Original Article

Year : 2023 | Volume : 8 | Issue : 1 | Page : 38-44

Rivalling efficacy of special stains in the identification of Barr bodies

Dr Deepali Kulkarni1 , Dr Jyoti Bhavthanka1 , Dr Mandakini Mandale1 , Dr Jayanti Humbe 1 , Dr Vaishali Nandkhedkar1 , Dr Savita Wagh

1 Department of Oral Pathology, Government Dental College, Aurangabad, Maharashtra.

Address for Correspondence:

Dr Deepali Kulkarni,

Department of Oral Pathology, Government Dental College, Aurangabad, Maharashtra

Email: deepakul16@gmail.com

ABSTRACT:

Introduction:

Gender determination becomes the first priority in the process of identification of a person by a forensic investigator in case of mass disaster, crime investigations, and ethnic studies. Demonstration of nuclear sex plays a vital role in determining the gender of an individual. Barr bodies (BB) are known to arise from the inactivation of the X chromosome in a female somatic cell. They are basophilic structures with varying morphology measuring approximately 0.8 × 1.1 microns in the nucleus during interphase. Various nuclear stains such as Thionine, Papanicolaou, Feulgen, Cresyl-violet, Giemsa, Aceto-orcein, and acridine orange and routine stains can validate Barr bodies.

Aim:

To evaluate the efficacy of Feulgen, Giemsa, and H&E stains in the demonstration of Barr bodies. Materials And Methods: Buccal smears were prepared from 25 males & 25 females. These smears were stained by Feulgen, Giemsa, and routine staining methods. The Barr body identification was determined by the presence of a darkly stained condensed area on nucleoplasm. The frequency of Barr's body was examined by observing 100 nuclei per smear under a binocular light microscope at 100 magnification. For all BB-positive cases, Barr Body Index(BBI) was calculated and compared for the different stains used.

Results:

Buccal cytological smears stained with Feulgen, Giemsa, and Routine stains. Samples with a presence of Barr bodies ≤2 were recorded as male and those with >2 were recorded as female under microscopic findings. The percentage of Barr bodies in Feulgen-stained slides ranged from 30.2 - 37.9 among females and 0 - 0.1 in males, Giemsa slides ranged 14.2 - 22.2 from among females and 0 - 0.3 in males, while with Routine stained slides ranges recorded were10.2 - 14.9 in females and 0 - 0.5 in males. The sensitivity of Feulgen, Giemsa, and Routine stain for detecting sex accurately was 100% and specificity was 100%, 98%, and 94% respectively.

Conclusion:

Feulgen stain proved to be better than Giemsa and routine stain for visualizing Barr Bodies. Keywords- Barr Body, Sex, Gender, Feulgen, Giemsa, Forensic Odontology

Keywords- Barr Body, Sex, Gender, Feulgen, Giemsa, Forensic Odontology

Financial support and sponsorship

Nil

Conflicts of interest

There are no conflicts of interest

How to cite this article: Kulkarni, D., Mandale, M., Bhavthankar, J., Humbe, J., Nandkhedkar, V., Wagh, S., & Zanwar, P. (2023). Rivaling efficacy of special stains in the identification of Barr bodies: Original Article. International Journal of Forensic Odontology, 8(1). https://doi.org/10.56501/intjforensicodontol.v8i1.794

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