Evidence map›Paper›PMID 20600319›Full record

ArticleJournal of neuroscience methods2010

Identification of neuromuscular junctions by correlative confocal and transmission electron microscopy.

Shannon Modla, Janet Mendonca, Kirk J Czymmek, Robert E Akins

Abstract readComparative Study
In one paragraph

Article in Journal of neuroscience methods, 2010. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 7 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
7citing papers in PubMed
0.6field-weighted citation impact, top 38% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

7 citing papers in PubMed, 24 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Review
  2. Junctions in Jeopardy: the neuromuscular junction is a selective pathological target in Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease.Mammalian genome : official journal of the International Mammalian Genome Society · 2026
    Review
  3. Article
  4. Article
  5. Correlative fluorescence and electron microscopy.Current protocols in cytometry · 2014
    Review
  6. Article
  7. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

4 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.

Shannon ModlaDelaware Biotechnology Institute Bio-Imaging Center, University of Delaware, 15 Innovation Way, Suite 117, Newark, DE 19711, USA.
Janet Mendonca
Kirk J Czymmek
Robert E Akins
University of Delaware · USBiotechnology Institute · USCommunity Health Systems - Dupont Hospital · US

Funding

VOLUMETRIC BREAST DENSITY ESTIMATION USING BREAST SURFACE RECONSTRUCTEDP20RR016472 · NCRR · UNIVERSITY OF DELAWARE · PI STANHOPE, STEVEN J. · 2001 to 2011
$37.6M
Development of neuromuscular junctions in children with cerebral palsyR03HD051738 · NICHD · NEMOURS CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL, DELAWARE · PI AKINS, ROBERT E · 2007 to 2008
$126k
NCRR NIH HHS P20 RR016472NICHD NIH HHS HD051738NICHD NIH HHS R03 HD051738
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

The physiological processes regulating neuromuscular transmission are highly dependent on the structural features of the motor neuron and motor endplate, and detailing the structure of neuromuscular junctions (NMJs) in muscle biopsies is a powerful method for research and diagnostics. The observation of NMJ ultrastructure, however, is complicated by the difficulty in locating NMJs for analysis by electron microscopy. Consequently, a correlative confocal-transmission electron microscopy method was developed. Fixed muscle samples were cryo-protected in sucrose, sectioned on a cryostat, and stained with fluorescent alpha-bungarotoxin for confocal microscopy. Sections containing junctions were mapped and then processed for transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Cryostat sections allowed large expanses of muscle tissue to be rapidly screened and enabled specific junctions to be targeted for TEM. The morphology of the junctions was well preserved with all essential features of the pre- and postsynaptic elements readily identifiable without freeze damage. Unlike NMJ correlative methods using histochemical stains and DAB photo-oxidation, no electron dense precipitate was deposited over the NMJ, enabling an unobstructed view of the pre- and postsynaptic structures.

Indexed as

AnimalsBungarotoxinsCryopreservationFemaleFluorescent DyesHumansMicroscopy, ConfocalMicroscopy, Electron, TransmissionMicrotomyMuscle, SkeletalNeuromuscular JunctionPostmortem ChangesRatsStaining and LabelingTissue FixationBungarotoxinsFluorescent Dyes

Identifiers

PMID20600319
PMCPMC3144377
OpenAlexW2078115287

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceTDM
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.