Pelstring R J, Swerdlow S H
Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Ohio 45267-0529.
Anal Quant Cytol Histol. 1987 Dec;9(6):469-74.
The morphometric analysis of benign and neoplastic lymphoid proliferations relies heavily on nuclear shape factors to identify clefted, cerebriform or convoluted nuclei. Most studies employ the size-independent nuclear contour index (NCI = perimeter/square root area) or the closely related (nuclear) form factor to evaluate the degree of nuclear irregularity. These indices, however, cannot distinguish a truly irregular shape from a perfectly smooth elliptical one. A variation of the standard NCI is therefore proposed in which the NCI of the ellipse (NCIe) that best approximates the nuclear shape is determined to indicate the degree of nuclear elongation or ellipticity and the separate NCI of the nuclear irregularity (NCIni) is determined to indicate the true irregularity of the nuclear perimeter, independent of nuclear elongation. These two new shape factors were tested on a series of shapes and on mantle and follicular-center cells present in 3-micron plastic-embedded sections from three tonsils with reactive lymphoid hyperplasia. Whereas the standard NCI increased with increasing ellipticity or nuclear irregularity, the NCIe increased only with increasing ellipticity and NCIni with increasing nuclear irregularity. Mantle cell and, to a greater extent, follicular-center-cell nuclei showed mean NCIe and NCIni greater than what would be expected from a perfectly round nucleus. These nuclei, therefore, were both more elliptical and more irregular in outline than a perfect circle. The NCIe and NCIni were shown to vary independently in both mantle and follicular-center cells. These new and relatively simple indices should lead to a more accurate morphometric description of lymphoid cells.
良性和肿瘤性淋巴样增生的形态计量分析在很大程度上依赖于核形状因子来识别裂隙状、脑回状或卷曲状核。大多数研究采用与大小无关的核轮廓指数（NCI = 周长/面积平方根）或密切相关的（核）形状因子来评估核不规则程度。然而，这些指数无法区分真正不规则的形状与完美光滑的椭圆形。因此，提出了标准NCI的一种变体，其中确定最接近核形状的椭圆的NCI（NCIe）以指示核伸长或椭圆率的程度，并确定核不规则性的单独NCI（NCIni）以指示核周长的真正不规则性，与核伸长无关。在一系列形状以及来自三个有反应性淋巴样增生的扁桃体的3微米塑料包埋切片中的套细胞和滤泡中心细胞上测试了这两个新的形状因子。虽然标准NCI随着椭圆率或核不规则性的增加而增加，但NCIe仅随着椭圆率的增加而增加，而NCIni随着核不规则性的增加而增加。套细胞核，以及在更大程度上，滤泡中心细胞核的平均NCIe和NCIni大于完美圆形核所预期的值。因此，这些核在轮廓上比完美圆形更椭圆且更不规则。结果表明，NCIe和NCIni在套细胞和滤泡中心细胞中均独立变化。这些新的且相对简单的指数应该能够对淋巴样细胞进行更准确的形态计量描述。
