A postmortem study on the volume of the human adrenal glands.

Objective: A Cross-sectional descriptive type of study was done in the Department of Anatomy, Dhaka Medical College, Dhaka, from July 2008 to June 2009, to see the variation in the volume of the adrenal glands with age in Bangladeshi people. Materials & Methods: The study was performed on 140 post mortem human adrenal glands collected from 70 unclaimed dead bodies which were in the morgue under examination in the Department of Forensic Medicine, Dhaka Medical College, Dhaka. The samples were divided into four age-groups including group A (11-20 years), group B (21-30 years), group C (31-40 years) & group D (41-60 years). The length, breadth and thickness of each adrenal gland were measured by using a slide calipers. Then the volume of each adrenal gland was determined by the product of its length, breadth and thickness multiplied by 0.52, according to the prolate ellipsoid formula. Results: The mean volume of the right adrenal glands were found 6.36±0.85 cm3 in group A (11-20 years), 6.49±0.76 cm3 in group B (21-30 years), 6.50±0.80 cm3 in group C (31-40 years), 6.76±0.79 cm3 in group D (41-60 years). The mean volume of the left adrenal glands were found 6.97±1.02 cm3 in group A (11-20 years),6.93 ±0.83 cm3 in group B (21-30 years), 6.65±0.79 cm3 in group C (31- 40 years), 7.09±0.81 cm3 in group D (41-60 years). The differences between the right and left adrenal glands and the difference between age groups were not statistically significant.

Histomorphometric study of the human spleen.

Context: The spleen is the largest single mass of lymphoid tissue in all vertebrates. Histological changes are evident in advancing age along with functional capability of the human spleen. A cross-sectional, descriptive type of study was done in the Department of Anatomy, Dhaka Medical College, Dhaka, from January to December 2008, to see the age related microscopic changes in the human spleen. Methods: 30 human spleens were collected from the unclaimed dead bodies that were under examination in the Department of Forensic Medicine of Dhaka Medical College, Dhaka. The samples were divided into three age-groups including group A (15-29 years), group B (30-49 years) & group C (50-69 years). Then 5 best prepared histological slides from each group were taken and examined under the light compound microscope to determine the thickness of capsule, diameter, number and percent amount of white pulp in the human spleen. Results: The thickness of the splenic capsule were found 84.60±7.97 ?m, 117.92±4.16 ?m, and 132.17±6.37 ?m in group A, B and C respectively. The diameter of the white pulp were found 0.32±0.01 mm, 0.32±0.01 mm and 0.31±0.01 mm, while the number of white pulp per sq. mm were 2.28±1.04, 2.38±0.93 and 2.04±0.76 in group A, B and C respectively. Moreover, the amounts of the white pulp were determined 23.09±1.38, 24.45±1.84 and 22.54±1.08 in group A, B and C respectively. The difference in thickness of the splenic capsule was statistically significant among the study groups (p<0.001). However, no difference was found in diameter, number and percentage of the white pulp of the spleen among those age groups. Conclusion: The thickness of the capsule of the spleen was found to increase with advancing age in humans. However, no age change was evident in diameter, number or amount of the white pulp.

A postmortem study on the weight of the human adrenal glands.

Objective: A cross-sectional descriptive type of study was designed to find out the difference in weight of the right and left adrenal glands of Bangladeshi people in relation to age and to compare with the previous studies. Materials & Methods: The study was done in the Department of Anatomy, Dhaka Medical College, Dhaka from July 2008 to June 2009 and performed on 140 post mortem human adrenal glands collected from 70 unclaimed dead bodies which were in the morgue under examination in the Department of Forensic Medicine, Dhaka Medical College, Dhaka. The samples were divided into four age-groups including group A (11-20 years), group B (21-30 years), group C (31-40 years) & group D (41-60 years) and the weight of the adrenal glands were measured and recorded. Results: There was no difference found in weight in between the right and the left adrenal glands in any age group. For the right adrenal gland, the differences in weight between group A & group B and group A & group D were statistically significant (p<0.05). For the left adrenal gland, the differences in weight between group A & group D and group C & group D were statistically significant (p<0.05).

Weight of the Human Thyroid Gland – A Postmortem Study.

Context: A cross-sectional study was designed to find out the difference in weight of the thyroid gland of Bangladeshi people in relation to age and sex and to compare with previous local and foreign studies. Materials & Methods: The present study was performed on 60 post mortem human thyroid gland (39 of male and 21 of female) collected from unclaimed dead bodies which were in the morgue under examination in the Department of Forensic Medicine, Dhaka Medical College, Dhaka. The samples were divided into three age-groups including Group A (10-20 years), Group B (21-50 years) & Group C (>50 years) and the weight of the thyroid glands were measured and recorded. Results: The mean weight of the thyroid gland in male was 15.14 gm, 19.20 gm and 14.64 gm and in female was 16.02 gm, 19.03 gm and 14.67 gm in group A, B and C respectively. The mean weight of the thyroid gland was 15.48 gm in group A, 19.15 gm in group B and 14.65 gm in group C. There was no difference in mean weight of the thyroid gland between male and female. The difference in mean weight of the thyroid gland between group A & group B and group B & group C were found statistically significant. The weight of the gland was found to increase from early childhood and puberty up to 50 years of age and then decrease.

Thyroid Follicles and Parenchyma are Found to Increase with Advancing age during the first 50 years of life in Bangladeshi People.

Background: The structural components of the thyroid gland are very much responsive to many types of stimuli and their adaptation is evident in histological studies. The thyroid follicles change their size and shape with the physiological alterations and pathological deviations. Objective: To observe the histological changes of the thyroid gland with advancing age in Bangladeshi people. Methods: This cross-sectional study was carried out in the Department of Anatomy, Dhaka Medical College, Dhaka from January to December 2008. The present study was performed on 60 post mortem human thyroid gland (39 of male and 21 of female) collected from unclaimed dead bodies which were in the morgue under examination in the Department of Forensic Medicine, Dhaka Medical College, Dhaka. The samples were divided into three age-groups including Group A (10 – 20 years), Group B (21 – 50 years) & Group C (> 50 years) and the glands were studied histologically including number and average diameter of the thyroid follicles, percentage proportion of the parenchyma and stroma. Results and conclusion: All the histological values of the thyroid gland studied i.e. number and average diameter of the thyroid follicles and percentage of the parenchyma, are found to increase with advancing age during the first 50 years of life and later decrease.