title: Probing tissue surfaces
Creators: name: Carr, Katharine Elizabeth
Publisher: name: University of Glasgow
Year: 2018
Subjects: subject: Cells, tissues, surfaces, gastrointestinal, other tissues, responses to environmental challenge, irradiation, low and high linear energy transfer (LET), epithelial and non-epithelial responses, ingested microparticles, ‘persorption’, villous uptake, microscopy, correlative, light, electron, transmission, scanning, confocal laser scanning, transepithelial resistance (TER).

description: This thesis on ‘Probing tissue surfaces’ describes work done on in vivo and in vitro models between the 1960s and thesis submission in 2018. Output is by book excerpts, chapters and journal articles. Chapters 1 to 4 are linked through cognate output: Chapters 2, 3 and 4 each contain a review article summarising much of the content. Collaborative links are highlighted, as is the author’s changing contribution from entirely ‘hands-on’ laboratory work to a principal investigator or supervisory role.

Chapter 1 provides a background to the other Chapters, highlighting the use of transmission electron microscopy and a continuing interest in the interpretation of data from sectioned material. Applications include the use of microscopy for quality control and for reporting tissue responses to environmental challenge. Chapter 2 sets out contributions to the development of image interpretation in the then new field of scanning electron microscopy, particularly of soft tissues, with relevance to research and wider applications, including the effects of environmental challenge. Key findings include: early images and reports of intestinal villi, skin or isolated cells; correlative techniques to interpret surface information; optimisation of techniques and descriptions of the surface responses to developmental change or ulcerogenic and other agents. 

Chapter 3 deals with the impact of external irradiation, through the exploration by microscopy of its effects on tissue surfaces and deeper structures, mainly alimentary, with relevance to clinical side effects of radiotherapy and to space flight. Key findings include radiation-induced villous collapse differing in extent from changes in proliferative compartments; and variations in responses of structures from all four basic tissue types to different radiation schedules. Chapter 4 addresses questions on microparticle uptake, with relevance mainly to the environmental impact of the Chernobyl incident. Key findings include: most early particle uptake in vivo in situ occurring not at Peyer’s patches but through villous epithelium, possibly at tight junctions; ethanol and cooling in vitro producing different changes to uptake, tight junctions and junctional proteins; and uptake being higher in late pregnancy and early lactation, affected by age not species and increased by irradiation. 
Chapter 5 brings together the content of Chapters 1 to 4, summarising their contributions and relevance, both at publication and thereafter. The thesis title reflects the use of probing at different levels, not only during image formation but also by an environmental challenge such as radiation, a pharmacological agent or atmospheric pollution.