For apoptotic cell death, the late changes of significant margination and
formation of apoptotic bodies can also be assessed in tissue with less perfect
ultrastructural preservation. This is the typical case for human tissue, particularly
from the central nervous system. One can assess nuclear morphology
in such samples and the relative degree of cytoplasmic swelling or
condensation and preservation of organelles.
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More advanced changes are illustrated for apoptotic cells from autopsy
samples from frontal cortex of a patient with late infantile neuronal ceroid
lipofuscinosis (Figure 9.5A,B) and from cerebellum of a patient with Batten’s
disease or juvenile neuronal ceroid lipofuscinosis (JNCL) (Figure 9.5C,D).
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