No abstract

Clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) is a common histopathological subtype of renal cancer and is notorious for its poor prognosis. Its accurate diagnosis by histopathology, which relies on manual microscopic inspection of stained slides, is challenging. Here, we present a correlative approach to utilize stained images and refractive index (RI) tomography and demonstrate quantitative assessments of the structural heterogeneities of ccRCC slides obtained from human patients. Machine-learning-assisted segmentation of nuclei and cytoplasm enabled the quantification at the subcellular level. Compared to benign regions, malignant regions exhibited a considerable increase in structural heterogeneities. The results demonstrate that RI tomography provides quantitative information in synergy with stained images on the structural heterogeneities in ccRCC.

Amelogenesis imperfecta (AI) occurs either in isolation or in association with other dental abnormalities and systemic disorder. A rare syndrome associating AI with nephrocalcinosis was named as Enamel Renal Syndrome (ERS; OMIM #204690). This syndrome is characterized by severe enamel hypoplasia, failed tooth eruption, intra pulpal calcifications, enlarged gingiva, and nephrocalcinosis. Nephrocalcinosis is a condition where calcium salts are deposited in renal tissue, and this may lead to critical kidney complications.This rare syndrome shows pathognomonic oral characteristics that are easily detectable at an early age, which proceeds the onset of renal involvement. Pediatric dentists are the first oral health practitioners whom ERS patients will meet at early age. The role of pediatric dentists is critically important for early diagnosis and referral of patients to both nephrologists for renal assessment and geneticists for identification of causative mutation and diagnosis. Early detection of renal involvement may provide chances to prevent further undesired renal complications.

Three-dimensional (3D) quantitative phase imaging (QPI) enables long-term label-free tomographic imaging and quantitative analysis of live individual bacteria. However, the Brownian motion or motility of bacteria in a liquid medium produces motion artifacts during 3D measurements and hinders precise cell imaging and analysis. Meanwhile, existing cell immobilization methods produce noisy backgrounds and even alter cellular physiology. Here, we introduce a protocol that utilizes hydrogels for high-quality 3D QPI of live bacteria maintaining bacterial physiology. We demonstrate long-term high-resolution quantitative imaging and analysis of individual bacteria, including measuring the biophysical parameters of bacteria and responses to antibiotic treatments.

No abstract