Looking out for smokers
New research conducted in the department of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Duke University Medical Center has shown that merely seeing someone smoke can initiate relapse among quitters. Brain scans taken 24 hours after quitting and during a period of typical smoking activity indicated an increase in specific brain activity among quitters viewing images of others smoking. More complete results of the study can be found online in the current issue of Psychopharmacology.
Detecting oxygen
Biomedical engineering researchers at the Pratt School of Engineering have developed a light-based system that can provide important clues about oxygen levels within breast tumors. Based on principles of diffuse reflectance spectroscopy, the novel method could help oncologists select effective treatment options for individual patients. Past studies have shown that low levels of oxygen are more commonly found in malignant tissue than in healthy normal tissue. The experiments, which were backed by the National Institutes of Health, were featured in the April 1 issue in the journal Cancer Research.
Dynamic disease discovery
Duke University chemists are using modified magnetic resonance imaging to view disease metabolism in action. The new MRI method, which induces hyperpolarized states in water molecules, allows researchers to visualize molecular changes inside human bodies. By doing so, researchers may improve their ability to detect diseases such as cancer. The method was reported in the March 27 issue of the journal Science.
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Signup for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.