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Howell-Jolly body

 
Sci-Tech Dictionary: Howell-Jolly bodies
(′hau̇·əl ′jäl·ē ′bäd·ēz)

(pathology) Small, round basophilic inclusions of nuclear material in erythrocytes of splenectomized persons.


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Medical Dictionary: How·ell-Jol·ly body
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(hou'əl-zhô-lē')
n.

A spherical granule often observed in the stroma of a red blood cell, especially after a splenectomy.

Veterinary Dictionary: Howell–Jolly bodies
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Small, round or oval bodies, probably nuclear remnants, seen in erythrocytes when stains are added to fresh blood and found in various anemias and after splenectomy or reduced splenic function.

Wikipedia: Howell-Jolly body
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Howell-Jolly bodies are histopathological findings of basophilic nuclear remnants (clusters of DNA) in circulating erythrocytes. During maturation in the bone marrow erythrocytes normally expel their nuclei, but in some cases a small portion of DNA remains.

It is named for William Henry Howell and Justin Marie Jolly.[1][2][3]

Contents

Appearance

This DNA appears as a basophilic (purple) spot on the otherwise eosinophilic (pink) erythrocyte on a standard H and E stained blood smear. These inclusions are normally pitted out by the spleen during erythrocyte circulation, but will persist in individuals with functional hyposplenia or asplenia.

Causes

Common causes of asplenia are splenectomy due to trauma, and autosplenectomy caused by sickle cell anemia. Ten percent of patients with Celiac disease also present with splenic atrophy with subsequent Howell-Jolly bodies. Other causes are radiation therapy involving the spleen, such as that used to treat Hodgkin lymphoma. Howell-Jolly bodies are also seen in: severe hemolytic anemia, megaloblastic anemia, hereditary spherocytosis, and myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS).

References

  1. ^ synd/1596 at Who Named It?
  2. ^ W. H. Howell. The life-history of the formed elements of the blood, especially the red blood corpuscles. Journal of Morphology, New York, 1890-91, 4: 57-116.
  3. ^ J. M. J. Jolly. Sur la formation des globules rouges des mammifères. Comptes rendus de la Société de Biologie, Paris, 1905, 58: 528-531.

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Sci-Tech Dictionary. McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific and Technical Terms. Copyright © 2003, 1994, 1989, 1984, 1978, 1976, 1974 by McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.  Read more
Medical Dictionary. The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company Read more
Veterinary Dictionary. Saunders Comprehensive Veterinary Dictionary 3rd Edition. Copyright © 2007 by D.C. Blood, V.P. Studdert and C.C. Gay, Elsevier. All rights reserved.  Read more
Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Howell-Jolly body" Read more