[Electron-autoradiographic study of hepatic cell nuclei in chronic pathological process]

The development of a chronic pathological process in the liver induces changes in the structure and function of hepatocyte nuclei. Some of these changes, particularly an increase in the number of nucleoli, rearrangement of nucleous-associated chromatin, the appearance of ring-shaped nucleoli and intranuclear vacuoles are similar to senile changes in the nuclei. A quantitative analysis of these changes established a considerable increase in the number of ring-shaped nucleoli and intranuclear vacuoles in sick animals as compared with normal animals of any age. The number of nucleoli and nucleous-associated chromocenters also increases with the progress of the pathological process, however, it reaches the maximum level in the early stages of the process which is equal or insignificantly higher than the level in old animals, and subsequently does not change. These observations reveal a problem important for pathology, that of the existence of a limit in the development of reparative and dystrophic changes which may be attained sooner or later depending on the severity of a pathological process.