HeLa cell segmentation using digital image processing.

Computational cell segmentation is a vital area of research, particularly in the analysis of images of cancer cells. The use of cell lines, such as the widely utilized HeLa cell line, is crucial for studying cancer. While deep learning algorithms have been commonly employed for cell segmentation, their resource and data requirements can be impractical for many laboratories. In contrast, image processing algorithms provide a promising alternative due to their effectiveness and minimal resource demands. This article presents the development of an algorithm utilizing digital image processing to segment the nucleus and shape of HeLa cells. The research aims to segment the cell shape in the image center and accurately identify the nucleus. The study uses and processes 300 images obtained from Serial Block-Face Scanning Electron Microscopy (SBF-SEM). For cell segmentation, the morphological operation of erosion was used to separate the cells, and through distance calculation, the cell located at the center of the image was selected. Subsequently, the eroded shape was employed to restore the original cell shape. The nucleus segmentation uses parameters such as distances and sizes, along with the implementation of verification stages to ensure accurate detection. The accuracy of the algorithm is demonstrated by comparing it with another algorithm meeting the same conditions, using four segmentation similarity metrics. The evaluation results rank the proposed algorithm as the superior choice, highlighting significant outcomes. The algorithm developed represents a crucial initial step towards more accurate disease analysis. In addition, it enables the measurement of shapes and the identification of morphological alterations, damages, and changes in organelles within the cell, which can be vital for diagnostic purposes.

Automatic Facial Palsy Diagnosis as a Classification Problem Using Regional Information Extracted from a Photograph.

The incapability to move the facial muscles is known as facial palsy, and it affects various abilities of the patient, for example, performing facial expressions. Recently, automatic approaches aiming to diagnose facial palsy using images and machine learning algorithms have emerged, focusing on providing an objective evaluation of the paralysis severity. This research proposes an approach to analyze and assess the lesion severity as a classification problem with three levels: healthy, slight, and strong palsy. The method explores the use of regional information, meaning that only certain areas of the face are of interest. Experiments carrying on multi-class classification tasks are performed using four different classifiers to validate a set of proposed hand-crafted features. After a set of experiments using this methodology on available image databases, great results are revealed (up to 95.61% of correct detection of palsy patients and 95.58% of correct assessment of the severity level). This perspective leads us to believe that the analysis of facial paralysis is possible with partial occlusions if face detection is accomplished and facial features are obtained adequately. The results also show that our methodology is suited to operate with other databases while attaining high performance, even though the image conditions are different and the participants do not perform equivalent facial expressions.

Towards Facial Gesture Recognition in Photographs of Patients with Facial Palsy.

Humans express their emotions verbally and through actions, and hence emotions play a fundamental role in facial expressions and body gestures. Facial expression recognition is a popular topic in security, healthcare, entertainment, advertisement, education, and robotics. Detecting facial expressions via gesture recognition is a complex and challenging problem, especially in persons who suffer face impairments, such as patients with facial paralysis. Facial palsy or paralysis refers to the incapacity to move the facial muscles on one or both sides of the face. This work proposes a methodology based on neural networks and handcrafted features to recognize six gestures in patients with facial palsy. The proposed facial palsy gesture recognition system is designed and evaluated on a publicly available database with good results as a first attempt to perform this task in the medical field. We conclude that, to recognize facial gestures in patients with facial paralysis, the severity of the damage has to be considered because paralyzed organs exhibit different behavior than do healthy ones, and any recognition system must be capable of discerning these behaviors.

Treatment and prevention of ocular motility restrictions with amniotic membrane transplantation.

We intend to investigate the indications, complications, and final results of amniotic membrane (AM) transplantation in ocular motility restrictions. Surgeons have tried to prevent restrictive adhesions between the extraocular muscles and surrounding tissues because they cause unpredictable results. AM transplantation wrapping extraocular musculature has been proposed as a technique with good results for this purpose. A search was carried out in Medline, Embase, Cochrane Library and Clinicaltrial, Lilac and Ibecs databases, using the indexed terms" amnion", "strabismus," "strabismus-subheading-surgery" and "ocular motility disorders." The only exclusion criteria were studies conducted in non-humans or studies with insufficient data on eye motility. No study was discarded for analysis because of language, age or methodology. This review includes 165 patients (223 eyes), with a mean follow-up of 11.49 months. The mean age was 21 years old, 47% were males and 57% were children. 14 studies conducted in humans were eligible: 4 single case, 8 case series, 1 cohort study and 1 randomized clinical trial. In the vast majority of these papers, use of AM transplantation to treat (12 out of 14 papers) or either to prevent (2 out of 14 papers) motility restrictions or restrictive strabismus secondary to muscular adhesions. All the studies except one presents very favorable results improving postsurgical eye motility. The cryopreservation method was more widely used, presenting a good safety profile with few adverse effects in the short and medium term. Significant improvement was reported in most patients after the use of amniotic membrane transplantation to treat or prevent ocular motility limitations. Very few complications or adverse effects were documented.

Formation of a dihydroborole by catalytic isomerization of a divinylborane.

Diphenylamino(divinyl)borane (1a) adds two molar equivalents of Piers' borane [HB(C6F5)2] to give the expected double hydroboration product. In contrast diisopropylamino(divinyl)borane (1b) reacts cleanly already with one molar equivalent of HB(C6F5)2 to give the α-borylated tetrahydroborole derivative 10 in good yield. Subsequent treatment of 10 with benzaldehyde proceeded by retro-hydroboration to give the hydroboration product of the aldehyde plus the dihydroborole 3b. We were able to achieve the divinylborane to dihydroborole isomerization (1b to 3b) catalytically: treatment of diisopropylamino(divinyl)borane (1b) with 15 mol% of Piers' borane at elevated temperature gave (diisopropylamino)dihydroborole 3b in good yield.

Reaction of frustrated Lewis pairs with ketones and esters.

The frustrated Lewis pair (FLP) Mes(2)PCH(2)CH(2)B(C(6)F(5))(2) (1) reacts with an enolizable conjugated ynone by 1,4-addition involving enolate tautomerization to give an eight-membered zwitterionic heterocycle. The conjugated endione PhCO-CH=CH-COPh reacts with the intermolecular FLP tBu(3)P/B(C(6)F(5))(3) by a simple 1,4-addition to an enone subunit. The same substrate undergoes a more complex reaction with the FLP 1 that involves internal acetal formation to give a heterobicyclic zwitterionic product. FLP 1 reacts with dimethyl maleate by selective overall addition to the C=C double bond to give a six-membered heterocycle. It adds analogously to the triple bond of an acetylenic ester to give a similarly structured six-membered heterocycle. The intermolecular FLP P(o-tolyl)(3)/B(C(6)F(5))(3) reacts analogously with acetylenic ester by trans-addition to the carbon-carbon triple bond. An excess of the intermolecular FLP tBu(3)P/B(C(6)F(5))(3), which contains a more nucleophilic phosphane, reacts differently with acetylenic ester examples, namely by O-C(alkyl) bond cleavage to give the {R-CO(2)[B(C(6)F(5))(3)](2)(-)}[alkyl-PtBu(3)(+)] salts. Simple aryl or alkyl esters react analogously by using the borane-stabilized carboxylates as good leaving groups. All essential products were characterized by X-ray diffraction.

[Assessment of right ventricular function using contrast echocardiography in patients with myocardial infarction]. / Valoración de la función ventricular derecha mediante ecocardiografía de contraste en pacientes con infarto agudo de miocardio.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate right ventricular size, motility, and ejection fraction (RVEF) by contrast echocardiography. METHODS: We studied consecutive patients admitted to the coronary intensive care unit with acute inferior myocardial infarction, without prior infarction and with or without right ventricle involvement, according to accepted electrocardiographic findings. Polygelin, 3.5% solution, was used for contrast echocardiography. The reference standard was equilibrium radionuclide angiography. RESULTS: We studied 44 patients using contrast echocardiography, average patient age 60.8 +/- 10.6 years, 38 men and 6 women. Abnormal right ventricular size (more than 25 mm) yielded a sensitivity of 79%, specificity of 87%, positive and negative predictive values of 92 and 68%, respectively, and a likelihood ratio of 6. Abnormal right ventricular motility had a sensitivity of 70%, specificity of 94%, positive and negative predictive values of 95 and 67%, respectively, and a likelihood ratio of 11.6. Right ventricular ejection fraction < 30% with contrast echocardiography had a sensitivity of 69%, specificity of 97%, positive and negative predictive values of 90 and 88% respectively, and a likelihood ratio of 6.9. CONCLUSION: In patients with acute inferior myocardial infarction, contrast echocardiography with the area-length method is a valid and reproducible technique for evaluating right ventricular ejection fraction, which is easy to perform and can be done at the patient's bedside.

Valoración de la función ventricular derecha mediante ecocardiografía de contraste en pacientes con infarto agudo de miocardio / Assessment of right ventricular function using contrast echocardiography in patients with myocardial infarction

Objetivo. Evaluar el valor diagnóstico del tamaño, la motilidad y la fracción de eyección del ventrículo derecho (FEVD) con ecocardiografía de contraste (EC).Métodos. Incluimos a pacientes consecutivos con el primer acontecimiento de infarto agudo de miocardio inferior con o sin extensión eléctrica al ventrículo derecho. Usamos solución de poligelina al 3,5 por ciento para la EC y se comparó con la angiografía de equilibrio con radionúclidos (AER).Resultados. Estudiamos con EC a 44 pacientes, 38 varones y 6 mujeres, con una edad promedio de 60,8 ñ 10,6 años. Para el tamaño anormal del ventrículo derecho (más de 25 mm) encontramos una sensibilidad del 79 ñ 4 por ciento y especificidad del 87 ñ 3 por ciento, los valores predictivos positivo y negativo fueron del 92 ñ 3 y el 68 ñ 4 por ciento, respectivamente, y el cociente de probabilidad fue de 6. Para la motilidad alterada del ventrículo derecho la sensibilidad fue del 70 ñ 5 por ciento y la especificidad del 94 ñ 2 por ciento, los valores predictivos positivo y negativo fueron del 95 ñ 2 y el 67 ñ 5 por ciento, respectivamente, y el cociente de probabilidad fue de 11,6. Para la fracción de eyección del ventrículo derecho (FEVD) menor del 30 por ciento con EC, la sensibilidad fue del 69 ñ 3 por ciento y la especificidad del 97 ñ 2 por ciento, mientras que los valores predictivos positivo y negativo fueron del 90 ñ 2 y el 88 ñ 4 por ciento, respectivamente, con un cociente de probabilidad de 6,9.Conclusión. En los pacientes con infarto agudo de miocardio inferior la EC con el método de área longitud es una técnica válida y reproducible para evaluar la función ventricular derecha, es simple de realizar, segura y se puede hacer en la cabecera del paciente. (AU)