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Previous Volume 350:1597-1600 April 15, 2004 Number 16 Next

	Since this article has no abstract, we have provided an extract of the first 100 words of the full text and any section headings.

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Cytogenetics is the genetic analysis of cells, a discipline that has flourished since the chromosome-banding techniques introduced in 1969 by Torbjörn Caspersson and Lore Zech first provided a simple and inexpensive way to gauge the number and assess the structural integrity of chromosomes. Chromosome banding (see Figure 1A) is probably the most commonly performed genetic test: it is used about 500,000 times each year in North America (most laboratories use G-banding, named after the German chemist Gustav Giemsa). It is used prenatally and postnatally to screen for the presence of constitutional chromosomal aberrations associated with birth defects, as well . . . [Full Text of this Article]

Source Information

From the National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, Md.

This article has been cited by other articles:

• Philip, A. G. S., Polani, P. E. (2004). Historical Perspectives: Chromosomal Abnormalities and Clinical Syndromes. NeoReviews 5: e315-e320 [Full Text]