Review and How to take the Final

Examination of Histology
• 1. How to identify or recognize each kind of cells,
tissues and organs based on respective structure
characteristics associated with function, there are some
principles of the structure.
• For examples:
• (1). Undifferentiated cells with vesicular nucleus and
distinct nucleolus (embryonic); the nuclei of the mature
type of cells are always stained darker with no
nucleolus than those of their younger ones: fibrocyte vs.
fibroblast, osteocyte vs. osteoblast, blood cell vs.
hemopoietic cell, etc.
• (2). protein-secreting cells: the cytoplasm rich in granular
endoplasmic reticulum (strong basophilia) and
mitochondria and the nucleus may be paler-stained with
nucleolus, e.g. the serous acinar cell distinguished from
mucous acinar cell, neuron (Nissl bodies) distinguished
from neuroglia, plasma cell distinguished from other CT
cells, etc.

• (3). Lipid-secreting cells: the cytoplasm rich in smooth

endoplasmic reticulum and Golgi complex, the lipid
droplets are dissolved in routine slides as micro-
vacoules, e.g. the lipid-secreting endocrine cells: Leydig
cells in testis, leutin cells in ovary, adrenal gland cells in
cortex, etc.
• (4). The shape of the nucleus is always coincident with
the feature of the cell. The roughly round cells always
have round-shaped nuclei; the slender cells have ovoid or
flatten nuclei. When the cell boundary is hardly to be
observed, each kind of cells can be recognized by the
shape of the nuclei, such as in the pseudostratified
columnar epithelium and in the stratified squamous
epithelium.
•
• (5). Fullness of cytoplasmic products can result in the
nuclei in round or flatten shape eccentrically placed, e.g.
in fat cells, mucous acinar cells (especially goblet cell),
plasma cell, skeletal muscle fiber, etc.
• (6). The structure of each kind of tissues is associated
with its function:
• A. The epithelial cells contact with each other to form
the membranous tissue for lining; the name of simple
epithelial tissue always based on the shape of the epithelial
cell; the name of stratified epithelial tissue always based
on the shape of the superficial epithelial cell.
•
• B. The connective tissue cells: variety in shape and
abundant of intercellular matrix, with multi-processes
in fixed cells (e.g. the fibroblast, fixed macrophage,
osteocyte) and round-shaped in wandering cells (e.g.
wandering macrophage, mast cell, plasma cell, blood cell)
• The connective tissue may be loose, solid (cartilage, bone) or
humoral (blood) provides connecting and supporting
function (fibroblast, chondrocyte, osteocyte with respective
intercellular matrix), immune function (macrophage (APC),
mast cell, plasma cell, WBC and nutrition function (fat cell,
RBC).
• C. The muscle cells: with abundant myofilaments in, the
slender-shaped cells for contraction are also named as
muscle fibers bound together by CT to form a mass-like
structure.
• Smooth muscle: no cross striation, N centrally placed
• Skeletal muscle: with cross striation, N peripherally placed
• Cardiac muscle: with branches and cross striation, N centrally
placed
• D. The nerve cells: including neuron and neuroglia to
form the nervous tissue.

• Neurron: with distinct nucleolus in vesicular N and rich in

Nissl bodies, with long processes (axon and dentrites) for
conducting nerve impulse information.

• Neuroglia: with dense N without nucleolus, including:

• Macroglia: providing protection and nutrition to neurons
• Microglia: functioning as macrophage
• (7). The structure of the organs in various systems can
be divided into.
• A. Hollow organs: with central cavity within the organ
(e.g. the blood vessel, esophagus, stomach, intestine,
trachea and the tracts of the urinary/genital system, etc.)

• The structure of the hollow organs is always laminated:

inner layer, middle layer and outer layer in the blood
vessel/heart; mucosa/ submucosa, muscle layer and
adventitia in the uterus and the tracts of digestive
respiratory, urinary and genital organs.
• Among them especially the structure of the mucosa is
closely associated with its function performed on the
covering surface of the cavity:
• e.g. gastric mucosa related to secretion of gastric juice
contains lots of gastric glands, including parietal cells to
secret HCl and chief cells to secret zymogenic granules;
the small intestinal epithelium covers the villi greatly to
increase the absorption area; the pseudostratified ciliated
columnar epithelium covering the trachea contributes to
convey the sputum off; the transitional epithelium
covering the bladder contributes to stretching capacity.
• B. The structure of the parenchymal organs always divides into
parenchyma (sometimes dividing into cortex and medulla) and
interstitial tissue (capsule and trabecula, providing protection and
nutrition through blood vessels in CT):

• e.g. the lung, including alveoli and related respiratory duct system as
parenchyma; lymphoid organs (lymph node, spleen, thymus):
lymphoid tissue (modified reticular CT) as the parenchyma; liver, the
hepatic cell plate as the parenchyma; the pancreas, pancreatic acini as
the parenchyma; the kidney, the renal tubules as the parenchyma; the
ovary, ovarian follicles and corpus luteum as the parenchyma; the
testis, seminiferous tubules as the parenchyma; the endocrine organs
(pituitary gland, thyroid gland, suprarenal gland, parathyroid gland),
the glandular cell cord/ cluster as the parenchyma (thyroid gland with
follicles).
• 8.The structure of the sense organs (retina of the eyeball,
Cortis organ, skin nerve ending) consists of
• neuron (retina cells (rod/cone cells, bipolar cell, ganglion
cell)/ neuroepithelial cell surrounding with nerve fiber
(the hair cell in Corti organ) and the supporting cell
(Muller cell in retina, phalangeal and pillar cells in Corti
organ).
• The skin is located at the interface between
environmental condition and human body, composed of
epidermis and dermis rich in nerve endings (free nerve
ending, tactile corpuscle, lamellated corpuscle).
• 2. There are several structure systems in Histology:
• (1). Mononuclear phagocyte system (defense system)
includes the macrophage, monocyte, Kupffer cell, dust
cell, microglia
• (2). APUD system (amine precursor uptake
decarboxylation system, scattered endocrine cells) includes
a series of single endocrine cells containing amines and
peptides distributed in the endocrine pancreatic island,
parafollicular cells, anterior lobe cells of pituitary,
medullary cells of suprarenal gland and scattered in the
mucosae of the respiratory and digestive tracts.
• (3). Barrier system: one protection system, un-permeable
through membranous microholes or intercellular space
with tight junction, such as blood-brain barrier, blood-
thymus barrier, blood-air barrier, filtration barrier.
• 3. How to take the Final Examination of Histology
• In theory:, selecting each correct one among 4 answers
in each question, there are 70 questions in the exam.
• For example:
• 1. Which of the following cell does not have a nucleus?
• A. Leukocytes
• B. Erythrocytes
• C. Plasma cells
• D. Mast cells
• 2. The shape of the superficial cell in stretched transitional
epithelium is
• A. Flat
• B. Square
• C. Round
• D. Columnar
•
• 3. Which is the thickest layer in the veins?
• A. Tunica intima
• B. Tunica media
• C. Tunica adventitia
• D. None of the above
• 4. The predominant type of cells seen in the germinal
center of a lymphoid nodule is
• A. T lymphocytes
• B. B lymphocytes
• C. Plasma cells
• D. Macrophages

• 5. Which is not true for distinguishing of the monocyte

from the lymphocyte in Wrights stain ?
• A. Irregular kidney-shaped nucleus with less density
• B. Greyish-blue colored cytoplasm
• C. Larger in size
• D. None of the above
• In pratice:
• Take 30 marks in the examination.
• Write one correct answer for the slide you observed, about
the detailed statement Dr. Feng and Dr. Liu will tell you in
practice.