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Filament Information and Courses from MediaLab, Inc.

These are the MediaLab courses that cover Filament and links to relevant pages within the course.

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Normal Peripheral Blood Cells
Which of the following phrases best describes a segmented neutrophil?View Page
A filament is a coarse thick structure.View Page
Differentiating Bands from Segs

When viewing a confusing cell, it is helpful to focus through several planes, taking special note of overall chromatin structure, appearance or presence of any filaments, and general cytoplasmic characteristics.For example, here we see a neutrophilic cell that is folded over itself making exact identification difficult.However, due to the thickness of the nucleus and the absence of a filament, we would classify it as a band.

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Definition of a Band Cell

Any cell of the granulocytic series which has a nucleus that could be described as a curved or coiled band, no matter how marked the indentation, if it does not completely segment the nucleus into lobes connected by a filament, is considered a band form.It is differentiated from the segmented neutrophil by having no indentation which could be described as a filament.

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Definition of a Segmented Cell

Any cell containing specific granules in which the lobes of the nucleus are connected by a filament is considered a segmented cell.A filament is defined as a thread-like structure.Since at times, in viewing a three dimensional object from one direction it is impossible to be certain whether two parts of the nucleus are connected by a filament or band, it is suggested that such cells always be placed in the segmented category, since this is the more differentiated and more common cell.

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Nucleus of the Segmented Neutrophil

The nucleus is a deep reddish-purple color, and the chromatin has a coarse, clumped texture.The seg nucleus normally has from 2-5 lobes, with an average of 3.The lobes are connected to each other by a fine filament or strand of nuclear membrane.A filament has been defined as a thread-like strip which is so narrow that there is no visible nuclear material between the two sides.

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Reading Gram Stained Direct Smears
Fungal hyphae

Tubular filaments of fungi called hyphae may also be seen in a direct smear. Hyphae stain Gram positive and may branch or intertwine. Parasites can also be identified with the Gram stain, although it is not as sensitive as the special stains used for parasites. The Gram stain reaction and appearance can be used to identify most cellular material seen in a direct smear. The crystal violet may precipitate and can be seen on the slide. If the stain has precipitated, it must be refiltered before use.

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