Circannual growth variations of the mandibular condylar cartilage in the young rat

Harris lines: a study of age-associated bias in counting and interpretation

Harris lines are regularly used in paleopathology as indicators of episodic nonspecific stress, but the methodology for their use has not been clearly established. We studied radiographs of the distal shaft of the tibia in 82 immature and 49 mature subjects from a medieval burial site and compared the number of Harris lines and observer error according to age categories. We found statistically significant differences in both line counts and in observer error by age groups. In conclusion, studies of Harris lines must take into account age variation in order to be validated.

Circadian rhythms of gingival epithelium in young mice

Five-week-old Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL), Swiss-albino male mice were maintained on a 12-hour light/dark cycle and were subcutaneously injected with 3H-thymidine (1 micro Ci/gm body weight) one hour prior to sacrifice. Twenty-four mice (three each time-period) were killed at 3 hour intervals for 24 hours. Autoradiographs were prepared from 5-micron thick paraffin embedded decalcified sections of maxillary first molars and surrounding tissues. Labeling index was determined over the cells of the basal layer of the gingival epithelium. Crevicular and crestal gingival epithelium revealed a circadian rhythmic pattern in DNA synthesis in which two peaks were evident. Peak labeling of 5-week-old mouse gingiva exhibited a higher value than previously reported for nontraumatized gingiva. Rodents are nocturnal, as was peak activity, but a second peak is also evident in the light period. Consequently, not all peaks are synonymous with the period of animal activity and feeding. The observed continuous high labeling indices represent a significant potential of gingival epithelium to replenish its cells in response to physiological wear and tear.

Autoradiographic evaluation of circadian periodicity in cell proliferation in the periodontal ligament of the young mouse

Five-week-old BNL male mice were maintained on a 12-h light/dark cycle, subcutaneously injected with [3H]-thymidine 1 h before death and killed every 3 h for 24 h. Autoradiographs were made from demineralized, paraffin-wax embedded sagittal sections of maxillae. The labelling index was calculated for fibroblast-like cells of the periodontal ligament mesial to the first molar. A bimodal distribution of labelled cells was seen. Labelling index was highest at 0900 h (light period); a second, lower, peak was seen at 2400 h (dark period). Cell proliferation was significantly increased during the light period. The increased activity during the dark period may represent a superimposed secondary, ultradian, rhythm, differences in periodontal cell subtypes or may be related to the feeding and activity cycle of the mouse. Thus there is a 24-h cyclic rhythmicity in the proliferation of periodontal-ligament cells in the mouse.