MITOTIC INDICES Meaning and
Definition
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The mitotic index is a quantitative measure used in cell biology to determine the rate of cell division or mitosis within a population of cells. It is determined by counting the number of cells undergoing mitosis and comparing it to the total number of cells present in a given sample or field of view. The mitotic index is expressed as a percentage or ratio.
Mitosis is a fundamental process in which a cell divides to produce two identical daughter cells. It is a critical mechanism for growth, development, and tissue repair. The mitotic index provides insight into the proliferative activity of a cell population, which can be helpful in various areas of research, including cancer biology, developmental biology, and regenerative medicine.
To determine the mitotic index, researchers typically prepare a sample of cells for microscopy and stain them to visualize cell structures, specifically the chromosomes during mitosis. By scanning the sample under a microscope, researchers count the number of cells that are actively undergoing mitosis (displaying distinct stages such as prophase, metaphase, anaphase, or telophase) and divide it by the total number of cells observed. The resulting mitotic index represents the proportion of dividing cells within the population.
The mitotic index is a valuable tool in studying cell kinetics, understanding abnormal cell proliferation, assessing the effectiveness of anticancer drugs, and investigating the effects of various factors on cell division rates.
Common Misspellings for MITOTIC INDICES
- nitotic indices
- kitotic indices
- jitotic indices
- mutotic indices
- mjtotic indices
- mktotic indices
- mototic indices
- m9totic indices
- m8totic indices
- mirotic indices
- mifotic indices
- migotic indices
- miyotic indices
- mi6otic indices
- mi5otic indices
- mititic indices
- mitktic indices
- mitltic indices
- mitptic indices
- mit0tic indices
Etymology of MITOTIC INDICES
The word "mitotic" derives from the Greek term "mitos", which means "thread" or "warp". It is related to the process of mitosis, which refers to the division of a cell's nucleus into two identical nuclei.
The word "index" comes from the Latin term "indic-, index", which means "pointer" or "indicator". It originally referred to an object or symbol that pointed to something else. Over time, "index" has also come to mean a numerical value that represents a particular condition or state.
Therefore, the term "mitotic indices" refers to the numerical values or measurements used to indicate the rate or frequency of mitosis occurring in a sample of cells.
