http://www.dothandiagnosticimaging.com/blog/rss/feedsSun, 12 Apr 2026 00:27:50 -0700http://www.dothandiagnosticimaging.com/blog/post/neuroquant--can-this-brain-tissue-analysis-predict-the-futurehttp://www.dothandiagnosticimaging.com/blog/post/neuroquant--can-this-brain-tissue-analysis-predict-the-futureNeuroQuant is an AI-assisted analysis that measures brain structure volume and uses that data in comparison to a healthy population to determine risk or status of a number of brain-related ailments. In certain disease processes, brain structures can undergo physical changes which can be non-determinant by the naked eye, but rather easily quantified when using NeuroQuant technology. Using a patient's previous NeuroQuant report(s), changes can be tracked over time to show increased degeneration, stability, or to track improvements as positive results from using various therapies. There are a number of NeuroQuant reports, providing volumetric detail as it relates to dementia, MS, trauma, seizures, growth, and other pathologies. Specific areas of the brain can be targeted for reporting and custom reports can be created as needed. Ages 3-100 can benefit from NeuroQuant technology. While most young children cannot undergo out-patient MRI exams (due to sedation requirements), older children and young adults' exams may yield valuable information regarding brain development. In the older population, it is common to use NeuroQuant reporting to assess white matter hyperintensities for Alzheimer's disease. NeuroQuant reporting requires 2 additional scans to a routine MRI exam. Those scans are sent to NeuroQuant labs, where they assessment is done, and the quantification report is returned to the imaging facility to be included in the routine MRI report. Some government and commercial insurances may pay for the NeuroQuant report. When a routine brain MRI is uable to visually determine early disease processes in a healthy adult, NeuroQuant quantification reporting could detect volumetric abnormalities, or the report could provide a baseline for future imaging comparison. NeuroQuant and Southern Radiology Specialists: We're both on board for added-value MRI brain scans.Mon, 01 Apr 2024 22:11:00 -0700http://www.dothandiagnosticimaging.com/blog/post/yoga-meditation-may-reduce-dementia-riskhttp://www.dothandiagnosticimaging.com/blog/post/yoga-meditation-may-reduce-dementia-riskCompleting a 3-month yoga and meditation course may reduce older adults’ risk of mild cognitive impairment – considered a precursor for development of Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia. This is the conclusion of a new study published in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease. Completing a 3-month yoga and meditation course may reduce older adults’ risk of mild cognitive impairment – considered a precursor for development of Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia. This is the conclusion of a new study published in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease. The study was led by researchers from the University of California-Los Angeles (UCLA), including senior author Dr. Helen Lavretsky, of the Department of Psychiatry. Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is characterized by noticeable changes in cognitive function, such as the development of memory and thinking problems. Though these changes are not severe enough to interfere with a person’s independence and day-to-day activities, symptoms can worsen with time, increasing the risk of Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias. According to the Alzheimer’s Association, long-term studies indicate that around 10-20 percent of adults aged 65 and older are likely to have MCI. Of these adults, it is estimated that around 6-15 percent develop dementia each year. While there are currently no approved medications to treat MCI, experts recommend that older adults with the condition engage in mentally stimulating activities – such as crossword puzzles – in order to reduce their risk of dementia. Now, Dr. Lavretsky and colleagues say practicing yoga and meditation may be just as effective – if not better – for protecting cognitive function. YOGA VS. MEMORY ENHANCEMENT TRAINING FOR COGNITIVE FUNCTION For their study, the researchers enrolled 25 participants aged 55 and older. For 12 weeks, 14 of the participants took part in a 1-hour Kundalini yoga class once a week and practiced Kirtan Kriya meditation for 20 minutes every day. Kundalini yoga is referred to as the “yoga of awareness,” incorporating breathing techniques, meditation, and chanting. Kirtan Kriya meditation involves chanting, hand movements, and light visualization. Dr. Lavretsky notes that this form of meditation has been practiced in India for hundreds of years as a way to maintain cognitive function in older adults. The remaining 11 participants engaged in 1 hour of memory enhancement training – through activities such as crossword puzzles or computer games – once a week for 12 weeks, and they also spent 20 minutes a day completing memory exercises. At the beginning and end of the 12-week study period, all participants completed memory tests and underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), enabling the researchers to assess their cognitive function and brain activity. VISUAL-SPATIAL MEMORY IMPROVEMENTS GREATER FOR YOGA-MEDITATION GROUP The team found that both groups showed improvements in verbal memory skills – the ability to remember names and lists of words – at the end of the 12 weeks. However, the participants who practiced yoga and meditation demonstrated greater improvements in visual-spatial memory skills – the ability to navigate and remember locations – than those who engaged in memory enhancement training. Additionally, the yoga-meditation group fared better than the memory enhancement training group when it came to levels of anxiety and depression, as well as coping skills and stress resilience. The team says the latter finding is particularly relevant for people who experience MCI, as the condition can be emotionally difficult to come to terms with. “When you have memory loss, you can get quite anxious about that and it can lead to depression,” notes Dr. Lavretsky. On assessing participants’ brain activity, the researchers found that improvements in verbal memory and visual-spatial memory correlated with changes in brain connectivity. However, they found that only the yoga-meditation group demonstrated brain connectivity changes that were statistically significant. The team suggests that the improvements in memory, mood, and stress resilience seen with yoga and meditation may be down to the increased production of a protein called brain-derived neurotrophic growth factor (BDNF). BDNF is responsible for boosting connections between brain cells, as well as maintaining the survival of existing brain cell connections. Overall, the researchers believe their findings indicate that yoga and meditation may be an effective strategy for protecting against cognitive decline in older adults. “If you or your relatives are trying to improve your memory or offset the risk for developing memory loss or dementia, a regular practice of yoga and meditation could be a simple, safe and low-cost solution to improving your brain fitness.” Dr. Helen Lavretsky Written by Honor Whiteman and originally posted at MNT here. Sun, 04 Dec 2016 09:36:00 -0700http://www.dothandiagnosticimaging.com/blog/post/educating-on-the-value-of-lung-cancer-screeninghttp://www.dothandiagnosticimaging.com/blog/post/educating-on-the-value-of-lung-cancer-screeningDr. Brett M. Elicker was awarded the 2010 Hideyo Minagi Outstanding Teaching Award for his work with UCSF diagnostic radiology residents, but his broader goal is to teach the public about the value of early screening for lung cancer. Nearly one hundred sixty thousand people die every year in the U. S. from lung cancer — a higher number than deaths from breast, prostate, colon, and ovarian cancers combined. But regular screening with low-dose radiation CT scans can catch lung cancer early. Early detection gives patients more time to consider treatments, offers more time for those treatments to work, and leads to a much greater chance of surviving ten years or more. CT lung screening has been shown to reduce lung cancer deaths by as much as 20 percent. “Patients whose lung cancer is detected in stage 1 have a much higher success of survival,” says Dr. Elicker. “Conversely, a very small percentage survive five years if diagnosed with stage 4 disease. Through CT screening, doctors can catch the cancers in early stages 1 and 2, before the tumor grows, spreads, and becomes less manageable to treat.” Dr. Elicker and the UCSF Department of Radiology recommend regular low-dose CT screening for appropriate candidates – smokers, or those who have quit in the last 15 years, aged 55 to 77 with at least 30 pack-years of smoking history. UCSF Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging has cultivated the knowledge, skills, and highly focused talents of an extraordinary team of clinicians, researchers, and teachers. Each doctor is a seasoned expert, thoughtful scientist, and caring professional – as well as a specialist in multiple fields of innovative medical practices. Meet Dr. Elicker and the other members of the team on the Our Calling page. Originally posted at UCSF here. Sun, 04 Dec 2016 09:32:00 -0700http://www.dothandiagnosticimaging.com/blog/post/urology-meets-radiology-combining-teams-to-treat-kidney-tumorshttp://www.dothandiagnosticimaging.com/blog/post/urology-meets-radiology-combining-teams-to-treat-kidney-tumorsPatients with kidney tumors sometimes have treatment options: - Complete nephrectomy, which removes the cancerous kidney fully, or partial nephrectomy, which removes a section of kidney. - Just the tumors can be surgically removed. - The tumors can be destroyed through a method called ablation, which uses a probe guided by CT scan to either burn or freeze the tumor off. At UCSF, an outcome-focused commitment across departments will often result in a combination of these approaches. “We may practice in different fields, but when it comes to treating our patients, we have a unique means of sharing insights across disciplines,” said Dr. Kirsten Greene, a UCSF urologist who has been working with interventional radiology on kidney tumor ablation since the program started in 2008. “Rather than advocating our own specialties, we look out for the interest of the patient. “Sometimes, when a patient has cancer in both kidneys, one kidney needs to be removed, but the other may have a smaller tumor. In that situation, I’ll partner with the interventional radiologist, my colleague Dr. Zagoria. He has performed thousands of successful ablations. Dr. Zagoria can ablate the smaller tumor, and I can remove the kidney with more cancer. The two of us together get rid of the cancer — and we save a kidney, which prevents the patient from having to undergo dialysis. That’s the level of outcome we’re aiming for. It’s not about surgery versus ablation, or urology versus imaging, it’s about assembling the best lineup of resources for the patient. “Because UCSF is a research institution and we treat patients, we are uniquely positioned to bring everything together for patients. That makes us all challenge ourselves to track results every day to insure we have a growing body of experience to reference for each and every patient. We daily gather data from our own procedures, from our world-class colleagues, and from translational research. In this way, we have the opportunity to individualize treatment for patients based on the best information and techniques available. “But our efforts don’t stop with technical consideration. Providing the best treatment options means that we also ensure that we understand the patient from a holistic standpoint. Once we consider kidney tumor ablation as an option, the medical team then considers what’s best for the patient’s lifestyle. “Some patients are too unwell for surgery, so ablation is the only possible course. Others could have a surgery or an ablation, but their schedules don’t allow them to take the time to recover from a surgery, so they opt for ablation because it’s minimally invasive. With the options available at UCSF and with the departments working together, we can address the entire spectrum, from personal needs to health imperatives.” Kirsten Greene received her undergraduate degree from the University of Virginia in Interdisciplinary Studies on full academic scholarship. She received her MD from the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in May 2000. She then completed her general surgery and urology training at the University of California, San Francisco where she was inducted into the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Society and received the House Staff Teaching award in 2003. Greene is combining her interest in urologic oncology, minimally invasive surgery and outcomes research by completing a master’s degree in clinical research as she continues as UCSF faculty specializing in urologic cancers and laparoscopy. She is part of the multidisciplinary urologic oncology team of the UCSF Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center located at the Mount Zion Medical Center and also operates at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center and San Francisco General Hospital. — Originally posted on UCSF here. Sun, 04 Dec 2016 09:31:00 -0700http://www.dothandiagnosticimaging.com/blog/post/pulsatile-tinnitus-one-patients-quest-to-end-ominous-ringing-in-her-earhttp://www.dothandiagnosticimaging.com/blog/post/pulsatile-tinnitus-one-patients-quest-to-end-ominous-ringing-in-her-earIt started with a small but persistent noise in her right ear. The noise seemed in rhythm with Alla’s heartbeat. Within a month, it seemed more related to her heart than ever—the noise transformed into a clamorous “whoosh” with every beat. Far beyond annoying, the noise was disturbing, even debilitating. Activities like reading and watching TV were suddenly difficult, at times impossible. The noise often prevented her from falling asleep, and broke her sleep when it didn’t. Born and raised in Moscow, Alla arrived in the Bay Area in 1992 for a career in civil engineering. She quickly made new friendships, enjoyed hobbies like traveling, skiing, and pottery, married the love of her life, Sergei, and eventually became mother to their two boys. Family life was going along quite well for Alla, until June 2015. That’s when the noise started. She began two-months of nearly nonstop diagnostic imaging and medical appointments, but no one could identify the source of the noise, much less suggest how to stop it. By July’s end, Alla was in survival mode. She and Sergei were desperate to find solutions. Finally, thanks to Alla’s primary care physician, otolaryngologist Dr. Lloyd Ford, and nerve specialist Dr. Ziv Peled, she was referred to the UCSF Pulsatile Tinnitus Clinic. The clinic is co-directed by Drs. Matthew Amans and Karl Meisel from the departments of Radiology and Neurology, respectively. Images taken during her prior medical exams allowed Dr. Amans to quickly inform Alla she had a dural arteriovenous fistula (DAVF) in her right sigmoid sinus. “No one could read the MRI the way Dr. Amans could,” explained Alla. “DAVF is a very rare abnormal connection of vessels surrounding the brain,” said Dr. Amans. “It happens where several arteries connect directly to a vein or venous sinus.” Arteries are high-pressure vessels that carry blood from heart to tissues, while veins are vessels that take blood back from tissues to heart. They are especially sensitive to pressure changes. With DAVF, the direct connection between one or more arteries and the vein or sinuses pressurizes cerebral veins and can lead to stroke. Surgery to treat Alla’s DAVF was scheduled within a few days of diagnosis. The nine hour procedure was performed by Dr. Amans and his team, including several experienced neuro interventional radiologists, anesthesiologists, technicians, and nurses. “Dr. Amans was direct, but reassuring. He was very optimistic, which gave me a lot of strength,” added Alla. “After waking up, I remember there were people talking to me, checking my vitals and smiling. ‘That’s a good sign,’ I thought. But the best part was yet to come. When everybody left the room, it felt different, like something I’d been missing for a long time: It was quiet,” recalls Alla. “There was no whooshing or pulsing sound in my ear anymore. I was scared to move and discover it again, so I turned my head a little to the right, a little more, then to the left, and a little more, and the sound didn’t come back. I couldn’t help myself, so I kept doing it and couldn’t stop smiling. Nurses were probably wondering what was going on, but it truly was the best feeling ever. I was cured. It was quiet!” Only later did Alla learn about the complexity of the surgery, which consisted of three hours of detailed angiographic mapping of the complex network involved and six hours of embolization procedure. It went smoothly but took time, and required an enormous amount of concentration and skill operating extremely sophisticated equipment. “I am very thankful to the UCSF Pulsatile Tinnitus Clinic and personally to Dr. Amans, and his fellow Dr. Darflinger, for taking such good care of me. They didn’t just perform state-of-the-art endovascular surgery, but also spent hours talking to me and Sergei and helping us deal with the absolutely unexpected and unreasonable condition of DAVF,” explained Alla. “I owe so much thanks to Sergei’s kindness and patience. And kudos to the medical team and each of the individuals including the office staff, Yuen and Hanh, who were accommodating, understanding, and patient with me. Big thanks from the bottom of my heart!” On February 23, 2016, six months after her procedure, an angiogram performed by Dr. Amans showed that Alla’s DAVF was entirely cured, with no follow-ups necessary. She and Sergei are now able to get back to the things they loved in life, including quiet. Alla is a sanitary engineer who works in water regulation for the Division of Drinking Water. Her background in fluid dynamics helped her appreciate the combined engineering and medical excellence of the UCSF Pulsatile Tinnitus Clinic. Written by Laurel Skurko and originally posted at UCSF here. Sat, 03 Dec 2016 12:03:00 -0700http://www.dothandiagnosticimaging.com/blog/post/nutrition--diet-diabetes-urology--nephrology-junk-food-highfat-diet-may-harm-kidneys-as-much-as-type-2-diabeteshttp://www.dothandiagnosticimaging.com/blog/post/nutrition--diet-diabetes-urology--nephrology-junk-food-highfat-diet-may-harm-kidneys-as-much-as-type-2-diabetesIf not appropriately managed, type 2 diabetes can cause significant damage to the kidneys. Now, a new study suggests eating too much junk food or a diet high in fat can cause just as much harm. Published in the journal Experimental Psychology, the study indicates that a high-fat diet or junk food may result in an increase in blood sugar levels comparable to that which occurs with type 2 diabetes. Type 2 diabetes is the most common form of diabetes, accounting for around 90-95 percent of all cases. The condition arises when the body is unable to effectively use insulin – a hormone responsible for regulating blood sugar levels. This may lead to a build-up of sugar, or glucose, in the blood. Without effective treatment, over time, the increase in blood glucose may lead to diabetic kidney disease, in which the organs are no longer able to remove waste products from the body. This is because the kidneys are working too hard in an attempt to remove excess sugar from the blood. Now, lead study author Dr. Havovi Chichger, senior lecturer in biomedical science at Anglia Ruskin University in the United Kingdom, and colleagues suggest that consuming too much junk food or eating a diet high in fat could lead to a similar outcome. HIGH-FAT DIET, JUNK FOOD INCREASED GLUCOSE RECEPTOR LEVELS IN RATS To reach their findings, Dr. Chichger and colleagues fed rats either a high-fat chow diet – containing 60 percent fat – for 5 weeks, or a diet of junk food, including cheese, chocolate bars, and marshmallows, for 8 weeks. The researchers assessed how these diets affected the blood sugar levels of the rodents, as well as how they affected various glucose transporters in the kidneys. They then compared these effects with rats that had either type 1 or type 2 diabetes. The team found that the rats with type 2 diabetes had high levels of the glucose transporters GLUT and SGLT – responsible for glucose reabsorption – and their regulatory proteins. Glucose reabsorption refers to the process by which the kidneys filter glucose and reabsorb it into the bloodstream; if there is excess glucose in the blood, then this process may be ineffective. Interestingly, the researchers found that the rats fed the high-fat diet or junk food also showed a similar increase in the number of GLUT and SGLT receptors to the rats with type 2 diabetes. The team believes the findings indicate that the risk of kidney damage may be just as high for people who consume an unhealthy diet as it is for individuals with type 2 diabetes. Dr. Chichger believes the results may pave the way for new strategies to reduce blood sugar levels. “A new treatment for diabetic patients constitutes blocking the glucose transporter in the kidney to reduce blood glucose levels. Understanding how diet can affect sugar handling in the kidneys and whether the inhibitors can reverse these changes could help to protect the kidneys from further damage.” Dr. Havovi Chichger Written by Honor Whiteman and originally posted at MNT here.Sat, 03 Dec 2016 12:00:00 -0700