title: Quantitative energy-filtered image analysis in cytochemistry. I. Morphometric analysis of contrast-related images.
abstract: A combination of energy-filtered electron microscopy (EFEM) and an image-analyzing system (IBAS/2000) is used for morphometric analyses of cells and (reaction) products. Image contrast is objectively established and segmentation is based upon intrinsic contrasts, in ultrathin sections. Cross-sectioned platinum-stained erythrocytes are used as a model to determine optimal conditions for constant measuring results for contrast, area and perimeter. Results are related to changes in: (1) the objective-lens diaphragm diameter, (2) three most frequently used contrast modes obtainable by electron spectroscopical imaging (ESI) in a Zeiss EM 902 transmission electron microscope (e.g., global, zero loss (or deltaE - 0 eV) and deltaE = 250 eV), and (3) the number of image integrations (1-250X) acquired by real-time video. A thresholding procedure is proposed for objective segmentation of such contrast-related images and applied to measure the area fraction of nuclear chromatin and the diameter of nominal 1 nm colloidal gold particles.
authors.affiliation: AEM Unit, Clinical Pathological Institute I, Erasmus University Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: C W
authors.initials: CW
authors.lastname: Sorber
authors.forename: A A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: De Jong
authors.forename: N J
authors.initials: NJ
authors.lastname: Den Breejen
authors.forename: W C
authors.initials: WC
authors.lastname: De Bruijn
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002461:Cell Line, Transformed; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D004912:Erythrocytes / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D006651:Histocytochemistry; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D008264:Macrophages; D051379:Mice; D008854:Microscopy, Electron