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Squamous Cell Carcinoma, bronchial washing.
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Benign urine cytology sample.
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Squamous cell carcinoma in the cervix.
Papanicolaou stain (also Papanicolaou's stain and Pap stain) is a multichromatic (multicolored) cytological staining technique developed by George Papanicolaou in 1942. [1] [2] [3] The Papanicolaou stain is one of the most widely used stains in cytology, [1] where it is used to aid pathologists in making a diagnosis. Although most notable for its use in the detection of cervical cancer in the Pap test or Pap smear, it is also used to stain non- gynecological specimen preparations from a variety of bodily secretions and from small needle biopsies of organs and tissues. [4] [5] Papanicolaou published three formulations of this stain in 1942, 1954, and 1960. [2]
Pap staining is used to differentiate cells in smear preparations (in which samples are spread or smeared onto a glass microscope slide) [6] from various bodily secretions and needle biopsies; the specimens may include gynecological smears ( Pap smears), sputum, brushings, washings, urine, cerebrospinal fluid, [4] abdominal fluid, pleural fluid, synovial fluid, seminal fluid, [7] fine needle aspirations, tumor touch samples, or other materials containing loose cells. [8] [4] [9]
The pap stain is not fully standardized and comes in several formulations, differing in the exact dyes used, their ratios, and timing of the process. [2] [1] Pap staining is usually associated with cytopathology in which loose cells are examined, but the stain has also been modified and used on tissue slices. [9]
Pap staining is used in the Pap smear (or Pap test) and is a reliable technique in cervical cancer screening in gynecology. [10]
The classic form of the Papanicolaou stain involves five stains in three solutions. [2] [11] [12]
The counterstains are dissolved in 95% ethyl alcohol which prevents cells from over staining which would obscure nuclear detail and cell outlines especially in the case when cells are overlapping on the slide. [3] [2] Phosphotungstic acid is added to adjust the pH of counterstains and helps to optimize the color intensity. [2] The EA counterstain contains Bismarck brown and phosphotungstic acid, which when in combination, cause both to precipitate out of solution, reducing the useful life of the mixture. [2]
The stain should result in cells that are fairly transparent so even thicker specimens with overlapping cells can be interpreted. [2] Cell nuclei should be crisp, blue to black on color [12] [13] and the chromatin patterns of the nucleus should be well defined. Cell cytoplasm stains blue-green and keratin stains orange in color. [13] [5]
Eosin Y stains the superficial epithelial squamous cells, nucleoli, cilia, and red blood cells. [2] Light Green SF yellowish confers a blue staining for the cytoplasm of active cells such as columnar cells, parabasal squamous cells, and intermediate squamous cells. [14] Superficial cells are orange to pink, and intermediate and parabasal cells are turquoise green to blue. [12]
Ultrafast Papanicolaou stain is an alternative for the fine needle aspiration samples, developed to achieve comparable visual clarity in significantly shorter time. The process differs in rehydration of the air-dried smear with saline, use 4% formaldehyde in 65% ethanol fixative, and use of Richard-Allan Hematoxylin-2 and Cyto-Stain, resulting in a 90-second process yielding transparent polychromatic stains. [15]
{{
cite journal}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (
link)
Papanicolaou stain (also Papanicolaou's stain and Pap stain) is a multichromatic (multicolored) cytological staining technique developed by George Papanicolaou in 1942. [1] [2] [3] The Papanicolaou stain is one of the most widely used stains in cytology, [1] where it is used to aid pathologists in making a diagnosis. Although most notable for its use in the detection of cervical cancer in the Pap test or Pap smear, it is also used to stain non- gynecological specimen preparations from a variety of bodily secretions and from small needle biopsies of organs and tissues. [4] [5] Papanicolaou published three formulations of this stain in 1942, 1954, and 1960. [2]
Pap staining is used to differentiate cells in smear preparations (in which samples are spread or smeared onto a glass microscope slide) [6] from various bodily secretions and needle biopsies; the specimens may include gynecological smears ( Pap smears), sputum, brushings, washings, urine, cerebrospinal fluid, [4] abdominal fluid, pleural fluid, synovial fluid, seminal fluid, [7] fine needle aspirations, tumor touch samples, or other materials containing loose cells. [8] [4] [9]
The pap stain is not fully standardized and comes in several formulations, differing in the exact dyes used, their ratios, and timing of the process. [2] [1] Pap staining is usually associated with cytopathology in which loose cells are examined, but the stain has also been modified and used on tissue slices. [9]
Pap staining is used in the Pap smear (or Pap test) and is a reliable technique in cervical cancer screening in gynecology. [10]
The classic form of the Papanicolaou stain involves five stains in three solutions. [2] [11] [12]
The counterstains are dissolved in 95% ethyl alcohol which prevents cells from over staining which would obscure nuclear detail and cell outlines especially in the case when cells are overlapping on the slide. [3] [2] Phosphotungstic acid is added to adjust the pH of counterstains and helps to optimize the color intensity. [2] The EA counterstain contains Bismarck brown and phosphotungstic acid, which when in combination, cause both to precipitate out of solution, reducing the useful life of the mixture. [2]
The stain should result in cells that are fairly transparent so even thicker specimens with overlapping cells can be interpreted. [2] Cell nuclei should be crisp, blue to black on color [12] [13] and the chromatin patterns of the nucleus should be well defined. Cell cytoplasm stains blue-green and keratin stains orange in color. [13] [5]
Eosin Y stains the superficial epithelial squamous cells, nucleoli, cilia, and red blood cells. [2] Light Green SF yellowish confers a blue staining for the cytoplasm of active cells such as columnar cells, parabasal squamous cells, and intermediate squamous cells. [14] Superficial cells are orange to pink, and intermediate and parabasal cells are turquoise green to blue. [12]
Ultrafast Papanicolaou stain is an alternative for the fine needle aspiration samples, developed to achieve comparable visual clarity in significantly shorter time. The process differs in rehydration of the air-dried smear with saline, use 4% formaldehyde in 65% ethanol fixative, and use of Richard-Allan Hematoxylin-2 and Cyto-Stain, resulting in a 90-second process yielding transparent polychromatic stains. [15]
{{
cite journal}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (
link)