Histological Characteristics of Bruises with Different Age.

BACKGROUND: In forensics bruises as injuries take an important part in the interpretation of the causes of death. Since activating the inflammatory response of the body in their formation, histological analysis of the bruised tissue can provide data on the determination the time when the injury occurred. AIM: The aim of this study is to compare the histological features of 1-day and 5-days old bruises. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Bruised human skin samples, 1-day old in group A and 5-day-old in group B, obtained at autopsy from individuals who died from a violent death, were analyzed in this study. The qualitative microscopic analysis was performed on serial paraffin sections of tissues stained with Hematoxylin-eosin and Pearls Prussian Blue method, using a light microscope connected to a digital camera. RESULTS: Qualitative histological analysis of the studied group A presented with fresh bruises, less than 24 hours old, showed ruptured smaller vessels and extravasated red blood cells in the connective tissue of the skin, with subsequent expansion and infiltration of fibrous septa of the skin. In the area of bleeding an initial infiltration by macrophages was observed. In the studied group B, presented with bruises 3-7 days old, histological analysis showed a marked presence of hemosiderin-laden macrophages and presence of hematoidin granules in the area of bleeding, as well as ruptured small blood vessels and red blood cells extravasation in the dilated fibrous septa. CONCLUSION: A detailed analysis of tissue changes in bruises every day from the initiation until their recovery, a detailed description of the histological finding can be given, which will be supported in the precise determination of the age of the injuries themselves.

Changes of Spleen in Wistar Rats Exposed to Therapeutic Doses of Dexamethasone and Medroxyprogesterone Acetate Evaluated by Stereological Parameters.

The aim of our investigation was to evaluate the immunosuppressive effect of medroxyprogesterone acetate (MPA) determining the volume densities of the structural components of the spleen. The volume densities of the same structural components of spleen were determined after administration of dexamethasone too, in order to see whether the morphological changes induced by MPA are in the same line with the changes caused by dexamethasone. 60 female Wistar rats were divided into 5 groups. The control group of rats was administered physiological solution. The remaining, 4 experimental groups were administered: dexamethasone at a therapeutic daily dose of 0.6 mg/kg bw and maximal therapeutic dose of 3 mg/kg bw, and MPA at a therapeutic dose of 30 mg/kg bw and maximal therapeutic dose of 150 mg/kg bw. The drugs were applied intramuscularly for 7 days. Spleen paraffin sections were stained according to the methods: hematoxylin-eosin, Masson and Elastica van-Gieson. Stereological measurements were performed by using the Weibl's multipurpose test system (M-42). The histological analyses of the structural components of the spleen in rats treated with dexamethasone and MPA have shown reduction of the white pulp and the marginal zone and an apparent decrease of the cellular density of the lymphocyte component of the pulp. The stereological analysis of the spleen showed significant decrease of the splenic pulp volume density and significant increase of the connective tissue volume density. Reducing the presence of splenic pulp was mainly due to the decrease in the volume density of all structural components of the white pulp. Changes were observed in all drug treated groups of rats. Our results have shown that the MPA provoked changes suggested atrophy of the spleen lymphoid tissue. Although the atrophic changes of the spleen were significant after the application of both dexamethasone and MPA, the white pulp was significantly more sensitive substrate for dexamethasone than for the MPA.

Histological structure of the thyroid gland in apolipoprotein E deficient female mice after levothyroxine application.

The aim of this study was to determine the histological characteristics of the thyroid gland in ApoE KO-/- mice following the application of levothyroxine (l-thyroxine). A total of 12 female ApoE KO-/- mice were divided into two groups. A control group of mice received distilled water and the experimental group received l-thyroxine dissolved in drinking water at a daily dose of 2 µg/ml, over 12 weeks. The paraffin sections were processed with the usual haematoxilin-eosin technique of staining. Qualitative histological analysis demonstrated: the presence of large distended follicles in the peripheral areas of the gland; fulfillment of the lumen of follicles with an ample amount of colloid; complete absence of resorptive vacuoles in the colloid; a flattened follicullar epithelium. Morphometric assessment showed a significant increase in the diameters of follicles in the peripheral areas of the gland and a significant decrease in the height of the follicullar epithelium (p<0,001). Our results demonstrated that l-thyroxine causes characteristic morphological changes in the structure of the thyroid gland in the direction of the occurrence of hyperthyroidism.