An end-to-end software solution for the analysis of high-throughput single-cell migration data

The systematic study of single-cell migration requires the availability of software for assisting data inspection, quality control and analysis. This is especially important for high-throughput experiments, where multiple biological conditions are tested in parallel. Although the field of cell migration can count on different computational tools for cell segmentation and tracking, downstream data visualization, parameter extraction and statistical analysis are still left to the user and are currently not possible within a single tool. This article presents a completely new module for the open-source, cross-platform CellMissy software for cell migration data management. This module is the first tool to focus specifically on single-cell migration data downstream of image processing. It allows fast comparison across all tested conditions, providing automated data visualization, assisted data filtering and quality control, extraction of various commonly used cell migration parameters, and non-parametric statistical analysis. Importantly, the module enables parameters computation both at the trajectory-and at the step-level. Moreover, this single-cell analysis module is complemented by a new data import module that accommodates multiwell plate data obtained from high-throughput experiments, and is easily extensible through a plugin architecture. In conclusion, the end-to-end software solution presented here tackles a key bioinformatics challenge in the cell migration field, assisting researchers in their highthroughput data processing

Delayed childbearing and maternal mortality

Objectives: To assess the maternal age trend in pregnant women in Flanders, Belgium, and examine the impact of maternal age on maternal mortality. Study design: Retrospective analysis of a population based regional perinatal database during one decade. Results: Between 1991 and 2000 a significant increase in maternal age was found, in primiparous as well as in multiparous women. The maternal mortality ratio was 5.8, and strongly related to maternal age, with a relative risk of 7.0 (95% CI: 3.0–16.2) from the age of 35 on, and of 30.0 (95% CI: 11.4–80.6) in women aged 40 years or beyond. Conclusions: These data call for further research and action to facilitate career and reproduction, and for special care for older pregnant women

Taking aim at moving targets in computational cell migration

Cell migration is central to the development and maintenance of multicellular organisms. Fundamental understanding of cell migration can, for example, direct novel therapeutic strategies to control invasive tumor cells. However, the study of cell migration yields an overabundance of experimental data that require demanding processing and analysis for results extraction. Computational methods and tools have therefore become essential in the quantification and modeling of cell migration data. We review computational approaches for the key tasks in the quantification of in vitro cell migration: image pre-processing, motion estimation and feature extraction. Moreover, we summarize the current state-of-the-art for in silico modeling of cell migration. Finally, we provide a list of available software tools for cell migration to assist researchers in choosing the most appropriate solution for their needs

DoRes within CellMissy : dose-response analysis on cell migration and related data

In cancer research, cell-based assays are used to assess cell migration and invasion. The major bottleneck is the lack of automated tools to visualize and analyse the large amounts of biological dose-response data produced. To address this challenge, we have developed an automated and free software package for dose-response analyses, DoRes, which is released as an add-on of the freely available and open-source tool CellMissy, dedicated to the management and analysis of cell migration data. DoRes implements non-linear curve fitting functionality into a robust, user-friendly and flexible software package with the possibility of importing a tabular file or starting from a cell migration experiment. We demonstrate the ability of the software by analysing public dose-response data and a typical cell migration experiment, and show that the extracted dose-response parameters and the calculated statistical values are consistently comparable to those of the widely used, commercial software GraphPad Prism

Pregnancy outcome in primiparae of advanced maternal age

Objective: To investigate the impact of maternal age on singleton pregnancy outcome, taking into account intermediate and confounding factors. Study design: In this population-based retrospective cohort study, perinatal data of primiparous women aged 35 years or more ( n = 2970), giving birth to a singleton child of at least 500 g, were compared to data of primiparous women aged 25–29 years old ( n = 23,921). Univariate analysis was used to assess the effect of maternal age on pregnancy outcomes. The effects of intermediate (hypertension, diabetes and assisted conception) and confounding factors (level of education) were assessed through multivariable logistic regression analysis. Results: Older maternal age correlated, independently of confounding and intermediate factors, with very preterm birth (gestational age \u3c32 weeks) [adjusted odds ratio (AOR) 1.51, 95% confidence intervals (CI) 1.04–2.19], low birth weight (birth weight \u3c2500 g) (AOR 1.69, 95% CI 1.47–1.94) and perinatal death (AOR 1.68, 95% CI 1.06–2.65). Conclusion: Maternal age is an important and independent risk factor for adverse pregnancy outcome

Onderzoeksbalans archeologie in Vlaanderen Versie 1, 11/12/2008: Romeinse tijd

Dit hoofdstuk van de onderzoeksbalans is een eerste aanzet van een balans voor de archeologie van de Romeinse periode in Vlaanderen. Deze balans bestaat uit drie onderdelen. In een eerste onderdeel worden achtereenvolgens algemene inleidingen geschreven over de chronologische en ruimtelijke afbakeningen en indelingen, over het aantal bekende vindplaatsen en over het aantal gepubliceerde vindplaatsen en onderzoeken. In een tweede onderdeel wordt per bronnencategorie ingeschat wat aan gegevens beschikbaar is. Daarbij is ook enige aandacht besteed aan de niet-archeologische bronnen (literaire, epigrafische en numismatische). In een derde onderdeel overlopen we de stand van onze kennis met betrekking tot de diverse aspecten van de provinciaal-Romeinse samenleving, zoals die a.h.v. de bronnen bestudeerd kunnen worden