2021) also conducted a morphometric study of IIVs. D. Sat-Muñoz et al. categorized variants of IIV formation into three types, according to the classification of R. Gregoire (2007), based on the relationship of the IIV with its artery. According to D. Kachlik et al. (2010), in approximately 50% of cases, the root of the IIV is the internal genital vein, which penetrates the pelvis through the subclavian orifice; in 30%, the anterior and posterior trunks can be identified in the architectonics of the IIV by analogy with the internal iliac artery, which are the roots; in 20%, the IIV trunk is formed by many small tributaries, and roots and trunks could not be identified.
Our data revealed that the typical IIV variant is the one in which its roots and tributaries (except for the umbilical vein) correspond to the branches of the artery of the same name, and a typical variant of IIV architectonics should be considered the fusion of the anterior and posterior trunks, with the internal genital vein and superior gluteal vein as the roots, respectively. All visceral tributaries flow into the anterior trunk, and nearly all extramural tributaries accompanying branches of the internal iliac artery flow into the posterior trunk.
The majority of authors studied the architectonics of the main trunk of the IIV without the systematization of its tributaries. Based on the review of available literature, no modern clinically oriented classification of the variability of IIV architectonics has been established, satisfying the needs of modern surgery during interventions on the pelvic organs. Knowledge of the IIV anatomical variants and its tributaries is necessary when performing surgical interventions in the small pelvis, particularly during evisceration, to prevent blood loss.
This article outlined promising directions in the study of the IIV and its tributaries, namely, methods of three-dimensional modeling, including the use of augmented reality technology, at various stages of surgical treatment of locally advanced pelvic tumors.
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Influence of constitutional typology on human cell-tissue homeostasis: A review
Abstract
Historically, the formation of body types by a number of authors is inextricably linked with the tissue structure of the human body and embryogenesis, as evidenced by the works of W. Sheldon and A.A. Bogomolets. Taking into account the need of modern medicine for personalized diagnostics, the goal was set: to assess the state of the interdisciplinary segment of research at the intersection of data on body types and structural features of organs and tissues.
The results obtained indicate that existing research in this area is fragmented. At the same time, the features of the histological structure of nervous, bone, connective tissue and blood were demonstrated. The results obtained indicate that existing research in this area is fragmented. At the same time, the features of the histological structure of nervous, bone, connective tissue and blood were demonstrated. The structural features of the digestive system organs of different body types are shown. Data on the male and female reproductive systems are quite widely presented.
The results obtained allow us to consider the somatotyping method in the context of modern personalized medicine. Systematization and further study of constitutional tissue patterns will be an invaluable contribution to fundamental anatomy, as a science that combines micro- and macroanatomical features of the body, which will form the fundamental basis for early diagnosis and prevention of diseases of internal organs.
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Morphofunctional characteristics of the оs penis of mammals
Abstract
The study analyzed the morphofunctional organization of the mammalian baculum (os penis). In many mammals, bone tissue caused the penis to harden, which forms the bone of the penis (os penis or baculum). This structure appeared later in evolution than others, and it is present only in representatives of the most evolutionarily young class of vertebrates, i.e., mammals. The baculum is present in the penis of marsupials and placental mammals (rodents, some bats, pinnipeds, cetaceans, individual predators, semi-monkeys, and some monkeys).
The bone tissue is usually located in the anterior region of the penis between the cavernous and spongy bodies. The baculum is an unpaired bone. On the cross-section of representatives of different species, the baculum can be rounded, square, triangular, or flat. Most often, the baculum is a cylindrical rod, expanded in the proximal and distal parts, and it has outgrowths of various shapes. Histogenesis of the bone tissue during os penis formation in embryogenesis occurs by indirect osteogenesis. In the area of the future os penis, a cartilaginous model is formed from the mesenchyme, in place of which the bone tissue then develops. The base of the baculum is formed by lamellar bone tissue, in which osteones are well expressed. Coarse fibrous (reticulofibrous) bone tissue and fibrous cartilage tissue are found on the surface of the baculum. The baculum was found to increase the overall hardness of the penis when bending during copulation.
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Mitochondrial dysfunction in the pathogenesis of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy
Abstract
The pathomorphogenesis of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is a disruption of the arrangement of muscle cell bundles in the myocardium and is associated with mutations in genes encoding the synthesis of myocardial contractile proteins. Metabolic changes in this pathology are caused by hypertrophy of the interventricular septum due to the disruption of the myocardial contractile apparatus associated with these mutations and mitochondrial dysfunction. Myofiber protein mutations can negatively affect the mitochondria through increased oxidative stress caused by increased ATP demand. The mitochondria are complex organelles with circular DNA and enzyme complexes involved in redox reactions, which cause frequent damage to mitochondrial protein structures and membranes by reactive oxygen species. In this regard, mitochondrial dysfunction can be also caused by mutations in genes encoding mitochondrial proteins, which leads to the disruption of mitophagy and mitochondrial dynamics. The functioning of defective mitochondria is associated with insufficient ATP synthesis and ineffective muscle contraction, which leads to the same consequences at the tissue level as mutations in contractile protein genes.
In this review, we tried to summarize the role of mitochondrial dysfunction in the pathomorphogenesis of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.
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Regulatory role of protein p53 in the functional activity of the central nervous system
Abstract
Protein p53 is one of the most popular topics among researchers. Over the past 40 years since its discovery, more than 100 thousand scientific works have been written, and this is growing steadily. The increased interest in this protein among doctors lies in its participation in the development of malignant tumors, a socially significant group of diseases of the 21st century. p53 is a tumor suppressor. Normally, when exposed to damaging factors, this protein promotes DNA repair or apoptosis, depending on the damage, which in turn prevents the accumulation of cells with mutant DNAs. When p53 mutates, it loses its function, leading to abnormal cell proliferation and tumor progression.
The role of p53 is not limited to carcinogenesis. It also participates in the regulation of the central nervous system; however, its role is ambiguous. Although p53 is also involved in the embryogenesis of nervous tissue and promotes the differentiation of neural stem cells, it can also have a damaging effect on neurons.
The literature review presents current data on the structure and function of p53, the main regulator of the human genome, and its homologs (p63 and p73). These proteins are considered to play a role in programmed cell death and carcinogenesis. The role of p53 family proteins in the functioning of the central nervous system and neuroprotection was also examined.
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Letters to the editor
Application of the mind-mapping learning technique on the topic “Anatomy of the brachial plexus”
Abstract
The issue of teaching brachial plexus anatomy to English-speaking foreign students remains confusing and uncoordinated these days because of significant differences in the presentation of materials in translated educational literature by Russian-speaking authors and in atlases, textbooks, and manuals used in other countries. This study aimed to analyze mind-mapping learning techniques and identify the advantages of their use when teaching “Brachial plexus anatomy” to foreign medical students. The materials included mind maps, textbooks, atlases, manuals, workshops, and workbooks on human anatomy for students of medical universities in Russian and English that describe the anatomy of the brachial plexus and personal experience of using mind maps. A mind map in human anatomy classes was provided in accordance with modern anatomical terminologies, discrepancies in the description of the anatomy of the brachial plexus in Russian and English were analyzed, and the advantages of their use in teaching foreign medical students were identified.
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Biography
55 years of devoted service to medicine, morphology, and pedagogy: On the 80th anniversary of the birth of Professor N.R. Karelina
Abstract
Professional development has come a long way that in 2023 we congratulated Natalia Rafailovna Karelina, Doctor of Medical Sciences, Professor, Member of the Board of the Scientific Medical Society of Anatomists, Histologists and Embryologists of Russia for her 80th birth anniversary. For more than 21 years, she has served as the head of the Department of Human Anatomy at St. Petersburg State Pediatric Medical University and inspires the younger generation to scientific achievements. The staff of the Department of Human Anatomy of St. Petersburg State Medical University, friends and colleagues, and numerous students cordially congratulate Natalia Rafailovna and wish her a long life, good health, professional longevity, and continued enthusiasm for the benefit of her beloved medical science and pedagogy.
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