Dear AuntMinnie Member,
Just over a week after announcing that punitive tariffs on goods made in China wouldn't happen, the Trump administration today shocked global markets by announcing that it was proceeding with a plan to levy a 25% tariff after all.
The U.S. government said that by June 15 it would release the specific list of products to which tariffs would be applied, and the duties would go into effect shortly after that.
The news is sure to rattle the medical imaging industry. Most of the major imaging modalities appeared on a list of goods released in April that would be slapped with the 25% tariff, and many of the major OEMs currently make scanners in China.
The question now is whether today's news is the real deal -- or merely another negotiating tactic by the Trump administration. Learn more by clicking here.
3 steps to personalized CT lung screening
There is a growing realization that tailoring screening to individuals could be more effective than the one-size-fits-all approach typically used in population-based programs. But what's the best way to personalize screening in practice?
Researchers from the University of Michigan took a crack at applying the concept of a personalized approach to CT lung cancer screening. They found that taking into account three critical factors -- lung cancer risk, life expectancy, and even the individual's attitude toward screening -- could ensure that screening has the greatest possible impact.
Could a personalized approach help improve the low uptake rates for CT lung cancer screening, with fewer than 2% of eligible high-risk individuals getting screened, according to one recent study? Perhaps -- learn more by clicking here, or visit our CT Community at ct.auntminnie.com.
New gadolinium findings
In other news, new research findings are shedding additional light on the mechanisms behind gadolinium deposition in the brain.
Researchers from Germany and France compared gadolinium deposition levels in the brains of mice between two gadolinium MRI contrast agents, one linear and one macrocyclic. They found that at one year, the linear agent resulted in much higher levels of retained gadolinium, while gadolinium levels with the macrocyclic agent had dropped to background levels.
The findings reinforce the theory that different classes of gadolinium-based contrast agents have different rates of deposition. Learn more by clicking here, or visit our MRI Community at mri.auntminnie.com.
AI for CIMT
Artificial intelligence (AI) is being employed for an increasingly wide range of uses. In a new article in our Artificial Intelligence Community, we discuss one of the latest: analyzing carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT) on ultrasound scans.
A group from India used an AI algorithm to measure CIMT on ultrasound scans and compared the results with manual measurements performed by sonographers. The researchers found that the algorithm was up to 20% more accurate than humans for measuring CIMT, which can be a biomarker for cardiovascular disease and stroke monitoring.
Learn more by clicking here, or visit our Artificial Intelligence Community at ai.auntminnie.com.
