Dept. of Anatomic Pathology, Iuliu Hațieganu University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Cluj-Napoca, Romania.
Emergency Clinical County Hospital Cluj-Napoca, Cluj-Napoca, Romania.
Anat Histol Embryol. 2023 Jan;52(1):12-20. doi: 10.1111/ahe.12828. Epub 2022 Jun 28.
The pineal gland is a small-sized, photo neuroendocrine organ in the midline of the brain that synthesises and secretes melatonin and serotonin. Chords and islands of pinealocytes constitute the secretory parenchyma, while glial tissue and calcifications represent degenerative changes. This study examined human postmortem pineal glands to microscopically assess morphological changes possibly associated with clinical data, by using digital techniques. A retrospective autopsy study has been performed on 72 paediatric and adult autopsy cases. The glands have been processed for histological analysis and immunohistochemical staining with synaptophysin (SYN), neuron-specific enolase (NSE), and neurofilament (NF). Slides were digitally scanned. Morphometric data were obtained using CaseViewer and ImageJ. The comorbidities used for correlation with morphometric data were obesity, type 2 diabetes, adrenal gland adenoma, goitre, chronic pancreatitis, arterial hypertension, and mixed dementia. Thirty-three females and 39 males were included in the study. Increased secretory parenchyma was found in patients with chronic pancreatitis, arterial hypertension, and adrenal gland adenoma. Reduced activity was found in patients with type 2 diabetes, obesity, advanced pineal calcification, mixed dementia, and old age. There were no changes associated with goitre, cachexia, or Willis's polygon atherosclerosis. No significant differences between gender were found. The activity of the pineal gland can be assessed by quantitative immunohistochemistry of neuroendocrine and structural pinealocyte markers and observation of glial tissue and calcifications. There is a need for further research to evaluate the clinical impact of these morphological changes on the neuroendocrine systems, with clinical implications in endocrinology, neurology, and even psychiatry. Digital techniques offer a more exact analysis of histological data.
松果体是大脑中线的一个小型光神经内分泌器官，合成和分泌褪黑素和 5-羟色胺。松果体细胞的索和岛构成分泌实质，而神经胶质组织和钙化则代表退行性变化。本研究通过数字技术检查了人类死后的松果体，以微观评估可能与临床数据相关的形态变化。对 72 例儿科和成人尸检病例进行了回顾性尸检研究。对这些腺体进行了组织学分析和突触素（SYN）、神经元特异性烯醇化酶（NSE）和神经丝（NF）免疫组织化学染色。幻灯片被数字化扫描。使用 CaseViewer 和 ImageJ 获取形态计量数据。将肥胖症、2 型糖尿病、肾上腺腺瘤、甲状腺肿、慢性胰腺炎、动脉高血压和混合性痴呆等合并症用于与形态计量数据的相关性分析。研究纳入 33 名女性和 39 名男性。在患有慢性胰腺炎、动脉高血压和肾上腺腺瘤的患者中发现分泌实质增加。在患有 2 型糖尿病、肥胖症、松果体钙化、混合性痴呆和老年的患者中发现活性降低。与甲状腺肿、恶病质或 Willis 多边形动脉粥样硬化相关的变化除外。未发现性别之间存在显著差异。可以通过神经内分泌和结构松果体细胞标志物的定量免疫组织化学以及观察神经胶质组织和钙化来评估松果体的活性。需要进一步研究这些形态变化对神经内分泌系统的临床影响，这在内分泌学、神经病学甚至精神病学方面都有临床意义。数字技术为组织学数据的更精确分析提供了可能。
