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Decay score: a guide to the immunoreactivity of human pancreatic islets in autopsy specimen
Affiliations- Department of Anatomy, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Bhubaneswar, Odisha, India
- Department of Pathology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Bhubaneswar, Odisha, India
- Department of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Bhubaneswar, Odisha, India
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Abstract
Background: The pancreas is an exo-endocrine organ that undergoes rapid autolysis soon after death, which limits its utility in academics and research. The timeline of autolytic changes of pancreatic islets and its immunoreactivity is limited in the literature. Decay score has been used to grade the autolytic changes in organs like the brain, lung and liver. However, reports are not available in the pancreas/pancreatic islets. Knowledge regarding the decay score may be used as a torchbearer for the immunoreactivity of human pancreatic islets in autopsy cases. The present study is aimed to provide an optimal cut-off time based on the decay score before which pancreatic specimens should be collected for the purpose of immunohistochemical studies (IHC) of pancreatic islets.
Materials and methods: Serial sections of 20 adult human pancreases obtained from the autopsy were subjected to haematoxylin and eosin (H&E) and immunohistochemical staining. Autolytic changes of pancreatic islets were graded by using decay score in H&E sections, which was compared with the results of the immunohistochemical reactivity of pancreatic islets in IHC sections.
Results and Conclusions: Pancreatic islets immunoreactivity was found to be well preserved in the samples collected early within 9 hours with a decay score of less than 1.4. There was an inverse relation of decay score and immunoreactivity of pancreatic islets. The decay score of less than 1.4 has better-preserved immunoreactivity than having more than 1.4. This knowledge will help researchers working in the field of the endocrine pancreas.
Abstract
Background: The pancreas is an exo-endocrine organ that undergoes rapid autolysis soon after death, which limits its utility in academics and research. The timeline of autolytic changes of pancreatic islets and its immunoreactivity is limited in the literature. Decay score has been used to grade the autolytic changes in organs like the brain, lung and liver. However, reports are not available in the pancreas/pancreatic islets. Knowledge regarding the decay score may be used as a torchbearer for the immunoreactivity of human pancreatic islets in autopsy cases. The present study is aimed to provide an optimal cut-off time based on the decay score before which pancreatic specimens should be collected for the purpose of immunohistochemical studies (IHC) of pancreatic islets.
Materials and methods: Serial sections of 20 adult human pancreases obtained from the autopsy were subjected to haematoxylin and eosin (H&E) and immunohistochemical staining. Autolytic changes of pancreatic islets were graded by using decay score in H&E sections, which was compared with the results of the immunohistochemical reactivity of pancreatic islets in IHC sections.
Results and Conclusions: Pancreatic islets immunoreactivity was found to be well preserved in the samples collected early within 9 hours with a decay score of less than 1.4. There was an inverse relation of decay score and immunoreactivity of pancreatic islets. The decay score of less than 1.4 has better-preserved immunoreactivity than having more than 1.4. This knowledge will help researchers working in the field of the endocrine pancreas.
Keywords
autolysis, pancreatic islets, immunohistochemistry, decay score, human pancreas
About this articleTitle
Decay score: a guide to the immunoreactivity of human pancreatic islets in autopsy specimen
Journal
Issue
Article type
Original article
Pages
101-106
Published online
2021-01-22
Page views
968
Article views/downloads
492
DOI
10.5603/FM.a2021.0002
Pubmed
Bibliographic record
Folia Morphol 2022;81(1):101-106.
Keywords
autolysis
pancreatic islets
immunohistochemistry
decay score
human pancreas
Authors
P. K. Ravi
S. Purkait
S. R. Singh
P. R. Mishra
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