In this review, we summarize the data on the cellular pigment lipofuscin that accumulates in liver tissue over time, due to aging and cellular stress. Despite the presence of these typical subcellular inclusions under various conditions, relatively little is known about their origins, roles, and effects on liver cell and tissue health. Pathologists use the presence of lipofuscin, in combination with other markers, to achieve d...

Lipofuscin is a subcellular pigmented granule that has long been considered a sign of wear-and-tear and aging. This granule cannot be degraded but may be diluted by cell division. In the heart, lipofuscin can be easily identified in cardiomyocytes where proliferative capacity is limited, and to a lesser extent in other cardiac cell types, by their characteristic morphological features. They appear as yellow–brown granules in h...

Occasionally, tissue samples cannot be processed completely and are stored under varying conditions for extended periods. This is particularly beneficial in interinstitutional studies where a given research setting may lack the expertise or infrastructure for sample processing, imaging and data analysis. Currently, there is limited literature available on the controlled storage of biological tissues in primary fixatives for fl...

In modern biological microscopy, the explosion of data volume and complexity highlights the urgent need for specialised data management support roles. While traditional microscopy focuses on visual data presentation, the rapid increase in big data acquisition and data mining demands advanced handling and analysis. This gap underscores the need for “dry lab microscopists” or data experts skilled in microscopy data management, s...

The second decade of the twenty-first century witnessed a new challenge in the handling of microscopy data. Big data, data deluge, large data, data compliance, data analytics, data integrity, data interoperability, data retention and data lifecycle are terms that have introduced themselves to the electron microscopy sciences. This is largely attributed to the booming development of new microscopy hardware tools. As a result, l...

Adapted fixation methods for electron microscopy allowed us to study liver cell fine structure in 217 biopsies of intact human livers over the course of 10 years. The following novel observations and concepts arose: single fat droplets in parenchymal cells can grow to a volume four times larger than the original cell, thereby extremely marginalizing the cytoplasm with all organelles. Necrosis of single parenchymal cells, still...

The structural-functional hallmark of the liver sinusoidal endothelium is the presence of fenestrae grouped in sieve plates. Fenestrae are open membrane bound pores supported by a (sub)membranous cytoskeletal lattice. Changes in number and diameter of fenestrae alter bidirectional transport between the sinusoidal blood and the hepatocytes. Their physiological relevance has been shown in different liver disease models. Although...