The Fractal Dimension Suggests Two Chromatin Configurations in Small Cell Neuroendocrine Lung Cancer and Is an Independent Unfavorable Prognostic Factor for Overall Survival.

Experimental studies have shown that in small cell neuroendocrine lung carcinomas (SCLC) global opening of the chromatin structure is associated with a higher transcription activity and increase of tumor aggressiveness and metastasis. The study of the fractal characteristics (FD) of nuclear chromatin has been widely used to describe the cell nuclear texture and its changes correspond to changes in nuclear metabolic and transcription activity. Hence, we investigated whether the nuclear fractal dimension could be a prognostic factor in SCLC.

Computerized texture analysis of atypical immature myeloid precursors in patients with myelodysplastic syndromes: an entity between blasts and promyelocytes.

Background: Bone marrow (BM) blast count is an essential parameter for classification and prognosis of myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS). However, a high degree of cell atypias in bone marrow hemopoietic cells may be found in this group of clonal disorders, making it difficult to quantify precisely myeloblasts, and to distinguish them from promyelocytes and atypical immature myeloid precursors. Our aim was to investigate whether computerized image analysis of routine cytology would help to characterize these cells.

Fractal characteristics of May-Grünwald-Giemsa stained chromatin are independent prognostic factors for survival in multiple myeloma.

Background: The use of computerized image analysis for the study of nuclear texture features has provided important prognostic information for several neoplasias. Recently fractal characteristics of the chromatin structure in routinely stained smears have shown to be independent prognostic factors in acute leukemia. In the present study we investigated the influence of the fractal dimension (FD) of chromatin on survival of patients with multiple myeloma.

Fractal dimension of chromatin is an independent prognostic factor for survival in melanoma.

Background: Prognostic factors in malignant melanoma are currently based on clinical data and morphologic examination. Other prognostic features, however, which are not yet used in daily practice, might add important information and thus improve prognosis, treatment, and survival. Therefore a search for new markers is desirable.

[Contribution of nuclear texture analysis for the differential diagnosis of follicular lesions of the thyroid: comparison to immunohistochemical markers].

Objective And Methods: To investigate the utility of nuclear chromatin texture assessment in the differential diagnosis of follicular patterned lesions, by means of examining 76 samples previously submitted to the immunohistochemical protein analysis of HBME-1, CK-19 and galectina-3.

Results: HBME-1 confirmed to be the most sensitive marker of malignancy. A series of morphometric, densitometric and texture variables were useful in the discrimination of the different types of follicular lesions.

Image preprocessing improves Fourier-based texture analysis of nuclear chromatin.

Objective: To investigate whether preprocessing of digitized images can improve the image analysis of chromatin of cytologic preparations using Fast Fourier Transformation (FFT).

Study Design: In a preprocessing step the nuclear borders of the segmented nuclei were smoothed, thus avoiding the Airy ring artifact. We tested this method, comparing the inertia values of digitalized cardiomyocyte nuclei of rats of different ages.

Phenotypic subtypes of acute lymphoblastic leukemia associated with different nuclear chromatin texture.

Objective: To determine if phenotypic subtypes of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) are associated with different nuclear textures.

Study Design: In 49 newly diagnosed patients, diagnostic work-up was made by routinely Giemsa-stained smears and immunophenotyping. B-precursor ALL was further subdivided by European Group for the Immunological Classification of Leukemias criteria.

Shannon's entropy and fractal dimension provide an objective account of bone tissue organization during calvarial bone regeneration.

The regeneration of compact bone involves the deposition of a poorly organized connective tissue template that remodels into compact lamellar bone. An objective description of this process is difficult because classical histomorphometry is unable to correctly characterize qualitative changes in tissue complexity. In this study, we demonstrated the use of two distinct methods of image texture analysis, the Shannon's entropy [standard error (SE)], and the fractal dimension (FD) to characterize the formation and remodeling of newly formed compact bone within two different polyanionic collagen-elastin matrices.

Texture analysis of the epidermis based on fast Fourier transformation in Sjögren-Larsson syndrome.

Objective: To investigate whether image analysis of routine hematoxylin-eosin (H-E) skin sections using fast Fourier transformation (FFT) could detect structural alterations in patients with Sjögren-Larsson syndrome (SLS) diagnosed by molecular biology.

Study Design: Skin punch biopsies of 9 patients with SLS and 17 healthy volunteers were obtained. Digital images of routine histologic sections were taken, and their gray scale luminance was analyzed by FFT.

Biomineralization of polyanionic collagen-elastin matrices during cavarial bone repair.

The polyanionic collagen-elastin matrices (PCEMs) are osteoconductive scaffolds that present high biocompatibility and efficacy in the regeneration of bone defects. In this study, the objective was to determine if these matrices are directly mineralized during the osteogenesis process and their influence in the organization of the new bone extracellular matrix. Samples of three PCEMs, differing in their charge density, were implanted into critical-sized calvarial bone defects created in rats and evaluated from 3 days up to 1 year after implantation.

The fractal dimension of nuclear chromatin as a prognostic factor in acute precursor B lymphoblastic leukemia.

The fractal nature of the DNA arrangement has been postulated to be a common feature of all cell nuclei. We investigated the prognostic importance of the fractal dimension (FD) of chromatin in blasts of patients with acute precursor B lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL). In 28 patients, gray scale transformed pseudo-3D images of 100 nuclei (May-Grünwald-Giemsa stained bone marrow smears) were analyzed.