Evaluation of sex chromosome aneuploidies in women with Turner's syndrome by G-banding and FISH. A serial case study.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate sex chromosome aneuploidies in patients with Turner's syndrome using two cytogenetic techniques. STUDY DESIGN: A sample of 35 women with a clinical suspicion of Turner syndrome was examined in the Hospital of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social, Monterrey, Mexico. They were subjected to a conventional cytogenetic technique with G-banding and to fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) using a specific alpha satellite X chromosome (DXZ1) and specific alpha satellite Y chromosome (DYZ1). RESULTS: Using both techniques, 17 cases (48.57%) showed the same karyotype. Using FISH: (1) in 8 cases the presence of the Y chromosome was confirmed, (2) in 18 cases (51.43%) a new cell line was identified, (3) in 2 cases (5.71%) the derivative X was clarified, and (4) in 3 cases (8.57%) the origin of the chromosome markers (1 of X chromosome and 2 of Y chromosome) was delineated. FISH highlighted the differences between the initial diagnosis, based on G-banding, and the final diagnosis, determined by specific probes for the X and Y chromosomes. CONCLUSION: FISH is a useful tool in the detection of low-frequency cell lines and identification of the nature and origin of derivative chromosomes and unknown chromosome markers that have important implications for the treatment of patients with Turner's syndrome.

Activity satellite association and polymorphismo of Ag stained nucleolus organizer regions (Ag+ NORs) in lymphocytes from women with cervical uterine cancer

Thirty five female patients with different stages of neoplastic lesions: cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) or dysplasia (CIN I and CIN II), in situ carcinoma (CIS), and adenocarcinoma, and 27 healthy women (controls) wee studied to determine the activity, satellite association, and jpolymorphism of Ag stained nucleolus organizer regions (Ag+NORs) in acrocentric chromosomes in metaphases obtained from peripheral blood lymphocytes. For each person, 25 to 50 metaphases stained with ammoniacal silver technique were scored. The average number of Ag+ NORs was higher in women with adenocarcinoma (7.66 ñ 0.72) than in controls (6.65 ñ 0.74). Non-associated chromosomes showing Ag+ NORs were found more frequently in patients (5.85 ñ 0.88) than in controls (4.81 ñ 0.67). Patients aged 30-39 and 60 or more had an increase of Ag+ NORs (7.99 ñ 1.04, and 7.81 ñ0.71) with respect to their controls (6.36 ñ 0.052 and 6.17 ñ 0.88), but the frequency of satellite association showed lower values in 50 -59 year-old patients (0.75 ñ 0.08) than in controls (1.02 ñ 0.19). The most frequent association in patients was the large type (patients = 38.96 perecent, controls 30.49 ). The partial association showed higher values (6.49 percent) than controls (2.44 percent). Otherwise, the spherical association was more frequent for controls (37.80 percent) than for patients (28.57 percent). All these differences were statistically significant (p<0.05). The frequency of Ag+ NORs and the type of polymorphism of satellite association could be related to the neoplastic process, while the frequency of satellite association and of polymorphism of Ag+ NORs seems to be irrelevant