Department of Pathology, University College of Medical Sciences & GTB Hospital, Shahdara, India.
Department of Dermatology & Venereology, University College of Medical Sciences & GTB Hospital.
J Histotechnol. 2020 Mar;43(1):3-10. doi: 10.1080/01478885.2019.1642434. Epub 2019 Aug 21.
Obtaining high-quality sections of the nail plate poses a significant challenge to histopathology technicians world over. Nail is a heavily keratotic hard tissue that tends to split or tear while sectioning when processed and embedded in a routine manner. Many agents such as phenol, alcohol, and thioglycolate have been tried for the purpose of softening a variety of experimental materials. However, there is no clear consensus on any single agent. The study was conducted with the aim of evaluating and comparing the role of various compounds as softening agents for nail biopsies with inflammatory disease. Thirty paraffin-embedded nail biopsies were subjected to four softening agents: distilled water (DIH0), 30% potassium hydroxide (KOH), hair removal cream, and fabric conditioner. The ease of sectioning, the incidence of juddering (i.e. 'venetian blind' effect), and the shattering of tissue were recorded. Hematoxylin and eosin-stained sections were examined microscopically. Sectioning was very easy after using fabric conditioner, with good quality sections, and hair removal cream produced comparable results. The incidence of juddered, shattered sections after using hair removal cream was considerably higher (63.33%) compared to fabric conditioner-treated nails (16.67%). Microtomy of nail biopsies was found to be easiest after using 30% KOH with moderate section quality. DIHO could neither allow easier sectioning nor obtain good sections for interpretation. Fabric conditioner and hair removal cream proved to be the effective keratin softeners, while 30% KOH worked effectively when the nail plate alone was submitted for histological examination.
获得高质量的指甲板切片对全世界的组织病理学技术人员来说都是一项重大挑战。指甲是一种角化程度很高的硬组织，在常规处理和包埋过程中很容易分裂或撕裂。为了软化各种实验材料，人们尝试了许多试剂，如苯酚、酒精和巯基乙酸盐。然而，目前还没有任何一种试剂得到明确的共识。本研究旨在评估和比较各种化合物作为有炎症性疾病的指甲活检软化剂的作用。三十例石蜡包埋的指甲活检标本分别用四种软化剂处理：蒸馏水（DIH0）、30%氢氧化钾（KOH）、脱毛膏和织物柔软剂。记录切片的难易程度、出现抖动（即“百叶窗”效应）的频率以及组织碎裂的情况。用苏木精-伊红染色的切片在显微镜下进行检查。使用织物柔软剂后，切片非常容易，且切片质量良好，脱毛膏也能产生类似的效果。使用脱毛膏后出现抖动、碎裂的切片比例明显高于使用织物柔软剂处理的指甲（63.33%比 16.67%）。研究发现，30%KOH 处理后的指甲最容易进行切片，且切片质量中等。DIHO 既不能使切片更容易，也不能获得用于解释的良好切片。织物柔软剂和脱毛膏被证明是有效的角蛋白软化剂，而当仅指甲板被提交进行组织学检查时，30%KOH 则能有效发挥作用。
