The World of Radiology

Progress on my project has continued to be "slow and steady." The process of identifying lesions has been more arduous and time consuming than I had imagined, especially since many of the MRI scans have corrupted data and other inconsistencies. However, I'm quite content with the current pace of progress. In the story of "The Tortoise and the Hare," Greek fabulist Aesop wrote "slow and steady wins the race." That is precisely how I feel right now.


In addition to my main project, I've been working on a side-project. It's not really a project, more of an exercise. My mentor wanted to give me more experience in the more traditional, medical side of things, so he tasked me with writing a medical case report with the help of Dr. Nguyen. A medical case report is basically a report detailing the symptoms, signs, diagnosis, treatment, and follow-up of an individual patient. Usually, these publication describe an unusual or novel occurrence. As of now, I am unaware of the specific details of this case report, but I will learn more soon, after I meet with Dr. Nguyen.

I also wanted to share a glimpse into the broader world of radiology. Recently, there has been immense interest in brain imaging. A lot of this research is focused on early-childhood development. In one study, published in Nature, researchers used MRI scans of infants who have older siblings with autism to correctly predict that 80 percent of those infants would later be diagnosed with autism. They were able to establish correlations based on specific features and bio-markers present in early-brain development.

Another interesting development involves the use of ultrasound in cancer treatment. In a study published in JCI Insight, researchers from UC Davis revealed that a combination of high-intensity focused ultrasound with two immunotherapies (a PD-1 checkpoint inhibitor and TLR9 agonist) can produce improved response rates in pre-clinical mouse models of epithelial cancer.

Medical imaging has also provided deeper insight into the movement of cholesterol in and out out of cells. Recently, researchers have developed a new way of visualizing the distribution of cholesterol in cells and tissues. This development could eventually help researchers identify the specific biological mechanisms linking cholesterol to coronary artery disease.

My exploration of the broader world of radiology has been extremely fascinating, and I hope you guys are also excited about recent activity in medical research!

Comments

  1. UnknownMarch 28, 2017 at 12:51 PM

    Hi Richard! I'm glad you are getting to further explore radiology. When will you stop identifying lesions? Do you need a specific number? Your blog is super interesting. I'm looking forward to next week!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Dylan WangMarch 28, 2017 at 3:36 PM

    Thanks for posting this week. Hopefully, the future won't have so many corrupted MRI scans. Radiology is an interesting field to study, I'm afraid I don't know much about it. It's always great to hear about medical (or science in general) advances, as it improves our knowledge more. Who is Dr. Nyugen? What does he specialize in? Do you have an idea in what this 'project' (exercise) would be like? Is it particularly hard or is it a common thing for doctors to do? Looking forward to hearing your next post!

    ReplyDelete
  3. UnknownMarch 28, 2017 at 6:34 PM

    Thanks Richard! I am very interested in what you will find out after the problems clear away! Also, will you be writing Medical Reports often? Also, I am not aware of Dr. Nyugen. I would like to know what Dr. Nyugen does.

    ReplyDelete
  4. UnknownMarch 28, 2017 at 8:48 PM

    Hi Richard! I really enjoyed your post, especially the picture. That was a nice addition. So who is Dr. Nguyen and what does he specialize in? I can't wait to hear more! Have fun!
    -Jileena

    ReplyDelete
  5. UnknownMarch 28, 2017 at 9:28 PM

    Hi, great post, what does Dr. Nyugen do?

    ReplyDelete
  6. UnknownMarch 28, 2017 at 9:51 PM

    Hi Richard! It's funny how long and steady wins the race applies to both BASIS and your project. Are there any strategies you are looking into to help speed the process of identifying lesions?

    ReplyDelete
  7. UnknownMarch 29, 2017 at 6:46 PM

    Hey Richard! Can you recap how some scans have corrupted data? Also, the broadness of radiology sounds super fascinating.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Brian GlucksmanMarch 30, 2017 at 6:14 PM

    Hi, Richard. I'm excited to see the results of your project. Is the slowness of the project bothering you?

    ReplyDelete
  9. UnknownApril 2, 2017 at 8:18 PM

    Hey, Richard! It seems that you're taking the whole "slow and steady" thing well, which is great, because patience is key! Although, it is taking awhile I can see the progress, which is something to be proud about. :)

    ReplyDelete
  10. EricApril 3, 2017 at 8:53 PM

    This sounds exciting. You are gaining more exposure to the general field of radiology. This must be rather beneficial to you.

    ReplyDelete

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