title: Quantitative distinction of the morphological characteristic of erythrocyte precursor cells with texture analysis using gray level co-occurrence matrix.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Morphological characteristics of blood cells are still qualitatively defined. So a texture analysis (Tx) method using gray level co-occurrence matrices (GLCMs; CM-Tx method) was applied to images of erythrocyte precursor cells (EPCs) for quantitatively distinguishing four types of EPC stages: proerythroblast, basophilic erythroblast, polychromatic erythroblast, and orthochromatic erythroblast.
  
  
  METHODS
  Fifty-five images of four types of EPCs were downloaded from an atlas uploaded by the Blood Cell Morphology Standardization Subcommittee (BCMSS) of the Japanese Society of Laboratory Hematology (JSLH). Using in-house programs, two types of GLCMs-(R: d=1, θ=0°) and (U: d=1, θ=270°)-and nine types of texture distinction index (TDI) were calculated with images removed outer part of cell.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Three binary decision trees were sequentially divided among four types of EPC with the sum average of GLCM (U), the contrast of GLCM (R), and the sum average of GLCM (U). The average concordance rate (sensitivity) of CM-Tx method with the judgments of eleven experts in the BCMSS of the JSLH was 95.8% (87.5-100.0), and the average specificity was 97.6% (92.5-100.0).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The CM-Tx method is an effective tool for quantitative distinction of EPC with their morphological features.
authors.affiliation: Graduate School of Health Sciences, Hokkaido University, Kita-ku, Sapporo, Japan.
authors.forename: Keigo
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kono
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Laboratory, KKR Sapporo Medical Center, Toyohira-ku, Sapporo, Japan.
authors.forename: Ruka
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Hayata
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Laboratory, Japanese Red Cross Hokkaido Block Blood Center, Nishi-ku, Sapporo, Japan.
authors.forename: Satoru
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Murakami
authors.affiliation: Graduate School of Health Sciences, Hokkaido University, Kita-ku, Sapporo, Japan.
authors.forename: Mai
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Yamamoto
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Sciences, School of Medicine, Hokkaido University, Kita-ku, Sapporo, Japan.
authors.forename: Maiko
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kuroki
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Sciences, School of Medicine, Hokkaido University, Kita-ku, Sapporo, Japan.
authors.forename: Kana
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Nanato
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Laboratory Science, Faculty of Health Sciences, Hokkaido University, Kita-ku, Sapporo, Japan.|Department of Clinical Laboratory, Hakodate Municipal Hospital, Hakodate, Japan.
authors.forename: Kazuto
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Takahashi
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Laboratory Science, Faculty of Health Sciences, Hokkaido University, Kita-ku, Sapporo, Japan.|Department of Cardiovascular Regenerative Medicine, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, Suita, Japan.
authors.forename: Keiko
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Miwa
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Laboratory Science, Faculty of Health Sciences, Hokkaido University, Kita-ku, Sapporo, Japan.|Department of Hematology and Oncology, Hakodate Municipal Hospital, Minato-cho, Hakodate, Japan.
authors.forename: Yutaka
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Tsutsumi
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Laboratory Science, Faculty of Health Sciences, Hokkaido University, Kita-ku, Sapporo, Japan.
authors.forename: Kazunori
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Okada
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Laboratory Science, Faculty of Health Sciences, Hokkaido University, Kita-ku, Sapporo, Japan.
authors.forename: Sanae
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kaga
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Laboratory Science, Faculty of Health Sciences, Hokkaido University, Kita-ku, Sapporo, Japan.
authors.forename: Taisei
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Mikami
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Laboratory Science, Faculty of Health Sciences, Hokkaido University, Kita-ku, Sapporo, Japan.
authors.forename: Nobuo
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-4372-0169
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Masauzi
mesh_terms: D001773:Blood Cells / Q000145:classification / Q000166:cytology*; D001854:Bone Marrow Cells / Q000145:classification / Q000166:cytology*; D003584:Cytological Techniques / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods*; D008853:Microscopy
keywords: automatic cell classification; bone marrow; digital image processing; morphological analysis