Abstract
Blood platelets are highly sensitive circulating subcellular sensors that respond to a multitude of stimuli with a change of their resting discoid shape into more rounded structures processing blebs and pseudopodia. The platelet outline can be automatically segmented from digital images and shows a fractal behaviour. Due to the sensitivity of platelet shape change to preanalytical influencing factors, a highly standardized examination procedure is necessary in order to obtain reliable and reproducible results. In the current work, a completely standardized analytical procedure comprised of standardized sample preparation, robotic image acquisition and algorithmic image analysis is described and validated using calibration objects of different size. The system allows for the user independent examination of fractal and Euclidean geometrical properties from unfixed and unstained samples of soluble objects. The results presented demonstrate the large intra and inter slide reproducibility and the ability of the system to clearly identify and separate smaller and larger particles as well as aggregates and objects out of focus. As the system is ideally suited for the examination of slides at higher throughput, it will enable and expedite the examination of the platelet shape features of larger cohorts of patients. Hence, it might provide an ideal basis for the examination of possible preanalytical constraints and therefore help to improve our knowledge about the physiological and pathophysiological meaning of platelet shape change.
Highlights
Blood platelets are sensitive circulating subcellular sensors that respond to a multitude of stimuli with a change of their resting discoid shape into more rounded structures processing blebs and pseudopodia
It has been found that the platelet outline (PO) of platelets imaged by high-resolution darkfield microscopy [12] and electron microscopy [13,14,15,16] shows fractal behaviour and can be described using the language of fractal geometry
This new approach will significantly support future research on the physiological and pathophysiological meaning of platelet shape change (PSC) as it allows for the first time the almost fully automated and highly user independent evaluation of platelet shape
Summary
Blood platelets are sensitive circulating subcellular sensors that respond to a multitude of stimuli with a change of their resting discoid shape into more rounded structures processing blebs and pseudopodia. These morphological changes of platelet structure are generally referred to as the platelet shape change (PSC) reaction. It has been found that the PO of platelets imaged by high-resolution darkfield microscopy [12] and electron microscopy [13,14,15,16] shows fractal behaviour and can be described using the language of fractal geometry. Fractal geometry has gained increasing interest in life sciences as it enables a simple numerical description of complex and irregular forms [18,19,20,21,22,23,24,25]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callMore From: Fractal Geometry and Nonlinear Analysis in Medicine and Biology
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
