Retinal fundus photographs are employed as standard diagnostic tools in ophthalmology. Serial photographs of the flow of fluorescein and indocyanine green (ICG) dye are used to determine the areas of the retinal lesions. For objective measurements of features, the registration of the images is a necessity. In this paper, we employ optimization techniques for registration with the help of 2-parameter translational motion model of retinal angiograms, based on non-linear pre-processing (Wiener filtering and morphological gradient) and computation of the similarity criteria for the alignment of the two gradient images for any given rigid transformation. The optimization methods are effectively employed to minimize the similarity criterion.
The presence of noise, the variations in the background and the temporal variation of the fluorescence level pose serious problems in obtaining a robust registration of the retinal images. Moreover, local search strategies are not robust in the case of ICG angiograms, even if one uses a multiresolution approach.
The present work makes a systematic comparison of different optimization techniques, namely the minimization method derived from the optical flow formulation, the Nelder-Mead local search and the HCIAC ant colony metaheuristic, each optimizing a similarity criterion for the gradient images. The impact of the resolution and median filtering of gradient image is studied and the robustness of the approaches is tested through experimental studies, performed on macular fluorescein and ICG angiographies.
Our proposed optimization techniques have shown interesting results especially for high resolution difficult registration problems. Moreover, this approach seems promising for affine (6-parameter motion model) or elastical registrations. 相似文献
Background Intravitreal triamcinolone acetonide (TA) has been widely used as a therapeutic method for many ocular diseases, but a consensus on an appropriate safe therapeutic window of dosage for intravitreal injection, and whether vehicle of TA should be reduced or eliminated, has not yet been reached. The aim of this article is to investigate these issues.Methods Forty New Zealand white rabbits were divided into four experimental groups and one control group. Four or 25 mg TA, with vehicle either reduced or not, was injected into the vitreous cavity of rabbits in experimental groups. Rabbits in the control group received 0.2 ml intravitreal sterile saline solution. Intraocular pressures (IOP) were measured by a Tonopen tonometer. Values of lens density were measured by a Pentacam system. Soluble protein, total antioxidation capacity, reduced glutathione (GSH), glutathion peroxidase (GSH-px), and superoxide dismutase (SOD) in lens were measured by specific kits. ERG and pathological examinations, including light and electron microscopy of the retina, were also performed.Results Elevation of IOP was noted in all experimental groups after intravitreal TA (P<0.01, paired t-test). Significant increase of lens density was noticed at 1 week after intravitreal TA in the 25 mg vehicle-containing group (P<0.0001, paired t-test). Significant loss of GSH-px activity was noticed at the end of the study (P<0.05, paired t-test), while SOD activity increased (P<0.05, paired t-test). Amplitudes of ERG waves declined significantly in vehicle-containing groups (P<0.01, paired t-test) at the end of the study. Pathological examination showed obvious retinal toxicity in vehicle-containing groups.Conclusions Vehicle of TA should be eliminated or reduced before intravitreal injection to avoid potential retinal toxicity and transient increase in lens density.Presented at Chinese Academy of Fundus Disease Meeting, April, 2005.This study was supported by the 985 Fund of Peking University, Beijing.The authors have no financial interest in any instruments or drugs mentioned in this study. 相似文献
Introduction Patients with cystic fibrosis (CF) are known to be at risk for early osteoporosis, and the mechanisms that mediate bone loss
are still being delineated. The aim of the present investigation was to investigate if a correlation exists in these patients
between skeletal measurements by dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA) and two anabolic factors, dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA)
and insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I), and proresorptive factors such as the cytokines interleukin-1β, tumor necrosis factor α,
and interleukin-6.
Methods We studied 32 outpatients (18 females; mean age: 26.2 ± 7.9 years) at a tertiary care medical center. The subjects had venous
samples obtained, underwent anthropometric and bone mineral density (BMD) measurements, and completed a health survey. Serum
IGF-I concentrations were below the age-adjusted mean in 78% of the participants, and DHEA sulfate (DHEAS) concentrations
were low in 72%. Serum concentrations of all cytokines were on the low side of normal; nonetheless, there was a modest inverse
correlation between IL-1β and BMD at all sites.
Results In univariate analyses, IGF-I and DHEAS were significant correlates of BMD or bone mineral content. In final multivariate
models controlling for anthropometric and other variables of relevance to bone density, only IGF-I was identified as a significant
independent skeletal predictor. While alterations in DHEAS, IGF-I, and specific cytokines may contribute to skeletal deficits
in patients with CF, of these factors a low IGF-I concentration appears to be most strongly correlated with BMD.
Conclusions These findings may have therapeutic implications for enhancing bone density in these patients. 相似文献