SUMMARYElectron microscopic study of vibrio flagella by using the negative staining technique revealed differences in chemical reactivity as between the sheath and core components. The sheath was easily degraded by autolysis and exposure to acid and urea, whereas the core was relatively resistant.These differences suggest that the sheath and core are of different composition and that, whereas the core consists of the protein ' flagellin ', the sheath is probably of cell-wall origin.

This is the first demonstration of lesions of VSMC geometric disorganization in a cerebral artery from a stroke-prone genetically hypertensive rat strain. These structural abnormalities are independent of blood pressure. Their functional sequel may play a role in the pathogenesis of stroke in this model.

We have used nuclear fluorescent dyes to develop a technique for the study of vascular structure and function. Nuclear stained blood vessels, viewed with the appropriate filter sets, can be studied in great detail. Only the nuclei of the cells which form the walls are visible and so their positions relative to one another as well as their viability can be quickly assessed. The dyes are not toxic, therefore when the vessel contracts or relaxes, the changes in position of the nuclei can be monitored. In this paper we describe two original applications of fluorescent nuclear dyes in vascular research.

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