Quantitative Functional Morphology by Imaging Flow Cytometry.

This chapter describes advantages and limitations of imaging flow cytometry (IFC) based on Imagestream instrumentation using a hybrid approach of morphometric measurement and quantitation of multiparametric fluorescent intensities' distribution in cells and particles. Brief comparison is given of IFC with conventional flow cytometry and fluorescent microscopy. Some future directions of the IFC technology are described and discussed.

Wallace H. Coulter: decades of invention and discovery.

Only a few inventors can be said to have made as great an impact on mankind as Wallace Coulter. His inquisitive mind and ability to see well beyond what existed served him well for 40 years of inventing. So many of the fundamental tools that exist today in the area of hematology were derived from or driven by Coulter's inventions that he could be called the most technological innovator in the field of modern hematology. In achieving these discoveries Wallace Coulter was clearly capable of visualizing future opportunities that few others recognized. His vision was combined with an uncanny ability to translate his ideas into products. He developed a large number of tools that shaped the fields of cytometry, image analysis, and industrial materials. His understanding of the future power of computation drove him to link these technologies in a unique way. In the end, Coulter shaped the technologies that ultimately drove hematology in a new direction, one that remains on a critical pathway linking technology innovation all the way to true translational impact. It was said of Henry Ford that "[h]e has no notion that wealth has made him great, and any one who is imprest merely by his wealth bores him. In his personal contacts he likes to dodge the subject. He would prefer to talk with a machinist about machinery, or with somebody who likes birds about birds. In these contacts, he asks no deference; and if he gets it, he suspects it is mere deference to wealth, and that ends his interest."(1) The same could be said of Wallace Coulter, who, like Ford, understood the concepts of mass production and customer service. Coulter had the ability to recognize the opportunity and fulfill the need for development of a blood-cell counter that could be placed in every pathology laboratory, and in so doing transformed a field from a qualitative to a quantitative environment. Every person who has ever entered a medical lab, hospital, or doctor's office has felt the impact of Coulter's discovery.

Dendritic spines and development: towards a unifying model of spinogenesis--a present day review of Cajal's histological slides and drawings.

Dendritic spines receive the majority of excitatory connections in the central nervous system, and, thus, they are key structures in the regulation of neural activity. Hence, the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying their generation and plasticity, both during development and in adulthood, are a matter of fundamental and practical interest. Indeed, a better understanding of these mechanisms should provide clues to the development of novel clinical therapies. Here, we present original results obtained from high-quality images of Cajal's histological preparations, stored at the Cajal Museum (Instituto Cajal, CSIC), obtained using extended focus imaging, three-dimensional reconstruction, and rendering. Based on the data available in the literature regarding the formation of dendritic spines during development and our results, we propose a unifying model for dendritic spine development.

The evolution of scanning microphotometry: a historical review.

This article traces the evolution of scanning microphotometry from its beginning, with an emphasis on the developing technologies that have made feasible the rapid and detailed capture of high-resolution image information. Consideration is given to future directions that may prove fruitful to clinical practice.

Some reflections on the history, and presence of quantitative pathology.

The quantitative approach has always been present in pathology, but this approach is now practiced more often and in more numerous fields than before. Today pathology is applying DNA cytometry, morphometry, stereology, and quantitative immunohistochemistry, all less useful or useless without the quantitative approach. The present fast development of computerized instrumentation has much helped in the spread and application of quantitative principles.

Organized quantitative pathology. Short review of the activities of the Committee for Diagnostic Quantitative Pathology from 1981 to the foundation of the International Society of Diagnostic Quantitative Pathology in 1994.

The Committee for Diagnostic Quantitative Pathology (CDQP), known originally as the Committee for Diagnostic Morphometry, ceased to exist under the original title and was converted to the International Society for Diagnostic Quantitative Pathology (ISDQP) in Amsterdam, September 14, 1994. The history of this society started in 1981 in a conference <> held at Koli, Finland. Since the original meeting the group of quantitative pathologists organized yearly gatherings: Symposia on Diagnostic Quantitative Pathology (earlier known as Symposia on Morphometry in Morphological Diagnosis) every other year, and meetings in association with the European Society of Pathology Congresses in the intervening years. In 1981, the symposium had 23 participants, in 1994, the International Society for Diagnostic Quantitative Pathology had over 300 members from six continents. During the short period of its existence the society has witnessed a steadily growing trend in educational courses on quantitative pathology. The general policy of the Committee, now Society, has willingly supported all activities which can be expected to lead to valuable results in quantitative microscopy and associated fields either through development of education, methodology or practical applications. By arranging a course of Diagnostic Quantitative Pathology the society participates in the activities of the European School of Pathology in Torino. The next symposia of the Society will be arranged in Heidelberg, October 1995 and in Sendai, Japan, October/November 1996.