...Gesele Henderson The Overuse of MRI Scans Because of Defensive Measures In the US, the rate in which Magnetic Resonance Imaging scans, or MRIs, are being used is increasing and therefore contributing to the ever-growing health care costs. (COM) MRIs in the US have proven to be more expensive and issued more often compared to other developed countries, so when something is more expensive and used more often this obviously creates a larger expense. The issue is that not all of the scans that are ordered are deemed medically necessary. The overuse of MRIs in the US is therefore resulting in an unnecessary increase of expenses due the physicians’ tendency to practice defensive medicine. Defensive medicine is a term that refers to when a physician orders a test, procedure, or additional consultations in fear of getting sued (AP). Actually, a study showed that more than 75% of physicians in the US would encounter a medical malpractice claim during the course of their career (AP). So as this statistic shows, in the US physicians are consistently...
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...Question 1 Research and update the case information as much as possible with current research, and then conduct a comprehensive SWOT analysis for USA Today. USA Today is currently the second largest selling daily newspaper in the United States. It started in 1982 with a circulation of 350,000 and grew to over 5.4 million people reading the USA Today network daily (USA Today MRI Demographic Profiles, n.d.). USA Today is popular because of format, colorful pictures and charts, and condensed articles. The paper targeted a different demographic than its predecessors and was able to get more people interested in newspapers than had previously been. USA today grew quickly and appealed to many different age groups because of their attention to not only the current issues but also celebrity news and a strong sports section. USA Today currently has 46% of the market share with total circulation of national newspapers (USA Today MRI Demographic Profiles, n.d.). When technology began to boom and more people began to get their news from the internet or mobile devices, USA today began to see a decline in revenue and growth. They had to begin to focus on their website as well as a mobile app. Today 68% of USAToday.com and USA Today mobile app users are between the ages of 18 and 49 (USA Today MRI Demographic Profiles, n.d.). This demographic is very important in growing USA Today’s sales as more of the baby boomer generation is retiring and not staying current with the news. USA...
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...Evaluation of MRI in diagnosing Osteoarthritis Clinical Presentation: A 65-year-old female presents to a primary care office with bilateral knee joint stiffness and pain that has been increasing for “some time.” She has a BMI of 30, and states the pain is worse upon movement, but becomes manageable with short rest. The patient states that the pain in her left knee is noticeably worse than her right knee. The patient is now retired but used worked at a bakery that required frequent bending and standing for long periods of time. Physical exam showed a lack of range of motion and revealed mild tenderness to palpation of knees. The patient denies pain upon palpation of surrounding tissue. The patient also denies any recent trauma or injury to her lower, but stated that she did tear her meniscus in her left knee about 15 years ago. PICO: In patients who have suspected knee osteoarthritis is an CT scan alone sufficient for diagnosis based on the specificity and sensitivity of the test....
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...In the following report, my colleague and I have discussed the topic of tomography and its application in the form of MRI’s. Now, you may ask what is tomography or what is an MRI? Well tomography is the imaging of an object via sections that are cut up by any kind of penetrating waves, and it truly brings together mathematics with biology and technology. The example of tomography that we will be discussing are MRI’s. Now MRI stands for magnetic resonance imaging, which is a noninvasive diagnostic technique that produces computerized images of internal body tissues via the vibration of protons caused by released radio waves. This is possible because magnetic fields are used to align protons in the body for our radio waves to hit them. Once the...
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...detect the tumor or cyst early in its development. In the United States, many of the current methods are too costly, too invasive, unavailable for widespread use, and lack high sensitivity and specificity. There is a strong need to find a more promising screening method that is inexpensive, noninvasive, available for widespread use, and maintains high sensitivity and specificity. The immediate objective of this research project was to evaluate the current screening methods and make a recommendation for a future screening strategy with strong potential to detect the cancer in its earliest stages while improving the sensitivity and maintaining high specificity. The first step in the investigation process was to identify a high-risk population for pancreatic cancer. Then, current screening methods were evaluated based on their ability to detect pancreatic cancer among the defined high-risk population and their cost, invasiveness, availability, sensitivity and specificity. After determining the Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) as the best current screening method, further research indicated that plasma microRNA in combination with the biomarker CA 19-9 has potential to detect pancreatic...
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...lesions and brain swelling characteristic of AHT, have been determined to be hypoxic-ischemic in nature rather than traumatic. Thus, more attention has been directed on identifying spinal injuries in AHT. Prior to this discovery, spinal injuries were rarely reported in conjunction with AHT cases, mainly because no one ever looked for them. Autopsy protocol prior to 2000 removed the brain and severed the spinal cord. Since then, the protocol was changed and the spinal cord is now removed with the brain. Spinal injuries have now been identified in 70% of abusive head trauma cases that ended in fatality. In this paper, research was conducted to study the spine in AHT victims in order to discover the prevalence of spinal injuries in AHT compared to accidental and nontraumatic groups. The entire study included a total of 183 children under the age of 48 months who had spinal MRIs sometime between 2000 and 2012. Radiographical and clinical findings were collected and analyzed for traumatic spinal injuries. Between the three groups the incidence, distribution, and radiological characteristics of bone, ligamentous injuries, and soft-tissue injuries of the spine...
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...SEGMENTATION WITH NEURAL NETWORK B.Prasanna Rahul Radhakrishnan Valliammai Engineering College Valliammai Engineering College prakrish_2001@yahoo.com krish_rahul_1812@yahoo.com Abstract: Our paper work is on Segmentation by Neural networks. Neural networks computation offers a wide range of different algorithms for both unsupervised clustering (UC) and supervised classification (SC). In this paper we approached an algorithmic method that aims to combine UC and SC, where the information obtained during UC is not discarded, but is used as an initial step toward subsequent SC. Thus, the power of both image analysis strategies can be combined in an integrative computational procedure. This is achieved by applying “Hyper-BF network”. Here we worked a different procedures for the training, preprocessing and vector quantization in the application to medical image segmentation and also present the segmentation results for multispectral 3D MRI data sets of the human brain with respect to the tissue classes “ Gray matter”, “ White matter” and “ Cerebrospinal fluid”. We correlate manual and semi automatic methods with the results. Keywords: Image analysis, Hebbian learning rule, Euclidean metric, multi spectral image segmentation, contour tracing. Introduction: Segmentation can be defined as the identification of meaningful image components. It is a fundamental task in image processing providing the basis for any kind of...
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...Technology and U.S. Health Care Over the course of history, medical technology has continued to evolve in more ways than one. The advancements in surgical procedures, imaging techniques and the use of computer technology has allowed for patients to receive health care in a more convenient and efficient way, but with this convenience and the ever evolving technology comes the burden of cost on the U.S. economy. This paper will review how early medicinal practices have evolved into the technologically advanced world of medicine we live in today, as well as discuss how these advancements play a role in the accessibility, affordability and quality of life and care the patients of the United States receive today. In the early 1800’s, medicinal practice in the U.S. was considered to be very primitive. Unlike the European countries of Britain, France and Germany, “American medicine lagged behind in the advances of medical science, experimental research and medical science education” (Shi & Singh, 2008 p. 85). Instead, America focused more on applied science rather than the research of basic sciences. In return, the United States’ “early practices of medicine were regarded more as a trade than a profession. It did not require the rigorous course of study, clinical practice, residency training, board exams and licensing, without which it is impossible to practice today” (Shi & Singh, 2008 p.85). This meant that pretty much anyone during this time could call themselves a physician, and...
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...The Restructure of GE Healthcare’s Service on Medical Equipment Introduction GE Healthcare is a global known publicity traded company that is headquartered in the United Kingdom. GE Healthcare is among the top companies worldwide providing high-end medical equipment and service to hospitals and clinics. The organization I based my OCI paper on is a small section of GE Healthcare that is in charge of providing and servicing high-end medical equipment to the Chicago land area. This area is called the Heartland LCT (Local Customer Team), and it expands as far south as Kankakee IL, and as far north as Waukegan IL. The zone also extends from downtown Chicago to DeKalb IL and all in between. The vast majority of modalities that the LCT services are in the imaging department. The main systems are Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), Computer Tomography (CT), Xray, Ultrasound, and Mammography. The LCT is broken up into teams so that each team services a specific modality in the wide area. Currently there are a total of about 65 field engineers that service these modalities. I am part of a group of 15 fiend engineers that service the MRI’s. I am in charge of several accounts that are located mainly in the west and north suburbs of Chicago. Although this has been a really effective way of servicing these systems in the past, lately we have been loosing some big accounts to the competition. One of the main reasons hospitals decide to go a different route is the way...
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...Sociopaths For my final paper I am going to talk about how Sociopaths Brain works, also the procedure of diagnosing someone as a sociopath. So whats your definition of a sociopath? Crazy? Can hide emotions well? These are the stereotypical ideas of what a sociopath is but can we really predict if someone is a sociopath by just talking to them? Well first off, the correct definition of a sociopath is a person with a personality manifesting itself in extreme antisocial, or not wanting the company of others, attitudes, behavior, and lack of conscience. They have different personalities, they are very charismatic to others and most importantly the do not feel remorse. All these characteristics that make up a Sociopath could easily be mistaken...
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...In the diagnosis and treatment of various diseases, often segmenting the brain structures from MRI data is the key step. Since there are larger variations in the anatomical structures of brain, segmentation becomes a crucial process. Using only the intensity information is not enough to segment structures since two or more structures may share the same tissues. Recently use of multiple pre-labeled images called atlases or templates are used in the process of segmentation of image data. Both single atlas and multiple atlases can be used. However, using multiple templates proves a dominant method in segmenting brain structures even for challenging structure variations and overlapping structures. In this paper, we propose two multi atlas segmentation...
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...identity, self-consciousness, and cognitive flexibility. In the past decade, it has been demonstrated that various regions of the human brain undergo development during adolescence and beyond. Some of the brain regions that undergo particularly protracted development are involved in social cognitive function in adults. In the first section of this paper, I briefly describe evidence for a circumscribed network of brain regions involved in understanding other people. Next, I describe evidence that some of these brain regions undergo structural development during adolescence. Finally, I discuss recent studies that have investigated social cognitive development during adolescence. The first time Uta Frith made an impression on me was when I was 15. That year I was given a copy of her book Autism: Explaining the Enigma (U. Frith, 1989), which had recently been published. I knew nothing about autism and found Uta’s book captivating. It inspired me to write to its author and ask if I could do a week’s work experience in her lab. With characteristic generosity, Uta agreed. So in the summer of 1990, I spent a week in the Medical Research Council (MRC) Cognitive Development Unit, where I observed children with autism being tested on the Sally Anne task, and joined in when Uta’s group were generating spoonerisms like Dob Bylan and Himi Jendrix. At the time, I didn’t quite...
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...Over the past few decades, computers have gone from being a rare luxury to an everyday necessity. Most businesses revolve around the constant use of computers, and now, so do our everyday lives. Currently, our daily routines require the use of computers, and in the near future, are expected to be reliant on them. Even something as simple as reading the morning paper will be accessed via the Internet. Newspapers will be assessable online and, through search engines, you can quickly find what you are looking for. As well, papers from out-of-town will now be available, without the additional charge for delivery. Though the physical ‘paper’ will not be completely eliminated, many people will make the switch to “e-Paper”, as it is more efficient and more conservative of our resources. Not only will newspapers be available online, but so will many great works of art. Shakespeare, Charles Dickens and JRR Tolkien are only some of the authors or playwrights that students will be able to access without a trip to the school or public library. Any great work of literature ever written will be available for use with the click of a mouse. This increased reliance on the computer in everyday life not only is more efficient than multiple trips to the library, but it also helps the environment by reducing the number of trees that are cut down every day, simply for the production of books. As of late, many technological advancements have been made in the medical field as well. Surgeries are...
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...Research Paper Diagnosis and Treatment of Alzheimer’s Disease: Current Challenges Prepared by Ms. Rawan Al-Juweed Introduction Alzheimer’s disease (AD), the most common form of dementia, is a degenerative disorder of the brain that leads to memory loss1. AD affects 5.3 million Americans and is the seventh leading cause of death in the United States. There are two main forms of the disease. Familial AD affects people younger than 65, accounting for nearly 500,000 AD cases in the United States alone1. The remainder of AD cases occur in adults aged 65 and older and is classified as sporadic AD. The prevalence of AD varies among many different factors, including age, co-morbidities, genetics, and education level. There is no way to definitively diagnose AD without performing an autopsy. There is no cure for AD, however promising research and development for early detection and treatment is underway. Abstract Alzheimer’s disease was discovered in 1906 by Alois Alzheimer, a German neurologist and psychiatrist2. The disease was initially observed in a 51-year-old woman named Auguste D. Her family brought her to Dr. Alzheimer in 1901 after noticing changes in her personality and behavior. The family reported problems with memory, difficulty speaking, and impaired comprehension. Dr. Alzheimer later described Auguste as having an aggressive form of dementia, manifesting in memory, language and behavioral deficits3. Dr. Alzheimer noted many abnormal symptoms, including difficulty...
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...Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Explain how the NMR works, analyzing it's strengths and weaknesses, and discussing any ral world applications it may have. All the information founded was based in a careful research from the question above. The research about Nuclear Magnetic Resonance was made with very reliable sources that are trustworthy webpages which guide me, help me and explain me all about the theme, how does it happened, how it does work, and what they use it for, helped me write this paper. The intellectual and scientific contribution were a turning point in the construction of the modern world. Destroying the medieval world view and discarding the idea of divine purposes, modern science starts to examine the physical nature through mathematical relationships and chemical compositions Word Counted:125 Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Introduction: The nuclear magnetic resonance NMR abbreviation is an...
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