Although there may be more than one link between osteoporosis and colon cancer, the newest association is that CT Colonography can screen for both diseases at the same time. From the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) 2008 conference a study presented by lead author Rizwan Aslam, M.B.Ch.B., assistant clinical professor of radiology at the University of California San Francisco, describes how a data set obtained for CT Colonography can be analyzed (by a different software reconstruction program) to evaluate bone density of the spine. And it turns out the results are very comparable to dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) scores.
From the press release:
In the study conducted at the San Francisco Veterans Administration Hospital, the researchers evaluated the results of 35 patients who underwent CT colonography and bone mineral density testing with dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DEXA), a standard bone density screening tool. Patients included 30 males and five females ranging in age from 54 to 79.
The results of the study showed excellent agreement between the DEXA bone mineral density scores and the data generated through the CT colonography study. “The bone density measurements obtained from CT colonography were comparable to the DEXA results,” Dr. Aslam said. “Both tests identified osteoporotic bones.”
Most physicians recommend that adults undergo CT colonography or conventional colonoscopy every seven to 10 years beginning at age 50. “CT colonography isn’t a replacement for DEXA testing, but it could be a way to screen more people for osteoporosis,” Dr. Aslam said. “When an individual undergoes CT colonography, we can also obtain a bone density measurement with no additional radiation and at minimal cost.”
According to the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases, 10 million Americans over age 50 have osteoporosis. Approximately 34 million Americans are at risk due to low bone mass. Detecting osteoporosis early provides for early intervention and treatment.
PLASTINATION
Invented by Dr Gunther von Hagens in 1977 at the University of Heidelberg in Germany, plastination involves replacing the body’s fluids and fat with reactive plastics, thus retaining all tissue structures. The technique takes up to 5000 hours for a full-body plastinate. After the first stage, the polymer is still pliable and the body can be shaped into poses. The body is sealed in plastic and a gas is pumped in that hardens the polymer, forming a rigid plastinate that will last indefinitely.
It’s time to look deep inside yourself and see what you are like under the surface. Underneath your clothes, your hairstyle, your skin. The Amazing Human Body exhibition does exactly that. If you’ve ever wondered what your liver looks like, considered your cruciate ligament or pondered your pancreas.
Using a technique pioneered in the 1970s by Germany’s Dr Gunther von Hagens, the exhibition features real human bodies and body parts that have been “plastinated” – literally preserved in plastic. The bodies Sydney will see came from the Tianjin Natural History Museum and the Dalian Medical University’s Institute of Plastination in China.
This is the ultimate anatomy lesson. Displays in the exhibition, which features about 400 specimens including 20 full-body plastinates and individual organs, are divided by the systems of the body – locomotion (skeletal and muscular), nervous, alimentary/digestive, cardiology, respiratory, pre-natal, reproductive and endocrine. Event manager Wayne Castle says,
“It’s the first time members of the public can see what has previously been the domain of medical practitioners.”
And he’s right. Books, models, photographs and drawings can’t show this level of detail. Castle expects that as well as the general public the show will attract those in the industry keen for an incredible learning experience, such as medical students – including physiotherapists, forensic scientists and nurses – medical researchers, sporting groups and even artists.
“It’s interesting because it shows you what your body looks like in everyday poses, doing normal activities, but from an anatomical perspective,” says Joshua Pike, a registered nurse at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital.
Everyone who attends the exhibition will have an immediate point of reference: themselves. Although some may be squeamish about making the correlation, Castle says,
“It’s a way of appreciating your own body. Most people know what’s under the bonnet of a car but have no clue what’s underneath their own skin. Finally seeing that, in terms of knowing how to look after yourself, is astounding.”
The exhibition is set up so people can choose their level of involvement. Student groups can arrange for an audiovisual presentation before entry. Inside, display boards carry in-depth, detailed descriptions of what’s being shown.
“It’s almost like a medical textbook,” Castle says.
Even if you’re not much of a reader, there is plenty to be gleaned by just being there. One of the most impressive displays is an entire body cut into one-centimetre “slices” that stretches 14 metres long and shows a fascinating cross-section of the lungs and chambers of the heart. Perhaps the most intricate piece is a cast of the entire blood vessel system in the arm, from above the elbow right down to the fingertips.
As to what the full-body plastinates are like “in the flesh”, they look both more real and somehow more fake than expected. In various skin-coloured tones, from wan yellow to deep pink, some have veins and vessels dyed red and blue for ease of identification. Their skin is delicate, glistening in parts and malleable like waxy paperbark where it has been stripped away from the body. Close up, the models smell like old candles.
The show has sparked some controversy over the ethical implications of putting real human corpses on display. While Castle disagrees with the critics, stressing the educational and health-awareness benefits of the exhibition, it is confronting and probably will upset some attendees. According to the organisers, all bodies that feature in The Amazing Human Body were donated willingly for the purpose.
Shock tactic
Event organiser Wayne Castle says perhaps the most confronting part of the Amazing Human Body exhibition is the display of “normal” lungs compared to a smoker’s lungs.
In fact, most of the lungs you will see at the show are smokers’ lungs – the effects are easily spotted. Castle claims that at a similar Body Worlds exhibition in Britain, an exit survey showed 9 per cent of smokers who viewed this display quit the cancer sticks.
“No other anti-smoking campaign has ever had that kind of success,” he says.
Other nasties on display in the pathology section of the exhibition are ovarian tumours, bleeding of the cerebellum, a heart that has had a cardiac arrest, stomach cancer, a liver hardened by alcoholism, a uterine tumour and hardening of the arteries.
The simultaneous MRI and PET scanning of the brain can now be performed, saysSiemens. Thanks to a new, world’s first fully-functioning device capable of performing both Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) and Positron Emission Tomography (PET), the breakthrough development will likely further improve the diagnostic power of these imaging modalities, according to the company:
The first in-vivo human brain simultaneous MR-PET images were acquired in the Siemens facilities in USA. Testing of this new prototype MR-PET will start before the end of 2007.
MR-PET presents a tremendous leap forward in imaging capabilities. Siemens is the first company to have realized an MR-PET prototype, which brings the exceptional soft tissue contrast and high specificity of MR together with PET’s excellent sensitivity in assessing physiological and metabolic state. The first MR-PET images were acquired with support of Dr. David Townsend and Dr. Claude Nahmias, both from the University of Tennessee, USA, and Dr. Heinz-Peter Schlemmer, Dr. Claus Claussen and Dr. Bernd Pichler, all from the University Tübingen in Germany. MR-PET has the potential to become the imaging modality of choice for neurological studies, certain forms of cancer, stroke, and the emerging study of stem cell therapy.
Researchers expect that MR-PET will open new doors in understanding the pathologies and progression of various neurological disorders like Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, epilepsy, depression and schizophrenia. For example, PET can currently differentiate mild cognitive impairment from early-stage Alzheimer’s, but cannot determine reduced brain volume caused by atrophy. By combining MR and PET, clinicians may be able to make a more sound determination of both cognitive impairment and atrophy. Furthermore, combining MR-PET and the new emerging neurological biomarkers, has the great potential to strengthen the assessment of the condition.
Similarly, in stroke patients, the technology holds the promise of allowing physicians to study which brain tissues might be salvageable after a stroke. In other rehabilitation settings, such as for patients with traumatic brain injury, the Siemens MR-PET approach would improve care and workflow. In that case, patients would be only scanned once instead of having to go to two different locations and get two subsequent scans. “The ability to determine in great detail the loss of neurological function puts us on the path to better care,” said Maerzendorfer.
