{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2025,12,19]],"date-time":"2025-12-19T12:10:24Z","timestamp":1766146224170,"version":"3.48.0"},"reference-count":32,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"1","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,12,19]],"date-time":"2025-12-19T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1766102400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"Slovak Scientific Grant Agency Vega","award":["1\/0036\/23"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["1\/0036\/23"]}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Molecules"],"abstract":"<jats:p>The accumulation of metallic micro- and nanoparticles in the human hippocampus is increasingly linked to neurotoxic processes and neurodegenerative disorders. Precise segmentation and detailed characterization of these particles are crucial to understanding their role. This study presents a novel method that combines discrete segmentation based on graph-cut theory with Dinic\u2019s algorithm for the computation of maximum flow. The images are modeled as directed weighted graphs, with pixel intensities and gradients defining edge capacities, enabling robust segmentation in electron microscopy data. To ensure robustness, the method is validated against ground-truth masks, achieving a Dice coefficient of 0.97898 \u00b1 0.0172 and an Intersection over Union (IoU) of 0.9609 \u00b1 0.0326. Morphometric parameters\u2014area, perimeter, circularity, and Feret diameters\u2014are automatically extracted. Concurrently, elemental analysis using Energy-Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (EDS) reveals a heterogeneous composition, including iron-rich particles and compounds containing nickel and chromium. The observed variability highlights the importance of single-particle analysis in better understanding the neurobiological impact of metallic deposits.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/molecules31010009","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,12,19]],"date-time":"2025-12-19T12:05:35Z","timestamp":1766145935000},"page":"9","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Segmentation and Multimodal Characterization of Metal Particles in the Human Hippocampus Using Discrete Segmentation Algorithms and Correlation Spectral Analysis"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"31","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-9976-2256","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"J\u00e1n","family":"P\u00e1nik","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Institute of Medical Physics and Biophysics, Faculty of Medicine, Comenius University, Sasinkova 2, 813 72 Bratislava, Slovakia"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-4541-6811","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"M\u00e1ria","family":"\u017dd\u00edmalov\u00e1","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Mathematics and Descriptive Geometry, Faculty of Civil Engineering, Slovak Technical University, Radlinsk\u00e9ho 11, 811 05 Bratislava, Slovakia"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-5085-2792","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Daniel","family":"Kosn\u00e1\u010d","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Institute of Medical Physics and Biophysics, Faculty of Medicine, Comenius University, Sasinkova 2, 813 72 Bratislava, Slovakia"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Martin","family":"Kop\u00e1ni","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Institute of Medical Physics and Biophysics, Faculty of Medicine, Comenius University, Sasinkova 2, 813 72 Bratislava, Slovakia"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-3324-0388","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Silvia","family":"Dulansk\u00e1","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Institute of Medical Physics and Biophysics, Faculty of Medicine, Comenius University, Sasinkova 2, 813 72 Bratislava, Slovakia"},{"name":"Department of Radiological Technology, Faculty of Nursing and Medical Professional Studies, Slovak Medical University, Limbova 12, 833 03 Bratislava, Slovakia"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0006-6233-4737","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Nazarii","family":"Kretsul","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Mathematics and Descriptive Geometry, Faculty of Civil Engineering, Slovak Technical University, Radlinsk\u00e9ho 11, 811 05 Bratislava, Slovakia"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-4599-1971","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Michal","family":"Trnka","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Institute of Medical Physics and Biophysics, Faculty of Medicine, Comenius University, Sasinkova 2, 813 72 Bratislava, Slovakia"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,12,19]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1336","DOI":"10.1016\/j.cub.2010.06.068","article-title":"The Hippocampus Plays a Selective Role in the Retrieval of Detailed Contextual Memories","volume":"20","author":"Wiltgen","year":"2010","journal-title":"Curr. 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