Affiliations: [a] Department of Medical Biotechnology, Universitá di Siena, Via delle Scotte, Siena, Italy | [b] Department of Odontostomatology, Diabetology Section, Universitá di Siena, Viale Bracci, Siena, Italy
Correspondence:
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Corresponding author: G. Bianciardi, Department of Medical Biotechnology, Universitá di Siena, Via delle Scotte 6, 53100 Siena, Italy. Tel.: +39 348 2650891; Fax: +39 0577 286202; E-mail: giorgio.bianciardi@unisi.it
Note: [1] Retired.
Abstract: This paper investigates the use of computerized fractal analysis for objective characterization by means of transmission electron microscopy of the complexity of circulating platelets collected from healthy individuals and from type 2 diabetic patients, a pathologic condition in which platelet hyperreactivity has been described. Platelet boundaries were extracted by means of automatically image analysis. Local fractal dimension by box counting (measure of geometric complexity) was automatically calculated. The results showed that the platelet boundary observed by electron microscopy is fractal and that the shape of the circulating platelets is significantly more complex in the diabetic patients in comparison to healthy subjects (p < 0.01), with 100% correct classification. In vitro activated platelets from healthy subjects show an analogous increase of geometric complexity. Computerized fractal analysis of platelet shape by transmission electron microscopy can provide accurate, quantitative, data to study platelet activation in diabetes mellitus.
Keywords: Platelets, type 2 diabetes mellitus, fractal analysis, differential diagnosis, transmission electron microscopy
