cytological features of stagnant bile in patients with obstructive biliary disorders

Nineteen bile samples were aspirated during endoscopic cholangiography [ERCP] for patients with obstructive jaundice. The patients were assessed clinically, by laboratory investigations, abdominal ultrasonography, ERCP, operative biopsy and by cytology to determine the cause for the obstruction and to evaluate the diagnostic celluiar features of bile cytology obtained during ERCP. The results of 19 cases consisted of 10 malignant cases, 5 benign and 4 atypical smears. The cytological features differentiating benign from malignant lesions gave quite encouraging results with respect to the reliability of diagnosis of bile samples particularly in association with ERCP, sensitivity 76.9%, specificity 87.5% and diagnostic accuracy 82.6%. Such a method can therefore be considered as a simple reliable, rapid method for preoperative evaluation of obstructive jaundice patients and for the early detection of malignancy in screening programs

Nucleolar organizer regions in schistosomal cystitis with or without associated carcinoma

Silver colloid stain was used to count the number of A[g]NOR[s]- associated proteins in paraffin section of chronic cystitis, schistosomal cystitis and neoplastic lesions of urinary bladder. The mean number of AgNORs per nucleus is 1.7 in schistosmal cystitis, 2.9 in dysplasia, 3.0 in dysplasia wth schistosomal cystitis, 3.7 in squamous cell carcinoma, 4.9 in squamous cell carcinoma associated with schistosomal cystitis, 4.4 in transitional cell carcinoma and 6.0 in transitional cell carcinoma associated with schistosomal cystitis. It appears that there is a statistically significant different in the numbers of V: [1] Between chronic cystitis with or without schistomoisis and dysplastic lesions; [2] Between dysplastic lesions with or without schistosomiasis and malignant lesions; [3] Between cystitis with or without schistosomiasis and malignant lesions; [4] Between neoplasia associated with schistosomiasis and neoplasia in the absence of schistosomiasis. The results indicate that this histochemical technique can be of value in diagnostic problems of border line cases and may have a role in the differentiation between chronic cysttis, dysplasia and carcinoma of the bladdere