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Automated Micronuclei Detection in Exfoliated Oral Epithelial Cells of Smokers using Image Analysing Softwares
Micronuclei assay yields an excellent path to monitor individuals or populations exposed to mutagenic, genotoxic or teratogenic events. Micronuclei are small nucleic structures formed due to the deposition of nuclear envelopes around lagging chromosomes that persist in the interphase. Mutagenic and carcinogenic compounds, such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and N-nitrosamines are believed to be responsible for the formation of micronuclei. Hence, micronuclei detection in exfoliated oral epithelial cells of smokers is a significant biomarker for genotoxicity and to identify cellular changes of biological importance to carcinogenesis. While studies have been conducted for the detection of micronuclei in smokers, they may easily be missed in regular histopathological sections when viewed under the microscope. Automation of micronuclei detection can prove to be a relatively convenient, accurate and time saving process. An artificial intelligence-based software, MATLAB, is a more refined and precise tool used in recent times for image analysis. This study aimed at employing MATLAB for micronuclei detection in exfoliated cells of smokers.