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At least 973 records · Page 54Linked to original sources
PubMed1988

Solute absorption from the airways of the isolated rat lung. I. The use of absorption data to quantify drug dissolution or release in the respiratory tract.

Coprecipitates of fluorescein and magnesium hydroxide demonstrate delayed absorption relative to fluorescein solutions when administered to the airways of the isolated perfused rat lung (IPRL). Perfusate concentration vs time profiles showed that dissolution and not epithelial permeability was the rate-controlling factor in the airway-to-perfusate transfer process. A simple data deconvolution method was developed to determine the fluorescein release from the microparticulate coprecipitates in the airways. The deconvolution technique is generally applicable and provides values for undissolved solute remaining in the airways as a function of time provided that (a) significant binding and/or metabolism does not occur, (b) absorption from solution is apparent first order, and (c) all solid or dissolved material reaching perfused regions is absorbed within the lifetime of the preparation. Increased release rates of fluorescein occurred from precipitates containing greater starting concentrations of the dye. Dissolution profiles were similar to those that occur for log-normally distributed powders. The analysis of two unusual time profiles implied that the regional distribution of solid and dissolved material, between perfused areas and nonperfused areas, could be nonhomogeneous despite the use of a standardized dosing technique. The studies describe a method of using the IPRL with the potential to screen aerosol formulations for extended dissolution in the respiratory tract.

Aerosols↗
PubMed2003

Lung deposition and pharmacokinetics of cyclosporine after aerosolization in lung transplant patients.

PURPOSE: Aerosolized cyclosporine (aCsA) has proven to be an effective therapy for refractory acute and chronic rejection in lung transplant (LTx) patients. The objective of this study is to evaluate the lung deposition and systemic absorption of aCsA after aerosolized cyclosporine administration in LTx patients in the immediate postoperative period. METHOD: Cyclosporine (CsA) was administered intravenously (1.0 mg/kg) to eight LTx patients, and multiple blood samples were collected over 24 h. At least 24 h later, aCsA (300 mg in propylene glycol) was administered to the same patients using nebulization and multiple blood samples were obtained again. Five patients had an additional inhalational gamma scintigraphy study with aCsA and 99MTc-labeled albumin to measure drug deposition. RESULTS: Peak blood concentrations of CsA after aerosol administration ranged from 119-402 ng/ml, and concentrations at 24 h ranged from 9-48 ng/ml. The rate of decline in drug concentration in blood in the apparent elimination phase was notably slower after administration of aCsA than after IV infusion. Terminal disposition half life (t 1/2 lambda(z)) values ranged from 4.1-9.9 h (mean 6.5 h) following IV administration and from 23.1 to 65.2 h (mean 40.7 h) following pulmonary administration, suggesting that drug absorption occurred throughout the 24-h sampling period following pulmonary administration. Deconvolution analysis indicated biphasic absorption of CsA from the lung in all patients, characterized by rapid initial absorption (absorption half-life 0.73 +/- 0.38 h) over the first 4 to 6 h followed by slower, sustained absorption throughout the remainder of the sampling period (absorption half-life 16.2 +/- 13.2 h). The absolute bioavailability of CsA after aerosol administration ranged from 5.4-11.2% (mean 8.2%) of the dose placed in the nebulizer. The total dose delivered to the lung estimated from scintigraphy ranged from 17.8-39.3 mg, and was in approximate agreement with the amount of drug absorbed, estimated using deconvolution. Essentially all drug deposited in the lungs was systemically absorbed. CONCLUSIONS: This study documents that cyclosporine can be effectively delivered by aerosolization to the lung of transplant patients in the early postoperative period. Part of the cyclosporine deposited in the lung is absorbed rapidly into systemic circulation and a portion is absorbed slowly but completely over a prolonged period.

Administration, Inhalation↗
PubMed2003

Microcalorimetric measurement of the interactions between water vapor and amorphous pharmaceutical solids.

PURPOSE: Use a microcalorimetric technique to measure the interactions between water vapor and amorphous pharmaceutical solids and describe the relationship between long-term physical stability and the storage relative humidity (RH) at constant temperature. METHODS: A thermal activity monitor was used to characterize interactions of water vapor with spray-dried amorphous sucrose, lactose, raffinose, and sodium indomethacin. Differential scanning calorimetry was used to measure glass transition temperature, Tg. X-ray powder diffraction was used to confirm that the spray-dried samples were amorphous. Scanning electron microscopy was used to examine particle morphology. Specific surface area was determined by BET analysis of nitrogen and krypton adsorption isotherms. RESULTS: The moisture-induced thermal activity traces (MITATs) of the materials in this study exhibit general behavior that helps explain the effect of moisture content on the physical stability of the glassy phase at a given storage temperature. At some RH threshold, RHm, the MITAT exhibits a dramatic increase in the energy of interaction between water vapor and the glass that cannot be explained by a phase or morphology change. Calorimetric data indicate that water vapor-solid interactions are reversible below RHm; above RHm, energetic hysteresis is observed and water-water interactions predominate. In addition, the MITAT was deconvoluted into sorptive and nonsorptive components, making it possible to assign the observed heat flow to unique thermal events. Samples stored at a RH just below RHm for more than 2 months show no evidence of morphology or phase change. In addition, the MITAT can be deconvoluted into sorptive and nonsorptive components by using a twin-calorimeter arrangement. This analysis provides specificity to the microcalorimetric analysis and helps explain the nature of the physical changes that occur during the hydration glassy phase. CONCLUSIONS: The MITAT is a useful tool to determine the onset of moisture-induced physical instability of glassy pharmaceuticals and may find a broad application to determine appropriate storage conditions to ensure long-term physical stability.

Calorimetry↗
PubMed2001

From peptide libraries to optimized nonpeptide ligands in the search for S-farnesyltransferase inhibitors.

A complete 331,776-member library of tetrapeptides made of 24 amino acid building blocks was synthesized robotically on solid phase and subjected to a deconvolution based on the inhibitory potency of the sublibraries in a HPLC assay of the S-farnesyltransferase activity in vitro. One of the non-natural peptide and noncysteine-containing leads Nip-Trp-Phe-His (Nip=p-nitrophenyl-L-alanine) was optimized chemically to give a proteolytically stable pseudopeptide with a 200-fold potency compared with the original lead. The final compound was converted to the C-terminal ethyl ester: p-F-C6H4-CO(CH2)2-CO-Bta-D-Phepsi[CH2NH]His-OEt (Bta = benzothienyl-L-alanine) and shown to behave as a prodrug which was hydrolyzed back to the C-terminal acid following cell penetration. The method confirmed that several structurally original leads can be discovered in large libraries when deconvolution relies upon a highly specific assay and that these leads can be optimized by chemical modification to impart the final compound the desired pharmacological and pharmacokinetic properties.

Alkyl and Aryl Transferases↗
PubMed1997

Impaired secretion of growth hormone in experimental uremia: relevance of caloric deficiency.

To evaluate the impact of uremia and associated caloric restriction on physiologically pulsatile growth hormone (GH) release, we used deconvolution analysis of spontaneous plasma GH profiles in 5/6-nephrectomized male rats (NX, N = 9). Three different normal renal function sham-operated groups were used: rats fed a normal diet ad libitum (SAL, N = 9); NX pair-fed rats (SPF, N = 6); NX rats pair-fed for protein ingestion but calorically supplemented up to the energy intake of SAL (SPF+, N = 8). Severe renal failure was confirmed by much higher (P < 0.001) BUN in NX than sham groups. NX rats were growth retarded as shown by reduced (P < 0.01) weight and length gains as compared with sham animals. Deconvolution analysis (mean +/- SEM) of plasma samples obtained every 10 minutes over 6 hours, and 14 to 16 days after second stage nephrectomy showed that NX rats had a longer GH t(1/2) (17.0 +/- 1.8 vs. 11.6 +/- 0.8 min), less GH mass secreted per burst (48 +/- 15 vs. 95 +/- 16 ng/ml/pulse), lower secretory pulse amplitude (1.9 +/- 0.5 vs. 5.8 +/- 0.9 ng/ml/min), and a reduced total GH secretion (240 +/- 69 vs. 400 +/- 56 ng/ml/6 hr) than SAL rats. Corresponding data were not significantly different between NX and SPF, or between SAL and SPF+ groups. In summary, stunted rats with chronic renal failure exhibit a prolonged GH t(1/2) and suppression of GH secretory pattern burst mass. Control data from rats with normal renal function suggest that the amplitude-specific depression of GH secretion may be attributed, at least in part, to chronic renal failure-associated calorie deficiency.

Animals↗
PubMed1997

Novel modalities for appraising individual and coordinate pulsatile hormone secretion: the paradigm of luteinizing hormone and testosterone release in the aging male.

To quantify aging- and disease-associated alterations in the integrative and interactive components of a pulsatile neuroendocrine axis, novel biomathematical strategies are required. Here, I illustrate as an investigative paradigm otherwise subtle aging-dependent disturbances of the gonadotropin-releasing-hormone (GnRH)-luteinizing hormone (LH)-testosterone feedback axis in men, in whom strong age-related contrasts become evident via any of four strategies applied alone or in combination: (1) intensified blood sampling schedules to capture the temporal structure of episodic hormone (LH and testosterone) secretion; (2) deconvolution analysis as a technique to quantify underlying pituitary and gonadal hormone secretory rates from the observed plasma hormone concentration profiles; (3) approximate entropy as a scale- and model-independent measure of the serial regularity or orderliness of the hormone release process over time; and (4) cross-approximate entropy (cross-ApEn) to quantify joint asynchrony between two concurrent pulse trains without confounding by variable lag. These new methodologies are introduced and reviewed briefly, a stochastic differential equation feedback construct alluded to, and the resultant insights into distinct alterations of the aging male gonadotropic axis highlighted. In summary, the new experimental strategies of intensified venous sampling, multiparameter deconvolution analysis, approximate entropy, and cross-approximate entropy unveil new mechanisms underlying dynamic neuroendocrine-axis activity, as exemplified by aging-associated disruption of the human male reproductive axis.

Aging↗
PubMed2004

G-factor analysis of protein secondary structure in solutions and thin films.

The biological activity of proteins is structure dependent. In this discussion, we describe development of g-factor analysis for characterizing the secondary structure of proteins in solutions and films. In g-factor analysis, experimental circular dichroism (CD) and UV absorbance spectra are converted to dimensionless g-factor spectra by dividing the differential absorbance of circularly polarized light (AL - AR) by the UV absorbance (A) at each wavelength. The spectra can be deconvolved and the secondary structure estimated without information on the protein molecular weight, sample concentration, or sample path length. We have refined g-factor spectral acquisition and deconvolution parameters to improve the precision and accuracy of experimental g-factor spectra and the subsequent secondary structure estimations. In general, slower scan rates and longer response times are required to obtain high quality g-factor spectra than to obtain ordinary CD spectra, particularly for data at wavelengths longer than 230 nm. The spectral acquisition and deconvolution procedures have been validated for aqueous bovine serum albumin (BSA) and poly(L-proline). The secondary structures of fibronectin and laminin in buffer solutions are predicted. When BSA and poly(L-proline) form films on quartz, their secondary structures change significantly: 13% for BSA and 32% for poly(L-proline). By contrast, the secondary structure of fibronectin is the same in solution and films. The g-factor method is an easy, rapid, accurate and precise method for determining secondary structure and structural changes in protein solutions and films. Potential applications range from proteomics and structure-based drug discovery, to the design and fabrication of biosensors, biomaterials and biofluidic devices.

Algorithms↗
PubMed2006

Analytical performances of FT-IR spectrometry and imaging for concentration measurements within biological fluids, cells, and tissues.

FT-IR spectrometry has proved to be a useful tool for determining a series of plasma molecular concentrations. Dedicated experiments were first performed to test the analytical performance that could be obtained by FT-IR spectrometry using a synthesized N3-peptide exhibiting a -N3 absorption centered at 2110 cm(-1), a spectral region where no organic material of biological samples absorbs. Further, we investigated whether this technology was able to allow quantification of metabolic parameters (glucose and lactic acid) within plasma, cells, and tissues as an alternative method to the "classical" biochemical approaches, which require sophisticated biological material treatment and expensive reagents. For this purpose we used a series of plasma samples to determine glucose and lactic acid concentrations, which are common markers of cancer growth. We compared the results of the main spectral data treatments commonly achieved for FT-IR data analysis, such as univariate (Beer-Lambert) or multivariate (PLS) calibrations, as well as the deconvolution of the spectral interval of interest (1200-900 cm(-1)). No significant differences were found regarding the analytical performances of these methods. Spectral deconvolution was finally undertaken on cultured and on xenografted cells (U87 glial cells implied in human gliomas) to determine glucose and lactic acid concentrations. In this case, qualification was allowed by FT-IR imaging on the cellular models since biochemical approaches are not efficient to reach metabolic concentrations at the cellular level while keeping tissue organization.

Biomarkers↗
PubMed1985

Splenic pooling of granulocytes.

The intrasplenic kinetics of granulocytes, isolated in plasma and labelled in plasma with 111In-tropolonate, have been studied in normal subjects, patients with negative studies for inflammatory disease and patients with positive studies, with the aim of identifying the nature of splenic activity seen after 111In-labelled granulocyte administration. Up to 40 min after injection, 111In activity was visible only in major blood vessels, liver and spleen, with slight, abnormal activity visible in most of those with positive scans. The time courses of uptake of hepatic and splenic activity were different, with liver activity rapidly reaching a plateau and splenic activity increasing mono-exponentially to a plateau achieved between 20 and 40 min. The clear difference between the shapes of the hepatic and splenic uptake curves and the magnitude of the splenic uptake rate constant indicated that splenic activity represented reversible uptake. The application of deconvolution analysis to the blood and splenic time-activity curves generated a splenic retention (or washout) curve consistent with dynamic exchange of granulocytes between blood and spleen. The slope of this curve indicated an intrasplenic granulocyte transit time of 9.3 (+/- SE 0.6) min. Taking splenic activity to be reversible, comparison of the 111In signal from the spleen 40 min after injection of 111In-labelled granulocytes with that given from the spleen after the injection of 111In-labelled erythrocytes (relative to their respective blood levels) indicated that intrasplenic granulocyte transit time was 14.4 (+/- SE 1.1) times that of erythrocytes. Based on actual erythrocyte time, this corresponds to a granulocyte transit time of 8.6-11.5 min, in close agreement with the estimate based on deconvolution analysis.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Colitis↗
PubMed2002

Pulsatile, nyctohemeral and entropic characteristics of GH secretion in adult GH-deficient patients: selectively decreased pulsatile release and increased secretory disorderliness with preservation of diurnal timing and gender distinctions.

INTRODUCTION: The present clinical investigation uses a high-precision GH immunofluorometric assay to examine the postulate that principally the amplitude mode of GH secretory control is disrupted in adults with GH deficiency. PATIENTS AND METHODS: To this end, we investigated GH secretory dynamics in a cohort of 19 adult GH-deficient (GHD) patients and 19 age-, gender- and body mass index-matched controls. GHD was established by blunted (< 7 mU/l) GH release during insulin-induced hypoglycaemia. Twenty-four-hour serum GH concentration profiles obtained by 10-min sampling were analysed by deconvolution, cosinor analysis and approximate entropy to appraise pulsatile, diurnally rhythmic, and pattern-dependent GH secretion, respectively. RESULTS: Deconvolution analysis revealed that pulsatile GH release was decreased by threefold, due to amplitude-specific damping, detectable GH secretory burst frequency was paradoxically increased by twofold, but basal non-pulsatile GH release was fully preserved. GH half-life in patients and controls was similar, thus excluding major kinetic differences. The acrophase (time of maximum) of the 24-h GH rhythm was unchanged. The regularity of the GH release process, as measured by ApEn, was decreased profoundly in GHD patients (P < 10(-8)). The changes in GH secretion were similar in irradiated and nonirradiated patients. Daily GH secretion was also comparable in male and female GHD patients, but plasma IGF-I concentrations were higher in male than female patients (P = 0.031). Furthermore, the gender-specific GH ApEn difference, evident in controls, was still demonstrable in patients (P = 0.017). The ratio of plasma IGF-I and pulsatile GH production was increased threefold in patients (P = 0.004), pointing to increased sensitivity to GH in GH deficiency and/or non-GH-dependent IGF-I production. CONCLUSIONS: The present detailed analyses of daily GH secretory dynamics in patients with (moderate) GH deficiency document an amplitude-specific decrease in pulsatile GH secretion, which is partly compensated for by increased GH pulse frequency. The remarkably disorderly patterns of GH secretion in patients identify other major alterations in GH neuroregulation in such individuals, reflecting withdrawal of expected GH and/or IGF-I repression of pulsatile GH secretion. Preservation of the nyctohemeral timing of GH release and the gender contrast in GH ApEn in GHD patients would also be consistent with partial retention of central neuroregulation and GH/IGF-I feedback-dependent control in hypopituitary subjects.

Adult↗
PubMed1999

Noise reduction of renograms: a new algorithm applied to simulated renograms for evaluation of the renal retention function.

Physiological information about an organ may be assessed from the retention function as derived by deconvolution analysis. However, noise in data may cause distortion of the retention curve and potentially induce methodological errors. To take full advantage of all parts of the retention function, i.e. even the vascular part, we have developed a non-linear noise reduction algorithm. The algorithm is an adaptive polynomial fit (APF) in a sliding segment over the renogram to be deconvoluted. Each segment is modelled by the lowest polynomial resulting in a root of mean square error lower than a pre-set value. APF was tested in comparison with conventional repetitive 1:2:1 smoothing and rectangular window smoothing, using a set of simulated retention functions and corresponding renograms with superimposed artificial noise. The outcome was evaluated by comparing the generated retention functions with the simulated ones. The conventional smoothing algorithms, as well as APF, induced some distortion of the retention function, but the deviation from the true retention function is essentially lower in the case of APF. In addition, APF seems to be more robust in cases of essentially reduced renal function and thereby relative high noise levels. APF reduces noise in data, leading to retention functions with reliable information in terms of a tracer's first passage, uptake and outflow.

Algorithms↗
PubMed1997

Primary gonadal failure in men selectively amplifies the mass of follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) secreted per burst and increases the disorderliness of FSH release patterns: reversibility with testosterone replacement.

The neuroendocrine mechanisms by which primary gonadal failure in men increases mean serum FSH concentrations (castration-like response) are not known. To investigate the testosterone-dependent mechanisms of the FSH castration response: (i) blood was sampled at 10-min intervals for 24 h for later FSH assay in seven normal middle-aged men and in six patients with primary testicular failure, during testosterone withdrawal and after 6 weeks of parenteral testosterone replacement; (ii) using a specific two-site IRMA, serum FSH concentrations were measured, since this assay correlates well with an in-vitro Sertoli cell bioassay; (iii) multiparameter deconvolution analysis was then applied to estimate the frequency, amplitude, duration, and mass of underlying FSH secretory bursts, and the half-life of endogenous FSH, and (iv) approximate entropy was calculated to quantify the relative orderliness of FSH release over 24 h. Mean (+/- SEM) 24-h serum FSH concentrations were 3.9 +/- 0.8 IU/L in control subjects and 39 +/- 10 IU/L in unreplaced hypogonadal patients (p = 0.034). Deconvolution analysis revealed similar estimated mean FSH half-lives of 346 +/- 40 min (control) and 321 +/- 47 min (untreated patients), and indistinguishable FSH secretory burst frequencies, namely, 20 +/- 0.95 (normal) and 21 +/- 1.3 (patients) pulses per 24 h. In contrast, the daily production rate of FSH was markedly increased in testosterone-withdrawn hypogonadal men at 117 +/- 25 vs. 9.3 +/- 1.8 IU/L/day (control) (p < 0.01). This was due to a 10-fold higher calculated maximal rate (amplitude) of FSH secretion achieved within each FSH release episode (normal 0.078 +/- 0.02 vs. gonadal failure 0.74 +/- 0.087 IU/L/min, p < 0.01), yielding a 10-fold increase in the mass of FSH secreted per burst (control 0.53 +/- 0.06 vs. patients 5.3 +/- 0.81 IU/L, p < 0.01). In contrast, the mean half-duration of FSH secretory bursts was unaltered in unreplaced hypogonadal men at 8.2 +/- 2.2 min (control) vs. 7.0 +/- 1.0 min (patients). Approximate entropy (ApEn), a scale- and model-independent statistic designed to quantify the orderliness or regularity of hormone release, revealed greater irregularity of serum FSH concentrations in the hypoandrogenic state: ApEn = 1.8 +/- 0.025 (testosterone-withdrawn) vs. 1.6 +/- 0.037 (control) (p < 0.05). Parenteral testosterone replacement for 6 weeks significantly decreased mean serum FSH concentrations by reducing the daily FSH secretion rate and FSH secretory burst amplitude and mass, and concomitantly restored the orderliness of FSH release patterns. Testosterone treatment did not change FSH secretory burst half-duration, number, interburst interval, or half-life. It is concluded that primary gonadal failure in men evokes FSH hypersecretion which is marked by more disorderly FSH release patterns and a selectively amplified mass of FSH secreted per burst. These hypergonadotrophic mechanisms are, to a significant extent, testosterone-suppressible.

Follicle Stimulating Hormone↗
PubMed1996

Two-photon scanning microphotolysis for three-dimensional data storage and biological transport measurements.

Scanning microphotolysis is a method that permits the user to select, within the scanning field of a confocal microscope, areas of arbitrary geometry for photobleaching or photoactivation. Two-photon absorption, by contrast, confers on laser scanning microscopy a true spatial selectivity by restricting excitation to very small focal volumes. In the present study the two methods were combined by complementing a laser scanning microscope with both a fast programmable optical switch and a titan sapphire laser. The efficiency and accuracy of fluorescence photobleaching induced by two-photon absorption were determined using fluorescein-containing polyacrylamide gels. At optimal conditions a single scan was sufficient to reduce the gel fluorescence by approximately 40%. Under these conditions the spatial accuracy of photobleaching was 0.5 +/- 0.1 micron in the lateral (x.y) and 3.5 +/- 0.5 micron in the axial (z) direction, without deconvolution accounting for the optical resolution. Deconvolution improved the accuracy values by approximately 30%. The method was applied to write complex three-dimensional patterns into thick gels by successively scanning many closely spaced layers, each according to an individual image mask. Membrane transport was studied in a model tissue consisting of human erythrocyte ghosts carrying large transmembrane pores and packed into three-dimensional arrays. Upon equilibration with a fluorescent transport substrate single ghosts could be selectively photobleached and the influx of fresh transport substrate be monitored. The results suggest that two-photon scanning microphotolysis provides new possibilities for the optical analysis and manipulation of both technical and biological microsystems.

Bacterial Toxins↗
PubMed1998

Autofluorescence of living cells.

We have investigated the autofluorescence of viable mammalian cells (DU-145 and V79) with a confocal laser scanning microscope equipped with a UV laser. Our aim was to investigate the autofluorescence dependence on different treatments in mitochondria and lysosomes by using different reagents and to improve the confocal laser scanning microscope image quality by deconvolution. The following conclusions were drawn from the results: (1) not all of the autofluorescence comes from mitochondria; (2) one can significantly affect the signal which comes from the mitochondria; (3) the other organelles involved are probably lysosomes; (4) it is harder to affect the autofluorescence signal from the lysosomes than that from the mitochondria, and (5) deconvoluted autofluorescence images provide better information than undeconvoluted ones.

Animals↗
PubMed2000

Three-dimensional spectral imaging by hadamard transform spectroscopy in a programmable array microscope.

We report the acquisition and deconvolution of three-dimensional spectrally resolved images in a programmable array microscope implementing a Hadamard transform fluorescence spectroscopy system with adjustable spectral resolution. A stack of 16 two-dimensional spectral images was collected at 400 nm intervals along the optical axis. The specimen consisted of a polytene chromosome spread from Drosophila melanogaster doubly labelled for the Polyhomeotic protein by indirect immunofluorescence labelling with Alexa594 and for DNA with YOYO-1. The resulting four-dimensional data set consisted of the xyz spatial dimensions (898 x 255 x 16) with a 26-point spectrum at each spatial location. The total exposure time to the sample was 34 min. The system requires the acquisition of multiple images, and thus works best with fluorophores that are resistant to photobleaching. Image deconvolution reduced the amount of out-of-focus blur by up to a factor of 8, resulting in a dramatic improvement in the visualization of the chromosome backbone and localization of the specific Polyhomeotic domains.

Animals↗
PubMed2001

A dual path programmable array microscope (PAM): simultaneous acquisition of conjugate and non-conjugate images.

A programmable array microscope (PAM) incorporates a spatial light modulator (SLM) placed in the primary image plane of a widefield microscope, where it is used to define patterns of illumination and/or detection. We describe the characteristics of a special type of PAM collecting two images simultaneously. The conjugate image (Ic) is formed by light originating from the object plane and returning along the optical path of the illumination light. The non-conjugate image (Inc) receives light from only those regions of the SLM that are not used for illuminating the sample. The dual-signal PAM provides much more time-efficient excitation than the confocal laser scanning microscope (CLSM) and greater utilization of the available emission light. It has superior noise characteristics in comparison to single-sided instruments. The axial responses of the system under a variety of conditions were measured and the behaviour of the novel Inc image characterized. As in systems in which only Ic images are collected (Nipkow-disc microscopes, and previously characterized PAMs), the axial response to thin fluorescent films showed a sharpening of the axial response as the unit cell of the repetitive patterns decreased in size. The dual-signal PAM can be adapted to a wide range of data analysis and collection strategies. We investigated systematically the effects of patterns and unit cell dimensions on the axial response. Sufficiently sparse patterns lead to an Ic image formed by the superposition of the many parallel beams, each of which is equivalent to the single scanning spot of a CLSM. The sectioning capabilities of the system, as given by its axial responses, were similar for a given scan pattern and for processed pseudorandom sequence (PRS) scans with the same size of the unit cell. For the PRS scans, optical sectioning was achieved by a subtraction of an Inc image or, alternatively, a scaled widefield image from the Ic image. Based on the comparative noise levels of the two methods, the non-conjugate subtraction was significantly superior. A point spread function for Ic and Inc was simulated and properties of the optical transfer functions (OTFs) were compared. Simulations of the OTF in non-conjugate imaging did not suffer from the missing cone problem, enabling a high quality deconvolution of the non-conjugate side alone. We also investigated the properties of images obtained by subjecting the Ic and Inc data to a combined maximum likelihood deconvolution.

Animals↗
PubMed2001

Artefacts in restored images due to intensity loss in three-dimensional fluorescence microscopy.

Computational algorithms for three-dimensional deconvolution have proven successful in reducing blurring and improving the resolution of fluorescence microscopic images. However, discrepancies between the imaging conditions and the models on which such deconvolution algorithms are based may lead to artefacts and/or distortions in the images restored by application of the algorithms. In this paper, artefacts associated with a decrease of fluorescence intensity with time or slice in three-dimensional wide-field images are demonstrated using simulated images. Loss of intensity, whether due to photobleaching or other factors, leads to artefacts in the form of bands or stripes in the restored images. An empirical method for correcting the intensity losses in wide-field images has been implemented and used to correct biological images. This method is based on fitting a decreasing function to the slice intensity curve computed by summing all pixel values in each slice. The fitted curve is then used for the calculation of correction factors for each slice.

Algorithms↗
PubMed1998

NMR-based identification of intra- and extracellular compartments of the brain Pi peak.

The Pi peak in a 31P NMR spectrum of the brain can be deconvoluted into six separate Lorentzian peaks with the same linewidth as that of the phosphocreatine peak in the spectrum. In an earlier communication we showed that the six Pi peaks in normal brain represent two extracellular and four intracellular compartments. In that report we have identified the first of the extracellular peaks by marking plasma with infused Pi, thereby substantially increasing the amplitude of the single peak at pH 7.35. 2-Deoxyglucose-6-phosphate (2-DG-6-P) was placed in the brain interstitial space by microdialysis. The resulting 2-DG-6-P peak was deconvoluted into three separate peaks. The chemical shift of the principle 2-DG-6-P peak gave a calculated pH of 7.24 +/- 0.02 for interstitial fluid pH, a value that agreed well with the pH of the second extracellular Pi peak at pH 7.25 +/- 0.01. We identified the intracellular compartments by selectively stressing cellular energy metabolism in three of the four intracellular spaces. A seizure-producing chemical, flurothyl, was used to activate the neuron, thereby causing a demand for energy that could not be completely met by oxidative phosphorylation alone. The resulting loss of high-energy phosphate reserves caused a significant increase in intracellular Pi only in those cells associated with the Pi peak at pH 6.95 +/- 0.01. This suggests that this compartment represents the neuron. Ammonia is detoxified in the astrocyte (glutamine synthetase) by incorporating it into glutamine, a process that requires large amounts of glucose and ATP. The intraarterial infusion of ammonium acetate into the brain stressed astrocyte energy metabolism resulting in an increase in the Pi of the cells at pH of 7.05 +/- 0.01 and 7.15 +/- 0.02. This finding, coupled with our observation that these same cells take up infused Pi probably via the astrocyte end-foot processes, lead us to conclude that these two compartments represent two different types of astrocytes, probably protoplasmic and fibrous, respectively. As a result of this study, we now believe the brain contains four extracellular and four intracellular compartments.

Acetates↗