| Popis: |
PCR has burst upon the pathologist’s world as both a promise and a peril. There are many pathology laboratories and research centers throughout the world that perform PCR, many in a more or less routine manner to detect a variety of conditions. They can be divided into 3 general categories: I) Low copy number of foreign nucleic acid. These are generally infectious diseases. Two examples are Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) and Cytomegalovirus (CMV). II) Single copy per genome. These usually involve genetic variation, either mutations or polymorphisms. Two examples are the human histocompatibility locus (HLA) and cystic fibrosis. III) Low copy number of human DNA. This category includes the detection of malignancy, or the associated chromosomal translocations or aberrant expression, either in quantitatively or qualitatively. Examples are the bcr-abl translocation associated with chronic myelogenous leukemia and the increased expression of her2/neu seen in some breast carcinomas. The first two categories will be considered in this synopsis. |
