Image analysis – Applications – Biomedical applications
Reexamination Certificate
1998-02-03
2001-05-08
Johns, Andrew W. (Department: 2621)
Image analysis
Applications
Biomedical applications
Reexamination Certificate
active
06229910
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an image analyzing apparatus and, particularly, to such an apparatus capable of defining an image region which cannot be defined by a single figure in an image reproduced based on image data as a region of interest and effecting quantitative analysis thereon.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART
There is known a radiation diagnosis system comprising the steps of employing, as a detecting material for the radiation, a stimulable phosphor which can absorb and store the energy of radiation upon being irradiated therewith and release a stimulated emission whose amount is proportional to that of the received radiation upon being stimulated with an electromagnetic wave having a specific wavelength range, storing and recording the energy of radiation transmitted through an object in the stimulable phosphor contained in a stimulable phosphor layer formed on a stimulable phosphor sheet, scanning the stimulable phosphor layer with an electromagnetic wave to excite the stimulable phosphor, photoelectrically detecting the stimulated emission released from the stimulable phosphor to produce digital image signals, effecting image processing on the obtained digital image signals, and reproducing an image on displaying means such as a CRT or the like or a photographic film (see for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid Open Nos. 55-12429, 55-116340, 55-163472, 56-11395, 56-104645 and the like).
There is also known an autoradiography system comprising the steps of employing a similar stimulable phosphor as a detecting material for the radiation, 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 stimulable phosphor sheet formed with a stimulable phosphor layer together in layers for a certain period of time, storing and recording radiation energy in a stimulable phosphor contained in the stimulable phosphor layer, scanning the stimulable phosphor layer with an electromagnetic wave to excite the stimulable phosphor, photoelectrically detecting the stimulated emission released from the stimulable phosphor to produce digital image signals, effecting image processing on the obtained digital image signals, 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 and the like).
There is further known a chemiluminescent process comprising the steps of employing, as a detecting material for light, a stimulable phosphor which can absorb and store the energy of light upon being irradiated therewith and release a stimulated emission whose amount is proportional to that of the received light upon being stimulated with an electromagnetic wave having a specific wavelength range, 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, storing and recording the chemiluminescent emission in the wavelength of visible light generated by the contact of the chemiluminescent substance and the labeling substance in the stimulable phosphor contained in a stimulable phosphor layer formed on a stimulable phosphor sheet, scanning the stimulable phosphor layer with an electromagnetic wave to excite the stimulable phosphor, photoelectrically detecting the stimulated emission released from the stimulable phosphor to produce digital image signals, effecting image processing on the obtained digital image signals, and reproducing an image on displaying means such as a CRT or the like or a photographic film (see for example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,028,793, UK Patent Application 2,246,197 A and the like).
There are further known an electron microscope detecting system and a radiographic diffraction image detecting system comprising the steps of employing, as a detecting material for an electron beam or radiation, a stimulable phosphor which can absorb and store the energy of an electron beam or radiation upon being irradiated therewith and release a stimulated emission whose amount is proportional to that of the received electron beam or radiation upon being stimulated with an electromagnetic wave having a specific wavelength range, irradiating a metal or nonmetal specimen with an electron beam and effecting elemental analysis, composition analysis or structural analysis of the specimen by detecting a diffraction image or a transmission image, or irradiating the tissue of an organism with an electron beam and detecting an image of the tissue of the organism, or irradiating a specimen with radiation, detecting a radiographic diffraction image and effecting structural analysis of the specimen (see for example, 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).
Unlike the system using a photographic film, according to these systems using the stimulable phosphor as a detecting material for an image, development which is chemical processing, becomes unnecessary. Further, it is possible reproduce a desired image by effecting image processing on the obtained image data and effect quantitative analysis using a computer. Use of a stimulable phosphor in these processes is therefore advantageous.
On the other hand, a fluorescence detecting system using a fluorescent substance as a labeling substance instead of a radioactively labeled substance in the autoradiography system is known. According to this system, it is possible to study a genetic sequence, the expression level of a gene and the metabolism, absorption, excretion path and state of a substance introduced into a test mouse and to effect the separation or identification of protein or the estimation of the molecular weight or properties of protein or the like. For example, this system can perform a process including the steps of distributing a plurality of DNA fragments on a gel support by means of electrophoresis after a fluorescent dye was added to a solution containing a plurality of DNA fragments to be distributed or distributing a plurality of DNA fragments on a gel support containing fluorescent dye or dipping a gel support on which a plurality of DNA fragments have been distributed by means of electrophoresis in a solution containing fluorescent dye, thereby labeling the electrophoresis-distributed DNA fragments, exciting the fluorescent dye by a stimulating ray to cause it to release a fluorescent light, detecting the released fluorescent light to produce an image and detecting the distribution of the DNA on the gel support. This system also performs a process including the steps of distributing a plurality of DNA fragments on a gel support by means of electrophoresis, denaturing the DNA, transferring at least a part of the denatured DNA fragments onto a transfer support such as a nitrocellulose support by the Southern-blotting method, hybridizing a probe prepared by labeling target DNA and DNA or RNA complementary thereto with the denatured DNA fragments, thereby selectively labeling only the DNA fragments complementary to the probe DNA or probe RNA, exciting the fluorescent dye by a stimulating ray to cause it to release a fluorescent light, detecting the released fluorescent light to produce an image and detecting the distribution of the target DNA on the transfer support. This system can further perform a process including the steps of preparing a DNA probe complementary to DNA containing a target gene labeled by a labeling substance, hybridizing it with DNA on a transfer support, combining an enzyme with the complementary DNA labeled by a labeling substance, causing the enzyme to contact a fluorescent substrate, transforming the fluorescent s
Fuji Photo Film Co. , Ltd.
Johns Andrew W.
Nakhjavan Shervin
Sughrue Mion Zinn Macpeak & Seas, PLLC
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