Abstract
Even small changes in the dimensions of cellular and subcellular structures can inform an ongoing disease. An increase in glomerular dimensions is associated with kidney disease and can predict glomerulosclerosis, whereas an increase in the size of fluid-filled renal cysts is predictive of end-stage polycystic kidney disease. In the absence of set formulae to define the area of curvilinear irregular regions, such as glomeruli and cysts, the method of counting unit squares is used. Nonetheless, as infinitesimally small as the unit square may be, this 2D space-filling method still underestimates the area of a curvilinear region. Developed herein is a mixed-unit lattice approach that represents an improvement over the existing method for estimating the areas of cellular and subcellular structures. In test cases comprising images of glomeruli and renal cysts, this method outperformed the conventional unit-squares method, and may form the foundation for refining the current method used by most types of software for estimating the area of irregular curvilinear regions.
Highlights
The area determination of cellular and subcellular structures, including glomeruli and renal cysts, is important in that it can signify the status of an ongoing disease
Use of ImageJ to measure the area of the circle yielded a value of 112.3 unit2
Populating this circle with unit squares (Figure 1B) and counting the number of squares lying within the circle yielded a measured area of 88 unit2
Summary
The area determination of cellular and subcellular structures, including glomeruli and renal cysts, is important in that it can signify the status of an ongoing disease. Kidney diseases can be associated with glomerular hypertrophy or expansion, both in nonclinical models and in patients [1,2]. In patients with focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS), an increase in glomerular dimensions is directly associated with rapid progression to end-stage renal disease [4]. In polycystic kidney disease (PKD), cyst expansion drives an increase in renal dimensions, which, in turn, precipitates organ dysfunction [5]. Serial determination of changes in the glomerular area and cystic index can inform of both the presence and progress of renal disease. Measurement of these continuous variables can inform of test article efficacy
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