Leukemia Under the Microscope

Acute granulocytic leukemia is a common form of adult-onset leukemia (cancer of the blood and bone marrow), with more than 10,000 Americans diagnosed with the disease each year. Leukemias are a group of neoplastic diseases primarily involving the bone marrow and characterized by an abnormal proliferation of white blood cells (leukocytes). In acute forms of leukemia, the disease strikes suddenly and progresses rapidly, whereas chronic forms are much more gradual in their development.

The images below are of acute granulocytic leukemia and were captured using a lab biological microscope and a high definition HD microscopy camera.

Leukemia captured under a clinical microscope with an HD microscopy camera at 40x.

Leukemia captured under a clinical microscope with an HD microscopy camera at 100x.

Leukemia captured under a clinical microscope with an HD microscopy camera at 400x.

Leukemia under a clinical microscope with HD microscopy camera at 400x using Plan Apochromat Fluor objective lens.

Jenoptik Microscopy Camera MicroScanning Technology

Several of the Jenoptik ProgRes microscopy cameras have a feature called Microscanning technology. This sophisticated technology allows cameras with 1.4 megapixels to deliver absolutely true-color images of up to 12.5 megapixels.

The process of Microscanning involves scanning a section by laying a series of images in fractional pixel steps across the camera sensor. These partial images are made into a composite image. Each partial image is a full field image made at a faster rate than the composite image. The resolution of the final image is increased in the horizontal and vertical directions by the number of single images taken in each direction, otherwise known as the micro-scan factor. This final image has a geometric resolution that is increased by the micro-scan factor in both directions, allowing for a final high 12.5 megapixel resolution from a native 1.4 megapixel sensor.

The Jenoptik cameras that offer Microscanning technology include:

• Jenoptik MFscan microscopy camera
• Jenoptik CFscan microscopy camera
• Jenoptik C14+ microscopy camera

Microscanning increases spatial resolution and color resolution, in other words you end up with more true color reproduction. Microscanning in the Jenoptik ProgRes cameras allows the image sensor of the camera to be shifted in both pixel and sub-pixel steps. This results in a more true color representation.

If you have questions regarding Jenoptik cameras or Microscanning technology please contact Microscope World.

Acute Suppurative Appendicitis under the Microscope

Appendicitis is an inflammation of the appendix. This condition afflicts approximately seven percent of Americans at some point in their lives. Incidence of appendicitis is lower in regions of the world where dietary fiber is consumed in greater amounts than in the US.

Suppurative appendicitis has traditionally been considered a later stage of appendicitis, in which bacteria and inflammatory fluids accumulated in the lumen of the appendix enter the wall of the structure and subsequently cause intense pain.

The images below of acute suppurative appendicitis were captured with the Fein Optic RB30 biological microscope using a High Definition microscope camera.

Suppurative appendicitis captured with the RB30 microscope & HD microscopy camera at 40x.

Suppurative appendicitis captured with the RB30 microscope & HD microscopy camera at 100x.

Suppurative appendicitis captured with the RB30 microscope & HD microscopy camera at 400x.

Suppurative appendicitis captured with RB30 microscope & HD microscopy camera at 400x using Plan Apo Fluor Lens

Plan Achromat Student Microscope

Richter Optica recently introduced the UX-1 plan achromat student microscope. This microscope is available in four versions:

1. Binocular (2 eyepieces)
2. Trinocular (2 eyepieces + camera port)
3. Digital 3mp camera
4. Digital LCD Tablet

Plan achromat objective lenses are a step above basic achromat objectives. A typical achromat objective lens has about 60% of the field of view that is crisp and in-focus. When looking at the circular image through the microscope with achromat objectives, the very outer edges of that image will be slightly out of focus due to the curvature in an achromat objective lens. Plan achromat objective lenses have corrected for this curvature in the lens and provide a 100% flat (and in-focus) field of view, resulting in a higher quality image.

UX1 Binocular Microscope

UX-1T Trinocular Microscope

UX1D Digital 3mp Microscope

UX1-LCD Tablet Microscope

 You can view the full line of Richter Optica microscopes here.

Human Cheek Cells Microscope Science Project

This is a simple microscope science project that will allow you to view cell membranes, nuclei and cytoplasm.  You will need the following items to perform this science project:

Compound Microscope

• High power compound microscope
• Glass microscope slide
• Cover slip
• Methylene Blue stain
• Toothpick

Place a drop of the methylene blue stain on the microscope slide. (This will stain your clothes, so be careful!) Gently scrape the inside of your cheek with the flat side of the toothpick. Place the toothpick in the stain so some of your cheek cells will come off. Place a coverslip on your slide and put it under the microscope.

Start out by looking at the slide under the lowest magnification (40x). The cells probably will not be completely purple, so if you are only seeing all purple through the microscope eyepiece, move the slide a bit to a different location. Make sure you get the microscope in focus by using both the coarse and fine focus knobs. Once you get some cells into view, move the magnification up to 100x.

Can you identify the nucleus, cytoplasm and cell membrane of your cheek cell? Draw the images you see under the microscope and label the parts.

The methylene blue was required in order to help distinguish the cells from the similar color background they were on. Another way to do this without staining is by using a microscope with phase contrast.

Is your cheek cell a eukaryote or a prokaryote?

Pseudo-nitzschia (Algae) under the Microscope

The genus Pseudo-nitzschia includes several species of diatoms known to produce the neurotoxin known as domoic acid, a toxin that is responsible for the human illness called amnesic shellfish poisoning (ASP). This genus of phytoplankton is known to form harmful algal blooms in coastal waters of Canada, California, Oregon, Washington, Europe, Asia, New Zealand, Central and South America.

These samples of Pseudo-nitzschia were collected at Fort Worden in Port Townsend, Washington, USA by Ashleigh Pilkerton and Lilianna Wolf for the Port Townsend Marine Science Center (2015 Citizen Science Program).

The images below were captured using the DCM3.1 microscope camera (3.2 megapixels) and a Zeiss Phase Contrast microscope.

Pseudo-nitzschia under the microscope.

Pseudo-nitzschia under the microscope.

Pseudo-nitzschia under the microscope.

A huge thank you to the Port Townsend Marine Science Center Citizen Science Program 2015 for sharing these images with Microscope World.

You can learn more about Pseudo-nitzschia here.

Salmonella under the Microscope

Salmonella is a genus of rod-shaped bacteria found worldwide in both cold-blooded and warm-blooded animals as well as in the environment. Strains of Salmonella cause illness such as typhoid fever, paratyphoid fever and food poisoning.

The images shown below are of Salmonella Typhosa (the strain that casuses typhoid fever). These images were captured using the Fein Optic RB30 biological microscope and the HDCAM4 high definition microscope camera.

Salmonella Typhosa under the microscope at 40x.

Salmonella Typhosa under the microscope at 100x.

Salmonella Typhosa under the microscope at 400x.

Salmonella Typhosa under the microscope at 400x using a Plan Semi-Apochromat Fluor objective lens.

Air Pollution Science Project

For this student science project examining air contaminants you will need the following items:

• Blank glass microscope slides
• Vaseline
• Dissecting Microscope

  

  Dissection Microscope

Take a minimum of five microscope slides and spread a thin layer of Vaseline on one side of each slide. There is no limit to the number of slides you prepare. Once each slide is prepared, place each one in a different location for a minimum of a week. Here are some ideas of places you might want to leave your microscope slide:

• Outside in the back yard
• Near a construction site
• On a window ledge
• Inside a classroom
• Near a grassy field or a farm
• In a hair salon (ask the owner)
• In a bakery (ask the owner) 
• Near the beach

Prepare two control slides that you will keep inside a closed shoe box over the same time period. Make sure that your outdoor slides will not be disturbed over the time you leave them in their location. After you have left the slides for the specified time period, when you retrieve them make sure you label each one with its location. You may want to collect the slides inside a shoe box to ensure they don't touch each other.

Place each slide under the microscope, starting at the lowest magnification. Once the microscope is in focus, increase the magnification and move each slide around a bit under the microscope. What kinds of particles have collected on each of the slides? Did some locations collect more debris on the slide than others? How do the slides compare with your control group slides that lived inside the shoe box all week? Which slide has the most particles? What do you think the source of the pollution is on each slide? Would there be a way to reduce this type of pollution? Do you know of any laws that are in effect to help reduce pollution?

Etaluma Lumascopes

Microscope World is proud to offer the entire line of Etaluma Lumascopes. Etaluma offers three Lumascope inverted compact microscope options. These microscopes are ideal for live cell imaging, checking cell growth and fluorescence protein expression. The microscope systems' unique size allows the Lumascope to be place in an incubator to monitor real-time cell growth while capturing and recording video and time-lapse series.

Lumascope 400

The Lumascope 400 provides brightfield microscopy and has the option to perform phase contrast. This microscope features a color CMOS camera and software and does not require an external power supply other than the USB computer connection.

The images below were captured using the Lumascope 400 with brightfield.

Epidermis captured with Lumascope 400

Dog esophagus captured with the Lumascope 400

Lumascope 500

The Lumascope 500 provides brightfield and green fluorescence, as well as optional phase contrast. The inverted microscope is simlar to the Lumascope 400 in that you can capture images and time-lapse video. The compact Lumascope footprint enables working in challenging locations including inside incubators, hoods and biological safety cabinets.

The image below was captured with the Lumascope 500 using green fluorescence.

Green fluorescence image using Lumascope 500.

Lumascope 620

The Lumascope 620 shown at left inside an incubator provides brightfield, blue, green and red fluorescence. The Lumascope 620 also has an optional phase contrast component that can be purchased. The Lumascope 620 is compact in size, uses a color CMOS camera and software without need for additional power supply other than the USB computer. This microscope detects blue, green, and red fluorophores, including BFP, DAPI, FITC, Fluo-4, GFP and mCherry.

The images below were captured using the Lumascope 620.

Red, Green, Blue Fluorescence using Lumascope 620.

Red Fluorescence using Lumascope 620

For more information about Etaluma Lumascopes and Lumascope Accessories including objective lenses and stage accessories, you can contact Microscope World.

Noctiluca under the Microscope

Noctiluca is a dinoflagellate commonly known as "sea sparkle" because it exhibits bioluminescence when disturbed. This free-living, non-parasitic species is found in the marine environment. Noctiluca devours food that includes plankton, diatoms, other dinoflagellates, fish eggs and bacteria. This species is commonly found along the coast, in estuaries, and shallow areas that receive plenty of light which promote the growth of phytoplankton, which is a primary diet source for Noctiluca.

Samples were collected at Fort Worden in Port Townsend, Washington, USA by Ashleigh Pilkerton and Lilianna Wolf for the Port Townsend Marine Science Center (2015 Citizen Science Program).

The image and video below were captured using the DCM3.1 microscope camera (3.2 megapixels) and a Zeiss Phase Contrast microscope.

Noctiluca Protoperidinium captured under the microscope.

A huge thank you to the Port Townsend Marine Science Center Citizen Science Program 2015 for sharing these images with Microscope World.