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V-68 Esophagus. High power view of muscularis externa. Smooth muscle (left) and skeletal muscle (right). Skeletal muscle stains more eosinophilic, and smooth muscle more basophilic. Skeletal muscle are arranged in fibers with peripheral nuclei: nuclei appear in two parallel lines along muscle fibers. Smooth muscle present a dense concentration of nuclei. In glass slides, you must be able to see cross-striations in skeletal muscle fibers (not evident here).