Data Lab Hell, Europastraße 2a, Zirl, Austria.
organLife Laboratory, Department of Visceral, Transplant and Thoracic Surgery, Medical University Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria.
Sci Rep. 2024 Jun 7;14(1):13123. doi: 10.1038/s41598-024-63935-7.
Blood clot formation, a crucial process in hemostasis and thrombosis, has garnered substantial attention for its implications in various medical conditions. Microscopic examination of blood clots provides vital insights into their composition and structure, aiding in the understanding of clot pathophysiology and the development of targeted therapeutic strategies. This study explores the use of topological data analysis (TDA) to assess plasma clot characteristics microscopically, focusing on the identification of the elements components, holes and Wasserstein distances. This approach should enable researchers to objectively classify fibrin networks based on their topologic architecture. We tested this mathematical characterization approach on plasma clots formed in static conditions from porcine and human citrated plasma samples, where the effect of dilution and direct thrombin inhibition was explored. Confocal microscopy images showing fluorescence labeled fibrin networks were analyzed. Both treatments resulted in visual differences in plasma clot architecture, which could be quantified using TDA. Significant differences between baseline and diluted samples, as well as blood anticoagulated with argatroban, were detected mathematically. Therefore, TDA could be indicative of clots with compromised stability, providing a valuable tool for thrombosis risk assessment. In conclusion, microscopic examination of plasma clots, coupled with Topological Data Analysis, offers a promising avenue for comprehensive characterization of clot microstructure. This method could contribute to a deeper understanding of clot pathophysiology and thereby refine our ability to assess clot characteristics.
血液凝块的形成是止血和血栓形成过程中的关键步骤，其在各种医学病症中的影响引起了广泛关注。对血液凝块的微观检查提供了关于其组成和结构的重要见解，有助于理解凝块病理生理学和开发有针对性的治疗策略。本研究探讨了使用拓扑数据分析（TDA）来评估显微镜下的血浆凝块特征，重点是识别元素成分、孔和 Wasserstein 距离。这种方法应该能够使研究人员根据纤维蛋白网络的拓扑结构对其进行客观分类。我们在静态条件下从猪和人枸橼酸盐血浆样本中形成的血浆凝块上测试了这种数学特征描述方法，探索了稀释和直接凝血酶抑制的影响。对显示荧光标记纤维蛋白网络的共聚焦显微镜图像进行了分析。两种处理都导致了血浆凝块结构的视觉差异，可以使用 TDA 进行量化。通过数学方法检测到基线和稀释样本之间以及用 argatroban 抗凝的血液之间存在显著差异。因此，TDA 可能表明凝块稳定性受损，为血栓形成风险评估提供了有价值的工具。总之，对血浆凝块的微观检查结合拓扑数据分析为凝块微观结构的全面特征描述提供了一个有前途的途径。这种方法可能有助于深入了解凝块病理生理学，从而提高我们评估凝块特征的能力。
