SAR image despeckling based on edge detection and nonsubsampled second generation bandelets

To preserve the sharp features and details of the synthetic aperture radar （SAR） image effectively when despeckling, a despeckling algorithm with edge detection in nonsubsampled second generation bandelet transform （NSBT） domain is proposed. First, the Canny operator is utilized to detect and remove edges from the SAR image. Then the NSBT which has an optimal approximation to the edges of images and a hard thresholding rule are used to approximate the details while despeckling the edge-removed image. Finally, the removed edges are added to the reconstructed image. As the edges axe detected and protected, and the NSBT is used, the proposed algorithm reaches the state-of-the-art effect which realizes both despeckling and preserving edges and details simultaneously. Experimental results show that both the subjective visual effect and the mainly objective performance indexes of the proposed algorithm outperform that of both Bayesian wavelet shrinkage with edge detection and Bayesian least square-Gaussian scale mixture （BLS-GSM）.

Image Analysis in Microbiology: A Review

This review is focused on using computer image analysis as a means of objective and quantitative characterizing optical images of the macroscopic (e.g. microbial colonies) and the microscopic (e.g. single cell) objects in the microbiological research. This is the way of making many visual inspection assays more objective and less time and labor consuming. Also, it can provide new visually inaccessible information on relation between some optical parameters and various biological features of the microbial cul-tures. Of special interest is application of image analysis in fluorescence microscopy as it opens new ways of using fluorescence based methodology for single microbial cell studies. Examples of using image analysis in the studies of both the macroscopic and the microscopic microbiological objects obtained by various imaging techniques are presented and discussed.

High densities of serotonin and peptide YY cells in the colon of patients with lymphocytic colitis

AIM： TO investigate colonic endocrine cells in lympho- cytic colitis （LC） patients. METHODS： Fifty-seven patients with LC were in- cluded. These patients were 41 females and 16 males, with an average age of 49 years （range 19-84 years）. Twenty-seven subjects that underwent colonoscopy with biopsies were used as controls. These subjects underwent colonoscopy because of gastrointestinal bleeding or health worries, where the source of bleed- ing was identified as haemorrhoids or angiodysplasia. They were 19 females and 8 males with an average age of 49 years （range 18-67 years）. Biopsies from the right and left colon were obtained from both patients and controls during colonoscopy. Biopsies were fixed in 4% buffered paraformaldehyde, embedded in paraffin and cut into 5 μm-thick sections. The sections immunostained by the avidin-biotin-complex method for se- rotonin, peptide YY （PYY）, pancreatic polypeptide （PP） enteroglucagon and somatostatin cells. The cell densi- ties were quantified by computerised image analysis using Olympus software. RESULTS： The colon of both the patient and the control subjects were macroscopically normal. Histo- pathological examination of colon biopsies from con- trols revealed normal histology. All patients fulfilled the diagnosis criteria required for of LC： an increase in intraepithelial lymphocytes （〉 20 lymphocytes/100 epithelial cells） and surface epithelial damage with increased lamina propria plasma cells and absent or minimal crypt architectural distribution. In the colon of both patients and control subjects, serotonin-, PYY-, PP-, enteroglucagon- and somatostatin-immunoreac- tive cells were primarily located in the upper part of the crypts of Lieberk0hn. These cells were basket- or flask-shaped. There was no statistically significant dif- ference between the right and left colon in controls with regards to the densities of serotonin- and PYY- immunoreactive cells （P = 0.9 and 0.1, respectively）. Serotonin cell density in the right colon in controls was 28.9 ± 1.8 and in LC patients 41.6±2.6 （P = 0.008）. In the left colon, the corresponding figures were 28.5± 1.9 and 42.4± 2.9, respectively （P = 0.009）. PYY cell density in the right colon of the controls was 10.1 ± 1 and of LC patients 41 ± 4 （P = 0.00006）. In the left colon, PYY cell density in controls was 6.6± 1.2 and in LC patients 53.3 ± 4.6 （P = 0.00007）. CONCLUSION： The change in serotonin cells could be caused by an interaction between immune cells and serotonin cells, and that of PYY density might be sec- ondary.

Endocrine cells in the ileum of patients with irritable bowel syndrome

AIM: To study the ileal endocrine cell types in irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) patients.