Spermatozoa acquire the capacity to fertilize the ovum and display motility during their passage through the epididymis. To prevent their consumption of excess energy and premature activation before ejaculation, luminal acidification helps to maintain spermatozoa in a quiescent state during their maturation and storage in this organ. Three cell types are present in the epididymal epithelium: clear, principal, and basal cells. Clear cells express the proton-pumping ATPase (V-ATPase) and actively secrete protons. HCO₃^- is secreted from principal cells and induces V-ATPase accumulation in microvilli in clear cells. Basal cells secrete nitric oxide and stimulate proton secretion in clear cells. This review focuses on the communication network between epididymal epithelial cells to control luminal acidification.

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The lingual papillae and connective tissue cores of infant and adult Barbary sheep were examined by the naked eye or scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The developments of the filiform, fungiform, lenticular and vallate papillae were visible earlier than those of the connective tissue cores.

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When the trachea is subjected to suction pressure, it is considered that injured mucosal tissue becomes separated from the trachea and aspirated into the catheter. Therefore, smears of aspirate from rabbit trachea were prepared, and the utility of staining methods such as Pap staining, cytokeratin 14 (CK14) immunostaining, elastica-Van Gieson staining (EVG) and azan staining, was examined in order to establish a method of estimating human tracheal mucosal damage from aspirated sputum obtained clinically. We clarified that detached pieces of tissue were sucked into the catheter and mucosal tissue was detectable from aspirated phlegm in cases where the tracheal mucosal epithelial cells, basal cells, elastic fibers and collagen fibers had been damaged. Additionally, Pap staining was considered useful for detection of columnar epithelial cells, CK14 for detection of basal cells, and EVG for detection of elastic fibers and collagen fibers.

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Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) is a very important pathogenic bacteria associated with many upper gastrointestinal diseases including chronic active gastritis, chronic inactive gastritis, gastric and duodenal peptic ulcer disease, gastric MALT lymphoma, and gastric adenocarcinoma. There are no distinct endoscopic patterns of chronic H. pylori gastritis. The diagnosis of H. pylori gastritis is made by pathologic examination of gastric mucosal biopsies or by the detection of urease in mucosal specimens using the CLO test or urea breath test.  H. pylori infection has been diagnosed based on the histological laboratory procedure and indirectly from a background gastric-mucous-membrane view. Alcian Yellow Touidine Blue staining is available and useful as one of the diagnostic methods.

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