title: Light and electron microscopic study of juvenile neuronal ceroid-lipofuscinosis lymphocytes.
abstract: We report the findings of a light and electron microscopic follow-up study of lymphocytes from 10 patients with juvenile neuronal ceroid-lipofuscinosis. Vacuolated lymphocytes observed by electron microscopy varied from 34-67% in 22 different specimens from 10 patients. Although the percentage of vacuolated lymphocytes increased with duration of the illness in 5 of 6 patients who were younger than 11 years of age, there was no such tendency in 4 patients who were older than 13 years. This result may indicate that vacuolated lymphocytes increase with the duration of illness until an age of saturation. Three to 46% of lymphocytes contained lipopigments consisting of granular matrix and fingerprint profiles which were unrelated to age. Lymphocytes with fingerprint profiles constituted less than 12% of the total and could not be found during examination of 100 lymphocytes in 6 of 22 specimens.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Yokohama City University School of Medicine, Japan.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kimura
authors.forename: H H
authors.initials: HH
authors.lastname: Goebel
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003594:Cytoplasmic Granules / Q000648:ultrastructure; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008055:Lipids / Q000032:analysis; D008062:Lipofuscin / Q000032:analysis; D008214:Lymphocytes / Q000473:pathology*; D008297:Male; D008854:Microscopy, Electron; D009472:Neuronal Ceroid-Lipofuscinoses / Q000235:genetics / Q000473:pathology*; D014617:Vacuoles / Q000648:ultrastructure
chemical_list: D008055:Lipids; D008062:Lipofuscin