[Morphological features of jaw osteonecroses in injectable drug abuse]. / Morfologicheskie osobennosti osteonekroza chelyustei pri in"ektsionnoi narkomanii.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the characteristic features in the structure of jaw bone sections in patients with jaw osteonecrosis caused by the use of homemade methamphetamine (HM) synthesized by the Nagai method. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The investigation material was jaw sequesters and resected sections in 60 patients, which had been taken during sanitizing surgery for chronic odontogenic osteomyelitis (Group 1, n=30, a comparison group) and jaw osteonecrosis (Group 2, n=30). All the patients in Group 2 confirmed that they had been using HM for at least 2 years. The investigation material was selected only from the patients who had not been found to have congenital or acquired immunodeficiencies or multiple organ failure phenomena. The material was fixed according to the standard procedure; the sections obtained were stained with hematoxylin and eosin and Masson-Goldner. Morphometry used the indicators proposed by the American Society of Bone and Mineral Research Histomorphometry Nomenclature Committee, as well as 6 author parameters. The findings of the investigation were statistically processed using the Statistica 10.0 program (StatSoft, USA) by the nonparametric Mann-Whitney test. RESULTS: The histoarchitectonics of the mandible bone matrix represented a destructured devitalized tissue complex on the mandibular microspecimens taken from a group of patients with chronic odontogenic osteomyelitis of the jaws. The state of the bone matrix was characterized by the atypical rearrangement with the phenomena of sclerosis, the signs of primary aseptic inflammation with toxic vasculopathy and fibrinoid necrosis, as well as those of secondary pyonecrotic inflammation on the mandibular microspecimens taken in the HM group. CONCLUSION: The characteristic morphological pattern of jaw osteonecrotic injuries in persons with HM-induced drug abuse is the simultaneous identification of two types of lesions: a primary lesion as aseptic ossifying osteitis and a secondary lesion as pyonecrotic inflammation. The phenomena of toxic vasculopathy and fibrinoid osteonecrosis can serve as one of the criteria confirming the active regular intake of HM.

[Decalcification in histology laboratory techniques].

The paper describes a decalcification procedure that may be used in any histology laboratory handling bone samples for general and special purposes. It discusses the advantages and disadvantages of the major types of decalcifying agents, the principles of their choice for different types of objects, and the methods for determining the endpoint of decalcification.

[The first experience of external quality control of immunohistochemical studies in the diagnosis of lymphoproliferative diseases].

The paper presents the results of estimating the quality of immunohistochemical (IHC) staining in 36 pathologic laboratories of the Russian Federation. The results of IHC stains were assessed in 17 markers (CD3, CD5, CDIO, CD15, CD20, CD23, CD30, Bcl2, Bcl6, Pax5, TdT, Mum1, Cyclin D1, Ki-67, Kappa, Lambda, ALK), which are frequently used in the diagnosis of lymphoproliferative diseases, in the sections of specially formed tissue matrices. The study conducted in most participating laboratories has revealed the considerable IHC staining technology flaws that can critically affect the quality of diagnosis of lymphoproliferative diseases; the diagnostic capacities of some participating laboratories are inconsistent with the solved problems for a number of key antibodies being unavailable.

[Complete elimination of xylene in practice of a histology laboratory].

In the 1970s xylene was proven to be toxic to histology laboratory staff and its substitutes became available, many of which were no less so. Isopropanol (2-propanol) alone or mixed with molten paraffin is a technically suitable and cost-effective xylene substitute for tissue processing over many years. In this study, we demonstrate that mixtures of 5:1 and 2:1 isopropanol and mineral oil, followed by undiluted mineral oil (at 50 degrees C), are a gentler, safer and cheaper substitute than xylene. This tissue processing is now the method of choice in 3 Russian histology laboratories. The tissues processed in this fashion are suitable for many special procedures. The use of a dishwasher soap aqueous solution at 90 degrees C to dewax sections before staining and oven drying prior to coverslipping will eliminate xylene from the staining process. Tissue processors retorts, conduits, and other tools may be dewaxed with a 2% solution of a strong glassware laboratory detergent. These 4 methodologies make a histology laboratory free from xylene but, due to the natural resistance to changes, many histotechicians will be reluctant to adopt them, if they think that their technical expertise could be jeopardized. The only way these changes will succeed is if the pathologists who determine the use of these methods in histology laboratories.