18 research outputs found
Application of alternative fixatives to formalin in diagnostic pathology
Fixation is a critical step in the preparation of tissues for histopathology. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of different fixatives vs formalin on proteins and DNA, and to evaluate alternative fixation for morphological diagnosis and nucleic acid preservation for molecular methods. Forty tissues were fixed for 24 h with six different fixatives: the gold standard fixative formalin, the historical fixatives Bouin and Hollande, and the alternative fixatives Greenfix, UPM and CyMol. Tissues were stained (Haematoxylin-Eosin, Periodic Acid Schiff, Trichromic, Alcian-blue, High Iron Diamine stainings), and their antigenicity was determined by immunohistochemistry (performed with PAN-CK, CD31, Ki-67, S100, CD68, AML antibodies). DNA extraction, KRAS sequencing, FISH for CEP-17, and flow cytometry analysis of nuclear DNA content were applied. For cell morphology the alternative fixatives (Greenfix, UPM, CyMol) were equivalent to formalin. As expected, Hollande proved to be the best fixative for morphology. The morphology obtained with Bouin was comparable to the one with formalin. Hollande was the best fixative for histochemistry. Bouin proved to be equivalent to formalin. The alternative fixatives were equivalent to formalin, although with greater variability in haematoxylin-eosin staining. It proved the possibility to obtain immunohistochemical staining largely equivalent to that following formalin-fixation with the following fixatives: Greenfix, Hollande, UPM and CyMol. The tissues fixed in Bouin did not provide results comparable to those obtained with formalin. The DNA extracted from samples fixed with alternative fixatives was found to be suitable for molecular analysis
Analysis of the genes coding for subunit 10 and 15 of cytochrome c oxidase in Alzheimer's disease.
Decay of mitochondria and oxidative stress are
associated with normal aging, but many neurodegenerative
diseases, and particularly Alzheimer’s disease (AD), are
characterized by a significant increase in the intensity of
these traits. Recent data suggest the possible contribution
of heme deficiency to the progressive derangement of
mitochondria in AD brain; shortage of heme, and particularly
of heme-a, actually leads to loss of mitochondrial
cytochrome c oxidase (COX), abnormal production of
reactive oxygen species and altered amyloid precursor
protein metabolism. We reasoned that differences in the
amount and/or functioning of COX assembly subunit 10
(COX10) and 15 (COX15), the key enzymes involved in
heme-a biosynthesis, could be linked to variations of the
individual risk to develop AD. We analyzed their mRNA
expression in the hippocampus from AD patients and
controls, investigated the existence of nucleotide variations
in their DNA sequences and analyzed their distribution in
large groups of AD and control individuals. COX 15
mRNA was significantly more abundant in the cerebral
tissue of AD patients (3.18 ± 1.70 vs. 1.22 ± 0.66 lg,
normalized dose, P = 0.01). The IVS-178G[A SNP in
COX10 and the c1120C[T SNP in COX15 were significantly
less represented in the patient group (P\0.001
and P = 0.017, respectively) with respective odd ratios of
0.22 and 0.59, suggesting a possible protective role toward
the risk for AD
Haematobium eggs detection in human bladder cancer and sporocysts in snail vectors: four cases and a review of the Burkina Faso literature.
Schistosoma haematobium plays a central role in the development of bladder cancer in Burkina Faso. The objective of this study was to determine the presence of S. haematobium in the bladder cancer and in vector snails. For the first time, formalin-fixed tissues embedded in paraffin were analyzed by immunohistochemistry and PCR. Molecular detection has resulted in 7/7 positive bladder cancer. Finally, as the snail vectors were positive. We suggest the use of molecular methods in the snail vectors for the detection of cysts and in cancerous tissues in larger studie