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Molecular Musings

Of Cell Phones, Granite Counter Tops and Bravery
July 25, 2008 1:01 PM by Joyce Ward
There is an old saying that a coward dies a thousand deaths, a brave man dies but once. In today's world, however, the media is often responsible for bringing on a thousand fears of death by sensationalizing any slight possibility of risk. If you pay Read More...
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Passage of Medicare Bill Calling for Accreditation of Facilities Applauded
July 16, 2008 1:04 PM by Joyce Ward
Both the ACR and the SNM are celebrating the passage of H. R. 6331, the Medicare Improvement for Patients and Providers Act of 2008. Both houses of Congress garnered the necessary majorities to override a presidential veto of the act. The House overrode Read More...
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Watch Out, Dr. House!
July 10, 2008 2:41 PM by Joyce Ward
TV shows like House, which show physicians yelling at subordinates and ignoring their advice may have to adjust their scripts, now that the Joint Commission is taking on bad behavior in hospitals. According to a WebMD report : "The Joint Commission's Read More...
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Newspaper Causes Concerns with Story on Accident
June 4, 2008 3:25 PM by Joyce Ward
On June 3, the Times-Picayune in New Orleans reported that a vehicle transporting diagnostic radioisotopes in New Orleans struck a Jeep ejecting some containers of radioactive isotopes. Later in the story, it noted that the Jeep, not the medical isotope Read More...
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Take the Beads and Leave a Little Blood in New Orleans
May 28, 2008 11:27 AM by Joyce Ward
The other day I was talking to Amy Shaw, associte director of public relations at the SNM, and she told me that SNMTS and United Blood Services will come together to be "Blood Heroes" by hosting a blood drive during SNM's 55th Annual Meeting in New Orleans. Read More...
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No Hope for MAPLE
May 21, 2008 12:53 PM by Joyce Ward
There was bad news out of Canada last week when Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd, a Crown corporation announced it was abandoning development of its two MAPLE medical-isotope reactors Ontario. The company had spent hundreds of millions of dollars in developing Read More...
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Dirtier than a Toilet?
May 15, 2008 12:01 PM by Joyce Ward
Have you looked at your keyboard lately? I usually don't, unless I accidentally spill something on it. Then I read in an article on ABC News about a study by a microbiologist in the United Kingdom that showed that the typical office keyboard had contamination Read More...
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Is your Hospital Ready for a Disaster?
May 7, 2008 4:19 PM by Joyce Ward
According to a May 5 report from Reuters news service, a one-day snapshot of emergency room conditions at 34 U.S. hospitals shows they are all overwhelmed and none is prepared to handle a big event like a disaster or attack. The snapshot, which included Read More...
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My Experience Irradiating Bugs
April 21, 2008 5:45 PM by Joyce Ward
On Saturday night, I was watching "Myth Busters" with my grandson. This week, they were trying to bust the myth that cockroaches would be the only thing living after a nuclear war. To test this, they put four different bugs, including fruit flies and Read More...
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What Did I Want in the Refrigerator?
April 16, 2008 5:30 PM by Joyce Ward
Next Monday will be my 66 th birthday and while I think my mind is as sharp as it used to be when I was a spring chicken of 55, I sometimes find myself forgetting where I put my keys or why I went over to the refrigerator. These small lapses are not new. Read More...
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Canadians Protest PET Restrictions
April 11, 2008 2:52 PM by Joyce Ward
When you look at some of the arguments for a national health care, our system is often compared unfavorably with the national health system in Canada. Generally, this is done by people who have never had to deal with that system first hand. Now it is Read More...
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This Time It's Cell Phones
March 31, 2008 4:39 PM by Joyce Ward
In this weeks top story Calming Fears, I discussed the difficulty that most people have in accurately assessing risks, sometimes fearing small risks, such as that of being near someone who has had radioiodine therapy, while dismissing larger risks, such Read More...
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CMS Strikes Out FDG for Infection Imaging
March 21, 2008 11:53 AM by Joyce Ward
In the battle to get CMS to understand the value of diagnostic imaging, this month saw one gain, the decision not to limit CTA imaging, and one loss, a decision to continue national non-coverage of FDG PET for infection and inflammation imaging. Explaining Read More...
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CTA Victory Also Helps Fusion Imaging
March 18, 2008 3:47 PM by Joyce Ward
At first glance, the furor over reimbursement for CT angiography (CTA) may not seem to be something that concerns nuclear medicine technologists. After all, the CT experts often predict that CTA could replace some of the current myocardial perfusion scans Read More...
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Too Many Tests?
March 12, 2008 12:41 PM by Joyce Ward
Yesterday the New York Times ran an essay called "Many Doctors, Many Tests, No Rhyme or Reason" by Sandeep Jauhar M.D. that outlined a specific case, where the author felt that the expert consultations and tests spiraled out of control. Because the article Read More...
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