Provided is an imaging apparatus capable of imaging a confocal image and a nonconfocal image, in which an image intended by an examiner is provided easily and rapidly. The imaging apparatus includes: an acquiring unit configured to acquire a confocal image and a nonconfocal image of an eye to be inspected; a display unit configured to display at least one of the acquired confocal image and the acquired nonconfocal image; an analysis unit configured to analyze the acquired confocal image and the acquired nonconfocal image; and a display control unit configured to change a display form displayed on the display unit in accordance with an analysis result obtained by the analysis unit.

The invention relates to a medical inspection apparatus (1), such as a microscope or endoscope, and to a medical inspection method such as microscopy or endoscopy. Visible image data (11) representing a visible-light image (49) and fluorescence image data (12) representing a fluorescent-light image (51) and a pseudocolor (70, 71) are merged to give an improved visual rendition of an object (2) which comprises at least one fluorophore (6) to mark special features of the object (2). This is accomplished in that an image processing unit (18) of the microscope (1) or endoscope is configured to compute a color (r.sub.o, g.sub.o, b.sub.o) of an output pixel (54) in the pseudocolor image (53) from at least one pseudocolor (r.sub.p, g.sub.p, b.sub.p), a color (r.sub.i, g.sub.i, b.sub.i) of a first input pixel (50) in the visible-light image (49) and an intensity (f) of a second input pixel (52) in the fluorescent-light image (51). In particular, the color (r.sub.o, g.sub.o, b.sub.o) may result from a linear interpolation in a color space (RGB) between the pseudocolor and the color of the first input pixel (50) of the visible-light image (49) depending on the intensity (f) of the second input pixel (52) in the fluorescent-light image.

In a method for operating a microscope, according to an embodiment of the present invention, a lens unit transmits a first image laser to an object, and can acquire a first scan image on the basis of a first reflection signal reflected from a first area included in the object. An ultrasound conversion unit transmits an ultrasound signal to the first area and focuses same so as to form air bubbles in the first area. The lens unit transmits a second image laser to the object, and can acquire a second scan image on the basis of a second reflection signal reflected from the second area included in the object. In the method for operating a microscope, according to the present invention, the ultrasound conversion unit transmits an ultrasound signal to the first area included in the object and focuses same so as to form air bubbles in the first area, thereby enabling an increase in the imageable depth of a microscope.

Apparatus and method for facilitating a microscopic imaging of at least one anatomical structure can be provided. For example, with a spectrally-encoded confocal microscopy (SECM) system, it is possible to provide at least one first electro-magnetic radiation to the anatomical structure(s). In addition, a mobile device can be provided which can communicate with the SECM system. The mobile device can have a sensor arrangement, and with such sensor arrangement, it is possible to receive at least one second electro-magnetic radiation that is based on the first radiation(s) from at least one section of the SECM system. The mobile device can further include a computer arrangement, with which it is possible to display at least one portion of the anatomical structure(s) as a microscopic image based on the second radiation(s) received by the sensor arrangement.

A variable focal length (VFL) lens system is utilized to determine surface Z-height measurements of imaged surfaces. A controller of the system is configured to control a VFL lens (e.g., a tunable acoustic gradient index of refraction lens) to periodically modulate its optical power and thereby periodically modulate a focus position at a first operating frequency, wherein the periodically modulated VFL lens optical power defines a first periodic modulation phase. A phase timing signal is synchronized with a periodic signal in the controller that has the first operating frequency and that has a second periodic modulation phase that has a phase offset relative to the first periodic modulation phase. A phase offset compensating portion is configured to perform a phase offset compensating process that provides Z-height measurements, wherein at least one of Z-height errors or Z-height variations that are related to a phase offset contribution are at least partially eliminated.

Methods of treating kidney disease and protecting podocytes from injury are provided. Methods of screening agents for the treatment of kidney disease are also provided. In addition, methods of identifying structural or functional defects in a patient's podocytes and methods of identifying kidney disease causing agents in a patient's biological sample are also provided.

A method of analyzing foreign matter in a sample includes: measuring an optical spectrum for each of a plurality of measurement points of a measurement region on the sample by a microscopic spectroscope; calculating a feature value of each measured spectrum by a computer; determining whether each of the measurement points is on the foreign matter or not based on each feature value; retaining the spectrum of the measurement point that is determined to be on the foreign matter, and deleting the spectrum of the measurement point that is not determined to be on the foreign matter or storing the same to a storage unit; and executing multivariate analysis of the spectra of the plurality of the measurement points that are determined to be on the foreign matter or classifying the same with AI search.

The invention relates to a method for determining height information of a sample, and to a scanning microscope. The method comprises the following steps: generating an illumination spot; illuminating the sample with the illumination spot; capturing an image of a reflection of the illumination spot at the sample; evaluating the lateral distribution of the image; determining the height information from the lateral distribution; wherein the illumination spot has a three dimensional illumination pattern and/or the image in a detection beam path has a three dimensional detection pattern. The scanning microscope is characterized in that an illumination device (07) and/or a detector device comprise(s) a means for generating a three dimensional pattern with a change in the lateral intensity distribution that is asymmetrical along the optical axis, and an evaluation device is configured to determine height information from the detector signal.

Volumetric imaging with selective volume illumination (SVI) using light field detection is provided using various systems and techniques. A volumetric imaging apparatus includes a light source configured to emit an illumination light that propagates via an illumination light path to illuminate a three-dimensional (3D) sample; and an optical system arranged with respect to the light source to receive a light field, which comes from the illuminated 3D sample. The light field propagates via a detection light path, and the light source, the optical system, or both, are configurable to perform SVI, which selects a volume of a 3D-confined illumination of the 3D sample based on the 3D sample to be illuminated and a light field detection (LFD) process to be applied. Further, the volume of the 3D-confined illumination is a selected 3D volume of the 3D sample to be particularly excited by the 3D-confined illumination for imaging.

A microscope having three-dimensional imaging capability and a three-dimensional microscopic imaging method are provided, the microscope including: at least one excitation device configured to generate a detectable contrast in a detection target region of a sample which is to be detected, in an excitation principal axis direction; at least one detection device, configured to detect the contrast as generated from the detection target region of the sample in a detection principal axis; and at least one movement mechanism, configured to generate a relative movement of the sample relative to the excitation device and the detection device; the relative movement is in a direction neither parallel to nor perpendicular to the excitation principal axis direction or the detection principal axis direction.