Optical filters improve medical imaging diagnosis by enhancing image contrast and resolution. They block unwanted light and reflections aiming to block interferences, aiming to sharpen the images, to increase contrast and reveal fine details that might be otherwise obscured. Filters can be combined with other imaging methods to provide detailed information and can make a difference in neonatal care, where the use of contrast substances during investigations should be avoided. We combined wavelets and a contrast enhancement algorithm based on histogram equalizing algorithms, which aim to adjust the contrast of the image by modifying the intensity distribution of its histogram, on children lung histograms. Parameters such as contrast factor, clip limit or tile size have been taken into consideration. We noticed that low clip values preserve fine lung textures, being good for fibrosis detection. The proposed algorithm spreads out the most frequent intensity values to enhance areas of lower local contrast. The results are displayed graphically to enable any physician an accurate interpretation of the algorithm’s performances.
B. Arvinti, Florina Pop, M. Costache et al.· Advances in 3OM: Opto-Mechat...· 0 citations
Unconventional protein secretion mediated by gasdermin D (GSDMD) pores is essential for the release of pro-inflammatory cytokines such as interleukin-1β (IL-1β), a major driver of many inflammatory pathologies. Despite extensive investigation over the years, discovery of IL-1β secretion modulators has been hindered by the lack of robust, scalable experimental platforms. To date, IL-1β related studies largely rely on primary cells and animal models, suitable for mechanistic studies but not readily scalable for high-throughput applications. Here, we engineered a CRISPR-based reporter cell line that allows quantitative monitoring of endogenous IL-1β secretion while preserving the physiologically relevant inflammasome signaling. This platform faithfully recapitulated the response of primary macrophages to pathogen-associated molecular pattern (PAMPs) stimulation and supported the screening of an FDA-approved drug library comprising 1,398 compounds. Form this screen, we identified tolcapone as a potent inhibitor of IL-1β secretion, reducing cytokine release by more than 80% across the screening pipeline. Mechanistically, tolcapone suppressed caspase-1 activation, thereby limiting GSDMD cleavage, pore formation, and the downstream maturation and secretion of IL-1β and IL-18 in vitro. In vivo, tolcapone administration attenuated the acute inflammatory response in a lipopolysaccharide-induced endotoxemia model. Together, these findings establish our reporter platform as a robust tool for discovery of endogenous IL-1β secretion modulators and identify tolcapone as a promising inhibitor of inflammasome-driven immune pathology.
G. Chirițoiu, S. Ghenea, Gheorghita Isvoranu et al.· bioRxiv· 0 citations
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