Approach for semi-automated measurement of fiber diameter in murine and canine skeletal muscle.

Currently available software tools for automated segmentation and analysis of muscle cross-section images often perform poorly in cases of weak or non-uniform staining conditions. To address these issues, our group has developed the MyoSAT (Myofiber Segmentation and Analysis Tool) image-processing pipeline. MyoSAT combines several unconventional approaches including advanced background leveling, Perona-Malik anisotropic diffusion filtering, and Steger's line detection algorithm to aid in pre-processing and enhancement of the muscle image.

Effects of repeated long-term psychosocial stress and acute cannabinoid exposure on mouse corticostriatal circuitries: Implications for neuropsychiatric disorders.

Introduction: Vulnerability to psychiatric manifestations is achieved by the influence of genetic and environment including stress and cannabis consumption. Here, we used a psychosocial stress model based on resident-intruder confrontations to study the brain corticostriatal-function, since deregulation of corticostriatal circuitries has been reported in many psychiatric disorders. CB receptors are widely expressed in the central nervous system and particularly, in both cortex and striatum brain structures.