The aim of the study was to examine alteration and possible application of fractal dimension, angular second moment, and correlation for quantification of structural changes in acutely inflamed tissue. Acute inflammation was induced by injection of turpentine oil into the right and left hind limb muscles of mice, whereas control animals received intramuscular saline injection. After 12 h, animals were anesthetised and treated muscles collected. The tissue was stained by hematoxylin and eosin, digital micrographs produced, enabling determination of fractal dimension of the cells, angular second moment and correlation of studied tissue. Histopathological analysis showed presence of inflammatory infiltrate and tissue damage in inflammatory group, whereas tissue structure in control group was preserved, devoid of inflammatory infiltrate. Fractal dimension of the cells, angular second moment and correlation of treated tissue in inflammatory group decreased in comparison to the control group. In this study, we were first to observe and report that fractal dimension of the cells, angular second moment, and correlation were reduced in acutely inflamed tissue, indicating loss of overall complexity of the cells in the tissue, the tissue uniformity and structure regularity. Fractal dimension, angular second moment and correlation could be useful methods for quantification of structural changes in acute inflammation.
Interthalamic adhesion between the medial surfaces of the left and right thalamus is a variable structure and contains the midline thalamic nuclei, which are not much developed in humans. The research has been done on 6 human brains obtained during routine autopsy (age 45 to 65; 4 male and 2 female). Every tenth 10 microm thick frontal section was stained according to Klüver-Barrera method. In all cases the authors found a specific organization of certain groups of neurons within the interthalamic adhesion (IA) in form of circles on frontal sections. These circular groups were present on all sections but only 1-2 in each. The larger mean diameter of these circular arrangements was R = 229.4 microm, and smaller was r = 203.1 microm. These circular groups within the human IA were formed in average by 7.29 neurons. In periventricular region (PVR) of thalamus similar circular groups of neurons also were present in all cases as in IA. These neuronal groups in PVR were of smaller size than in the IA, with larger mean diameter R = 201.4, smaller mean diameter r = 181.2 microm and they contained fewer neurons, 6.69 on average. All three values (both diameters of circular arrangements, and number of neurons forming them) were significantly smaller in PVR (p < .01). Morphological types and sizes of neurons in both investigated structures (IA and PV) were not different. The circular neuronal groups in IA were formed in 61% of fusiform neurons and in PVR in 48% of fusiform neurons. According to their subependymal localization, size and form, these circular groups can represent in vivo correlates of neurospheres.
By distribution analysis of GAL and VIP immunoreactive neurons and fibers, and according to literature data, it can be assumed that the medial part of the central nucleus receives VIP fibers from other parts of the amygdaloid body, and then sends GAL fibers to the medial nucleus.
Previous evidence suggested that lymphocytic thyroiditis (LT) was a variant of Hashimoto's thyroiditis (HT), thus the aim of the current study is to quantify structural changes in histological specimens taken from HT and LT patients. A total of 600 images containing a single lymphocyte nucleus (300 nuclei per group) were obtained from 20 patients with HT and LT. In order to quantify changes in the nuclear architecture of investigated lymphocytes, the fractal dimension (FD) and some gray-level co-occurrence matrix texture parameters (angular second moment, inverse difference moment, contrast, entropy, and correlation) were calculated for each nucleus. A statistically significant difference in the FD of the “binary-outlined” nucleus and that of the corresponding “black-and-white” nucleus was detected between HT and LT lymphocyte nuclei. In addition, there was also a statistically significant difference in contrast and correlation between HT and LT lymphocyte nuclei. In conclusion, the results of this study suggested that there was a difference in structural complexity between investigated lymphocyte nuclei; additionally, LT lymphocytes possessed probably more complex texture and larger variations as well as more asymmetrical nuclei compared with HT lymphocytes. Accordingly, these findings indicate that LT is probably not a variant of HT; however, more complex studies are necessary to estimate differences between these types of thyroiditis.
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