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In osteology, the osteon or haversian system (/ h ə ˈ v ɜːr. ʒ ən /; named for Clopton Havers) is the fundamental functional unit of much compact bone. Osteons are roughly cylindrical structures that are typically between 0.25 mm and 0.35 mm in diameter . [ 1 ]
The cell body varies in size from 5–20 micrometers in diameter and contain 40–60 cell processes per cell, [4] with a cell to cell distance between 20–30 micrometers. [3] A mature osteocyte contains a single nucleus that is located toward the vascular side and has one or two nucleoli and a membrane. [ 5 ]
A bone is a rigid organ [1] that constitutes part of the skeleton in most vertebrate animals. Bones protect the various other organs of the body, produce red and white blood cells, store minerals, provide structure and support for the body, and enable mobility.
In an ordinary microscopic section, viewed by transmitted light, they appear as fusiform opaque spots. Each lacuna is occupied during life by a branched cell, termed an osteocyte, bone-cell or bone-corpuscle. Lacunae are connected to one another by small canals called canaliculi. A lacuna never contains more than one osteocyte.
Materials picked up by osteocytes adjacent to blood vessels are distributed throughout the bone matrix via the canaliculi. Diameter of canaliculi in human bone is approximately 200 to 900 nm. [ 1 ] In bovine tibia diameter of canaliculi was found to vary from 155 to 844 nm (average 426 nm). [ 2 ]
Components that are essential for osteoblast bone formation include mesenchymal stem cells (osteoblast precursor) and blood vessels that supply oxygen and nutrients for bone formation. Bone is a highly vascular tissue, and active formation of blood vessel cells, also from mesenchymal stem cells, is essential to support the metabolic activity of ...
About 99% of the mass of the human body is made up of six elements: oxygen, carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, calcium, and phosphorus. Only about 0.85% is composed of another five elements: potassium, sulfur, sodium, chlorine, and magnesium. All 11 are necessary for life.
The periosteum is a membrane that covers the outer surface of all bones, [1] except at the articular surfaces (i.e. the parts within a joint space) of long bones. (At the joints of long bones the bone's outer surface is lined with "articular cartilage", a type of hyaline cartilage.)