Vital+Staining

 Fig. 1. Squamous cell carcinoma of the tongue. (A) Clinical appearance before vital staining. (B) Appearance after application of iodine, which produces a brown-black stain on normal, non-keratinised mucosa, but not on malignant mucosa. This clearly shows the intraepithelial extent of the lesion. The epithelial lesion was resected with a border of more than 5 mm of normal tissue around the unstained area (dotted line). (Kurita, Kamata, Li, Nakanishi, Shimane, & Koike, 2012)  In gastroenterology, vital staining is being used to diagnose superficial esophageal lesions using a methylene blue dye and lugol’s iodine (Peng, Long, Wu, Zhao, Chen, & Li, 2011). They determine a more effective method of vital staining to assist in the detection and diagnosis of early esophageal squamous cells.
 * A) Vital Staining **:
 * Basic description: **Staining is a technique that is used to make biological tissue more visible, or to highlight contrast between different types of tissues, cells, and organelles. The term Vital Staining implies that the cells are (or were at the time of the staining) alive. These stains can be viewed with by microscopy or in some cases by the naked eye. The technique involves spraying or injecting target areas with dye. The contrasting colors make identifying cell structures and tissue much easier. This can assist surgeons in removal of tissue, or help identify pre-cancerous and cancerous cells. It can also be used to show different structures when used for microscopy.
 * Purpose of technique: ** Vital staining is common practice in ocular surgeries, oncology and gastroenterology (Rodrigues, et al., 2009). The staining process quickly illustrates areas that could be problematic for the health of the individual. In ocular surgery it is often uses to distinguish cataracts. In gastroenterology it is able to help identity legions that could be pre-cancerous in the mouth, and esophagus.
 * Origins of Vital Staining: **Staining as a useful identifier has been around since the 1800’s. The name of the person to begin utilizing the method is lost to antiquity and discrepancy. The protocol for staining is fairly individualized depending on what is being stained. For example different dysfunctions in eyes require different dyes to highlight optimally (Rodrigues, et al., 2009).
 * Recent research: **In oncology Vital staining with iodine solution has been used to distinguish between normal mucosa and oral epithelium that is malignant or dysplastic (Xiao, Kurita, Shimane, Nakanishi, & Koike, 2012). This is paper goes into the mechanism on how iodine enters the tissue.

 Figure 1. Duodenoscopic images of normal mucosa and mucosal atrophy by videoendoscopic inspection alone and after vital dye staining with methylene blue 1%. **A** and **B**, Normal without and with dye staining. **C** and **D**, Mosaic pattern without and with staining. **E** and **F**, Scalloped folds without and with staining. **G**, Reduction in the number of duodenal folds (note the mucosal nodularity in distal duodenum). **H**, Underlying vascular pattern. (Niveloni, Fiorini, Dezi, & Pedreira, 1998)

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">In ocular surgeries vital staining is a critical tool. A wide array of stains and techniques for delivery of the stains are pivitol in treatment of various disorders (Rodrigues, et al., 2009).

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">[] =Bibliography=

Kurita, H., Kamata, T., Li, X., Nakanishi, Y., Shimane, T., & Koike, T. (2012). Effectiveness of vital staining with iodine solution in reducing local recurrence after resection of dysplastic or malignant oral mucosa. //British Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery// //, 50// (2), 109-112.

Peng, G., Long, Q., Wu, Y., Zhao, J., Chen, L., & Li, X. (2011). Evaluation of double vital staining with lugol's iodine and methlene blue in diagnosing superficial esophageal lesions. //Scandinavian Journal of Gastroenterology// //, 46// (4), 406-413.

Rodrigues, E. B., Costa, E. F., Penha, F. M., Melo, G. B., Bottos, J., Dib, E., et al. (2009). The use of VItal Dyes in Ocular Surgery. //Survey of Ophthalmology// //, 54// (5), 576-617.

Xiao, T., Kurita, H., Shimane, T., Nakanishi, Y., & Koike, T. (2012). Vital staining with iodine solution in oral cancer: iodine infiltation, cell proliferationa nd glucose tansporter 1. //Internation Journal of Clinical Oncology//, 1-9.