High-Content Microscopy Analysis of Subcellular Structures: Assay Development and Application to Focal Adhesion Quantification.

High-content analysis (HCA) converts raw light microscopy images to quantitative data through the automated extraction, multiparametric analysis, and classification of the relevant information content. Combined with automated high-throughput image acquisition, HCA applied to the screening of chemicals or RNAi-reagents is termed high-content screening (HCS). Its power in quantifying cell phenotypes makes HCA applicable also to routine microscopy.

Preliminary validation of PRISM (Pictorial Representation of Illness and Self Measure) - a brief method to assess suffering.

Background: Alleviation of suffering is widely acknowledged as one of the main goals of medicine. However, no measure to assess this crucial aspect of illness has been developed to date.

Aims: To validate PRISM (Pictorial Representation of Illness and Self-Measure) as a simple quantitative method of assessing the perceived burden of suffering due to illness.