title: Influence of season on the incidence of DNA hypodiploidy in urinary cytology.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study was conducted to determine if an incidence of hypodiploidy in urinary specimens is related to seasonal temperature changes.
  
  
  METHODS
  DNA ploidy was evaluated on 10,846 urinary specimens fixed in buffered alcohol (MOPSO/NaCl + ETOH) and received over a one year period from numerous sites throughout the United States. The percentage of hypodiploid (DNA index < 0.8) cases was evaluated in each month. As a control, DNA ploidy results from 3, 755 prostate biopsies, fixed in 10% neutral buffered formalin, received during the winter and summer months of the same year, were evaluated.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The average percentage of hypodiploidy in cytologic specimens during the summer months was 19.6% compared to 5. 4% in the winter and early spring months (range: 20.6-4.8%). The average percentage of hypodiploid cells in histologic specimens was 0.8% for both the summer and winter months (range: 1.73-0.36%).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The rate of hypodiploidy in urinary cytology seems to be temperature related. The hypodiploidy rate of histologic specimens fixed in formalin shows no fluctuation with the seasons.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Loyola University Medical Center, Maywood, Illinois 60153, USA. ewojcik@luc.edu
authors.forename: E M
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Wojcik
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Bridges
authors.forename: M C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Miller
authors.forename: G J
authors.initials: GJ
authors.lastname: O'Dowd
mesh_terms: D004247:DNA / Q000235:genetics*; D004171:Diploidy; D006801:Humans; D012621:Seasons; D013048:Specimen Handling; D013696:Temperature; D014556:Urine / Q000737:chemistry / Q000166:cytology*
chemical_list: D004247:DNA