Tomography News and Research

RSS

Medical isotope shortage hurts hospitals and disrupts medical tests

Reuters reports that "a North American shortage of medical isotopes has forced many U.S. hospitals to begin rationing scores of diagnostic tests, and doctors said on Friday they see no quick solution."

15 Jun 2009

Positron emission tomography scans may improve the accuracy of dementia diagnosis

A new study shows that the use of positron emission tomography (PET) scans may improve the accuracy of dementia diagnoses early in disease onset for more than one out of four patients. The results were presented at SNM's 56th Annual Meeting.

15 Jun 2009

Experimental imaging technique reveals ‘tell tale’ brain plaques in Alzheimer's

Researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Brookhaven National Laboratory have demonstrated a new, highly detailed x-ray imaging technique that could be developed into a method for early diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease.

15 Jun 2009

Prototype breast cancer imaging system may improve patient care

A prototype breast imaging system combining positron emission tomography (PET) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) technologies could greatly improve breast cancer imaging capabilities, according to researchers at SNM's 56th Annual Meeting.

15 Jun 2009

Adults have much more "brown fat" than previously thought

Keeping your baby fat turns out to be a good thing, as long as it is "brown fat" - the kind that burns calories, according to a study that found adults have much more of this type of fat than previously thought.

13 Jun 2009

Why does dishing with a girlfriend do wonders for a woman's mood?

A University of Michigan study has identified a likely reason: feeling emotionally close to a friend increases levels of the hormone progesterone, helping to boost well-being and reduce anxiety and stress.

2 Jun 2009

Chinese body and mind training gets results with students in just 5 days!

Chinese researchers have unravelled how a training technique adapted from traditional Chinese medicine works to reduce stress and enhance learning.

19 May 2009

Exposure to tobacco smoke early in life may lead to emphysema later on

The take-home message from our analysis is that exposure to tobacco smoke during childhood may be associated with detectable differences in lung structure, and perhaps early emphysema, later in life among people who do not themselves smoke.

19 May 2009

Combining two chemotherapy drugs with Herceptin shows promise for metastatic HER2+ breast cancer

At the 45th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), researchers from the Mayo Clinic campus in Florida report that using a combination of capecitabine, vinorelbine, and trastuzumab offers a treatment option that is at least as beneficial as other current options - and doesn't cause hair loss in patients.

17 May 2009

Understanding why non-smokers develop lung cancer among research projects funded by Canadian Cancer Society

A new BC-based study aimed at understanding the genetic basis of lung cancer in people who have never smoked is being funded for approximately $379,000 by the Canadian Cancer Society.

6 May 2009

AUA counters mainstream recommendations with new best practice statement on PSA testing

The American Urological Association (AUA) today issued new clinical guidance - which directly contrasts recent recommendations issued by other major groups - about prostate cancer screening, asserting that the prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test should be offered to well-informed, men aged 40 years or older who have a life expectancy of at least 10 years.

27 Apr 2009

New scan may lead to better treatment for epilepsy

Australian scientists have found that new technology may help in the treatment of epilepsy.

27 Apr 2009

IT to enhance healthcare across Europe

European healthcare is threatened by soaring costs and limited resources.

26 Apr 2009

PET/CT imaging shows if single cycle of chemo is working

Oncologists often have to wait months before they can determine whether a treatment is working.

14 Apr 2009

Research finds active brown fat in adult humans

Researchers at the Joslin Diabetes Center have demonstrated that adult humans still have a type of "good" fat previously believed to be present only in babies and children.

9 Apr 2009

TV series brings dwarfism into the spotlight

A popular cable reality television show, Little People, Big World, focuses on the daily lives of short stature individuals.

1 Apr 2009

Accurate assessment of heart disease leads to earlier, more aggressive therapy

In a study comparing the ability of various medical techniques to accurately determine the extent of heart disease and stratify patients according to disease severity, researchers found that myocardial perfusion testing with gated single photon emission computed tomography (gated SPECT) was a more accurate predictor of prognosis in chronic ischemic heart disease (IHD)-a painful condition caused by a temporary reduction of oxygen-rich blood to the heart.

1 Apr 2009