Diagnostic and clinical significance of Argyrophilic proteins in patients with acute leukemia

The number [amount] of Argyrophilic proteins [AgNORs] were estimated in bone marrow smears of thirty-six patients with acute leukemia at initial diagnosis: 24 children [10 males 14 females] and 12 adults [6 males and 6 females] as well as 12 matched controls. The purpose of the present work was to study the possible relation of AgNORS to immunophenotypic markers and clinical outcome. Silver staining of AgNORS was applied to bone marrow smears, and immunophenotyping was done by FACS flow cytometry. Statistically significant difference in mean AgNORS count/nucleus was observed in patients versus control [p<0.05], and a different staining pattern was observed in acute lymphoblastic leukemia [ALL] [fine dots] versus acute myeloid leukemia [AML] patients [coarse dots]. Positive correlation was found between AgNORS and bone marrow blast percent, while negative correlation was found with age, hemoglobin concentration and platelet count. Strong AgNORS staining was associated with immaturity markers and poor response to treatment. Eighty percent [80%] of AML and 70% of ALL patients with mean AgNORS<2.5 achieved complete remission. Determination of AgNORS has a major predictive value and adds an additional tool to differentiate ALL from AML smear Hence, it should be included in the diagnostic and prognostic workup of patients with acute leukemia

In situ hybrdization of epstein-barr virus encoded RNA [EBER] in aspiration samples in lymphoma

This study aimed at applying a non-isotopic in situ hybridization technique for EBV detection on fine needle aspiration [FNA] samples using the cell print instrument-blue supplied with 15 micro filter. A total of 35 selected FNA from lymph nodes, confirmed on biopsy basis, included 18 Hodgkin's disease, 12 cases of Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and 5 cases of metastasis from nasopharyngeal carcinoma, used as control. All cases of Hodgkin's disease showed a condensed EBV positivity picked up by all mononucleated and binucleated Reed Sternberg cells, in all the subtypes; sparing other polymorphic reactive cellularity. In Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma cases, 10/12 cases were EBV negative except for insignificant occasional scattered weak positivity picked up by the resulting lymphocytes. The remaining 2 cases gave condensed EBV positivity in few scattered reticulum cells. Retrospective immunohistochemical staining by [CD [15, 20, 43]] for these 2 cases, proved to belong to Hodgkin's disease, lymphocytic predominance of B-cell type. All cases of metastatic nasopharyngeal carcinoma showed a condensed positivity in all the metastatic epithelial cells. The usefulness of applying ISH for EBV on aspirate samples on wider scale is recommended and the possible carcinogenic role of EBV in the evolution of various subtypes of Egyptian Hodgkin's disease is discussed