Matthias Ceulemans, Pauline Huyghe, Gert De Hertogh, Raquel Cameron, Jolien Schol, Grace L Burns, Simon Keely, Lucas Wauters, Jan Tack, Nicholas J Talley, Tim Vanuytsel
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引用次数: 0
Abstract
Introduction: The diagnosis of eosinophilic gastrointestinal diseases is largely based on mucosal eosinophil counts, but thresholds and normal ranges beyond the esophagus are debated, calling for much-needed methodological standardization. We aimed to develop a standardized workflow for duodenal cell quantification and estimate duodenal eosinophil and mast cell numbers in healthy controls.
Methods: Software-based histological cell quantification using free-sized or fixed-sized regions was developed and applied to digitized hematoxylin and eosin (H&E)-stained slides from 58 individuals (healthy controls [HCs] and patients with functional dyspepsia). Intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) compared inter-rater reliability between software-based and microscopic quantification. Reproducibility of the software-based method was validated in an independent cohort of 37 control and functional dyspepsia subjects. Eosinophil identification on H&E staining was compared to immunohistochemistry (IHC). Normal eosinophil (H&E) and mast cell (cKit) ranges were determined in 70 adult HCs.
Results: Eosinophil quantification on digitized slides demonstrated excellent (ICC = 0.909) and significantly improved reproducibility over microscopic evaluation (ICC = 0.796, P = 0.0014), validated in an independent cohort (ICC = 0.910). Duodenal eosinophils were more abundant around crypts than in villi ( P < 0.0001), while counts were similar on matched H&E- and IHC-stained slides ( P = 0.55). Mean ± SD (95th percentile) duodenal eosinophils and mast cells in HC were 228.8/mm 2 ± 94.7 (402.8/mm 2 ) and 419.5/mm 2 ± 132.2 (707.6/mm 2 ), respectively.
Discussion: We developed and validated a standardized approach to duodenal histological cell quantification, generalizable to various mucosal cell types. Implementation of software-based quantification identified 400 eosinophils/mm 2 and 700 mast cells/mm 2 as thresholds for abnormal duodenal infiltration.
期刊介绍:
Clinical and Translational Gastroenterology (CTG), published on behalf of the American College of Gastroenterology (ACG), is a peer-reviewed open access online journal dedicated to innovative clinical work in the field of gastroenterology and hepatology. CTG hopes to fulfill an unmet need for clinicians and scientists by welcoming novel cohort studies, early-phase clinical trials, qualitative and quantitative epidemiologic research, hypothesis-generating research, studies of novel mechanisms and methodologies including public health interventions, and integration of approaches across organs and disciplines. CTG also welcomes hypothesis-generating small studies, methods papers, and translational research with clear applications to human physiology or disease.
Colon and small bowel
Endoscopy and novel diagnostics
Esophagus
Functional GI disorders
Immunology of the GI tract
Microbiology of the GI tract
Inflammatory bowel disease
Pancreas and biliary tract
Liver
Pathology
Pediatrics
Preventative medicine
Nutrition/obesity
Stomach.