FtSH Gene Family Identification

Gene family research is an important area of genetics which can help to identify evolutionary lines. Starting with the FtSH gene family in Arabidopsis, a well-studied relative of a well-studied relative of Glycine max, with the ultimate goal of finding members of the gene family in G. max, computer programs were used to compare the genes in Arabidopsis to more closely related plants. These were then compared to G. max ESTs, which were assembled into contigs where ORFs were identified. The contigs were compared and the EST sources for the best contigs were identified. Overall, five members of the FtSH gene family were identified. Once these are identified, the next stage is possible, where the ESTs are ordered in vector form, transformed into bacteria, cultured and isolated. This allows them to be sequenced and compared to the contigs to see if a gene family was identified

Analysis of Globule Types in Malignant Melanoma

Objective: To identify and analyze subtypes of globules based on size, shape, network connectedness, pigmentation, and distribution to determine which globule types and globule distributions are most frequently associated with a diagnosis of malignant melanoma. Design: Retrospective case series of dermoscopy images with globules. Setting: Private dermatology practices. Participants: Patients in dermatology practices. Intervention: Observation only. Main Outcome Measure: Association of globule types with malignant melanoma. Results: The presence of large globules (odds ratio [OR], 5.25) and globules varying in size (4.72) or shape (5.37) had the highest ORs for malignant melanoma among all globule types and combinations studied. Classical globules (dark, discrete, convex, and 0.10-0.20 mm) had a higher risk (OR, 4.20) than irregularly shaped globules (dark, discrete, and not generally convex) (2.89). Globules connected to other structures were not significant in the diagnosis of malignant melanoma. Of the different configurations studied, asymmetric clusters have the highest risk (OR, 3.02). Conclusions: The presence of globules of varying size or shape seems to be more associated with a diagnosis of malignant melanoma than any other globule type or distribution in this study. Large globules are of particular importance in the diagnosis of malignant melanoma

Automatic Detection of Basal Cell Carcinoma Using Telangiectasia Analysis in Dermoscopy Skin Lesion Images

Background: Telangiectasia, dilated blood vessels near the surface of the skin of small, varying diameter, are critical dermoscopy structures used in the detection of basal cell carcinoma (BCC). Distinguishing these vessels from other telangiectasia, that are commonly found in sun-damaged skin, is challenging. Methods: Image analysis techniques are investigated to find vessels structures in BCC automatically. The primary screen for vessels uses an optimized local color drop technique. A noise filter is developed to eliminate false-positive structures, primarily bubbles, hair, and blotch and ulcer edges. From the telangiectasia mask containing candidate vessel-like structures, shape, size and normalized count features are computed to facilitate the discrimination of benign skin lesions from BCCs with telangiectasia. Results: Experimental results yielded a diagnostic accuracy as high as 96.7% using a neural network classifier for a data set of 59 BCCs and 152 benign lesions for skin lesion discrimination based on features computed from the telangiectasia masks. Conclusion: In current clinical practice, it is possible to find smaller BCCs by dermoscopy than by clinical inspection. Although almost all of these small BCCs have telangiectasia, they can be short and thin. Normalization of lengths and areas helps to detect these smaller BCCs