In the fast-paced world of emergency rooms, pinpointing the source of an infection can be a real puzzle. This is especially true when patients arrive with symptoms that don't quite fit any clear pattern. A recent study took a closer look at how well a specific type of scan, known as a thoraco-abdominal-pelvic CT (TAP-CT), performs in these tricky situations. The goa...
When the heart stops, the brain can get hurt from lack of oxygen. Doctors use special brain scans to check for damage. Normally, a part of the brain called the precentral cortex looks darker on these scans. But in some cases, it doesn't look dark anymore. This change might mean the brain got hurt from not getting enough oxygen. Doctors have given this change a name:...
Endometriosis is a tricky condition to diagnose. For a long time, doctors relied on a procedure called laparoscopy to spot endometriotic lesions directly. This involved surgery, which is invasive and not always necessary. Recently, guidelines have started to favor non-invasive imaging techniques, like ultrasounds and MRIs, for diagnosing deep endometriosis. But what ...
Athletes often go through heart screenings before they start training. These checks help spot any potential heart issues. But what happens when the results are not clear? Should the athlete keep training while waiting for more tests? Heart problems can be serious. That's why these screenings are important. They can catch issues early. But sometimes, the initial test...
Special education professionals in Saudi Arabia are starting to see the potential of artificial intelligence (AI) in diagnosing autism spectrum disorder (ASD). However, there are still many hurdles to overcome before AI can be fully integrated into the diagnostic process. One of the biggest challenges is the lack of awareness among specialists about how AI can be us...
Diagnosing a condition called primary aldosteronism (PA) can be tricky. Right now, doctors use methods that are either not very accurate or involve invasive procedures. This is where a new idea comes in: creating special tracers for imaging that can target a specific protein, CYP11B2, which is more active in people with PA. The goal is to make diagnosing PA easier a...
Knee injuries are a common issue, and figuring out how bad they are is crucial for treatment. Two main ways to look inside the knee are MRI and a special type of CT scan called weight-bearing CT arthrography (WBCTa). This study wanted to see how well MRI does at spotting cartilage damage compared to WBCTa. WBCTa is often seen as the gold standard for checking knee c...
Primary aldosteronism (PA) is a tricky condition to diagnose. It often hides in plain sight, making it hard for doctors to pin down. One tool they use is the Captopril Challenge Test (CCT). Patients prefer it because it's straightforward. However, the best way to conduct this test remains uncertain. A recent study attempted to compare different methods of the CCT. T...
Olivia Munn, a well-known actress, has recently opened up about a lesser-known condition called trichotillomania. This condition causes people to pull out their hair from different parts of their body. She talked about her experience on the "Armchair Expert" podcast, describing the strange sensation that leads to this behavior. She mentioned that it starts with a fee...
Talaromycosis, a sneaky fungal infection common in Southeast Asia, has been a challenge to diagnose. The usual method, growing the fungus in a lab, takes too long and often misses the mark. But there's hope on the horizon. Scientists have been cooking up new ways to spot this tricky infection. They've created special tests that use antibodies to hunt down the fungus...