On the welcome page of the dictionary, three major sections are shown: Normal tissues, Cancer and Cell structure. Below the image of each section are links to introductory texts for i) normal tissue histology, ii) hallmarks of cancer, and iii) cell structure overview. For the cancer-section there is also a link to current cancer statistics (incidence, survival, etc) for Sweden and the rest of the world. Within each section there are direct links to histology descriptions of different tissue types and tumor forms as well as descriptions of cell structures.
For the 'Tissue & cell types' and 'Tumor' sections, tissue-slides stained with hematoxylin and eosin (HE) are shown at three different levels of magnification. On the top level, an overview of the whole tissue-sample is shown with boxes in black indicating where zoomed-in representative parts of the tissue are available for viewing. Clicking on these boxes will zoom in on that part to show tissue structures, cells and features in greater detail. Throughout these sections, arrows indicate relevant tissue structures, cell-types and other features.
For the 'Cell structure' section, immunofluorescent images of formaldehyde-fixed cell lines are shown. The various cell structures that are demonstrated are always shown in the green channel using an antibody found in the Human Protein Atlas. The antibody name is linked to the subcellular location summary page of the target gene. The other channels: nucleus, microtubules and endoplasmic reticulum, are always shown in the blue, red and yellow channels, respectively. The channels can be toggled on and off by clicking on the respective coloured button above the image. When applicable, the immunofluorescent images are complemented by immunohistochemically stained cells where the location of the particular cell structure is shown in brown.
A common feature for all sections is that a general descriptive text about the tissue, tumor-type or cell structure is provided when browsing a particular topic.
The normal fallopian tube extends from the area of its corresponding ovary to its terminus in the uterus. The tube measures between 9-11 cm in length. At the ovarian end, the tube opens into the peritoneal cavity and is composed of approximately 25 finger-like projections termed the fimbriae. In its extrauterine course, the fallopian tube is enveloped in a peritoneal fold along the superior margin of the broad ligament.
The fallopian tube is histologically composed of three layers: a mucosal membrane, a wall of smooth muscle and a serosal coat. The serosa is lined by flattened mesothelial cells. The muscularismucosae is composed of two layers: an outer longitudinal and an inner circular layer. There is additionally, an inner longitudinal layer in the intramural segment of the tube that extends for 2 cm laterally. The inner circular layer forms the bulk of the muscular coat. The outer longitudinal layer comprises inconspicuous smooth muscle cells interspersed with loose connective tissue.
The mucosa rests directly on the muscularis. It consists of a luminal epithelial lining and a scant underlying lamina propria with sparse spindle and angulated cells. The luminal complexity is more marked towards the ovarian end compared to the interstial and isthmic portions containing only five to six blunt papillae.
Three histologic cell types comprise the epithelial layer: ciliated (20-30%), secretory (55-60%) and intercalary cells. Ciliated cells are believed to be more frequent in the ovarian end of the fallopian tube. The ciliatedcell has a columnar shape and contains a oval or round nucleus, often located perpendicular or parallel to the long axis of the cell. The secretory cell is usually a more narrow columnar cell with approximately the same height as the ciliated cell. The nucleus is ovoid and perpendicular to the long axis of the cell. The chromatin is more dense and the nucleolus smaller than that seen in the ciliated cell. The intercalary, or pegcell is a columnar cell occupied chiefly by a thin, dark-staining nucleus.
