title: Preservation of histological structure of cells in human skin presenting mummification and corification processes by Sandison's rehydrating solution.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  To overcome the difficulties of construction and interpretation of microscopic material from corpses presenting mummification and corification processes, a variety of techniques and tricks are used: in this research the results of applying the Sandison's rehydrating solution are presented, generally used in archeological field on Egyptian mummies of different ages, in human cadaveric material in an advanced state of decomposition.
  
  
  METHODS
  Nineteen skin specimens were taken from corpses presenting corification and mummification processes, discovered in a time ranging between one and four months and exhumed after 11 years. Each biological sample was divided into two parts: one, directly fixed in buffered formalin 10%; the other, preliminarily treated with the Sandison's rehydrating solution and, therefore, post-fixed in 10% buffered formalin. All samples were then carried out the routine histological preparation, and the sections were stained by hematoxylin-eosin and by other histochemical stains.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Under the microscope, the samples placed directly into formalin, showed marked structural changes of the various components, while those previously rehydrated with the Sandison's rehydrating solution allowed the clear recognition of different structures.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The use of the Sandison's rehydrating solution on skin samples presenting corification and mummification processes, preserving significantly its general setting, stands as an indispensable procedure in the study of such cases.
authors.affiliation: Sezione di Medicina Legale e delle Assicurazioni, Dipartimento di Scienze Biomediche per la Salute, Università degli Studi di Milano, Via Luigi Mangiagalli 37, 20133 Milano, Italy.
authors.forename: Federica
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Collini
authors.affiliation: Sezione di Medicina Legale e delle Assicurazioni, Dipartimento di Scienze Biomediche per la Salute, Università degli Studi di Milano, Via Luigi Mangiagalli 37, 20133 Milano, Italy.
authors.forename: Salvatore Ambrogio
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Andreola
authors.affiliation: Sezione di Medicina Legale e delle Assicurazioni, Dipartimento di Scienze Biomediche per la Salute, Università degli Studi di Milano, Via Luigi Mangiagalli 37, 20133 Milano, Italy.
authors.forename: Guendalina
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Gentile
authors.affiliation: Sezione di Medicina Legale e delle Assicurazioni, Dipartimento di Scienze Biomediche per la Salute, Università degli Studi di Milano, Via Luigi Mangiagalli 37, 20133 Milano, Italy.
authors.forename: Matteo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Marchesi
authors.affiliation: Sezione di Medicina Legale e delle Assicurazioni, Dipartimento di Scienze Biomediche per la Salute, Università degli Studi di Milano, Via Luigi Mangiagalli 37, 20133 Milano, Italy.
authors.forename: Enrico
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Muccino
authors.affiliation: Sezione di Medicina Legale e delle Assicurazioni, Dipartimento di Scienze Biomediche per la Salute, Università degli Studi di Milano, Via Luigi Mangiagalli 37, 20133 Milano, Italy. Electronic address: riccardo.zoia@unimi.it.
authors.forename: Riccardo
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Zoja
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D005404:Fixatives; D049429:Forensic Pathology / Q000379:methods; D005557:Formaldehyde; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008853:Microscopy; D008875:Middle Aged; D009106:Mummies; D011180:Postmortem Changes; D015532:Rehydration Solutions; D012867:Skin / Q000473:pathology*
chemical_list: D005404:Fixatives; D015532:Rehydration Solutions; D005557:Formaldehyde
keywords: Autopsy; Corification; Forensic pathology; Mummification; Rehydrating solutions; Sandison