Image analysis – Applications – Biomedical applications
Reexamination Certificate
1995-05-04
2002-01-29
Patel, Jayanti K. (Department: 2623)
Image analysis
Applications
Biomedical applications
C250S483100, C378S004000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06343142
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an image analyzing apparatus and, particularly, to such an apparatus for quantitatively analyzing an image included in a region of interest.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART
Various image analyzing methods are known. These include an autoradiographic process comprising the steps of introducing a radioactively labeled substance into an organism, using the organism or a part of the tissue of the organism as a specimen, placing the specimen and a radiographic film such as a high sensitivity type X-ray film together in layers for a certain period of time to expose the radiographic film thereto and obtaining locational information regarding the radioactively labeled substance in the specimen from the resolved pattern of the radiographic film, a chemiluminescent process comprising the steps of selectively labeling a fixed high molecular substance such as a protein or a nucleic acid sequence with a labeling substance which generates chemiluminescent emission when it contacts a chemiluminescent substance, contacting the high molecular substance selectively labeled with the labeling substance and the chemiluminescent substance, detecting the chemiluminescent emission in the wavelength of visible light generated by the contact of the chemiluminescent substance and the labeling substance and obtaining information relating to the high molecular substance such as genetic information, a detecting method using an electron microscope comprising the steps of irradiating a metal or nonmetal specimen with an electron beam, detecting a diffraction image, transmission image or the like and effecting elemental analysis, composition analysis of the specimen, structural analysis of the specimen or the like, or irradiating the tissue of an organism with an electron beam and detecting an image of the tissue of the organism, and a radiographic diffraction image detecting process comprising the steps of irradiating a specimen with radiation, detecting a radiographic diffraction image and effecting structural analysis of the specimen or the like.
Conventionally, these methods are carried out by employing a photographic film as a detecting material, recording a radiographic image, a chemiluminescent image, an electron microscopic image, a radiographic diffraction image or the like on the photographic film and observing a visual image with the eyes. However, in the case where a photographic film is employed as a detecting material, since a radiographic film has low sensitivity, there is a problem that it takes considerable time for recording an image in the autoradiographic process and the radiographic diffraction image detecting process. Further, in the chemiluminescent process, although it is necessary to employ a highly sensitive film having a high gamma value for detecting very weak chemiluminescent emission, when the highly sensitive film having a high gamma value is employed, it is difficult to expose the film reliably using a straight portion of the characteristic curve. Therefore, the film is often exposed improperly and it is necessary to repeatedly expose the films under various exposure conditions. Moreover, in the detecting process using the electron microscope, since the straight portion of the characteristic curve of a photographic film for an electron microscope is short, it is difficult to determine the proper exposure condition and it is necessary to repeatedly expose the films. Furthermore, in either processes, it is indispensable to chemically develop the films and, therefore, the operations are unavoidably complicated.
In view of the above, there have been proposed an autoradiographic process, a chemiluminescent process, a detecting process using an electron microscope and a radiographic diffraction image detecting process comprising the steps of employing, as a detecting material for the radiation, the visible light, the electron beam or the like, not a photographic film, but a stimulable phosphor which can absorb and store the energy of radiation, visible light, an electron beam or the like upon being irradiated therewith and release a stimulated emission whose amount is proportional to that of the received radiation, the visible light, the electron beam or the like upon being stimulated with an electromagnetic wave having a specific wavelength range, photoelectrically detecting the stimulated emission released from the stimulable phosphor, converting the detection signal to a digital signal, effecting a predetermined image processing on the obtained image data and reproducing an image on displaying means such as a CRT or the like or a photographic film (See for example, Japanese Patent Publication No. 1-60784, Japanese Patent Publication No. 1-60782, Japanese Patent Publication No. 4-3952, U.S. Pat. No. 5,028,793, UK Patent Application 2,246,197 A, Japanese Patent Application Laid Open No. 61-51738, Japanese Patent Application Laid Open No. 61-93538, Japanese Patent Application Laid Open No. 59-15843 and the like).
According to the detecting processes using the stimulable phosphor, development, which is a chemical processing, becomes unnecessary. In addition, the exposure time can be markedly shortened in the autoradiographic process and the radiographic diffraction image detecting process. Improper exposure becomes rare and the exposing operation becomes easy in the chemiluminescent process and the detecting process using the electron microscope. Further, since the image is reproduced after the detected signal has been converted to a digital signal, the image can be reproduced in a desired manner by effecting signal processing on image data and it is also possible to effect quantitative analysis using a computer. Use of a stimulable phosphor in these process is therefore advantageous.
An image forming/analyzing apparatus for effecting an autoradiographic process, a chemiluminescent process, a detecting process using an electron microscope or a radiographic diffraction image detecting process using stimulable phosphor sheets should preferably be able to define a desired region in image data as a region of interest, evaluate amounts of light emitted from a stimulable phosphor sheet as the density of the pixels constituting an image included in the region of interest, obtain the sum thereof, conduct quantitative processing, group a plurality of regions of interest, calculate the density ratio between the pixels in the regions of interest belonging to any particular group and conduct quantitatively analysis.
For instance, in the thin layer chromatography widely used in research into drug metabolism, for analysis of how a drug labeled with a labeling substance and introduced into a test animal changes in the body of the animal is conducted by collecting specimens of urine, blood, tissue or the like from a specific region of the animal at predetermined time intervals, processing the specimens in a predetermined manner and dropping the processed specimens at predetermined positions at regular intervals on a TLC plate which is formed by coating a glass plate with powders of silica gel. The TLC plate is dipped in a distribution solvent and the specimens are chromatographically distributed, thereby forming separate spots for individual components of the specimens. It is often necessary, based on image data obtained by placing the thus produced TLC plate onto a stimulable phosphor sheet, to define regions corresponding to certain spots as regions of interest, group a plurality of predetermined regions, evaluate the density of each region and obtain ratios between the densities of respective regions belonging to the group.
The image forming/analyzing apparatus for effecting such quantitative processing and analysis normally includes graphic data storing means for storing graphic data such as coordinate data of patterns surrounded by a circle, a rectangle or a broken line used for defining a region of interest. This graphic data storing means is provided independently of image data storing means for storing image data.
FIG. 11
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Kaneko Takashi
Tsutamori Yasuhiro
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