1. A method of determining whether a subject is likely to have a colon neoplasm comprising:
(a) obtaining a biological sample from said subject
(b) detecting any ColoUp1 polypeptide present in the sample, wherein said ColoUp1 polypeptide is encoded by a nucleic acid sequence comprising SEQ ID NO: 4,
(c) determining that the subject may be likely to have a colon neoplasm if any ColoUp1 polypeptide is detected in the sample.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein said ColoUp1 polypeptide is a secreted polypeptide comprising SEQ ID NO: 1 or SEQ ID NO: 2, and wherein said biological sample is selected from the group consisting of whole blood or a fraction thereof.
3. The method of claim 1, wherein said ColoUp1 polypeptide is a secreted polypeptide comprising SEQ ID NO: 1 or SEQ ID NO: 2, and wherein said biological sample is selected from the group consisting of urine or stool samples.
4. The method of claim 1, wherein said ColoUp1 polypeptide is a secreted polypeptide comprising SEQ ID NO: 1 or SEQ ID NO: 2, and wherein said biological sample is a blood sample.
5. The method of claim 4, wherein said blood sample is fractionated to obtain blood serum andor blood plasma.
6. The method of claim 5, wherein said biological sample is enriched for said ColoUp1 polypeptide.
7. The method of claim 1, wherein the polypeptide is detected by an assay.
8. The method of claim 7, wherein said assay employs an antibody.
9. The method of claim 8, where said assay is selected from the group consisting of an immunoprecipitation assay, a Western blot, a radioimmunoassay, and an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).
10. The method of claim 8, wherein said assay comprises contacting the biological sample with an antibody that interacts with the ColoUp1 polypeptide.
11. The method of claim 10, wherein the antibody is detectably labeled.
12. The method of claim 11, wherein the label is selected from the group consisting of an enzyme, a fluorescent substance, a chemiluminescent substance, a chromophore, a radioactive isotope and a complexing agent.
13. The method of claim 1, wherein the ColoUp1 polypeptide comprises SEQ ID NO: 13 and wherein said biological sample is a tissue sample.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. An illuminator for an image acquisition system comprising an optical apparatus for acquiring images of an object, said optical apparatus being provided with optical means and said illuminator being associable with said optical apparatus; wherein said illuminator comprises:
a body provided with an opening, for receiving said optical means;
illuminating means arranged around said opening in a frontal face of said body and commandable by said optical apparatus to illuminate a space in front of said frontal face;
electronic control means of said illuminator;
heat dissipating means;
connecting means for removably fixing said illuminator at least to said optical apparatus;
wherein said body comprises a rear face opposite said frontal face which comprises a plurality of distinct functional case elements positioned around said opening for receiving at least said electronic control means andor which defines said heat dissipating means andor said connecting means, in such a manner as to enable an operator when said optical apparatus is associated with said illuminator, to access said optical means to dismantle said optical means from said apparatus andor adjust optical adjusting means of said optical means.
2. The illuminator according to claim 1, wherein said illuminating means is fixed to a frontal wall of said frontal face, and wherein said illuminator comprises protection means protecting said illuminating means, which is also fixed to said frontal wall.
3. The illuminator according to claim 2, and comprising aiming means for emitting at least a reference indication of a field of view to an operator, said aiming means being arranged for emitting light from said frontal wall, and wherein said aiming means comprises at least a first light emitting beam having a preset orientation.
4. The illuminator according to claim 3, wherein said aiming means comprises at least a second light emitting beam having a preset orientation, said first and said second light emitting means being aligned along a line passing through the centre of said opening and arranged on an opposite side to said opening.
5. The illuminator according to claim 2, and comprising luminous indicating means to an operator, said luminous indicating means being arranged for emitting from, and being obtained in said frontal wall, and wherein said luminous indicating means comprises at least a first luminous indicator.
6. The illuminator according to claim 5, wherein said luminous indicating means comprises a second luminous indicator, said first and said second luminous indicator being aligned along a line passing through the centre of said opening and being arranged on opposite sides of said opening.
7. The illuminator according to claim 6,
wherein said aiming means comprises at least a second light emitting beam having a preset orientation, said first and said second light emitting means being aligned along a line passing through the centre of said opening and arranged on an opposite side to said opening,
wherein said alignment line of said first light emitting beam and of said second light emitting beam is perpendicular to the alignment line of said first luminous indicator and of said second luminous indicator.
8. The illuminator according to claim 2, and comprising acoustic indicating means of reading outcome, said acoustic indicating means being obtained in said frontal wall and being arranged at a frame of said protection means.
9. The illuminator according to claim 1, and comprising luminous status indicating means of said illuminator, said luminous status indicating means being obtained in a side wall of said body.
10. The illuminator according to claim 1, wherein said rear face comprises a rear wall, said plurality of distinct functional case elements, in particular shaped and having rounded corners, being connected to, andor fixed to, said rear wall conveniently spaced apart from andor distributed with respect to said opening.
11. The illuminator according to claim 10, and comprising a first set of said functional case elements, of reduced height, in particular less than a preset height, arranged in a first sector of said rear wall between said opening and a side wall of said body to define a preferential lateral access portion devoid of obstacles to said optical means.
12. The illuminator according to claim 11, wherein said body is substantially a rectangularly shaped plate, said first sector extending over an entire greater side edge of said side wall.
13. The illuminator according to claim 11, wherein said heat dissipating means is defined by a second set of said functional case elements.
14. The illuminator according to claim 13, wherein at least one element of said second set has an oblique wall moving away from said opening, wherein the distance between said at least one element and an axis of symmetry of said opening increases moving away from said rear wall along said axis of symmetry.
15. The illuminator according to claim 13, wherein said second set comprises said first set.
16. The illuminator according to claim 13, and further comprising containing means of said electronic control means, defined by a third set of said functional case elements.
17. The illuminator according to claim 16, wherein said body is substantially a rectangularly shaped plate, at least one element of said third set being arranged and extending along an entire lesser side edge of a side wall of said body.
18. The illuminator according to claim 16, wherein said connecting means is suitable for removably connecting said illuminator to said optical apparatus andor to an external point of attachment, and wherein said connecting means is defined by a fourth set of functional case elements.
19. The illuminator according to claim 18, wherein at least one element of said fourth set is arranged and extends along at least a portion of a lesser side edge of a side wall of said body.
20. The illuminator according to claim 19, wherein at least one element of said fourth set for fixing to said optical apparatus is positioned in a second sector of said rear wall, diametrically opposite said first sector with respect to said opening.
21. The illuminator according to claim 16, and further comprising connector means for the communication between said illuminator and said optical apparatus and further containing means of said third set associated with said connector means.
22. The illuminator according to claim 21, wherein said further containing means is arranged in a position opposite said preferential lateral access portion, in particular along a greater side edge of said side wall.
23. The illuminator according to claim 1, wherein said rear face comprises a concave cavity devoid of obstacles arranged at, and around, said opening, said cavity being delimited by said functional case elements.
24. An image acquisition system comprising an optical apparatus for acquiring images of an object, and an illuminator according to claim 1.
25. An illuminator for an image acquisition system comprising an optical apparatus for acquiring images of an object, said optical apparatus being provided with optical means and said illuminator being associable with said optical apparatus; wherein said illuminator (3) comprises:
a body provided with an opening, for receiving said optical means;
illuminating means arranged around said opening in a frontal face of said body and a switching on of which is commandable by said optical apparatus to illuminate a space in front of said frontal face;
wherein said illuminator comprises indicating means intended for an operator, control means for controlling said indicating means and communication means associated with said control means for exchanging data with andor receiving commands from, said optical apparatus relating to information stored in, andor measured by said illuminator andor an indication to be supplied to said operator by said indicating means.
26. The illuminator according to claim 25, wherein said indicating means to an operator comprises aiming means for emitting at least one indication of a field of view andor luminous indicating means andor acoustic indicating means of positive reading outcome andor luminous status indicating means of said optical apparatus.
27. The illuminator according to claim 26, wherein said aiming means comprises a first light emitting beam having a preset orientation andor a second light emitting beam having a preset orientation, andor wherein said luminous indicating means comprises a first indicator of positive reading outcome andor a second indicator of negative reading outcome.
28. The illuminator according to claim 27, wherein said communication means comprises communication connector means for connecting to said optical apparatus, said indicating means indicating positive reading outcome or negative reading outcome being commandable by respective digital signals receivable in respective contacts of said communication connector means, in particular by a first digital signal and a second digital signal that are respectively receivable in a first contact and a second contact of said communication connector means.
29. The illuminator according to claim 28, wherein said communication means comprises communication connector means for connecting to said optical apparatus, said aiming means being commandable by a respective digital signal that is receivable in a respective contact of said connector means, in particular by a third digital signal that is receivable in a third contact of said communication connector means.
30. The illuminator according to claim 29, wherein said communication means comprises communication connector means for connecting to said optical apparatus, said switching on of said illuminating means being commandable by a respective digital signal receivable in a respective contact of said communication connector means, in particular by a fourth digital signal receivable in a fourth contact of said communication connector means.
31. The illuminator according to claim 25, wherein said illuminating means comprises a plurality of lighting elements that are groupable in a preset number of sets, in particular at least two sets, said switching on of each set being commandable separately.
32. The illuminator according to claim 25, wherein said communication means comprises a communication network, by means of which said illuminator is able to receive commands from andor exchange data with said optical apparatus, and in particular is able to exchange a digital datum or complex data structure stored in andor measured by, said control means for controlling said illuminator.
33. The illuminator according to claim 32, wherein said switching on of each of said sets is commandable separately by a respective command, in particular a first command that is receivable in said communication network.
34. The illuminator according to claim 33, wherein a light intensity of said lighting elements is commandable by a respective command, in particular a second command, receivable in said communication network.
35. The illuminator according to claim 34,
wherein said indicating means comprises aiming means for emitting at least one indication of a field of view andor luminous indicating means andor acoustic indicating means of positive reading outcome andor luminous status indicating means of said optical apparatus,
wherein said acoustic indicating means is commandable by a respective command receivable in said communication network, in particular a third command, andor said luminous status indicating means is commandable by a respective command that is receivable in said communication network, in particular a fourth command.
36. The illuminator according to claim 32,
wherein said information stored in said illuminator comprises a version of said illuminator stored in said control means, said version being acquirable by said optical apparatus in said communication network by a respective command receivable in said communication network.
37. The illuminator according to claim 32, and comprising diagnosis means of said illuminator, and wherein said complex information data is a diagnosis information measured andor processed by said diagnosis means, said diagnosis information being acquirable by said optical apparatus in said communication network by a respective command receivable in said communication network.
38. The illuminator according to claim 32, wherein said communication means comprises communication connector means for connecting to said optical apparatus, said communication network, being makable by two contacts of said communication connector means.
39. An image acquisition system, comprising an optical apparatus for acquiring images of an object, and an illuminator according to claim 25.