Automatic Detection of Medial and Lateral Compartments from Histological Sections of Mouse Knee Joints Using the Single-Shot Multibox Detector Algorithm

Abstract

Objective Although mouse osteoarthritis (OA) models are widely used, their histological analysis may be susceptible to arbitrariness and inter-examiner variability in conventional methods. Therefore, a method for the unbiased scoring of OA histology is needed. In this study, as the first step for establishing this system, we developed a computer-vision algorithm that automatically detects the medial and lateral compartments of mouse knee sections in a rigorous and unbiased manner. Design A total of 706 images of coronal sections of mouse knee joints stained by hematoxylin and eosin, safranin O, or toluidine blue were randomly divided into training and validation images at a ratio of 80:20. A model to detect both compartments automatically was built by machine learning using a single-shot multibox detector (SSD) algorithm with training images. The model was tested to determine whether it could accurately detect both compartments by analyzing the validation images and 52 images of sections stained with Picrosirius red, a method not used for the training images. Results The trained model accurately detected both medial and lateral compartments of all 140 validation images regardless of the staining method employed, severity of articular cartilage defects, and the anatomical positions and conditions of the sections. Our model also correctly detected both compartments of 50 of 52 Picrosirius red–stained images. Conclusions By applying deep learning based on the SSD algorithm, we successfully developed a model that detects the locations of the medial and lateral compartments of tissue sections of mouse knee joints with high accuracy.

Analysis of Feeding Behavior Characteristics in the Cu/Zn Superoxide Dismutase 1 (SOD1) SOD1G93A Mice Model for Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS)

“…Artificial Intelligence (AI), including deep learning, has developed rapidly in recent years. It is now easier to code than before because computers automatically learn how to extract useful features [ 24 ]. By substituting AI for the experimental analysis previously performed, vast amounts of information can be analyzed quickly [ 25 , 26 ].…”