— Early sign of Alzheimer's reversed in lab — One of the earliest known impairments caused by Alzheimer's disease - loss of sense of smell - can be restored by removing a plaque-forming protein in a mouse model of the disease,…
— Parental controls on embryonic development? — When a sperm fertilises an egg, each contributes a set of chromosomes to the resulting embryo, which at these very early stages is called a zygote. Early on, zygotic genes are inert,…
— Newly discovered heart stem cells make muscle and bone — Researchers have identified a new and relatively abundant pool of stem cells in the heart. The findings in the December issue of Cell Stem Cell, a Cell Press publication, show that…
— BUSM researchers develop blood test to detect membranous nephropathy — Research conducted by a pair of physicians at Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) and Boston Medical Centre (BMC) has led to the development of a test that can help diagnose…
— New hip implants no better than traditional implants — New hip implants appear to have no advantage over traditional implants, suggests a review of the evidence published on bmj.com today…
— Action needed to improve men's health in Europe — Policies aimed specifically at men are urgently needed to improve the health of Europe's men, say experts on bmj.com today…
— Probiotics reduce infections for patients in intensive care — Traumatic brain injury is associated with a profound suppression of the patient's ability to fight infection. At the same time the patient also often suffers hyper-inflammation, due…
— High blood sugar levels in older women linked to colorectal cancer — Elevated blood sugar levels are associated with an increased risk of colorectal cancer, according to a study led by researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University.…
— Engineered botulism toxins could have broader role in medicine — The most poisonous substance on Earth - already used medically in small doses to treat certain nerve disorders and facial wrinkles - could be re-engineered for an expanded role in helping…
Study finds problems with reviewing medical images from portable media
Radiologists and referring clinicians frequently use portable media (CDs, DVDs) to review patient medical images acquired at outside imaging centres, including magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and computed tomography (CT) scans, but issues regarding access, importability, and viewing of these portable media exist, according to a study in the January issue of the Journal of the American College of Radiology (www.jacr.org).
'Because of the multitude of user interface software applications, file formats, hardware configurations, security settings, and types of media in use today, review of outside medical imaging delivered on portable media may be a burdensome or problematic venture in many instances, to radiologists and to clinicians from other specialities,' said Katarzyna J. Macura, MD, PhD, author of the study. 'Our study looks at current practices for portable media use for medical imaging in both academic and nonacademic radiology departments in the United States,' said Macura.
Researchers from Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, MD, reviewed a nonrandom sample, 22-question survey, of members of the Association of Administrators in Academic Radiology, the Association for Medical Imaging Management, and the University HealthSystem Consortium. Questions were grouped by media production and media viewing practices.
One hundred and two individual responses to the survey were reviewed. Three main problem areas regarding portable media were found: (1) access, (2) importability, and (3) viewing issues. Noncompliance with the Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine (DICOM) standard and/or corresponding Integrating the Healthcare Enterprise (IHE) profile, and a lack of knowledge about compliance were also found to be major issues in the study.
'Problems in any of the areas identified delay delivery of appropriate clinical or surgical care and could potentially have a detrimental effect on patient outcomes. To avoid this, radiology practices should routinely generate only media compliant with Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine (DICOM) and Integrating the Healthcare Enterprise (IHE) Portable Data for Imaging (PDI) and should test for compliance regularly,' said Macura.
Or subscribe for our Newsletter, a free e-mail publication. It is published practically every day.
Researchers discover metabolite linked to aggressive prostate cancer
Scientists discover how deadly fungus protects itself
Exercise critical to recovery after knee replacement
New pathway is a common thread in age-related neurodegenerative diseases