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Cytochemical and Ultrastructural Characteristics of Human Osteoblasts in Relation to General Skeletal Growth Activity

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Abstract

Histological studies of human bone growth have been performed on biopsy and autopsy material by using the following methods: 1) measurements of osteoid seams (6, 18), 2) counting of osteoblasts per unit area of osteoid seam (15), 3) determination of osteoid volume (13), 4) microradiographic determinations of bone formation activity (8). The possibility of histochemical and ultrastructural assessment of bone growth activity has so far not been much utilized, possibly because of difficulties in tissue preparation. A previous study has shown that demonstration of morphological variations in human osteoblasts might provide a basis for diagnosis of pathological bone tissue (10). Since the activity of the alkaline phosphatase indicates the ossification intensity of the osteoblast and preosteoblast (5, 1, 2) determination of enzyme activity must be a useful method for determining interindividual growth differences (9, 11). The object of the present study was to relate the periodic variations in growth rate of normal growing individuals to the ultrastructure and cytochemistry of the osteoblasts.

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S. Pors Nielsen E. Hjørting-Hansen

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Kjær, I., Matthiessen, M.E. (1976). Cytochemical and Ultrastructural Characteristics of Human Osteoblasts in Relation to General Skeletal Growth Activity. In: Nielsen, S.P., Hjørting-Hansen, E. (eds) Calcified Tissues 1975. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-29272-3_14

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-29272-3_14

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-662-27776-8

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-662-29272-3

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