Segmentation of nailfold capillaries from microscopy video sequences

Nailfold capillary microscopy examination has been used for long time as a non invasive technique for the diagnosis of connective tissue diseases. Computer systems helping the physician during the examination have been developed, but they still require a certain level of manual intervention. A first problem that need yet to be solved is the segmentation of the capillaries in the video sequence. In this paper we propose a software pipeline for the segmentation of the capillaries from video sequences of the nailfold. The core of the segmentation proposed is the combination into a single segmentation map of the output of a battery of simple segmentation algorithms, based only on the grey levels. The system has been tested on a set of data, for which a ground truth segmentation was obtained manually, reporting satisfactory results. We advocate that the inclusion in the battery of classifiers of ad-hoc segmentation algorithms present in the literature will produce a reliable system, that can be used by physicians

Surface patterning for the control of receptor clustering and molecular forces of integrin-mediated adhesions

Surface nanopatterning allows for the creation of spatially controlled binding sites for extracellular matrix ligands and the modulation of receptor binding sites. Here we describe the preparation of gold nanopatterned substrates using diblock micellar nanolithography to immobilize integrin ligands at defined spacing and combined with molecular tension sensors to measure molecular forces as function of integrin lateral clustering

ASPETTI APLICATIVI DELLA PERCEZIONE DEL RISCHIO NELLA VALUTAZIONE DELL’ESPOSIZIONE A CAMPI ELETTROMAGNETICI

L’aumento dell’esposizione a campi elettromagnetici si è andato associando ad una crescente percezione del rischio manifestato da gruppi di popolazioni esposte motivata da incognite legate agli effetti sulla salute. Il coinvolgimento delle persone nella gestione del rischio può giovare allo svliluppo di una nuova medicina ambientale contribuendo alla attenuazione della sintomatologia soggettiva e comportamentale