P#37  Stem cells - bulge area proliferation indexes of bald and non-bald areas- a digital computerized cytometry study

Valcinir Bedin and Denise Steiner. Centro de Estudos da Clínica Stöckli, São Paulo, Brazil

This work aims to evaluate the importance of the bulge area in the development of androgenetic alopecia trough the computerized cytometry. Materials and methods : 24 patients with androgenetic alopecia III and IV (Hamilton ) were selected and, after signed informed consent and GCP, samples were collected; scalp biopsies were taken from the balding area (vertex) and non-balding area (external occipital protuberance). The whole process was under stereotactic control in order to minimise the possible bias. We performed 1456 histology sections in 144 slides from the 48 biopsies. These slides were stained by H&E and then were put into a computerized digital quantification method to obtain the bulge area PI (proliferation index) for the bald and non-bald areas. This software make a quantification of colors and is called RGB (red, green and blue).Through an algorithm it develops a graphic of ploidy of each sample. The results were then compared between the bald and non-bald area. Results : We applied Student's t - one sided - test, testing H-0 = the median indexes are the same against H1= the median indexes are different (t= 6.340 and p=0.0001). This shows us that there is a significant difference between the two groups leading us to conclude that there is a bigger cellular proliferation in the non-bald area.