This Advanced Study Institute was arranged to discuss in depth the physical and technical basis of the latest developments in methods of measurement and image analysis suitable for determining the prop­ erties of cells and tissues and for evaluating medical structures. All topics under consideration have benefitted dramatically from an injection of new ideas during the past 10 years, and some have developed even more recently. The Institute brought together lecturers and participants from 14 different countries, and the subject matter recorded in this volume may be considered under two general headings. The first part of the meeting concentrated on techniques that are most appropriate at the cellular level. One major area of develop­ ment has been centered on attempts to classify cells by computerized ex­ traction of visual features, and here, it was notable how different techniques frequently complement each other. This part of the meeting also examined mechanisms of damage at the cellular level caused by different forms of radiation, and the contrasting effects of ionizing radiation, ultraviolet light and ultrasound were highlighted.

Inhalt

I. Overview Lectures.- New Physical Methods in Medicine and Environmental Sciences.- Physics in Medicine and Biology - 10 years of Progress.- Clinicians' Expectations from the new Technology for in vivo diagnostic examinations.- Recent Developments for in vivo Diagnostic Examinations Using Physical Methods - The Clinicians' Viewpoint.- II. Technical Advances Applicable Mainly in Vitro.- Cell image analysis and quantitative cytology.- A cell biologist's view of Current Technology.- Development of Optical Methods for Quantitative Cytochemistry.- TV Contrast Enhancement Methods for Chromosome Analysis.- Luminescence and Fluorescence Methods.- Microbeam Design Considerations.- Partial Nuclear and Cytoplasmic (Mitochondrial) Irradiation of Single Living Cells using Ultra-Violet and Visible Light.- Photobiology of Furocoumarins (Psoralens) and Recent Developments in the Photochemotherapy (PUVA) of Psoriasis.- Effects of Ionizing Radiation on the Structural and Physical Properties of the Skin.- Electromagnetic field dosimetry in Biomedical Investigations.- III Technical Advances Applicable Mainly in Vivo.- Physical Principles of Radionuclide Emission Imaging Using Single Photon Techniques.- Physical Limitations to the Quality of X and Gamma Ray Images.- The Presentation of Photon-Limited Images.- The Influence of Digitisation on the Quality of Radionuclide Images.- Diagnostic Processing and Analysis of Medical Images.- Principles and Practice of Radiopharmaceutical Production.- Planning and Running a Hospital Radiopharmacy.- New Advances in Nuclear Cardiology.- Applications of Convolution and Deconvolution Methods in Nuclear Medicine.- Some Recent Developments in X-ray Techniques.- Biomedical Applications of Ultrasound.- Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Proton Imaging.