Variation in Growth Pattern and Morphological Appearance of Primary Monolayer Cultures of Chondrocytes and Neural Cells Isolated from the Chick Embryo at Different Stages.

Aim: This study was an attempt at investigating the variation in growth and morphology of primary avian chondrocyte and neural cell cultures established under standard laboratory conditions. Methods: For establishing chondrocyte cultures, the tibia were dissected from chick embryos that were 12 (E12), 14 (E14) and 15 (E15) days old. For the neural cell culture initiation, the two lobes of the forebrain were dissected from chick embryos that were 4 (E4), 8 (E8) and 12 (E12) days old. The final characterization of the cells was performed by H&E and CFV staining. Results: In the chondrocyte cultures, two forms of morphology were observed which is reversible in process.The primary variation evaluated in chondrocytes cultures was the effect of the media on the state of the cells. Based on whether the cells were cultured in DMEM or MEM, there was a difference in the transformation of the attached cells from the differentiated to de-differentiated forms. The primary variation examined in neuron cultures was the embryonic age of the tissue and the effect that it had on the proliferation and neurite formation of the cells. E8 embryo neural cells cultures result in well-developed cells with neurite formation along with axonal and dendritic outgrowths with highly complex interconnections between them. Conclusion: Ultimately, this study demonstrated the composition of culture media had an effect on the morphological appearance of the chondrocytes, as well as, confirmed that the culture of primary neurons is best performed using cells from an E8 embryo.

Evaluation of telomerase expression in chronic periodontitis.

Background : Human telomerase is a multi subunit ribonucleoprotein enzyme concerned with telomeric lengthening and homeostasis in man. This enzyme has been found to be elevated in inflammatory conditions like rheumatoid arthritis and silica injury lung. Since chronic periodontitis is also an inflammatory condition where immune cells and cytokines mediate tissue destruction, we set out to evaluate telomerase in gingival tissue samples from healthy subjects and chronic periodontitis patients by reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction. Materials and Methods : Gingival biopsies were obtained from eight healthy subjects and eight chronic periodontitis patients. Reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RTPCR) was carried out to evaluate telomerase gene expression in the samples. Results : None of the healthy gingival tissue samples expressed the telomerase gene while all the chronic periodontitis samples expressed it. The severe chronic periodontitis samples expressed the gene more intensely than the moderate chronic periodontitis samples. Conclusion : Various mechanisms have been explained to account for telomerase elevation in chronic periodontitis .This study helps us understand the role of telomerase in the pathogenesis of periodontal disease. It could be concluded that telomerase could be used as a marker to assess the severity of inflammation in chronic periodontitis.

Polymorphisms at GSTM1 and GSTP1 gene loci and risk of prostate cancer in a South Indian population.

Inter-individual differences in cancer susceptibility may be mediated in part through polymorphic variability in the bioactivation and detoxification of carcinogens. The glutathione S-transferases (GSTs), which are active in detoxification of wide variety of carcinogens, have been consistently implicated as cancer susceptibility genes in this context. We here assessed the association of GSTM1 and GSTP1 polymorphisms with susceptibility to prostate cancer in a case-control study of 75 patients and 100 age-matched controls in a South Indian population. The GSTM1 null polymorphism was detected by PCR and the GSTP1 Ile105Val polymorphism by PCR-RFLP using peripheral blood DNA.There was no significant link between the null genotype of GSTM1 and risk of prostate cancer (OR-1.79; 95% CI-0.78-4.11; P-0.18). However, the GSTP1 Ile/Val genotype was significantly associated with a decreased risk for prostate cancer (OR-0.36; 95% CI-0.18-0.73; P<0.001). Analysis of the variant GSTM1 and GSTP1 genotypes in combination did not reveal any significant difference between cases and controls, even with a stratified analysis tumor grades. Thus our study indicates that the GSTP1 Ile/Val genotype may decrease risk of prostate cancer in the South Indian population.