Non-Alcoholic Fatty Pancreas Disease is Associated with SYNTAX Score in Acute Coronary Syndrome.

Background: Evidence that individuals with excess fat in the pancreas have an increased risk of cardiovascular disease has been growing recently. Risk evaluation in acute coronary syndrome (ACS) patients plays a crucial role for both prognosis prediction and decision-making. Aim: The main aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between non-alcoholic fatty pancreas disease (NAFPD) and the complexity and severity of coronary artery disease as assessed using the SYNTAX score (SXscore) in ACS patients. Methods: A total of 99 consecutive patients with a first-time diagnosis of ACS were recruited. NAFPD was evaluated using transabdominal ultrasonography (TUS). SXscore was calculated using the SXscore algorithm. Results: The patients with NAFPD had a significantly higher SXscore than those without NAFPD (12.3 ± 6.4 and 8.2 ± 4.3, p < 0.001). Univariable analysis showed that hypertension (p = 0.033) and presence of NAFPD (p = 0.001) were associated with increased SXscore. Moreover, multivariable analysis showed that the presence of NAFPD (p = 0.002) was associated with increased SXscore. Conclusions: NAFPD is easily detected by TUS. The presence of NAFPD in ACS patients may be a warning signal of complexity and severity of coronary artery disease.

A simple and rapid microwave-assisted hematoxylin and eosin staining method using 1,1,1 trichloroethane as a dewaxing and a clearing agent.

The use and practicability of microwave-assisted staining procedures in routine histopathology has been well established for more than 17 years. In the study reported here, we aimed to examine an alternative approach that would shorten the duration of dewaxing and clearing steps of hematoxylin and eosin (H & E) staining of paraffin sections by using a microwave oven. Although xylene is one of the most popular dewaxing and clearing agents, its flammability restricts its use in a microwave oven; thus we preferred 1,1,1 trichloroethane, which is not flammable, as the dewaxing and clearing agent in the present study. In Group I and Group II (control groups), intestine was processed with xylene and 1,1,1 trichloroethane, respectively. The sections were then stained with H & E according to the conventional staining protocol at room temperature and subdivided into two groups according to the duration of dewaxing and clearing in xylene. In Groups III and IV (experimental groups) similar tissues were processed with xylene and 1,1,1 trichloroethane, respectively; however, sections from these groups were divided into four subgroups to study the period required for dewaxing and clearing in 1,1,1 trichloroethane, then stained with H & E in the microwave oven at 360 W for 30 sec. Our conventional H & E staining procedure, which includes dewaxing, staining and clearing of sections, requires approximately 90 min, while our method using 1,1,1 trichloroethane and microwave heating required only 2 min. Our alternative method for H & E staining not only reduced the procedure time significantly, but also yielded staining quality equal or superior to those stained the conventional way. Our results suggest that 1,1,1 trichloroethane can be used effectively and safely as a dewaxing and clearing agent for H & E staining in a microwave oven.

A comparison of microwave heating and proteolytic pretreatment antigen retrieval techniques in formalin fixed, paraffin embedded tissues.

Antigen retrieval (AR) is a technique that re-exposes epitopes in formalin fixed, paraffin embedded sections and makes them detectable by immunohistochemistry. We compared the effects of two AR procedures, enzyme digestion and microwave heating, on immunostaining of vimentin and desmin in formalin fixed, paraffin embedded tissues. Our results showed that AR is necessary for vimentin and desmin immunostaining in tissues fixed in formalin for more than 48 h. With prolonged fixation times, microwave heating showed better results than enzyme digestion for AR. The same results were obtained using 1% zinc sulfate or Citra Plus solution as retrieval solutions for microwave heating. We recommend microwave heating for AR, because it is easier to use and produces better results compared to enzyme treatment.

Rapid polymerisation with microwave irradiation for transmission electron microscopy.

Successful results of microwave polymerisation of different epoxy formulations have been reported in the literature. The present study was intended to shorten the time needed for polymerisation of epoxy resin by the use of a microwave technique. A standard double fixation and tissue processing was applied to samples of rat kidney tissue. Tissue samples from the control group were polymerised in a conventional oven at 60 degrees C for 48 h, while tissue from the experimental group was irradiated in a microwave oven, initially at 900 W for 10 min and then at 360 W for another 100 min. During this irradiation, the sealed BEEM capsules were submerged in a water bath, so that the temperature rise was uniform and constant. This resulted in a homogeneous and rapid polymerisation. The cutting properties of the blocks in both groups were similar and no noticeable difference in the quality of the sections was evident when evaluated with TEM. The results showed that the use of a microwave oven reduced the time needed for the polymerisation of Epon blocks without any loss in quality.

Rapid Bielschowsky silver impregnation method using microwave heating.

The Bielschowsky silver impregnation method has been used extensively to demonstrate neuronal processes including dendrites, axons and neurofibrils. In this study, we examined the differences in the time required for and the staining quality of the Bielschowsky method for neuronal processes when microwave heating was used instead of processing at room temperature. For this purpose, a control group of sections stained according to the conventional method at room temperature was compared to an experimental group stained in a microwave oven at 180 W for 2, 4 and 1 min in 2% silver nitrate, ammoniacal silver nitrate and gold chloride, respectively. Light microscopic examination demonstrated that the normal structure was preserved in both groups and that there was no difference in the staining quality between the control and the microwave groups. In addition, staining time for this procedure was reduced to 8 min by using the microwave oven. Our study revealed that microwave irradiation can be used safely for Bielschowsky silver impregnation of neuronal tissues.

Effects of microwave irradiation and chemical fixation on the localization of perisinusoidal cells in rat liver by gold impregnation.

Modified gold impregnation is one of the methods that are used in light microscopical demonstration of hepatic perisinusoidal cells. This method has some disadvantages, such as restriction of fixation time to 16 h, which allows limited time for processing the tissues, especially when dealing with a large amount of material, and a long impregnation time (16-24 h). We investigated the effect of prolonged fixation on the staining of sections, to shorten the time needed for gold impregnation by using microwave irradiation. Liver specimens were fixed in Baker's calcium-formalin for different periods of time. After fixation, frozen sections were impregnated in gold chloride solution either at room temperature or in a microwave oven. The staining quality of the sections which had been impregnated in the microwave oven for a much shorter time were equal to or even superior to the ones impregnated at room temperature. Prolonging the fixation time up to 7 days did not affect the staining results by microwave irradiation, whereas satisfactory results were not obtained from sections stained at room temperature and fixed for more than 3 days. We conclude that microwave irradiation can be used to shorten the impregnation time in gold chloride solution and the duration of fixation can be prolonged up to 3 days in the original method and up to 7 days when microwave irradiation is used during impregnation.

Long-term outcome of the fetal adrenal gland transplantation in rats.

Three experimental groups have been constructed to evaluate the long-term outcome of fetal adrenal transplantation in rats. In Group 1 (n = 10), rats underwent bilateral adrenalectomy. In Group 2 (n = 10), rats underwent a sham procedure which included flank incision and arterial canulization. In Group 3 (n = 20), a left adrenalectomy was performed followed immediately by transplantation of a fetal adrenal graft into the greater omentum and marked with a prolene suture (Stage 1). One year later, the right adrenal gland of the recipient was removed followed by a determination of the fetal adrenal graft function (Stage 2). Graft function was evaluated by measuring ACTH and corticosterone levels; and a histologic examination of the transplanted fetal adrenal gland was obtained at autopsy. In Group 1, all the rats died within first 8 hours, following bilateral adrenalectomy. In Group 2, and Group 3, all rats survived after Stage 1 operation. During the Stage 2 operation, it was observed that three rats (15%) had neither fetal adrenal transplant nor prolene suture, seven rats (35%) had a well vascularized and developed fetal adrenal graft and a prolene suture. There was no visible fetal adrenal graft but the prolene suture was present in the remaining rats (50%) in Group 3. After removal of the right adrenal gland (6 and 12 hours later), the mean plasma level of ACTH increased with a decline in mean serum corticosterone level in Group 3 compared to the sham-operated animals (p < 0.001). In spite of visible, and viable transplants, all rats died within 48 hours following Stage 2 operation. The mean weight of the fetal adrenal transplant showed a sixteen-fold increase compared to the initial weight (p < 0.001) and histologic examination showed all 3 zones of adrenal cortex, but there were no medullary cells noted. Although the transplanted fetal adrenal grafts survived, their hormonal function was not enough to maintain host viability. Based on these results it is concluded that, insufficiency of the transplanted fetal adrenal gland may be secondary to either graft rejection or suppression of the transplanted tissue by the functional recipient adrenal despite the fetal adrenal transplant survival.

Rapid staining of ultrathin sections with the use of a microwave oven.

The microwave oven has many potential applications, ranging from tissue fixation to staining for light and electron microscopy. This study was planned to speed up the staining of ultrathin sections. The first set of grids was stained conventionally with uranyl acetate and Reynold's lead citrate solutions. The other grids were stained with the same solutions by microwave irradiation. The electron micrographs of grids stained using the microwave technique were as satisfactory as the grids stained conventionally. Microwave-treated grids demonstrated more uniform staining and less precipitate. The use of a microwave oven shortened staining time by approximately 38 min.

Microwave fixation of whole fetal specimens.

This study compares microwave fixation of whole fetal specimens with conventional techniques performed at room temperature. All fetuses were obtained from the same pregnant rat; half of them were placed in neutral formalin for 15 min at room temperature, then irradiated for 2.5 min in a domestic microwave oven. The remaining fetuses were placed in neutral formalin at room temperature for 48 hr as a control. Both experimental and control groups were exposed to routine tissue processing for light microscopy and embedded in paraffin wax. Sections 5 microns thick were stained with hematoxylin and eosin. Our results showed that the microwave technique reduced the fixation time while providing thin sections that were equal to or better in quality than those in the control group.

Morphological and physiological findings of fetal adrenal grafts in rats who underwent bilateral staged adrenalectomy.

Earlier studies have shown successful transplantation of fetal grafts into the greater omentum of rats. This report evaluates the effects of fetal adrenal glands in adult rats, who underwent bilateral staged adrenalectomy. At first we carried out a preliminary study to investigate the outcome of bilateral adrenalectomy: There were three groups each consisting of 10 rats. In Group 1 we performed bilateral adrenalectomy, and all rats died postoperatively within 8 hours. In Group 2 the rats underwent sham procedure, and only one rat died. Group 3 was for control and all rats survived. After the preliminary study we constructed a 4th group (Tx group) with 20 rats. We performed a left adrenalectomy and immediately transplanted fetal adrenal glands into the greater omentum (stage 1). All animals survived the operation. After 6 weeks we did a second laparotomy and excised the right adrenal gland (stage 2). All of rats from Group 4 compared to Group 1 did not die postoperatively within 8 hours. 6 rats survived staged bilateral adrenalectomy with fetal grafts. Histologic investigation of fetal grafts revealed well developed cortex containing all three layers, but we could not find any medullary cells. In view of these findings we speculate that the fetal adrenal grafts have functioned in this model.