Dear AuntMinnie Member,
If you are the parent of a preteen child, you know their behavior can sometimes be baffling. So it's interesting that researchers from the University of California, San Francisco used functional MRI (fMRI) to look into why some preteens are more prone to explore than others.
In a study of 62 girls between the ages of 11 and 13, the researchers found that the girls classified as "explorers" based on a behavioral test had a stronger connection between the rostrolateral prefrontal cortex and the posterior insula and putamen regions of the brain on fMRI scans.
The results could help efforts to find a biomarker that will predict an individual's penchant for future risky behaviors such as smoking, substance abuse, or gambling, according to the researchers. Learn more by clicking here, or visit our MRI Community at mri.auntminnie.com.
US for pediatric appendicitis
In other news, a group from Boston Children's Hospital found that combining blood tests with ultrasound can help determine whether children have appendicitis -- potentially avoiding the need for CT in many cases.
When used on its own, ultrasound had a negative predictive value of just 41.9% for pediatric appendicitis; however, when the results of two blood tests were added to the sonography findings, that number climbed to 95.8%.
What's more, the researchers found that if guidelines were followed, clinicians could have avoided 27% of the CT scans that had been performed on the kids. Learn more by clicking here, or visit our Ultrasound Community at ultrasound.auntminnie.com.
CAD for DBT
Finally, visit our Advanced Visualization Community to learn about how a group from the University of Michigan used computer-aided detection (CAD) to improve the performance of digital breast tomosynthesis (DBT) while reducing radiation dose.
What's unique is that they applied two different CAD algorithms, which enabled them to use a special DBT protocol with a smaller image acquisition arc that collects 3D mammography images with half the normal dose. Find out how they did it by clicking here, or visit the community at av.auntminnie.com.
