[Morphological characteristic of Langerhans cells from the human epidermis in case of general hypothermia].
The objective of this work was to study morphological changes in the Langerhans cells of epidermis and epithelium of hair follicles from subjects who died as a result of general hypothermia. A total of 105 cadaveric skin samples from subjects of either gender aged from 19 to 83 years were available for analysis. Postmortem examination 1-2 days after death was performed at the Department of Forensic Medical Examination for the Vitebsk region. Skin samples were frozen in liquid nitrogen and studied as cryostat sections. Langerhans cells were detected using the ATPase assay as described by Wachstein and Meisel and modified by Robins and Brendon. The Langerhans cells of subjects who died from general hypothermia were shown to undergo marked morphological changes. Moreover, their number significantly decreased as a result of disintegration and transformation into fine-grain material. Surviving cells lost many of their outgrowths and exhibited enhanced ATPase activity in pericarion. The Langerhans cells from dorsal and ventral skin as well as from interfollicular epidermis and the outer sheath of hair follicles underwent virtually identical changes. A unique morphological feature of the skin in those who died from general hypothermia was formation of intraepidermal, subepidermal, and dermal blisters.
Stefanenko
E V
EV
Miadelets
O D
OD
Kukhnovets
O A
OA
Miadelets
V O
VO
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D004817:Epidermis / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D049429:Forensic Pathology; D018859:Hair Follicle / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D007035:Hypothermia / Q000473:pathology*; D007801:Langerhans Cells / Q000473:pathology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011180:Postmortem Changes; D055815:Young Adult