MIS 300 Blog #02

A new CT scan could rule out the need for the painful mammograms that women have to get. The CT scan of the breast produces 3D pictures that can show doctors whether the “lump” is a benign lesion or a malignant tumor. This scan would rule out the pain that is involved in getting a mammogram. The scan also provides a view of the tissue around the outer breast, where approximately 50% of cancers are found.

Dr. O’Connell, director of women’s imaging and head of this study, stated that one lesion was clearly seen through the CT scan whereas in the mammogram, it was hard to detect.

This is great news for women as they won’t have to suffer through the pains of the mammogram!

I read an interesting article on CNN Health that discussed how young adults who are obese have a lower risk of breast cancer before menopause. This is compared to other young adults who are the same age and have a normal weight. However, after menopause, they have an increased risk of breast cancer because of their obesity. This is very contradictory and has some interesting implications.

These researchers do not want to promote the message that obesity is okay. One reason they speculate for the lower risk before menopause is that these women do not ovulate as much due to their large body size. This disruption lowers certain hormone levels. This is one explanation for the decrease risk in breast cancer in obese women. However, after further research, the researchers ruled out this possibility.

Currently, they are in the process of finding out the mechanism as to why obese women are less likely to get breast cancer before menopause.

Recently, I was reading CNN Health and there was a really interesting article about a group of researchers at Vanderbuilt University who found a genetic link to autism. There is a gene called MET that is involved with brain development, regulation of the immune system, and repair of the gastrointestinal system. Autism affects these systems. There is a single gene mutation in this gene that increases the risk of developing autism. Previously, autism was thought to only run in families. However, this finding proves that autism is genetically linked. There is great potential on this finding in terms of helping to find a possible cure for autism.

I read this article on CNN Health that discussed how there is an active ingredient in marijuana that may prevent the progression of Alzheimer’s disease. The active ingredient is called THC (delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol). It basically prevents the neurotransmitter, acetylcholine, from breaking down. This finding could have a huge potential in the medical field. It brings doctors and scientists one step closer to finding a cure for Alzheimer’s disease.

I can’t believe the weekend is already here! This weekend will be relatively stress free since a really tough week just went by. Tomorrow, I will be traveling to Phoenix to spend some time with my friends that go to ASU. I’m really excited to go back up!

Also on a random note, I believe that the E. coli outbreak in spinach is absolutely absurd. Who would have ever thought that E. coli would start growing on spinach. As of September 22nd, there were 166 cases of individuals who have been affected. It’s really interesting that the spinach implicated in the outbreak was from three counties in California. They were Monterey, San Benito, and Santa Clara. The FDA has announced that spinach grown anywhere else in the US is okay to eat. After being vegetarian for almost 12 years and eating spinach frequently, it’s kind of strange that this outbreak happened all of a sudden. For those of you that eat spinach, just make sure that it wasn’t grown in either of those three counties!