From: Bob Leif To: Kenneth Ault et al. You have very correctly questioned the attemps at alignment of morphologic descriptions with specific immunophenotypes. To add fuel to the fire, morphological discrimination implies reproducible sample preparation with either minimal or very reproducible artifacts. Starting with Papanicolaou, exfoliative cytology has employed wet fixation. Hematology has employed air drying of blood and bone marrow films. Especially in the case of bone marrow, where there is some tradition of looking at wet fixed, sectioned material, it is well known that air drying changes morphology. I would suggest that morphology and morphometric analysis might be more useful if wet fixation were employed. The old analogy is that even though Quantum Mechanics (Monoclonal Antibodies) is well developed, Newtonian Physics (morphology) is still very useful. Good morphology should at least provide a common sense test of molecular based diagnosis. I believe that morphometric analysis (including human observation) and molecular cytology should augment each other. Robert C. Leif, Ph.D., PMIAC, Vice President & Research Director Ada_Med, A Division of Newport Instruments Tel. & Fax (619) 582-0437 Please send e-mail to my new address, rleif@rleif.com Thank you.
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