Evidence map›Paper›PMID 32616050›Full record

ArticleBMC veterinary research2020

Development of a computer-based quantification method for immunohistochemically-stained tissues and its application to study mast cells in equine wound healing (proof of concept).

Valérie Dubuc, Sheila Laverty, Hélène Richard, Monique Doré, Christine Theoret

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in BMC veterinary research, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
0.4field-weighted citation impact, top 35% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed, 4 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.

Valérie DubucDepartment of Veterinary Biomedicine, Faculté de Médecine Vétérinaire, Université de Montréal, 3 200 Sicotte, Saint-Hyacinthe, Québec, Canada. valerie.dubuc@umontreal.ca.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-3386-0819
Sheila LavertyDepartment of Clinical Sciences, Faculté de Médecine Vétérinaire, Université de Montréal, 1 500 des Vétérinaires, Saint-Hyacinthe, Québec, Canada.
Hélène RichardDepartment of Clinical Sciences, Faculté de Médecine Vétérinaire, Université de Montréal, 1 500 des Vétérinaires, Saint-Hyacinthe, Québec, Canada.
Monique DoréDepartment of Pathology and Microbiology, Faculté de Médecine Vétérinaire, Université de Montréal, 3 200 Sicotte, Saint-Hyacinthe, Québec, Canada.
Christine TheoretDepartment of Veterinary Biomedicine, Faculté de Médecine Vétérinaire, Université de Montréal, 3 200 Sicotte, Saint-Hyacinthe, Québec, Canada.
Université de Montréal · CA

Funding

Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada NSERC 250231
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundThere is a growing interest in the scientific community to use computer-based software programs for the quantification of cells during physiological and pathophysiological processes. Drawbacks of computer-based methods currently used to quantify immunohistochemical staining are the complexity of use, expense of software and overly-simplified descriptions of protocol thereby limiting reproducibility. The precise role of mast cells in equine cutaneous wound healing is unknown. Given the contribution of mast cells to the chronic inflammation observed in human keloid, a pathology similar to exuberant granulation tissue (EGT) in horses, mast cells might be present in high numbers in equine limb wounds predisposed to EGT. The main goal of this study was to develop a reliable and reproducible quantification method for immunostained tissues using a computer software that is widely available, at no cost, to the scientific community. A secondary goal was to conduct a proof of concept using the newly-established method to quantify mast cells during wound healing at different anatomical sites (body and limb) in horses to see if a different pattern is observed in limb wounds, which are predisposed to EGT.

resultsA good intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC, 0.67 p < 0.05) was found between the computer-based ImageJ method and manual counting. An excellent intra-operator ICC of 0.90 (p < 0.01) was found for the ImageJ quantification method while a good interoperator ICC of 0.69 (p < 0.01) was measured. No significant difference was observed between the variation of the ImageJ and that of the manual counting method. Mast cells were localized below the epidermis, around cutaneous appendages and blood vessels. Mast cell numbers did not differ significantly in relation to anatomical location or time of healing.

conclusionsThe computer-based quantification method developed is reliable, reproducible, available, cost-free and could be used to study different physiological and pathological processes using immunohistochemistry.

Indexed as

Wound HealingAnimalsCell CountGranulation TissueHorsesImage Processing, Computer-AssistedImmunohistochemistryMast CellsSoftwareHorseImageJImmunohistochemistryMast cellQuantificationSkinWound healing

Identifiers

PMID32616050
PMCPMC7330934
OpenAlexW3039259508

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.