Teruo Kagabu

The Application of Magnetic Cell Sorter (MACS) to Detect Fetal Cells in Maternal Peripheral Blood

Objectives: The aim of the present study was to investigate the effectiveness of sorting fetal nucleated red blood cells (FNRBC) from maternal peripheral blood, particularly during early gestation periods, by a combination of specific gravity centrifugation and magnetic cell sorter (MACS).

Malignant fibrous histiocytoma of the vagina

Abstract We describe here the case of an 82-year-old woman presenting with a hemorrhagic tumor on the anterior vaginal wall. She was diagnosed with malignant fibrous histiocytoma (MFH) from the findings of cytological analysis of biopsied surface tissue, histopathologic analysis of biopsied tissue, immunohistochemical staining, and electron microscopy. Cytological analysis of the biopsy sample harvested from the tumor surface showed multinucleated giant cells and large atypical cells with rough, granular, chromatin, as well as notable nucleoli. A storiform pattern was observed histopathologically, and immunohistochemical staining confirmed positive reactions to α1-antichymotripsin (α1-ACT), vimentin, and lysosome, but negative reactions to epithelial membrane antigen (EMA), cytokeratin, and α-smooth muscle action (α-SMA). Electron microscopy showed histiocyte-derived cells with a segmented nucleus with a large groove, pseudopodic cytoplasmic projections, and lysosome-like structures. However, intercellular adhesion factors were not notable, and microvilli were absent. Based on the above findings, a diagnosis of MFH originating from the vaginal wall was made. Because of the patients advanced age, and, in accordance with her wishes, three courses of cancer chemotherapy, consisting of doxorubicin hydrochloride, fluorouracil, and cisplatin were carried out, without surgery. No reduction in the size of the tumor was seen at follow up, and despite the absence of metastasis and no exacerbation of her general condition, she died suddenly at home 2 years after being discharged.

Rapid interphase cytogenetics with fluorochrome-directly-labeled probes.

細胞遺伝学的知識の集積に伴って染色体分析の必要性と需要が増し, 簡便で迅速な検査法の確立が望まれている.しかし, 分裂した細胞のみを対象とする従来の染色体分析法では熟練と時間が要求され, また培養に伴う細胞群の選択がおこる.蛍光インサイツーハイブリダイゼーション (FISH法) は間期細胞核においても染色体分析を可能にした (間期細胞遺伝学).ハプテン化染色体特異的プローブを用いたFISH法は, 染色体数の計算と数的異常の検出に汎用されてきたが, 約48時間を要し, ハプテン検出に伴う煩雑な免疫細胞化学的処理過程が必要である.この煩雑さを解消するため, 蛍光色素直接標識セントロメアプローブを用いて, 18トリソミー, 21トリソミーおよびXXYの染色体異常患者の末梢リンパ球にFISH法を適用したところ, おのおのの症例に対応するコピー数が得られた.しかも所要時間を2時間まで短縮できたうえ, 操作段階を半減することが可能であった.このように, 蛍光色素直接標識プローブによるFISH法は, 染色体の数的異常の, 迅速かつ手技的間違いのない簡便な検査法として, 染色体数異常疾患の診断に有用であることを明らかにした.