{'fraction_non_alphanumeric': 0.020011435105774727, 'fraction_numerical': 0.014865637507146942, 'mean_word_length': 6.172131147540983, 'pattern_counts': {'":': 0, '<': 0, '<?xml version=': 0, '>': 0, 'https://': 0, 'lorem ipsum': 0, 'www.': 0, 'xml': 0}, 'pii_count': 0, 'substrings_counts': 0, 'word_list_counts': {'cursed_substrings.json': 0, 'profanity_word_list.json': 0, 'sexual_word_list.json': 0, 'zh_pornsignals.json': 0}}
Morphologic, Histochemical, and Immunohistochemical Characterization of Tracheobronchial Respiratory Glands in South American Sea Lion Otaria flavescens (Pinnipedia, Mammalia)

Abstract Tracheobronchial airways from Otaria flavescens routinely were processed for histological, histochemical, and immunohistochemical methods to study individual mucusproducing cells (IMPC and submucosaI glands. The IMPCs were interspersed in the epithelium of the trachea. They showed neutral and weakly acidic and carboxylated glycoconjugates. Only IMPCs in the trachea secrete sialylated glycoconjugates. Submucosal glands were formed by 1) collecting duct lined by a ciliated pseudostratified to simple columnar epithelium without cilias. They showed neutral and carboxylic glycoconjugates. 2) Glandular sinus, a branched secretory unit in which the lining epithelium showed two possible secretory mechanisms: merocrine type of neutral glycoconjugates and apocrine type of sialylated and sulphated or carboxylated glycoconjugates, with positive reaction for proteins. 3) Glandular branched tubules emerging from glandular sinuses were lined by columnar cells with an apical cytoplasm containing neutral and carboxylated glycoconjugates. Myoepithelial cells surrounded both glandular sinuses and tubules. Cytokeratin 7 was specific for glandular sinus and for a few ciliated cells of the trachea, whereas cytokeratin 19 was observed in glandular sinuses, glandular tubules, and in some tracheal cells. These results showed that the secretory cells of glandular sinuses and tubular glands are well differentiated and that a possible common origin may be inferred. (The J Histotechnol 29:29, 2006) Submitted February 16, 2005; accepted with revisions August 12, 2005