ABSTRACT
Neuroblastoma is the most common extra-cranial, solid, malignant tumour in children. Advances in radiology have made possible the detection and staging of the disease. Nevertheless, there is no method available at present that can go beyond detection and qualitative analysis, towards quantitative assessment of the tissue composition of the primary tumour mass in neuroblastoma. Such quantitative analysis could provide important information and serve as a decision-support tool to the radiologist and the oncologist, result in better treatment and follow-up and even lead to the avoidance of delayed surgery. The problem investigated was the improvement of the analysis of the primary tumour mass, in patients with neuroblastoma, using X-ray computed tomography (CT) images. A methodology was proposed for the estimation of the tissue content of the mass: it comprised a Gaussian mixture model for estimation, from segmented CT images, of the tissue composition of the primary tumour. To demonstrate the potential of the method, the results are presented of its application to ten CT examinations of four patients. The method provides quantitative information, and it was observed that the tumour in one of the patients reduced from 523 cm3 to 81 cm3 in volume, with an increase in calcification from about 20% to about 88% of the tumour volume, in response to chemotherapy over a period of five months. Results indicate that the proposed technique may be of considerable value in assessing the response to therapy of patients with neuroblastoma.
Subject(s)
Neuroblastoma/diagnostic imaging , Tomography, X-Ray Computed , Child , Child, Preschool , Female , Humans , Image Processing, Computer-Assisted/methods , Male , Models, Biological , Neuroblastoma/drug therapy , Neuroblastoma/pathology , Treatment OutcomeABSTRACT
Two sets of ostrich eggs (60 and 120 eggs) were imported into the United Kingdom under class 1 quarantine restrictions. Single stage incubation was carried out and the eggs were weighed before and during incubation in order to control weight loss. In the two hatches the weight losses during the incubation of viable eggs were 13.4 per cent and 11.4 per cent, respectively. The development of the eggs was followed by candling and although only dark shadows were observed a pattern could be recognised. For the first set of eggs the average length of incubation was 45.9 days with an interval of 12.7 hours between pipping and hatching. The second set of eggs was incubated at higher temperatures than the first and the main incubation period was 43.3 days with hatching 19.2 hours after pipping. Larger eggs took longer to hatch.
Subject(s)
Birds/embryology , Incubators/veterinary , Animals , Eggs , Embryonic Development , Fertility , Humidity , Quarantine , Temperature , United KingdomABSTRACT
Two sets of ostrich eggs (60 and 120 eggs) were imported into the United Kingdom under class 1 quarantine restrictions. The eggs were incubated and observations were made on the growth, survival and sex ratio of the chicks hatched. The chicks decreased in weight for five days after hatching before they began a sustained period of exponential growth. They reached a liveweight of 4 kg five weeks after hatching. Female chicks grew significantly faster than male chicks. The survival rates of the chicks to three months of age were 66.7 per cent and 78.3 per cent, respectively, for the two sets of eggs, and mortality restricted mainly to the first four weeks of rearing. All the birds which died showed poor rates of growth before they died. The sex ratio of both groups was skewed 2:1 towards males.
