Roundness of epithelial nuclei in bronchial mucosa.
OBJECTIVE
To estimate the shape of epithelial nuclei in bronchial mucosa.


METHODS
Bronchoscopic mucosal samples from 12 patients with chronic bronchitis and 14 patients with squamous cell bronchial carcinoma were routinely processed and stained with the hematoxylin and eosin method. Fields with stratification and squamous metaplasia were selected. The roundness of epithelial nuclei was estimated using Lucia, version 3.51 ab, with an objective of 40:1 (NA = 0.65) and final magnification of 1,900:1. The images were manually edited. Roundness was calculated from area and perimeter.


RESULTS
The mean roundness in stratification and squamous metaplasia in bronchial mucosa from carcinoma patients (0.90 +/- 0.04) was significantly greater than in bronchial mucosa from chronic bronchitis patients (0.80 +/- 0.006) (P < .05).


CONCLUSIONS
Our results indicate that cell nuclei in stratification and squamous metaplasia in patients without bronchial cancer are more elongated than nuclei found under the same conditions in patients with squamous cell carcinoma.
Mijović
Z
Z
Medical Faculty, Institute of Pathology, University of Nis, Serbia, Yugoslavia. mihapat@kalca.junis.ni.ac.yu
Kutlesić
C
C
Mihailović
D
D
Stojanović
D
D
Penev
G
G
Djordjević
B
B
D001980:Bronchi / Q000473:pathology*; D001984:Bronchial Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology*; D001991:Bronchitis / Q000473:pathology*; D001999:Bronchoscopy; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000473:pathology*; D002467:Cell Nucleus / Q000473:pathology*; D002908:Chronic Disease; D004847:Epithelial Cells / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D007620:Karyometry; D009092:Mucous Membrane / Q000473:pathology