The Survey Web

This home page is maintained by the research group supported by a Grant-in-Aid from the Ministry of Science, Education and Culture of Japan (Grant No.10672172, entitled 'Internet Based Control Surveys for the Morphological Laboratory Tests', 1998-1999) to announce the research process and its results, to seek the advice or the comments from the interested people and to return its harvests to the public.

Aim Research Members Research Schedule 1st meeting (Jul.10, 1998) 2nd meeting (Sep.16-17, 1998) Extra HiRes LCD Testing (Oct.29, 1998) chairmen's extra meeting (Nov.11, 1998) The First Symposium of the 'Color' of Digital Imaging in Medicine (May 8-9, 1999) 3rd meeting (May 9, 1999) 4th meeting (Nov.12, 1999) 3rd survey (Dec. 1999 - Jan. 2000) Abstracts of the Research Project Open Lab (You can watch graphics under testing) The difference of GIF and JPEG (texts in Japanese only) 1st survey question page (texts in both English and Japanese) 1st survey answer page (texts in both English and Japanese) 2nd survey question page (texts in both English and Japanese) 2nd survey answer page (texts in both English and Japanese) continuing education (Japanese only) (Jap. Ass. of Clin. Lab. Physician) [Urinary tests | Hematology | Immunology | microbiology] ultrasonic cardiography (movie) Index of the Qualified Images Extra HiRes LCD Testing 3rd survey question page (texts in both English and Japanese) (2000.03.21 update!) Urinalysis(1) Urinalysis(2) Parasitology Hematology(1) Hematology(2) Microbiology Immunology Cytology(1) Cytology(2) Cytology(3) Chromosome analysis Physiology(1) Physiology(2) Physiology(3) Research works works achieved by this research group past works this research was based on funds related this research contact address

ANNOUNCEMENT [From the chief researcher] Now 3rd survey question page has become open to the public. Not only urinalysis, hematology, microbiology, immunology, cytology, chromosome analysis and physiology, video movies of parasitology and ultrasonography are also included, so they should be worth spending some time to look through. This control survey aims at demonstrating the possibilities of the internet in a quality assurance of morphological laboratory tests, so not only answers to the questions, but also comments and inquiries about this project will be greatly appreciated. Please feel free to send them to the secretariat of this research group. Dec. 28, 1999 chief researcher         Masahiro NISHIBORI [From the chief researcher] This research project has gone through almost seven eighth of its scheduled time. On the way of the research, the standardization of digital images, especially of its color, has been turned out to be very important not only in morphological laboratory tests, but also in various fields in medicine and its practice. Now we are just stepping into a new research frontier, the investigation about color representation of digital imaging in medicine, and have initiated a new research organization, Digital Biocolor Society.    We recognize the importance of the consensus which should be made among the various people concerned, and at this home page, some research papers of our interim reports are ready for your reference until the final report will be issued, so please feel free to send any comments to the secretariat of this research group. Dec. 21, 1999 chief researcher         Masahiro NISHIBORI [From the chief researcher] A research project entitled 'Internet Based Control Surveys for the Morphological Laboratory Tests' that will take two years was just set to run by the research group of 9 researchers from 7 universities in Japan. Aimed at the standardization of morphological laboratory tests such as urinary tests, hematology, immunology, microbiology, physiology, anatomical pathology and cytology, this research group intend to make the most of the internet to realize comprehensive and individual control surveys for morphological laboratory tests which have not been achieved by conventional methods using slidefilmes.    We recognize the importance of the consensus which should be made among the various people concerned to the laboratory medicine and the clinical pathology, and at this home page we will do our best to announce fresh and detailed information on the research process and its results, so please feel free to make any comments and to send them to the secretariat of this research group. Jun. 24, 1998 chief researcher         Masahiro NISHIBORI

revision records

Jun. 29, 1998

• Opening of this home page including the aim, the research members, the schedule, the open lab, the contact address and announcements.

The Aim

Conventional control surveys for morphological laboratory tests using slidefilms have limitations such as (1) limited chances of individual participation, (2) limited number of questions which are asked at a time, (3) limited modality of distributed graphics (video tapes of ultrasonography have been excluded).    Otherwise, if we can put these photographs and video tapes on a home page for participants of a survey to watch them easily, and can send the answers, the results and the assessments of specialits through the internet, its costs and its procedures will be so reduced that most of these limitations will be gone. Besides, there will be no deterioration of graphic quality during duplication and international surveys will be conducted very easily.    This research project aims at investigating the questions; (1) if correct diagnosis can be made using graphics displayed on the home page, (2) if the variation of the technical specifications of the equipment used to display the home page may interfere with the medical diagnosis, and at finally giving the concrete solution to these questions in each field of urinary tests, hematology, immunology, microbiology, physiology, anatomical pathology and cytology.

Research members

Chief Researcher	Masahiro NISHIBORI	Tokyo Madical and Dental Univ., Japan
Co-researcher	Yasuhiro OHBA	Kinki Univ., Japan
Co-researcher	Kichi ITOH	Kanagawa Prefectural College of Medical Technology, Japan
Co-researcher	Kiyoaki WATANABE	Keio Univ., Japan
Co-researcher	Harushige KANNO	Chiba Univ., Japan
Co-researcher	Ikunosuke SAKURABAYASHI	Omiya Medical Center Jichi Medical School, Japan
Co-researcher	Tetsu TANIAI	Tokyo Madical and Dental Univ., Japan
Co-researcher	Seiichi TAMAI	National Defense Medical College, Japan
Co-researcher	Hiroshi TANAKA	Tokyo Madical and Dental Univ., Japan

Research works achieved by this research group

Masahiro NISHIBORI : Does Color Reproduction of Digital Images Affect Diagnoses? Proceedings of the 19th Joint Conference on Medical Informatics 336-337, 1999. [abstracts in English M. Nishibori : Possible Erroneous Diagnoses Caused by Poor Performance of Displays for the Internet. Japanese Journal of Clinical Pathology 47(Suppl.) : 284, 1999. Masahiro Nishibori : The Role of Multispectral Imaging in Medicine. Proceedings of International Symposium on Multispectral Imaging and Color representation for Digital Archives, 114-116, 1999 1999.10.12 Standardization of the Color in Medical Imaging. Fist China-Japan-Korea Joint Symposium on Medical Informatics, Suzhou (China). Masahiro Nishibori : Color Representation of Digital Imaging in Medicine. The Proceedings of the 20th Congress of World Association of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, 1999 (in print). M. Nishibori : A Trial of the Standardization of the Color of Morphological Laboratory Tests. The Proceedings of the First Symposium of the 'Color' of Digital Imaging in Medicine 25-28, 1999. [summary in English] Masahiro Nishibori, Kiichi Itoh, Kiyoaki Watanabe, Harushige Kanno, Yasuhiro Ohba: Use of WWW in a Control Survey of Morphological Laboratory Tests Proceedings of the Ninth World Congress on Medical Informatics, 803, 1998.

Past works this research based on

Masahiro NISHIBORI, Use of WWW in a Control Survey of Morphological Laboratory Tests. The 17th Joint Conference on Medical Informatics (abstract in English available), 1997. Oct. 31, 1997, Masahiro NISHIBORI, Yasuhiro OHBA, Kiichi ITOH, Kiyoaki WATANABE, Harushige KANNO, A Control Survey of Morphological Laboratory Tests Using the Internet. The 44th National Congress of the Japan Society of Clinical Pathology (proceedings in Japanese, p178), Kobe. Jun. 19th, 1997, Masahiro NISHIBORI, A Control Survey of Morphological Laboratory Tests Using the Internet. The 19th World Conference of Anatomic and Clinical Pathology World Association of Societies of Pathologist (Abstracts p46), Versailles. Masahiro NISHIBORI, Boosting the Activity of Clinical Laboratory Physicians with the Internet Power. The 16th Joint Conference on Medical Informatics (abstract in English available), 1996. Nov. 15, 1996, Masahiro NISHIBORI, Tatsuyuki TSUCHIYA, Satoshi KIMURA, Organizing the Laboratory Information Network Using the Internet Power. The 43rd National Congress of the Japan Society of Clinical Pathology (proceedings in Japanese, p126), Hamamatsu. Masahiro NISHIBORI, Understanding Essences of the Internet within One Hour (Japanese only). UIC SELECTIONS [Mar. 29, 1996], revised Jun. 10, 1996, UIC. Masahiro Nishibori, A Portable User Interface of a Database Compatible with Multimedia for Clinical Use. Proceedings of the 14th Joint Conference on Medical Informatics (abstract in English available), 727-730, 1994.

Funds related this research project

Grant-in-Aid from the Ministry of Science, Education and Culture of Japan (Grant No.08772180, entitled 'Boosting the Activity of Clinical Laboratory Physicians with the Internet Power' 1996, chief researcher: Masahiro NISHIBORI) Grant-in-Aid from the Ministry of Science, Education and Culture of Japan (Grant No.06772218, entitled 'A Portable User Interface of a Database Compatible with Multimedia for Clinical Use' 1994, chief researcher: Masahiro NISHIBORI)

Abstracts of Research Project,
Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research

(1) Pictures of typical specimens from urinary tests, hematology, microbiology, immunology, physiology and pathology were digitized and the diagnostic reliability were evaluated using various display equipment including a extra high resolution (QSXGA, 200 pixel per inch) LCD. (2) The qualities of most of digitized pictures properly prepared are almost the same as slidefilms, but some of them required to be observed with the QSXGA display to maintain required qualities. (3) Besides, there are large variations in reproduction of colors among the displays, which may incidentally cause erroneous diagnoses. (4) To overcome this problem, a new calibration system based on a novel way of thinking has been developed. Two inventions based on this concept are pending to protect patents. (5) To discuss the same problem possibly arising in other medical fields, the 1st Symposium of the 'Color' of Digital Imaging in Medicine was held on 8th-9th May, 1999 at Tokyo Medical and Dental University, and understanding about this problem and a consensus of the orientation toward its solution were well advanced. Besides a new academic society focused on this research area will be founded under the initiative of our research group. (in detail, consult a home page at http://biocolor.umin.ac.jp/). (7) Pictures of typical specimens from urinalysis, hematology, microbiology, immunology, cytology, chromosome analysis and physiology, and video movies of parasitology and ultrasonography were digitized and the diagnostic reliability were evaluated through the 3rd internet survey of morphological laboratory tests. (8) These results are announced at various Japanese or international academic conferences or various academic journals written in Japanese or English, as well as the home page (http://survey.umin.ac.jp/).