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- Fakhrzadeh, Azadeh, et al.
(författare)
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Analyzing Tubular Tissue in Histopathological Thin Sections
- 2012
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Ingår i: 2012 INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON DIGITAL IMAGE COMPUTING TECHNIQUES AND APPLICATIONS (DICTA). - : IEEE conference proceedings. ; , s. 1-6
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- We propose a method for automatic segmentation of tubules in the stained thin sections of various tissue types. Tubules consist of one or more layers of cells surrounding a cavity. The segmented tubules can be used to study the morphology of the tissue. Some research has been done to automatically estimate the density of tubules. To the best of our knowledge, no one has been able to, fully automatically, segment the whole tubule. Usually the border between tubules is subtle and appears broken in a straight-forward segmentation. Here we suggest delineating these borders using the geodesic distance transform. We apply this method on images of Periodic Acid Shiffs (PAS) stained thin sections of testicular tissue, delineating 89% of the tubules correctly.
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| 5. |
- Fakhrzadeh, Azadeh, et al.
(författare)
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Epithelial Cell Segmentation in Histological Images of Testicular Tissue Using Graph-Cut
- 2013
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Ingår i: Image Analysis and Processing – ICIAP 2013. - Berlin, Heidelberg : Springer Berlin Heidelberg. - 9783642411830 - 9783642411847 ; 8157, s. 201-208
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- Computerized image processing has provided us with valuable tools for analyzing histology images. However, histology images are complex, and the algorithm which is developed for a data set may not work for a new and unseen data set. The preparation procedure of the tissue before imaging can significantly affect the resulting image. Even for the same staining method, factors like delayed fixation may alter the image quality. In this paper we face the challenging problem of designing a method that works on data sets with strongly varying quality. In environmental research, due to the distance between the site where the wild animals are caught and the laboratory, there is always a delay in fixation. Here we suggest a segmentation method based on the structural information of epithelium cell layer in testicular tissue. The cell nuclei are detected using the fast radial symmetry filter. A graph is constructed on top of the epithelial cells. Graph-cut optimization method is used to cut the links between cells of different tubules. The algorithm is tested on five different groups of animals. Group one is fixed immediately, three groups were left at room temperature for 18, 30 and 42 hours respectively, before fixation. Group five was frozen after 6 hours in room temperature and thawed. The suggested algorithm gives promising results for the whole data set.
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| 6. |
- Fakhrzadeh, Azadeh, et al.
(författare)
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New computerized staging method to analyze mink testicular tissue in environmental research
- 2017
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Ingår i: Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry. - : Wiley. - 0730-7268 .- 1552-8618. ; 36:1, s. 156-164
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Histopathology of testicular tissue is considered to be the most sensitive tool to detect adverse effects on male reproduction. When assessing tissue damage, seminiferous epithelium needs to be classified into different stages to detect certain cell damages; but stage identification is a demanding task. The authors present a method to identify the 12 stages in mink testicular tissue. The staging system uses Gata-4 immunohistochemistry to visualize acrosome development and proved to be both intraobserver-reproducible and interobserver-reproducible with a substantial agreement of 83.6% (kappa=0.81) and 70.5% (kappa=0.67), respectively. To further advance and objectify this method, they present a computerized staging system that identifies these 12 stages. This program has an agreement of 52.8% (kappa 0.47) with the consensus staging by 2 investigators. The authors propose a pooling of the stages into 5 groups based on morphology, stage transition, and toxicologically important endpoints. The computerized program then reached a substantial agreement of 76.7% (kappa=0.69). The computerized staging tool uses local ternary patterns to describe the texture of the tubules and a support vector machine classifier to learn which textures correspond to which stages. The results have the potential to modernize the tedious staging process required in toxicological evaluation of testicular tissue, especially if combined with whole-slide imaging and automated tubular segmentation. Environ Toxicol Chem 2017;36:156-164.
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| 7. |
- Herrmann, Björn, 1955-, et al.
(författare)
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SNP-based high-resolution typing of Chlamydia psittaci from humans and wild birds in Sweden : circulation of the Mat116 genotype reveals the transmission mode to humans
- 2024
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Ingår i: Microbes and infection. - : Elsevier. - 1286-4579 .- 1769-714X. ; 26:3
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The incidence of Chlamydia psittaci respiratory tract infections in humans has increased in Sweden in recent years. This study aimed to identify the transmission route by genotyping C. psittaci from infected humans and birds.42 human C. psittaci samples and 5 samples from C. psittaci-infected birds were collected. Genotyping was performed using ompA sequencing, Multi-locus sequence typing, and/or SNP-based high-resolution melting-PCR. Epidemiological data was also collected, and a phylogenetic analysis was conducted.Analysis of ompA provided limited resolution, while the SNP-based PCR analysis successfully detected the Mat116 genotype in 3/5 passerine birds and in 26/29 human cases, indicating a high prevalence of this genotype in the human population. These cases were associated with contact with wild birds, mainly through bird feeding during winter or other outdoor exposure. Human cases caused by other genotypes (psittacine and pigeon) were less common and were linked to exposure to caged birds or pigeons.The SNP-genotype Mat116 is rare, but predominated in this study. The use of SNP-based PCR provided a better understanding of the C. psittaci transmission from birds to humans compared to ompA analysis. In Sweden, human psittacosis appears mainly to be transmitted from garden birds during bird feeding in the winter season.
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| 8. |
- Spörndly-Nees, Ellinor, et al.
(författare)
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Age and seasonal variation in testis and baculum morphology in East Greenland polar bears (Ursus maritimus) in relation to high concentrations of persistent organic pollutants
- 2019
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Ingår i: Environmental Research. - : Elsevier BV. - 0013-9351 .- 1096-0953. ; 173, s. 246-254
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) are found in high concentrations in the Artic. Polar bears (Ursus maritimus) are one of the most exposed mammals in the Arctic and are thereby vulnerable to reproductive disruption. The aim of this study was to investigate male polar bear reproduction based on a detailed evaluation of testis histology and to assess possible effects of environmental chemicals on male polar bear reproduction. Reproductive groups that were identified based on histology were as follows: actively reproductive (REP), non-reproductive either with degenerated testes (DEG), undeveloped seminiferous tubules (UND), or morphology in-transition (INT). Categorization into these groups was supported by significant differences in testis and baculum measurements among REP, DEG, and UND, as well as differences in the area and diameter of seminiferous tubules among REP, DEG, and UND. These results show that it is possible to identify the reproductive stage in polar bears even if capture date and or age is lacking. Based on testis morphology we suggest that adult male polar bears from East Greenland have active spermatogenesis in February to June, and inactive degenerated testes in August to January. January to February was the main period of reproductive transition, characterised by a shift between inactive and active spermatogenesis. Baculum and testis size measurements decreased significantly with increasing concentrations of the chlordane metabolite oxychlordane, suggesting a potential impact on male reproductive success. Half of the investigated polar bears in REP group displayed signs of disorganization of the spermatogenesis which might be a sign of disrupted reproduction. However, no correlations with levels of the investigated POPs were detected. Reproductive organ measurements in polar bears differed significantly between REP and DEG groups, which cannot be explained by age, and therefore should be considered when investigating the effect of POPs on male reproduction.
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| 9. |
- Spörndly-Nees, Ellinor, et al.
(författare)
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Basic Exploratory Study of Bisphenol A (BPA) Dietary Administration to Istrian Pramenka Rams and Male Toxicity Investigation
- 2022
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Ingår i: Toxics. - : MDPI AG. - 2305-6304. ; 10
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Bisphenol A (BPA), an endocrine-disrupting chemical and environmental pollutant, has been reported by many researchers to induce male reproductive toxicity in different experimental models. In this study, we investigated whether long-term exposure for two months to 25 mu g/kg body weight (low dose) of BPA affects spermatogenesis or sperm quality in young Istrian Pramenka rams exposed via diet. We evaluated body and testicular weights, histopathology of testes and epididymides, and sperm analyses, and compared these parameters between the group of treated rams and the control group of rams. Although there were some differences between the two groups, these differences were not large or statistically significant. The only statistically significant difference was the lower epithelial height of seminiferous tubules in treated rams, compared to control rams. In addition to assessing toxicity, BPA concentrations in the blood plasma of treated rams were determined after the first administration, and the toxicokinetic parameters of total BPA were calculated. In this study, no major signs of altered reproduction in rams were detected.
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| 10. |
- Spörndly-Nees, Ellinor, et al.
(författare)
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Chemical composition of horse hooves with functional qualities for competing barefoot
- 2023
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Ingår i: Journal of Animal Science. - 0021-8812 .- 1525-3163. ; 101
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Barefoot racing is a common practice within the harness racing industry, but not all horses have hooves of sufficient quality to race sustainably without shoes. There is currently no objective approach available to assess whether a horse’s hooves are suitable for barefoot racing, raising animal welfare issues if trainers misjudge the functional qualities of hooves. This study compared chemical composition of the hoof wall and fatty acid (FA) composition of the digital cushion in a group of horses that had raced barefoot often (RB) and a group of horses that could not race barefoot and therefore raced with shoes (RS). Trimmings from the hind hoof wall were collected from the lateral quarters in one sub-cohort postmortem and in another sub-cohort of live horses and analyzed for macro- and microelements, nitrogen, dry matter (DM), and total and free amino acid content. For the postmortem horses, samples of the digital cushion were also collected and analyzed for total and free FAs. RB horses had lower concentrations of copper in the hoof wall (17.5 ± 3.9 vs. 32.8 ± 4.7 mg/kg DM, P = 0.02) than RS horses. RB horses also tended (P < 0.1) to have higher concentrations of nitrogen (164.2 ± 0.2 vs. 163.5 ± 0.3 g/kg DM) and sulfur (22.9 ± 0.2 vs. 22.3 ± 0.3 g/kg DM). RB horses had higher hoof wall concentrations of arginine (10.51 ± 0.05 vs. 10.34 ± 0.06 g/100 g DM, P = 0.03) and showed a trend (P < 0.1) for higher hoof wall concentrations of cysteine (6.14 ± 0.10 vs. 5.82 ± 0.13 g/100 g DM) and proline (4.62 ± 0.05 vs. 4.49 ± 0.06 g/100 g DM). There were no differences between the groups for any other element or amino acid analyzed. There were also no differences between the two groups in terms of FA composition of the digital cushion. These results indicate that chemical composition, especially with respect to copper, arginine, nitrogen, sulfur, cysteine, and proline, may be important for the functional qualities of the hoof capsule and the ability to race barefoot without wearing the hoof down. However, chemical analysis of hoof wall tissue and of the fat content of the digital cushion does not seem to be a definitive method for distinguishing horses that have hooves suitable for barefoot racing from those that do not.
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