Dodson Ronald F, Shepherd Sara, Levin Jeffrey, Hammar Samuel P
Dodson Environmental Consulting, Inc. and ERI Analytical, Tyler, Texas, USA.
Ultrastruct Pathol. 2007 Mar-Apr;31(2):95-133. doi: 10.1080/01913120701423907.
Inhaled dust particulates are able to relocate to the extrapulmonary compartments, particularly the lymph nodes that drain the lung. There is little information about the concentration and type of asbestos in the lymphatics and lymph nodes. Quantitative analysis of asbestos lymph node burden conducted by light and analytical transmission electron microscopy has shown ferruginous bodies in lymph nodes that drain the lung and appreciable numbers of short asbestos fibers accumulate in lymph nodes in occupationally exposed individuals. The location of lymph nodes in the thoracic cavity was categorized according to the Naruke anatomical map. Tissue from eleven individuals with a history of asbestos exposure were selected for a comparative study of the asbestos content of lung with that found in the thoracic lymph nodes. The study used a digestion technique for tissue preparation and evaluated ferruginous body burden and concentration of asbestos fibers (> 0.5 microm in length). Comparison was made between sites and analysis was made as to the population of fibers detectable by light microscopy and defined as "Stanton fibers." The findings indicated the vast majority of all asbestos fiber types in all sites were shorter than 5 microm and would not have been counted in a light microscopy count scheme that included only those fibers > 5 microm. There were reproducible patterns of asbestos types of found in various lymph nodes, although there were variations in the amount of asbestos found in the sites sampled. In summary, asbestos fibers found in thoracic lymph nodes have predominately short fibers and, in this study group, consisted of a mixture of commercial and noncommercial amphiboles. When a long/thin fiber was found in the lung or lymph tissue, its detection required the use of analytical transmission electron microscopy for identification.
吸入的尘埃颗粒能够转移到肺外区域，尤其是引流肺部的淋巴结。关于淋巴管和淋巴结中石棉的浓度和类型的信息很少。通过光学和分析透射电子显微镜对石棉淋巴结负荷进行的定量分析表明，引流肺部的淋巴结中有含铁小体，并且在职业暴露个体的淋巴结中积累了相当数量的短石棉纤维。胸腔内淋巴结的位置根据成胁解剖图进行分类。选择了11名有石棉接触史的个体的组织，用于比较肺部与胸腔淋巴结中石棉含量的研究。该研究采用消化技术制备组织，并评估含铁小体负荷和石棉纤维（长度>0.5微米）的浓度。对不同部位进行了比较，并对光学显微镜可检测到的、定义为“斯坦顿纤维”的纤维群体进行了分析。研究结果表明，所有部位的绝大多数石棉纤维类型都短于5微米，在仅包括长度>5微米纤维的光学显微镜计数方案中不会被计数。在各个淋巴结中发现的石棉类型存在可重复的模式，尽管在采样部位发现的石棉量存在差异。总之，胸腔淋巴结中发现的石棉纤维主要是短纤维，在该研究组中，由商业和非商业闪石的混合物组成。当在肺或淋巴组织中发现长/细纤维时，其检测需要使用分析透射电子显微镜进行鉴定。
