We performed histological and histochemical investigations on the so-called cardiac glands and esophageal cardiac glands in man.
1. The upper and lower esophageal cardiac glands are compound tubular glands.
2. The so-called cardiac glands are composed of the compound tubular glands and simple or simple branched tubular glands.
3. A few parietal cells are found in the cardiac, upper and lower esophageal cardiac glands.
4. Pepsinogen granules can be found in the basal, body and neck portions of the simple or simple branched tubular glands in the cardiac region, in the terminal portions and ducts of the compound tubular glands in the same region and in the same portions of the upper and lower esophageal cardiac glands.
5. The cardiac glands and esophageal cardiac glands contain neutral, weak and strong acid mucopolysaccharides, sialomucin and neutral mucous of types II and III.
6. The fundic glands also possess the above-mentioned items 3-5. The authors believe that the fundic, cardiac and esophageal cardiac glands are the same kind of gland.
7. The authors presume that the esophageal cardiac glands and the compound tubular type of the so-called cardiac glands are an aggregate of the fundic glands. Namely, the terminal portions and ducts of the same glands correspond to the fundic glands.
8. The authors consider the compound tubular structure of the esophageal cardiac glands to be more advantageous than the scattering simple tubular glands to the mechanical injury which is produced by the passing of food.
9. The epithelium in the excretory ducts of the esophageal cardiac glands and compound tubular type of the so-called cardiac glands reacted strongly to PAS. This characteristic is common to that of the gastric pits. The epithelium in the same ducts of the esophageal glands was PAS negative.
10. Some scholars presume that the upper and lower esophageal cardiac glands are the partially transported cardiac glands in the esophagus and another scholar considers that the lower esophageal cardiac glands are the ectopic gastric mucous membrane in the esophagus. However, the authors deny these opinions and maintain that the cardiac glands of the compound tubular type are the extended portions of the lower esophageal cardiac glands. The authors presume that the esophageal cardiac glands are normal structure in the esophagus and embryologically develop from the cranial side to the caudal side. Incidentally, several esophageal glands occasionally enter into the cardiac region.
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