Analytical Cellular Pathology - Volume 18, issue 2

Authors: Stenling, Roger | Jonsson, Bernt O. | Palmqvist, Richard | Rutegård, Jörgen N.

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: DNA aneuploidy is of interest as an additive marker for carcinoma risk in ulcerative colitis. It is known that colorectal carcinomas often are aneuploid with DNA indices centered around a median value of 1.5, corresponding to triploidy, and that adenomas, if aneuploid, have DNA indices closer to 2.0, the tetraploid region. In a colonoscopic surveillance programme, colorectal mucosal biopsies from 104 patients with ulcerative colitis were examined by flow cytometry, and the DNA indices determined and compared with findings of cellular dysplasia. In 17 patients, DNA aneuploidy was diagnosed, with DNA indices ranging from 1.2 to 2.0, median 1.9. …Three patients with high grade dysplasia all had DNA indices within the triploid region. These results were compared with the DNA indices from a group of 49 patients with non‐colitis‐associated aneuploid colorectal carcinomas, in which the levels ranged from 1.1 to 2.0 with a median value of 1.5. Accordingly, the DNA index in the colitis patients with aneuploidy was more often within the tetraploid region. These results, obtained in patients with ulcerative colitis, indicate a possible precancerous progress from diploidy over tetraploidy to triploidy also in patients with long‐standing ulcerative colitis. In addition, the results speak in favour of a connection between DNA indices in the triploid region and more profound premalignant alterations. Show more

Keywords: Ulcerative colitis, colitis‐cancer, DNA aneuploidy, flow‐cytometry

Citation: Analytical Cellular Pathology, vol. 18, no. 2, pp. 69-72, 1999

Authors: Buiķis, Indulis | Harju, Līga | Freivalds, Tālivaldis

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: The aim of this study was to investigate the development of microcells in the human sarcoma cell line HT‐1080 after interference with thiophosphamidum. We found that damaged interphase macrocells located at the projection of the nucleolus may form one or several microcells. The micronuclei of the microcells intensively incorporate the thymidine analogue 5‐bromo‐2' ‐deoxyuridine and strongly express argyrophilic nucleolar organiser region proteins. At an early phase of the development, the micronuclei contain fragmented DNA, but in subsequent phases, the micronuclei accumulate polymeric DNA, simultaneously with an increase in their size. After desintegration of the damaged macrocell, the microcells appear …in the intercellular space. The microcells can enter mitosis and they strongly express the lung resistance protein. Electron microscopic observations suggest that coiled bodies are involved in the development of the microcells. Since the observed path of microcell formation differs from apoptotic cell fragmentation into apoptotic bodies, we propose a new term for this microcell development: sporosis. We suggest that self‐renewal of the tumour stem cells is likely based on sporosis. Show more

Keywords: Microcells, sporosis, immortality

Citation: Analytical Cellular Pathology, vol. 18, no. 2, pp. 73-85, 1999

Authors: Gao, Tiyu | Feng, Jun | Ci, Yunxiang

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: Fourier transform infrared spectroscopic study of human breast normal and carcinomal tissues has been carried out. Some distinctive spectral differences which are mainly due to nucleic acids and proteins are observed between normal and carcinomal tissues. This method of analysis results in nearly 100% diagnostic accuracy of carcinomal tissues from normal tissues. The spectral patterns of well‐differentiated carcinomal tissues exhibit marked heterogeneity, however that of poorly differentiated carcinomas demonstrate significant similarity. Apocrine, tubular, intraductal and mucinous carcinomas and invasive infiltrating ductal carcinomal tissues can be discriminated based on their characteristic spectra. The spectral differences confirm the possibility of using FTIR …as an accurate and rapid technique to distinguish between normal and malignant breast tissues and classify breast carcinomas in different subtypes. Show more

Keywords: Infrared spectroscopic features, breast carcinomal tissues, clinical classification

Citation: Analytical Cellular Pathology, vol. 18, no. 2, pp. 87-93, 1999

Authors: Buhmeida, Abdelbaset | Kuopio, Teijo | Collan, Yrjö

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: Twenty‐one fine needle aspiration biopsies (FNAB) of the prostate, diagnostically classified as definitely malignant, were studied. The Papanicolaou or H&E stained samples were destained and then stained for DNA with the Feulgen reaction. DNA cytometry was applied after different sampling rules. The histograms varied according to the sampling rule applied. Because free cells between cell groups were easier to measure than cells in the cell groups, two sampling rules were tested in all samples: (i) cells in the cell groups were measured, and (ii) free cells between cell groups were measured. Abnormal histograms were more common after the sampling rule …based on free cells, suggesting that abnormal patterns are best revealed through the free cells in these samples. The conclusions were independent of the applied histogram interpretation method. Show more

Keywords: DNA cytometry, aneuploidy, prostate, fine needle aspiration biopsy, sampling rule, diagnostics

Citation: Analytical Cellular Pathology, vol. 18, no. 2, pp. 95-102, 1999

Authors: Assailly, Jacques | Desgrippes, Arnaud | Loridon‐Rosa, Brigitte | Piron, Dominique | Dachez, Roger | Beurton, Daniel

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: Spatial nuclear DNA heterogeneity distribution of Feulgen‐stained DNA diploid cells was studied by image cytometry in voided urine of 119 patients without bladder tumour (n=20 ) and with initial (n=23 ) or previous (n=76 ) diagnosed bladder tumour. For each patient, repetitive DNA measurements were performed during 1–4 years of follow up. Only cells of diploid DNA histograms and diploid subpopulations of aneuploid DNA histograms were used for analysis. DNA heterogeneity distribution of these diploid cells was quantified by statistical parameters of each nuclear optical density distribution. Discriminant analysis was performed on three groups of DNA histograms. …Group A (n=44 ): aneuploid DNA histograms of patients with bladder tumour. Group D (n=55 ): 38 diploid DNA histograms of the 20 patients without bladder tumour (subgroup D1) and 17 diploid DNA histograms of patients with a non‐recurrent bladder tumour (subgroup D2). Group R (n=27 ): diploid DNA histograms of patients with bladder tumour recurrence. No statistically significant discriminant function was found to separate D1 and D2. However, the first canonical discriminant function C1 differentiated diploid cells of diploid DNA histograms (group D and group R) from diploid cell subpopulations of aneuploid DNA histograms (group A). Mean C1 values were 1.06, 0.84 and –1.45 for groups R, D and A, respectively. The second canonical discriminant function C2 differentiated diploid DNA histograms of patients with bladder tumour recurrence (group R) from diploid DNA histograms of patients without bladder tumour or without bladder tumour recurrence (group D). Mean C2 values were 1.78 and –0.76 for groups R and D, respectively. In 95% confidence limit, the rate of rediscrimination using the two first canonical discriminant functions C1 and C2 were 86.4, 74.5 and 74.1% for groups A, D and R, respectively. Percent of “grouped” cases correctly classified was 78.6%. Thus spatial DNA heterogeneity distribution of diploid cells seems to quantitate probable genetic instability as a function of clinical evolution such as tumour recurrence, and suggests the possible presence of aneuploid stemlines in a heterogeneous tumour, even if a diploid DNA histogram is observed in a single sample. From standardized C1 and C2 canonical discriminant function coefficients, a DNA heterogeneity index (2c‐HI) is proposed to characterize diploid cells providing a descriptive and predictive discriminant factor for solid tumour behaviour. Show more

Keywords: DNA content, ploidy, solid tumours, image cytometry, heterogeneity, bladder cancer

Citation: Analytical Cellular Pathology, vol. 18, no. 2, pp. 103-108, 1999

Authors: Jütting, Uta | Gais, Peter | Rodenacker, Karsten | Böhm, Joachim | Koch, Susanne | Präuer, Heinz W. | Höfler, Heinz

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: Neuroendocrine tumours (NET) of the lung are divided in subtypes with different malignant potential. The first is the benign or low‐grade malignant tumours, well‐differentiated, called typical carcinoids (TC) and the second is the high‐grade malignant tumours, poorly differentiated of small (SCLC) or large cell type (LCLC). Between these tumour types lies the well‐differentiated carcinoma with a lower grade of malignancy (WDNEC). In clinical routine it is very important with regard to prognosis to distinguish patients with low malignant potential from those with higher ones. In this study 32 cases of SCLC, 13 of WDNEC and 14 of TC with a …follow‐up time up to 7 years were collected. Sections 4 \mu m thick from paraffin embedded tissue were Feulgen stained. By means of high resolution image analysis 100 nuclei per case were randomly gathered to extract morphometric, densitometric and textural quantitative features. To investigate the ploidy status of the tumour the corrected DNA distribution was calculated. Stepwise linear discriminant analysis to differentiate the classes and Cox regression analysis for the survival time analysis were applied. Using chromatin textural and morphometric features in two two‐class discriminations, 11 of the 14 TC cases and 8 of the 13 WDNEC cases were correctly classified and 11/13 WDNEC cases and 28/32 SCLC cases, respectively. The WDNEC cases are more similar in chromatin structure to TC than to SCLC. For the survival analysis, only chromatin features were selected to differentiate patients with better and worse prognosis independent of staging and tumour type. Show more

Keywords: Neuroendocrine lung tumours, carcinoid, small cell carcinoma, textural features, image analysis, DNA distribution, prognosis

Citation: Analytical Cellular Pathology, vol. 18, no. 2, pp. 109-119, 1999