Telomere length on bladder washing samples from patients with bladder cancer correlates with tumor characteristics flow cytometry method for quantitative fluorescence in situ hybridization (flow-FISH technique).

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the length of telomeres in patients with bladder cancer using a quantitative flow cytometry (flow-FISH) technique. METHODS: Bladder washing samples from 51 patients with bladder cancer were obtained immediately before transurethral resection. The average length of telomere repeats was measured by flow-FISH, as previously reported. Results were expressed in molecular equivalents of soluble fluorochrome (MESF) units. RESULTS: Bladder washing specimens provided adequate cell numbers for flow-FISH in 49 cases. The TEL means were 1014.71, 2343.36, 5567 and 18267.57 for Ta, T1, T2 and T3/4 tumors, respectively. Regarding grade it was obtained a mean MESF value of 1379.46, 3391.29 and 15925.11 for G1, G2 and G3, respectively. ANOVA demonstrated statistically significant differences in stage (p: 0.014) and tumor grades (p: 0.012). In relation to ploidy, we found a mean MESF value of 2701.37 and 16085.44 MESF units for diploid and aneuploid cells, respectively. Significant difference (p: 0.003) was observed between both groups. CONCLUSION: To date, this is the first report wherein telomere length was measured using flow-FISH method in exfoliated cells in urine from patients with bladder cancer. Further investigations are required to demonstrate whether flow-FISH technique might be considered as a tumor marker of bladder cancer.

Contaminantes poco habituales en extendidos de esputos / Uncommon contaminants of sputum smears

Planteamiento: Describir una serie de contaminantes a través de la observación microscópica de extendidos citológicos de esputos. Material y métodos: Extendidos de esputos coloreados mediante la técnica de Papanicolaou. Resultados: Hemos constatado, en 15.000 muestras de pacientes ingresados con diferentes patologías respiratorias durante los últimos 10 años, la presencia de diferentes tipos de microalgas, células vegetales, granos de polen y diversos cristales. Conclusiones: La existencia de contaminantes, en extendidos de esputos, es un hecho relativamente frecuente, teniendo un cierto significado biológico y debiéndose establecer en ocasiones su diagnóstico diferencial, dadas las similitudes con otras estructuras tales como hongos y diversos protozoos (AU)