Objectives To validate a retinal imaging software named VAMPIRE (R) (Vascular Assay and Measurement Platform for images of the Retina) in feline patients and test the clinical utility in hypertensive cats. Animals stu...
详细信息
Objectives To validate a retinal imaging software named VAMPIRE (R) (Vascular Assay and Measurement Platform for images of the Retina) in feline patients and test the clinical utility in hypertensive cats. Animals studied One hundred and five healthy cats were enrolled. They represented the normal dataset used in the validation (group 1). Forty-three hypertensive cats with no noticeable retinal abnormalities were enrolled for the clinical validity of the software (group 2). Procedures Eleven points (4 veins, 4 arteries, and 3 arterial bifurcations) were measured for each digital image. Repeatability and reproducibility of measurements were assessed using two independent operators. Data were statistically analyzed by the Mann-Whiney and Tukey box plot. Significance was considered when P < 0.05. Results Two hundred and ten retinal images were analyzed for a total of 2310 measurements. Total mean was 9.1 and 6.1 pixels for veins and arteries, respectively. First, second, and third arteriolar bifurcations angles were 73.6 degrees, 76.9 degrees, and 85.4 degrees, respectively. A comparison between groups 1 and 2 showed a statistically significant reduction in arteriolar diameter (mean 3.3 pixels) and branch angle (55 degrees, 47.8 degrees and 59.9 degrees) associated with increasing vein diameter (mean 24.15 pixels). Conclusions Current imageanalysis techniques used in human medicine were investigated in terms of extending their use to veterinary medicine. The VAMPIRE (R) algorithm proved useful for an objective diagnosis of retinal vasculature changes secondary to systemic hypertension in cats, and could be an additional diagnostic test for feline systemic hypertension.
Four-dimensional (4D) flow Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) technology has emerged as a valuable tool in angiography, offering unique insights into the hemodynamics and flow patterns. This research aims to explore the...
详细信息
Glomeruli number and size are important for determining the pathogenesis of glomerular disease, chronic kidney disease, and hypertension. Moreover, renal injury can occur in specific cortical layers and alter glomerul...
详细信息
Glomeruli number and size are important for determining the pathogenesis of glomerular disease, chronic kidney disease, and hypertension. Moreover, renal injury can occur in specific cortical layers and alter glomerular spatial distribution. In this study, we present a comprehensive structural analysis of glomeruli in a model of Adriamycin (doxorubicin) nephropathy. Glomeruli are imaged (micro-CT at 10 x 10 x 10 mu m(3) ) in kidney specimens from C57131/6 mouse cohorts: control treated with saline (n = 9) and Adriamycin treated with 20 mg/kg Adriamycin (n = 7). Several indices were examined, including glomerular number, glomerular volume, glomerular volume heterogeneity, and spatial density at each glomerulus and in each cortical layer (superficial, midcortical, and juxtamedullary). In the Adriamycin-treated animals. glomerular number decreased significantly in the left kidney [control: 8,298 +/- 221. Adriamycin: 6,781 +/- 630 (mean +/- SE)] and right kidney (control: 7,317 +/- 367, Adriamycin: 5,522 +/- 508), and glomerular volume heterogeneity increased significantly in the left kidney (control: 0.642 +/- 0.015, Adriamycin: 0.786 +/- 0.018) and right kidney (control: 0.739 +/- 0.016, Adriamycin: 0.937 +/- 0.023). Glomerular spatial density was not affected. Glomerular volume heterogeneity increased significantly in the superficial and midcortical layers of the Adriamycin cohort. Adriamycin did not affect glomerular volume or density metrics in the juxtamedullary region, suggesting a compensatory mechanism of juxtamedullary glomeruli to injury in the outer cortical layers. Left/right asymmetry was observed in kidney size and various glomeruli metrics. The methods presented here can be used to evaluate renal disease models with subtle changes in glomerular endowment locally or across the entire kidney, and they provide an imaging tool to investigate diverse interventions and therapeutic drugs.
Robotic systems have a tremendous influence on real-world applications as well as the actions and decisions of humans. It is one of the key driving forces towards advancements in the field of technology. With an everl...
详细信息
ISBN:
(纸本)9781538651865
Robotic systems have a tremendous influence on real-world applications as well as the actions and decisions of humans. It is one of the key driving forces towards advancements in the field of technology. With an everlasting desire to master this, humans have made one major compromise: unmonitored depletion of Earth's invaluable resources and uncontrolled accumulation of waste. Furthermore, this so-called progress towards a technologically advanced world has paved the way to create a complex environment that poses several risks to human health. One such risk is caused due to the stagnation of contaminated water which serves as a breeding ground for insects such as mosquitoes and houseflies and causes a plethora of diseases. As a result, mosquito-borne diseases are on the rise in countries such as India, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Cambodia, and Brazil. These diseases are detrimental to the health of the country's population. Dengue, a mosquito-borne disease, is the fastest spreading and most critical. Therefore, the challenge at hand is to develop a robotic system which is efficient in locating " dengue hot-spots" while being complementary to the environment, i.e. fewer emissions, zero greenhouse gases. Current methods of dealing with this challenge require a lot of resources and do not yield expected results. Our design methodology, referred to as EMBED-X, offers a systematic approach that is backed up by protocols which support intelligent and pro-active monitoring of the environment. The robotic system is to be semiautonomous and remotely connected to a control station for constant data analysis. The aim is to identify objects such as coconut shells, rubber tires, and plastic containers that have the potential for retaining stagnant water. To identify these objects, image analysis algorithms are applied on the images captured by the autonomous robot during the surveillance of a given area. Our imageanalysis algorithm has an accuracy of 66.7% and is continually being imp
Glaucoma is caused by a pathological rise in the intraocular pressure, which results in a progressive loss of vision by a damage to retinal cells and the optical nerve head. Early detection of pressure-induced damage ...
详细信息
ISBN:
(数字)9781510614345
ISBN:
(纸本)9781510614345;9781510614338
Glaucoma is caused by a pathological rise in the intraocular pressure, which results in a progressive loss of vision by a damage to retinal cells and the optical nerve head. Early detection of pressure-induced damage is thus essential for the reduction of eye pressure and to prevent severe incapacity or blindness. Within the new European Project GALAHAD (Glaucoma Advanced, Label free High Resolution Automated OCT Diagnostics), we will develop a new low-cost and high-resolution OCT system for the early detection of glaucoma. The device is designed to improve diagnosis based on a new system of optical coherence tomography. Although OCT systems are at present available in ophthalmology centres, high-resolution devices are extremely expensive. The novelty of the new Galahad system is its super wideband light source to achieve high image resolution at a reasonable cost. Proof of concept experiments with cell and tissue Glaucoma test standards and animal models are planned for the test of the new optical components and new algorithms performance for the identification of Glaucoma associated cell and tissue structures. The intense training of the software systems with various samples should result in a increased sensitivity and specificity of the OCT software system.
Marker free optical spectroscopy is a powerful tool for the rapid inspection of pathologically suspicious skin lesions and the non-invasive detection of early skin tumors. This goal can be reached by the combination o...
详细信息
ISBN:
(纸本)9781510605619;9781510605626
Marker free optical spectroscopy is a powerful tool for the rapid inspection of pathologically suspicious skin lesions and the non-invasive detection of early skin tumors. This goal can be reached by the combination of signal localization and the spectroscopical detection of chemical cell signatures. We here present the development and application of mid infrared spectroscopy (midIR) for the analysis of skin tumor cell types and three dimensional tissue phantoms towards the application of midIR spectroscopy for fast and reliable skin diagnostics. We developed standardized in vitro skin systems with increasing complexity, from single skin cell types as fibroblasts, keratinocytes and melanoma cells, to mixtures of these and finally three dimensional skin cancer phantoms. The cell systems were characterized with different systems in the midIR range up to 12 mu m. The analysis of the spectra by novel data processing algorithms demonstrated the clear separation of all cell types, especially melanoma cells. Special attention and algorithm training was required for closely related mesenchymal cell types as dedifferentiated melanoma cells and fibroblasts. Proof of concept experiments with mixtures of in vivo fluorescence labelled skin cell types allowed the test of the new algorithms performance for the identification of specific cell types. The intense training of the software systems with various samples resulted in a increased sensitivity and specificity of the combined midIR and software system. These data highlight the potential of midIR spectroscopy as sensitive and specific future optical biopsy technology.
Robotic systems have a tremendous influence on real-world applications as well as the actions and decisions of humans. It is one of the key driving forces towards advancements in the field of technology. With an everl...
详细信息
Robotic systems have a tremendous influence on real-world applications as well as the actions and decisions of humans. It is one of the key driving forces towards advancements in the field of technology. With an everlasting desire to master this, humans have made one major compromise: unmonitored depletion of Earth's invaluable resources and uncontrolled accumulation of waste. Furthermore, this so-called progress towards a technologically advanced world has paved the way to create a complex environment that poses several risks to human health. One such risk is caused due to the stagnation of contaminated water which serves as a breeding ground for insects such as mosquitoes and houseflies and causes a plethora of diseases. As a result, mosquito-borne diseases are on the rise in countries such as India, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Cambodia, and Brazil. These diseases are detrimental to the health of the country's population. Dengue, a mosquito-borne disease, is the fastest spreading and most critical. Therefore, the challenge at hand is to develop a robotic system which is efficient in locating "dengue hot-spots" while being complementary to the environment, i.e. fewer emissions, zero greenhouse gases. Current methods of dealing with this challenge require a lot of resources and do not yield expected results. Our design methodology, referred to as EMBED-X, offers a systematic approach that is backed up by protocols which support intelligent and pro-active monitoring of the environment. The robotic system is to be semi-autonomous and remotely connected to a control station for constant data analysis. The aim is to identify objects such as coconut shells, rubber tires, and plastic containers that have the potential for retaining stagnant water. To identify these objects, image analysis algorithms are applied on the images captured by the autonomous robot during the surveillance of a given area. Our imageanalysis algorithm has an accuracy of 66.7% and is continually being imp
Huanglongbing (HLB), also known as yellow shoot or citrus greening, is a devastating disease, associated with ‘Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus (CLas).’ Unfortunately, there is no effective cure for this disease, a...
详细信息
Intermodal (IM) trains are typically the fastest freight trains operated in North America. The aerodynamic characteristics of many of these trains are often relatively poor resulting in high fuel consumption. However,...
详细信息
Intermodal (IM) trains are typically the fastest freight trains operated in North America. The aerodynamic characteristics of many of these trains are often relatively poor resulting in high fuel consumption. However, considerable variation in fuel efficiency is possible depending on how the loads are placed on railcars in the train. Consequently, substantial potential fuel savings are possible if more attention is paid to the loading configuration of trains. A wayside machine vision (MV) system was developed to automatically scan passing IM trains and assess their aerodynamic efficiency. MV algorithms are used to analyse these images, detect and measure gaps between loads. In order to make use of the data, a scoring system was developed based on two attributes - the aerodynamic coefficient and slot efficiency. The aerodynamic coefficient is calculated using the Aerodynamic Subroutine of the train energy model. Slot efficiency represents the difference between the actual and ideal loading configuration given the particular set of railcars in the train. This system can provide IM terminal managers feedback on loading performance for trains and be integrated into the software support systems used for loading assignment.
The invariant cell lineage and cell fate of Caenorhabditis elegans provide a unique opportunity to decode the molecular mechanisms of animal development. To exploit this opportunity, we have developed a system for aut...
详细信息
The invariant cell lineage and cell fate of Caenorhabditis elegans provide a unique opportunity to decode the molecular mechanisms of animal development. To exploit this opportunity, we have developed a system for automated cell lineage tracing during C elegans embryogenesis, based on 3D, time-lapse imaging and automated imageanalysis, Using ubiquitously expressed histone-GFP fusion protein to label cells/nuclei and a confocal microscope, the imaging protocol captures embryogenesis at high spatial (31 planes at 1 mu m apart) and temporal (every minute) resolution without apparent effect! on development. A set of image analysis algorithms then automatically recognizes cells at each time point, tracks cell movements, divisions and deaths over time and assigns cell identities based on the canonical naming scheme. Starting from the four-cell stage (or earlier), our software, named STARRYNITE, can trace the lineage up to the 350-cell stage in 25 min on a desktop computer. The few errors of automated lineaging can then be corrected in a few hours with a graphic interface that allows easy navigation of the images and the reported lineage tree. The system can be used to characterize lineage phenotypes of genes and/or extended to determine gene expression patterns in a living embryo at the single-cell level. We envision that this automation will make it practical to systematically decipher the developmental genes and pathways encoded in the genome of C elegans.
暂无评论