METHOD FOR IDENTIFYING CELLS AS EPITHELIOID CELL PREDECESSORS Russian patent published in 1999 - IPC

FIELD: medicine. SUBSTANCE: method involves culturing mononuclear cells adhered during 1 h on glass. The cells are taken from blood or other biological fluids as cell suspensions and cultured in cells filled with culturing medium having L- hydroxyproline of 50 mg/l concentration at 37 C during 1 h in humid atmosphere having 5% CO₂. Then polystyrene latex microspheres are introduced into the culture and culturing continues 1 h more. The cells are sequentially fixed with glutaric aldehyde and methanol. The quantity of flattened monocytes of plasmoid type is counted in % under phase contrast microscopy control. The monocytes have oval or round clarified nucleus (with euchromatin predominant) having single irregular shape nucleolus, phagocytize no latex particles, assume in their flattening isosceles triangle shape with rounded angles or trapezoid shape. They form no cytoplasmic processes and have marked polarity properties. Every cell satisfying all three requirements cited are considered to be committed epithelioid cell predecessors in organism in all pathological epithelioid cell-related granulomatous processes. EFFECT: of great importance in creating new methods of differential diagnosis of granulomatous disease.