Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40937540›Full record

ArticleDevelopmental dynamics : an official publication of the American Association of Anatomists2026

Easily adaptable Fiji macro for mean linear intercept measurement of peripheral respiratory airspace.

Brielle Patlin, Yongjun Yin, Ling Li, David M Ornitz

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Developmental dynamics : an official publication of the American Association of Anatomists, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
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

3 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Editorial highlights.Developmental dynamics : an official publication of the American Association of Anatomists · 2026
    Article
  2. Article
  3. AlveolEye: rapid and precise lung morphometry guided by computer vision.American journal of physiology. Lung cellular and molecular physiology · 2026
    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

4 authors.

Brielle PatlinDepartment of Developmental Biology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, USA.
Yongjun YinDepartment of Developmental Biology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, USA.
Ling LiDepartment of Developmental Biology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, USA.
David M OrnitzDepartment of Developmental Biology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1592-7629

Funding

Regulation of primary and secondary alveologenesis by FGF signaling pathwaysR01HL176901 · NHLBI · WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY · PI David M Ornitz · 2025 to 2026
$1.5M
NHLBI NIH HHS R01 HL176901
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundMean linear intercept (MLI) is a method of evaluating lung structure and pathology that is widely used in clinical and research settings. Unfortunately, no widely available software for automation of this process is available, and many clinicians and scientists still perform these measurements manually.

resultsTo increase the speed and accuracy of obtaining MLI measurements, we have developed a macro for Fiji is just ImageJ (Fiji) to semi-automate the acquisition of these measurements. Twenty to 25 images from each of 43 mouse lungs, a total of 1042 images, were analyzed manually and by macro (automated) to validate the accuracy of the MLI macro. No significant difference was recorded between the manual and automated methods in mouse lung tissue of either different age (P14, P21, 8 weeks) or different condition (healthy vs. emphysema). Optimization of MLI macro parameters showed that additional measurements beyond three lines per image did not further improve accuracy. We also provide an Excel macro that summarizes the airspace data for each image and averages all the image data in a given batch of images.

conclusionThis Fiji macro can be used to automate MLI measurement in histological sections of lung tissue faster and with lower variance.

Indexed as

Image Processing, Computer-AssistedLungSoftwareAnimalsMiceairspacealveoliautomatedlungmean linear interceptMLI

Identifiers

PMID40937540
PMCPMC13448372

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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.