BACKGROUND: Diabetes is known damage the liver and kidney, leading to hepatic dysfunction and kidney failure. Honey is believed to help in lowering the blood glucose levels of diabetic patients and reducing diabetic complications. However, the effect of stingless bee honey (SBH) administration in relieving liver and kidney damage in diabetes has not been well-studied.
OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of SBH administration on the kidney and liver of streptozotocin-induced (STZ; 55 mg/kg) diabetic Sprague Dawley rats.
METHODS: The rats were grouped as follows (n = 6 per group): non-diabetic (ND), untreated diabetic (UNT), metformin-treated (MET), and SBH+metformin-treated (SBME) groups. After successful diabetic induction, ND and UNT rats were given normal saline, whereas the treatment groups received SBH (2.0 g/kg and/or metformin (250 mg/kg) for 12 d. Serum biochemical parameters and histological changes using hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) and periodic acid-Schiff (PAS) staining were evaluated.
RESULTS: On H&E and PAS staining, the ND group showed normal architecture and cellularity of Bowman\'s capsule and tubules, whereas the UNT and MET groups had an increased glomerular cellularity and thickened basement membrane. The SBH-treated group showed a decrease in hydropic changes and mild cellularity of the glomerulus vs the ND group based on H&E staining, but the two were similar on PAS staining. Likewise, the SBME-treated group had an increase in cellularity of the glomerulus on H&E staining, but it was comparable to the SBH and ND groups on PAS staining. UNT diabetic rats had tubular hydropic tubules, which were smaller than other groups. Reduced fatty vacuole formation and dilated blood sinusoids in liver tissue were seen in the SBH group. Conversely, the UNT group had high glucose levels, which subsequently increased MDA levels, ultimately leading to liver damage. SBH treatment reduced this damage, as evidenced by having the lowest fasting glucose, serum alanine transaminase, aspartate transaminase, and alkaline phosphatase levels compared to other groups, although the levels of liver enzymes were not statistically significant.
CONCLUSIONS: The cellularity of the Bowman\'s capsule, as well as histological alteration of kidney tubules, glomerular membranes, and liver tissues in diabetic rats after oral SBH resembled those of ND rats. Therefore, SBH exhibited a protective hepatorenal effect in a diabetic rat model.

Histoplasmosis has heterogenous clinical presentation ranging from mild and self-limiting respiratory disease to disseminated forms with high mortality. In progressive disseminated histoplasmosis (PDH), patient presents with fever, lymphadenopathy, hepatosplenomegaly, adrenal enlargement, hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis and non-specific mucocutaneous lesions, usually in late stage of HIV. Cutaneous involvement is upto 25% in PDH which are papules, plaques, nodules and ulcers. Forty-two year old male, recently diagnosed as HIV positive presented with complaints of multiple painful ulcerated lesions over face, neck, tongue, arms, trunk & genitalia. Skin Biopsy was suggestive of histoplasmosis. Patient showed excellent response with amphotericin B and itraconazole. Since histoplasmosis is relatively uncommon, there should be a high-index of suspicion when an HIV patient presents with disseminated skin lesions.

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Vasculogenic mimicry has been identified in several malignancies and is generally associated with aggressive tumor growth and increased risk of metastasis. Patterned matrix can be identified in light microscopy of tumor sections stained with periodic acid-Schiff (PAS) without hematoxylin counterstain. In this chapter, the process is comprehensively described including tissue sources, formalin fixation and paraffin embedding, staining protocols, and the method for pattern identification in the microscope. Specific pattern types are illustrated in figures, and a number of pitfalls are detailed. The text can be used as a guideline by any researcher or clinician that wishes to evaluate histological samples for the presence of vasculogenic mimicry.

In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, fungal infections of the maxillofacial region have become prevalent, making their accurate diagnosis vital. Histopathological staining remains a simple, cost-effective technique for differentiation and diagnosis of the causative fungal organisms. The present study aims to evaluate the staining efficacy of Periodic Acid-Schiff (PAS), Alcian Blue, Safranin-O and Gomori\'s Methenamine Silver (GMS) on fungal smears. This research work also attempts to study the morphometric characteristics of Candida albicans, Aspergillus flavus, Rhizopus oryzae. Candida albicans, Aspergillus flavus and Rhizopus oryzae, 10 smears each, were stained using PAS, Alcian Blue, Safranin-O and GMS. The morphological characteristics and staining efficacy were examined, and semi-quantitative scoring was performed. Candida albicans, Aspergillus flavus and Rhizopus oryzae were stained for the first time with Safranin-O. The morphometric traits were then analyzed using an image analysis software. Safranin-O provided the most reliable staining efficacy amongst the stains and optimum morphological definition for all three organisms. Safranin-O was found to be superior to PAS and GMS, ensuring detection of even the most minute mycotic colonies. The hyphae of Aspergillus flavus to be the largest, and the spores and fruiting body of Rhizopus oryzae were found to be the largest amongst the three organisms compared. Early and accurate diagnosis of fungal infections can significantly reduce morbidity in orofacial fungal infections.

Naked mole-rats (NMRs) are common in the managed care of zoos and valuable models for aging research. Limited information on NMR neuropathology is available despite many studies regarding their aging physiology. Histologic sections of brain from 27 adult (5-27 years old) NMRs from 2 zoos were reviewed to determine presence or absence of lesions associated with advanced age in humans and other mammals. A majority (23/27; 85%) of NMR brains had cerebral cortical neuronal changes with rounded or angular neurons, cytoplasmic vacuoles containing pale yellow pigment, periodic acid-Schiff (PAS)-positive granules and green autofluorescence, compatible with lipofuscinosis. Less severe lesions were present in cerebellar Purkinje cells, medulla, and hippocampal neurons. The hypothalamic neuropil of all NMRs had scattered variably sized PAS-positive granules and 10 (37%) had larger round bodies consistent with corpora amylacea. The youngest NMRs, 5 to 7 years old, generally had minimal or no cerebrocortical lesions. Further studies will help understand brain aging in this long-lived species.

UNASSIGNED: Diagnosis of onychomycosis involves direct microscopic examination with potassium hydroxide, culture or histopathology with periodic acid-Schiff staining. Nail dermoscopy (onychoscopy) is a noninvasive, rapid and easily available diagnostic tool though its utility in onychomycosis remains unexplored.
UNASSIGNED: To describe the various onychoscopic patterns and compare its percentage positivity with that of standard potassium hydroxide examination, culture and histopathology in patients with a clinical diagnosis of onychomycosis.
UNASSIGNED: The study recruited 100 patients with a presumptive clinical diagnosis of onychomycosis. A detailed history, physical examination including that of nails and clinical photography was followed by onychoscopy with DermLite DL3. The nail clippings were sent for direct microscopic examination with potassium hydroxide, mycological culture and histopathology with periodic acid-Schiff stain. The patient was said to have onychomycosis if at least one of the three tests was positive.
UNASSIGNED: Onychomycosis was confirmed by potassium hydroxide and/or culture and/or histopathology in 88 patients. Onychoscopic features were identified and their association with different clinical variants of onychomycosis was attempted. Percentage positivity for diagnosing onychomycosis in decreasing order was: direct microscopic examination with potassium hydroxide followed by spiked pattern, subungual hyperkeratosis, distal irregular termination on onychoscopy, histopathology, mycological culture and ruins aspect again observed on onychoscopy.
UNASSIGNED: Small sample size.
UNASSIGNED: Many onychoscopic features are highly specific for different variants of onychomycosis so onychoscopy may serve as an important and quick adjunct to diagnose onychomycosis until other time-consuming investigations, such as culture and periodic acid-Schiff become available. Studies on a larger population will help arrive at a logistic conclusion.

BACKGROUND: Nicotine and caffeine are pharmacologically active substances that consumed widely in the whole world. Most of the nicotine users also consume caffeine. Smokers tend to drink more coffee than nonsmokers. It is important to characterize these substances with regard to their effects on the histological and immunohistological structure.
OBJECTIVE: The objective of the study is to assess the impact of combined administration of nicotine and caffeine on histological structure of the skeletal muscle tissue in the adult male Wistar rats.
METHODS: Twenty adult male Wistar rats with an average weight of 200-250 g were randomly divided into four equal groups: control, nicotine, caffeine, and combined (nicotine + caffeine). The diaphragm muscle was processed and stained with hematoxylin and eosin (H and E) stain, histochemically by periodic acid-Schiff (PAS) and immunohistochemically by anti-CD68 antibodies.
RESULTS: After injected nicotine, thick basement membrane with apparent increase in the positive CD68 macrophages inbetween the diaphragm muscle fibers. After injected caffeine, there was an apparent accumulation of mononuclear cells around some fibers with decrease in the PAS positive fibers. Combined injected (nicotine + caffeine) group, some fibers exhibited deep acidophilic cytoplasm with flat peripheral nuclei and apparent increase of the CD68 positive cells. There was an increase in PAS positive material around fibers appearing as a thick basement membrane.
CONCLUSIONS: The present study proved that caffeine and nicotine either taken alone or in combination have many negative impacts on the active type of skeletal muscles like diaphragm leading to degenerative changes that may affect their function.

The precisely timed process of tapetum development and its degradation involving programmed cell death is an important molecular event during anther development. Through its degeneration, the tapetum not only provides nutritive substances to the developing microspores but also contributes to the pollen wall by way of sporopollenin, which is a complex mixture of biopolymers, containing long-chain fatty acids, phenylpropanoids, phenolics and traces of carotenoids. A number of dyes and staining methods have been used to visualize tapetal structure and its components by using light microscopy techniques, but none of these methods could differentially stain and thus distinguish tapetal cells from other cell types of anther wall. While analysing progression of tapetum development in different cell types in rice anthers, we discovered a unique property of periodic acid-Schiff (PAS) stain, which upon interaction with some specific component(s) in tapetal cells and developing microspores emits fluorescence at ~620 nm. In rice anthers, the PAS-associated fluorescence could be observed initially in tapetum and developing microspores, and subsequent to degeneration of tapetum, the fluorescence was found to emanate mainly from the pollen wall. We also show that PAS-dependent fluorescence in tapetal cells is distinct from the autofluorescence resulting from pollen wall components and is also not caused by interaction of PAS with pollen starch. Henceforth, this novel fluorescence property of PAS stain could prove to be a new tool in the toolkit of developmental biologists to analyse different aspects of tapetum development and its degeneration with little more ease and specificity.

BACKGROUND: Chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps (CRSwNP) is a highly heterogeneous disease with aberrant host defense responses. However, whether innate immunity is similarly impaired in patients with eosinophilic and those with noneosinophilic CRSwNP remains unclear.
OBJECTIVE: We sought to evaluate the expression and possible modulation of short palate, lung, and nasal epithelium clone 1 (SPLUNC1), an innate immune molecule, in the 2 CRSwNP subsets.
METHODS: Polyp tissue and uncinate processes were collected from 40 patients with CRSwNP, 27 patients with chronic rhinosinusitis without nasal polyps (CRSsNP), and 22 control subjects. Expression of SPLUNC1; Toll-like receptor (TLR) 2, TLR3, and TLR4; and the proinflammatory cytokines IL-1α, IL-4, IL-13, IL-17A, and IFN-γ was examined in nasal tissues. Additionally, SPLUNC1 expression in response to specific inflammatory stimulation was measured in cultured polyp epithelial cells and A549 cells.
RESULTS: Polyp tissues exhibited significantly decreased expression of SPLUNC1 and other innate immune molecules compared with uncinate process tissues from patients with CRSwNP (P < .05), patients with CRSsNP, and healthy control subjects. Moreover, the eosinophilic CRSwNP subset exhibited significantly decreased SPLUNC1 expression and numbers of submucosal glands, as well as significantly increased IL-4 and IL-13 mRNA levels, compared with the noneosinophilic subset (P < .05). Accordingly, SPLUNC1 expression in polyp epithelial cells was significantly inhibited by IL-4 and IL-13 stimulation in vitro but was significantly upregulated after stimulation with TLR agonists and glucocorticoids (P < .05).
CONCLUSIONS: Differential SPLUNC1 suppression between the eosinophilic and noneosinophilic CRSwNP subsets suggests that they possess distinct pathogenic mechanisms. This finding might benefit the design of appropriate therapeutic interventions targeted to each subset.