title: Comparison of results of the manual and automated scoring of micronucleus frequencies in (60)Co-irradiated peripheral blood lymphocytes for triage dosimetry.
abstract: Scoring micronuclei in the peripheral blood lymphocytes of individuals exposed to ionizing radiation is a rapid biodosimetry assay. Peripheral blood lymphocytes from five individuals were exposed in vitro to 0-5Gy of (60)Co γ-radiation at a dose rate of 0.76Gy/min. The blood cultures were initiated with RPMI-1640 (80%) supplemented with FBS (20%), stimulated with mitogen and incubated at 37°C for 44h. At the 44th hour, cytochalasin-B (6µg/mL) was added, and the cultures were incubated for 28h more. The cells were harvested with a pre-chilled hypotonic solution (0.075M) and fixed with a Carnoy's solution (methanol/acetic acid 5:1). Giemsa- and propidium-iodide-stained cells affixed to slides for microscopy were scored manually and automatically with the micronucleus scoring software from MetaSystems. The micronucleus frequencies determined in the Giemsa-stained cells by manual and automated scoring were 23.6% different (P<0.0001) with an efficiency of 24.9%. Slides stained with propidium iodide are a better choice for automated scoring than Giemsa-stained ones.
authors.affiliation: Sri Ramachandra University, Department of Human Genetics, Porur, Chennai 600 116, Tamil Nadu, India; Institute of Nuclear Medicine and Allied Sciences, Timarpur, New Delhi 110 054, India.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Tamizh Selvan
authors.affiliation: Institute of Nuclear Medicine and Allied Sciences, Timarpur, New Delhi 110 054, India.
authors.forename: N K
authors.initials: NK
authors.lastname: Chaudhury
authors.affiliation: Sri Ramachandra University, Department of Human Genetics, Porur, Chennai 600 116, Tamil Nadu, India. Electronic address: venkip@yahoo.com.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Venkatachalam
keywords: Automation; Biodosimetry; Blood; Micronuclei