Acta Medica Medianae (Jan 2004)
MORPHOMETRIC CHARACTERISTICS OF THE PINEAL ACERVULI DURING THE HUMAN AGING
Abstract
Acervuli of 30 human pineal gland, were investigated during our research. They were collected during the autopsies at the Institut for forensic medicine of the Faculty of Medicine in Niš. Pineal tissue was processed with standard histologic procedure. Then, it was cut into 10 mm thick sections which were stained with HE, PAS, AB PAS and Mallory’s trichrome connective tissue stain. After that they were analyzed with light microscope. Morphometric analysis was performed by astereologic method. The B100 double square lattice test system was used. Average area, average perimeter, average diameter and contour index were calculated for the pineal acervuli of each age group. Obtained morphometric parameters were statisticaly analyzed. Acervuli were colored blue on HE stained sections. They were PAS and AB PAS positive structures which had red colored center and blue colored periphery on Mallory’s trichrome stained sections. Laminate structure was present, but it was not so concentric as it was in pineal capsula acervuli. Acervuli of the first age group had regular shape. They were localized at the pineal gland periphery. Acervuli of the second and the third age group obtained larger dimensions and more irregular shape, which finally led to mulberry structures formation in the core of the pineal gland. They were probably the result of the conglomeration of just formed with already formed ones. The increase of the average area, average parimeter, average diameter and contour index confirmed the increase of pineal acervuli dimensions and their shape irregularity during the aging process.Therefore, pineal acervuli show the increase of dimensions and shape irregularity. Finally, the process of conglomeration leads to mulberry like structures formation, in the second and the third age group which dominate pineal tissue in these age groups.
