Search

In recent years many authors have directed attention to allergic reactivity in mental disease. This problem has been studied with particular depth by O. V. Kerbikov (1) and his associates. (2) Clinical data, as well as, to some degree, laboratory research data demonstrate beyond all question that an allergic component often plays a substantial role in the genesis and shaping of various psychotic conditions. Also providing a basis for study of the problem of allergy in psychiatry are our data of pathophysiological studies in the field of allergy conducted in recent years (3-6), which demonstrate that the major role in the shaping of allergic reactions belongs to the central nervous system and that "nervous tissue may be the object in which the allergic reaction of antigen with antibody occurs" (A. D. Ado). Any pathological process modifies the immunological properties of the organism and causes adaptive defense reactions. Sometimes, under particular conditions, these defensive developments begin to play a pathogenic role. Under the influence of endogenic toxicosis, particularly in schizophrenia, autoantigens may be formed which acquire the nature of auto-or endo-allergens (A. D. Ado), which exercise a very pronounced effect upon the organism, including the central nervous system. In certain circumstances they facilitate the allergic genesis of psychopathological syndromes. The development of antibodies and auto-allergens in mental diseases may also be a consequence of the modification, under the influence of the pathological process and of various drugs, of the "normal flora" relationship characteristic of the given organism, and sometimes the result of this may be auto-infection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The authors have developed a cellular analysis platform, based on encoded microcarriers, that enables the multiplexed analysis of a diverse range of cellular assays. At the core of this technology are classes of microcarriers that have unique, identifiable codes that are deciphered using CCD-based imaging and subsequent image analysis. The platform is compatible with a wide variety of cellular imaging-based assays, including calcium flux, reporter gene activation, cytotoxicity, and proliferation. In addition, the platform is compatible with both colorimetric and fluorescent readouts. Notably, this technology has the unique ability to multiplex different cell lines in a single microplate well, enabling scientists to perform assays and data analysis in novel ways.

The use of automated microscopy has reached the maturity necessary for its routine use in the clinical pathology laboratory. In the following study we compared the performance of an automated microscope system (MDS) with manual method for the detection and analysis of disseminated tumor cells present in bone marrow preparations from breast carcinoma patients. The MDS System detected rare disseminated tumor cells among bone marrow mononuclear cells with higher sensitivity than standard manual microscopy. Automated microscopy also proved to be a method of high reproducibility and precision, the advantage of which was clearly illustrated by problems of variability in manual screening. Accumulated results from two pathologists who had screened 120 clinical slides from breast cancer patients both by manual microscopy and by use of the MDS System revealed only two (3.8%) missed by the automatic procedure, whereas as many as 20 out of 52 positive samples (38%) were missed by manual screening., (Copyright 2001 Wiley-Liss, Inc.)

This article explores the feasibility of the use of automated microscopy and image analysis to detect the presence of rare fetal nucleated red blood cells (NRBCs) circulating in maternal blood. The rationales for enrichment and for automated image analysis for "rare-event" detection are reviewed. We also describe the application of automated image analysis to 42 maternal blood samples, using a protocol consisting of one-step enrichment followed by immunocytochemical staining for fetal hemoglobin (HbF) and FISH for X- and Y-chromosomal sequences. Automated image analysis consisted of multimode microscopy and subsequent visual evaluation of image memories containing the selected objects. The FISH results were compared with the results of conventional karyotyping of the chorionic villi. By use of manual screening, 43% of the slides were found to be positive (>=1 NRBC), with a mean number of 11 NRBCs (range 1-40). By automated microscopy, 52% were positive, with on average 17 NRBCs (range 1-111). There was a good correlation between both manual and automated screening, but the NRBC yield from automated image analysis was found to be superior to that from manual screening (P=.0443), particularly when the NRBC count was >15. Seven (64%) of 11 XY fetuses were correctly diagnosed by FISH analysis of automatically detected cells, and all discrepancies were restricted to the lower cell-count range. We believe that automated microscopy and image analysis reduce the screening workload, are more sensitive than manual evaluation, and can be used to detect rare HbF-containing NRBCs in maternal blood.

A model of cell cycle kinetics of complex populations is developed, by using systems of difference equations, and simulated on the computer. This model provides theoretical curves of labeled mitoses (PLM) percentage, labeling index and grain count histograms for different time intervals after 3H-thymidine administration. The PLM curve corresponding to a mixed population is a weighed sum of PLMs for populations, comprising the mixture, the weights being determined by parameters of populations. The model appeared to give a good agreement with the PLM curves obtained elsewhere.

An automated unit for manually controlled photometry and morphometry is described. It enables the operator to carry out photometrical measurements according to the plug-method and morphometrical measurements with the help of an object-micrometer or some kind of a grid. The data obtained are stored in the "Elektronika D3-28" microcomputer to be statistically evaluated after the end of sampling. New variables can be obtained defined by the user as a product of some source variables or their inverses. The data and control structures of the system are described in detail.