Histopathology The Process of Microscopic Examination of Biological T

Question: What is the Histopathology? Explain the process of microscopic examination of biological tissue. Answer: Histopathology is the process of microscopic examination of biological tissue to observe the appearance of diseases cells and tissues in the body. It gives an idea about the pathophysiology of the illness. In the field of clinical medicine, it mainly refers to the monitoring of a biopsy and surgical specimen. The pathologist examines it after placing histological sections on glass slides. As histopathology provides detailed information of tissues microscopically, it has become a primary diagnostic tool in the laboratory. Histopathological examinations are closely linked to patient history, clinical examination, etc. to confirm the final diagnosis of disease. Histopathological examination is mainly done by special stain, IHC, ISH, etc. Histological examination is extremely useful in the clinical diagnosis and management of chronic diseases like cancer, AIDS, etc. Careful examination of histological specimen helps in the effective treatment of cancer. So its is crucial for the pathologist to be extremely cautious while collecting and handling such tissue samples. It is also necessary to preserve such samples so that it can be utilized for future studies too. They should also take care to preserve it in as lively manner as possible. Any negligence, in this case, will lead to uncertain and unspecified results (3). The specimen is examined in the laboratory through the various process starting with fixation of tissues on glass slides. The advantage of fixation is that it preserves the morphological structure of the tissue along with other organelles present on the surface and within the cells. These biological tissues can be further examined by techniques like IHC. Skin is magnificent structure to examine. It has the tendency to get damaged quickly because it is the first structure for the entry point in the body and first line of defence. That is why skin diseases cases are prevalent. There are about 3000 varieties of skin diseases. The disease related to cosmetic disfiguring lead to extreme discomfort, pain and disability. Most skin diseases are not life-threatening, but the burden of illness is high as it affects health status and lifestyle. An example of this kind of diseases is atopic eczema, vitiligo, psoriasis, etc. There are also certain skin diseases which have life-threatening consequences like skin cancers and malignant melanoma. This kind of diseases ultimately leads to mortality and so it has a great burden on patients and family members. The aim of this study is to observe anomalies within tissue section microscopically. The purpose is to understand the relation between diagnostic results and microscopic features of tissue (6). The report will support identified abnormalities by specialized staining techniques. The different staining methods are as follows: Tissues are monitored by examining H E section. The abnormal histological features seen through these sections are inflammation of tissues, multiplication of basaloid cells till the epidermis, lymphoid infiltration bands under the surface of the epidermis and tiny basoloid nest within the layers of the epidermis (5). Gram staining is a traditional method to detect the presence of gram positive or gram negative bacteria in smears. Gram stain is a microorganism stain that tells whether the bacteria are gram positive or gram negative. A gram positive bacteria is stained by crystal violet stain and gram-negative bacteria are stained by pink colour stain called Safranin. In our study gram, staining gave a negative result. GMS is the type of stain fungi and components like glycogen and mucin. These components of fungi are identified by the black color of the cell after the GMS staining. In our study, GMS staining gave negative results thereby confirming that fungal infection is not present (1). PAS or Periodic Acid-Schiff is the particular kind used in dermatopathology laboratory. It is the most frequently used special staining method. The positive stain in this process is identified by purplish-red or magenta colour. It is a useful stain to observe the presence of neutral mucoploysaccharide like glycogen. PAS stain helps in the identification of basement membrane material and thickness. Therefore in this study, PAS stain gives an idea about the abnormality of a base membrane of tissues. The defect in membrane leads to transfer of cells from epidermal layer to the dermal wall. In this study PAS stain gave positive results due to the presence of glycogen in tissue. Therefore, it is a good sign for the presence of glycogen in tumor cells (2). It is a unique stain used to characterize and differentiate different connective and soft tissue. Certain biological disorders like perivascular fibrosis, scar formation and lesions are diagnosed by use of Massons Trichome. In this study the stain coloured the epidermaly layer of smooth muscle with pink stain and the collagen was stained in blue colour. But the concentration of collagen in this particular tissue is very high. It implies that tissue is trying to recover from abnormality (4). CK5/6 is a type of antibody used in diagnostic surgical pathology. It distinctive characteristic is that it stains squamous carcinomas strongly. It is employed in the diagnosis of varieties of Squamous Carcinomas, Pagets disease and Epithelial Mesothelioma. CK5/6 stain showed reactivity in this study (7). Another test could be done like Perl's stain to prove hemosiderin pigment, Schmorl's stain to confirm the presence of melanin pigment, Ber-EP4 and BCL-2 test to identify basal cell carcinoma. After different types of staining test, it can be confirmed that the case is about superficial basal cells carcinomas (BCC). BCC is mostly prevalent in Australia. According to the latest survey, the rate of diagnosis of BCC is 1041 per 1 lakh men and 745 per 1 lakh women. It is common in both sexes with 52% lesions occurring on the head, 13% on the upper limb, 27% in the trunk and 8% in lower limbs (8). Conclusion It can be concluded that 60 years old aboriginal male patient is suffering from non-healing cancer on the side of his face. For histppathological examinations, skin bipsy has given a negative test for the presence of fungal infection. However after a series of another test, it was finally concluded that the patient has superficial basal cell carcinoma. 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