i-Snake

Some people fear that we are becoming too dependent on technology, which may have disastrous results in the future. I, for one am pleased at the development of novel technologies in the area of medicine and surgery. I think it is beneficial not only to the clinician but to the patient as well. Newer techniques allow professionals to perform life saving procedures that would not have been possible 30 odd years ago. Medicine relies quite heavily on technology whether it is for observations, diagnostic purposes or actual treatment. The focus is now being placed on developing methods that are non invasive thus shortening the recovery times, increasing safety and efficiency and of course being more cost effective.

Initially the scalpel was supreme in the surgical theatre; however vast improvements are now being made for the use of robotics in surgery. For example in the past clinicians would have used a combination of mirrors and lenses to examine the internal structure of the body. Once they obtained a vague idea of what was wrong, the patient would have an open procedure to correct the problem. This was then replaced by fibre optics and the development of endoscopes for more detailed observations so that a clearer and more definite picture was formed before conducting such big surgical procedures. Today endoscopes are equipped with lasers to take biopsy samples and the necessary tools to perform surgery as well as cameras to record images. This means that the patient does not need to go through unnecessary invasive procedures and less invasiveness means shorter recovery times, thus reducing the number of hospital beds being occupied – a start to reducing some of the burden on the NHS.

Back in May/April 2007, a caterpillar robot was being developed by researchers in the US. The caterpillar – only a few millimetres in length – was operated by push and pull wires outside the body and could crawl at a rate of 18mm’s per minute to deliver treatment to the heart. The use of a magnetic tracker system, tiny cameras and a radio frequency probe to correct irregular heart rhythms were just some of the possibilities being explored at the time. Though further research was required, it was suggested that the tiny robot could be used in surgery without having to stop the heart – a process that often causes problems post surgery.

Recently browsing through a newsletter at university, I came across an interesting article about the development of a surgical robot called the i-snake. Similar idea to the caterpillar in terms of less invasive procedures, Imperial College London, are developing the robot which consists of special motors, sensors and imagining tools encased within a flexible tube – a bit like a snake. Although being developed for heart bypass surgery, the robotic could also be used for other hard to reach areas such as the gastrointestinal tract, without having to perform more invasive techniques. Currently being perfected in the lab, the i-snake would hopefully allow more complex procedures to take place in the future. It seems like there are exciting times ahead with regards to the technological development in medicine :)

Marriage

As I mentioned in my previous posts, I’ve attended way too many weddings this summer and this inevitably led to the question... “So when are you getting married?” Uh it’s the question that hangs over your head every day until... well until you do get hitched!

At 15/16 I was excited about school. At 17/18 I was focussed on getting into uni. At 19 - 21, I was at uni studying, preoccupied with getting my career on the right track. At 22, I was busy studying. At 23, I'm still studying but now I'm also scared witless! :(

As you can see I’ve always managed to come out with some excuse but now I think I’m running out of them! People still continue to study and develop their careers even after they get married, so what’s stopping me? I’m not saying I want to get married straight away or that I’m desperate. I just find the whole a bit daunting! The fact that so much emphasis is placed on finding the right one. How will I know who that is? I have way too many questions in my head...

• What if I never find Mr Right? (... will I grow into a single slightly mad old woman over time, surrounded by only my books for company? Not so bad. But what if I get THAT desperate that I start considering some really keen people from back "there" – Uh... ok now I’ve reached a whole new level of scariness!)
• What if I find a possible Mr Right and he doesn’t like me in return? (Urgh rejection is an evil thing... I’ve never been rejected before! Wow this could cause serious issues for my ego and general mental health)
• What if I marry him and his family hate me? (I could have evil in-laws that may try to kill me or constantly trying to frame for someone else’s murder. Oh no, wait... I’ve been watching those Indian dramas with my mother again! Duh!)
• What if everything is fine and then we realise that we’re not the perfect match we thought we were and have to go our separate ways? (Probably most likely AFTER I’ve spent ages decorating the house to just how I would like it and then we have to sell it anyway!)

Uh oh what if my potential life partner finds this blog, reads it and then realises that I may be slightly crazy? Ok ok, so that’s not very likely but on a serious note there are so many things to consider about getting married as well as your usual life stuff about careers, goals, ambitions etc. Also is it just me or do girls seem to have a harder time about getting married than guys do? It’s like girls have an expiry date tattooed on them somewhere and must get married by a certain age or they are considered “past it”. Whilst guys on the other hand seem to be much more laid back about it and don’t really seem to have any age restrictions on them. I don’t get the big gender difference, marriage is hard regardless of what gender you are. Right?

Shazia Baji’s Nikkah

Despite some major setbacks, Shazia baji finally got married. It was a lovely day but also reminded everyone of the people that were missing. I listened to the nikkah being read and paid attention to what was being said. Afterwards auntie Naseem (Saba’s mum) made me giggle by making Saba and I eat the chowarey (sweets that are traditionally handed out after the nikkah) and told us to pray for good husbands, lol.

I’ve been to people’s nikkah’s before, but the first time I properly listened to what was being said was probably Sana’s wedding as it marked the beginning of a new period in our lives. We were all moving onto a new phase in our lives and Sana was the first one to step over that threshold so to speak. And soon after the floodgates opened and people were getting married left, right and centre :)

But this time Shazia baji’s nikkah was different. The order of things said and done was still the same but this time it felt weird... for me. As I listened to the molvi (priest), I felt this really strange feeling wash over me. I found my brain entering panic mode as I realised that the next nikkah of a female member of our family would probably be mine or Saba’s! Eek! I think Saba was thinking the same thing as we both had this look on our face.

Every wedding that I have attended this year has inevitably brought me one step closer to going through that same phase in my life. I’m not scared by it... well ok maybe I am a little, but it’s more to do with wanting to do it right the first time round. I don’t want to make a mistake and would ideally wish that when my time comes, it will be near enough perfect (inshAllah). A happy and successful marriage both for myself and everyone else that I know.

Appearances can be deceiving

Kinda stating the obvious I know :P

Talking to someone recently I realised how deceiving appearances can be. This person who on face value I thought seemed quite cool, calm and collected was actually nothing like that on the inside. From afar, I admired him for not getting caught up in typical family drama’s and what others may or may not think of him, something that I wish that I could have a break from every so often. The more I talk to this person and get to know them, I realise that everyone goes through their own fair share of BS, but whether they make it public or not is up to them.

I wonder how people around me, perceive me to be? Not wanting to have a load of compliments thrown at me (though that would be nice, so please don’t hesitate, lol )... I wonder do I seem calm on the surface or a horrible nervous mess? Do people mistake me for something else but then once they get to know me does their opinion change or does their opinion stay the same.

Hmmm... how I wish I had the ability to read people’s minds. A bit like Mel Gibson in “What Women Want” :)

Random conversations

I kid you not, this conversation actually took place! No idea why it made me laugh so much! My friend and I were sat chatting when she recognised a couple of guys that she sort of knew through various people at university. The conversation we accidentally overheard was as follows…

Guy 1: Yeah man. Can’t believe X. *shakes his head* So how’s business?
Guy 2: Hey man. Read that! *points to article in the Metro newspaper* Yea, Gym’s doing good. Joe wants to get a new website up… but having a few problems, innit. No worries though cos I’m getting some guys in to sort it out for me. Me and technology don’t gel, know what I mean?
Guy 1: Yea. Man some people are crazy huh? *points at the Metro article*
Guy 2: People got too much money innit. Hahaha… *He laughs a ridiculous laugh*
Guy 1: It’s supposed to a recession and that ain’t it? (Yea deep insight there guys, lol)
Guy 2: I don’t get this shit man. Blobbing and that. (Did he just say blobbing?!)
Guy 1: Dude don’t you mean blogging? *He laughs*
Guy 2: What did I say?
Guy 1: Blobbing *laughs again*
Guy 2: Whatever. It’s all shit man! This technology stuff is in the news way too much man. Titters (twitters), blobs (blogs), googles (googling) and all that. Too much crap we don’t need.
Guy 1: Times change man. You gotta move ahead.
Guy 2: Yea well it’s stupid. If I had my way, we wouldn’t need all this shit. Nice and simple like the old days… *He says as he texts away on his mobile phone* – (ah the irony!)… women didn’t to compete with ladders n shit in business and men weren’t getting sued for being men.
(I think he meant women climbing the corporate ladder and “men being men” I’m assuming he was talking about sexism in the work place?!)
Guy 1: What you getting sued for man?
Guy 2: *Total silence* Nothing man. Why what have you heard? *he asks nervously*

Random. Though now I'm wondering what he may have possibly been sued for... hmmm.

UK researchers

Reading the BBC News website today, it was refreshing to hear that UK researchers are now considered ‘world class’ and are no longer trailing behind other European or American institutions.

“A huge review of UK academic research has found that 54% of the work assessed in 159 universities was ‘world leading’ or ‘internationally excellent’. “

The piece of news is reassuring for many that want to pursue a career in academic research – I, myself being one of those individuals. Such articles and ratings such as the RAE in universities do boost morale and motivate people to work harder. The fact that their work is recognised at an international level makes people proud of their accomplishments when their work is recognised by their peers and the people that they look up too. This was definitely true back in 2005, when the Department of Life Sciences at the University of Bradford was voted the 3rd best within the UK after Oxford and Cambridge. The sense of pride was definitely visible within the school of life sciences; however the British being British will never let it get to their heads as it is not seen as the done thing, lol. It is also nice to have confirmation of something that deep down you knew was already true – you were just waiting for the rest of the world to catch up and acknowledge it as well :)

GM crops

Most countries rely on natural produce from their land to sustain the economy via a process of imports and exports. Produce can range from actual food products to useful commodities such as cotton, oil, gas and so forth. Using developments in science such as the introduction of genetically modified foods to help was seen as a good thing... to begin with.

Genetically modified/ engineering organism = using recombinant DNA technology to manipulate the genetic code of an organism. It usually involves combining the DNA of the original organism with DNA molecules from another source to produce a completely new genetic code – a new genetic code.

GM foods were thought to be a better way to improve existing crop yields by making the organisms resistant to disease and the use of less fertilisers and pesticides. GM crops also entertained the real possibility of eliminating world hunger. However as time has passed, it has become more clear that the promise of GM foods may not be all that it was cracked up to be. It has been suggested the world already produces enough food to feed its inhabitants and that a simple redistribution of food would solve the problem of hunger especially in third world countries. However by producing crops with the same genetic code, the variation between species decreases, which can cause huge problem. Hypothetically if a particular disease is able to overcome the barriers put up by the manipulated genetic code, then effectively the entire strain can be eliminated, perhaps even the whole species of the organism. This poses a real threat to biodiversity and could also have a knock on effect on our own health. Before any new drug is released into the market, its effects are extensively researched and through checks are made by numerous regulatory authorities such as the FDA. However, the effects of GM crops haven’t been exposed to the same rigorous checks it seems as other products. A small slip in production could lead to unknown effects i.e. the cross breeding of GM crops with other plants in the wild could have untold effects, which have not been monitored. In addition to this it seems that the only people that are benefiting from the introduction of GM are large biotech companies that are involved with the production of the seeds, for their own commercial gain.

A recent example in the news was of cotton farmers in India. In order to avoid crop eradication, the Indian government state that those who choose to grow the GM cotton species - bacillus thuringiensis (BT) - should also plant the non-BT variety in at least 20% of their land. Yet environmentalists are still not happy and some claim that there is positive correlation between the increased use of BT cotton seeds in an area and the suicide rate amongst farmers within that area. It highlights the case of a specific Indian farmer, a Mr Virender, who grows the GM cotton. He states that he much happier with the BT variety as he gains a better yield and doesn’t have to use as much pesticide – beneficial both for him and the environment. However in recent times, the farmer was asked to plant a new strain the species which didn’t provide a good yield like the previous year. Furthermore his wife suffers from an allergy from the BT variety (something that didn’t happen with the non BT variety) but because of economic pressure, she puts up with it. The company that controls the distribution of GM seeds is Mahyco, which is also looking into the possibility of growing a new BT aubergine seed. This essentially means that a GM food will be introduced for consumption for the first time in India. It is slightly worrying as most of the population are not fully educated as to what this means and those that are educated still do not know the full effects of what may or may not happen. It seems that in order to make a quick profit, the proper use of science and its’ processes as well as educating the masses has been neglected – very disappointing indeed.

iPods for med students

The University of Derby has handed out iPods to 35 radiography students to provide them with an alternative method of learning. The devices are pre loaded with informative tutorials and it is hoped that they will be more useful than the traditional textbooks. They will be expected to return them after their first two years... what you didn’t think they were going to keep them did you? :)

Whilst reading this article, I did overhear someone else’s comment which was something along the lines of ‘whatever next’ and ‘kids these days have it far too easy’. The integration of technology into the educational system has been ongoing for many years so why is it still such a difficult thing for some people to grasp? During my time at high school (which was not long ago!) blackboards were being replaced by interactive whiteboards, it was preferred that most assignments should be word processed as opposed to handwritten and teachers were starting to use email to provide feedback to students about the work they had submitted. At university, podcasts of lecturers are readily made available and we can observe anatomy classes etc via video calling and so forth. I remember during my undergraduate degree, a particular lecturer Dr Bill Ashraf, was very keen using technology in his lectures and was even pushing the department to find the funds to enable us all to have iPods during our time at uni.

My point is technology is developed to make things easier for us and help with our day to day lives/ learning etc and yet there are some people that find the whole thing very daunting and tend to cling to their old ways. By not moving forward with the times, inevitably some people back will be held back and at a disadvantage them in the future. Surely it is better to keep an open mind from the beginning rather than resist change?

Blog changes...

Hmm so as you can see I finally made the decision to continue blogging (um, yea?!) but moved from my old Windows Live Space to blogger.com. In my defence, I was only a beginner and windows live seemed perfect at the time :)

However after a quick and informative tutorial with Imran Bhai, I’ve now been convinced to switch to Wordpress. Already I feel much better about switching and can see the vast difference between windows live spaces and wordpress; poor comparison I know! Plus I get a lot more freedom on what appears on my web page and how I can customise it compared to blogger.com. Is it sad that I’m having a lot of fun playing around with different themes? Damn you Wordpress! I should really be doing some background reading on brain neurology for my MSc project but I can’t tear myself away from my blog :D

Also I’m quite surprised I decided to make the switch relatively quickly as it usually takes me a while to make such decisions. Though I’m suspecting this might be more to do with Imran bhai’s knowledge and skills of persuasion than a new state of mind :P Still I will be taking advantage of this change in force by starting a new culling program. The deletion/ deactivation of useless profiles and social networking sites that I joined; sites like Hi5, WAYN, Bebo spring to mind (sorry if anyone still uses these!)

I guess I’m clearing away the clutter for the new year if you will :)

Next question -

What's in a name...

...well apparently quite a lot.
After updating my blog, buying a shiny new domain name (thank you Imran bhai!) and finally choosing a theme I like... I cannot think of a decent name to call it, lol.

So my newly revived blog; what should it be called?

“Saima’s Space” – what I originally had
“Saima Say’s...” – which I quite like but have certain ethical issues i.e. Plagarism... I just can't do it! :P
“Saima’s Science” – which was a friend’s suggestion but now I’m not so sure if he was being serious or taking the mick! :-/

Or something entirely different that doesn't involve the alliteration of my name, lol.

Ah naming issues. Discuss.

Freeeeezing but still cute!

Xmas hols and I’m off uni for a month or so. I had planned to do some part time work whilst working at the hospital but decided against it as I have way too much work/ revision to do for uni. Also it’s very cold... and yes that is a perfectly good reason. It is freezing... literally! Defrosting my car on Monday morning I ran out of de-icer and used warm water to defrost the windscreen. In the time that it took me to go inside the house and get my handbag, the water had formed a remarkably clear layer of ice making it very difficult to spot. This resulted in me almost falling but instead I did a kind of a glide thing over to my car. Thankfully our lane is quite quiet and so no one was around to witness my skating skills :P

Actually to be truthful, this post was just an excuse to share this picture. Look at the cute ducks! There’s winter cuteness everywhere I look! (Ok I’m done now...)

Thoughts

My friends still find it highly amusing that whilst we’re having conversations if I happen to find a pen or paper lying about, I can’t seem to resist the urge to start doodling. I’ll still be paying attention to what is being said but I’ll also make notes or little sketches related to the topics that we’re discussing – something that I used to do in my tutorials at university. Sometimes it’s complete rubbish and sometimes I’ll surprise myself by what I’ve written. My easily amused friends have even stolen various doodles!!! Why?! Why would they do that?! lol

Anyway after discussing lunch with one of the researchers at the hospital the other day, I started doodling away. Not in front of her mind, but on the train home, lol. Here’s what we discussed. She’s a psychologist by the way...

I had more doodles, which I made on a stray newspaper when I ran out of paper. Unfortunately I left them on the train! Ah well it’ll make interesting reading for someone else, lol.

British Politics

Similar to the previous doodles for Sob – the most clueless person about politics... well that I know of anyway, lol. And I mean that in the nicest way possible :) Besides I couldn’t leave the British behind :P

American politics

For Sobia… so that she has some clue as to who and what we are referring to in the US elections. Seriously when asked “Who’s he again?” for the 20th time, you start to lose your calm just a little bit.

P.S. Memorise it Sob!

MIMIT seminar series - prostate cancer

Histopathology Made Simple: Developing Spectroscopic Methods of Grading Prostate Tissue –
Dr Peter Gardner

Cancer occurs when the balance between oncogenes and tumour suppressor genes is altered, leading to cell metastasis. With no known cure, it is important to develop existing methodologies in order to aid early diagnosis and offer effective treatment so survival rates are increased. At 23%, prostate cancer it is one of the most common types of cancer and affects 32,000 men annually in the UK. It is slow growing and it may take years for the symptoms to appear.

Diagnosis methods include a rectal exam and blood tests to check prostate specific antigen (PSA) levels. Information can also be obtained from needle biopsies, X-rays, ultrasounds and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans. Usually needle biopsy samples are microscopically analysed and graded using the Gleason grading system by the pathologist. This method is highly subjective and previous studies have shown that results vary significantly between pathologists. The aim is to produce an objective method of diagnosis which has an accurate and reliable outcome that is no longer dependent on the pathologist.

The group proposed the use of Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) to detect malignancy in tissues by assessing tissue architecture and biochemical activity. The FTIR data was combined with a linear discriminate analysis (LDA) to create an operator independent diagnostic algorithm. Previous papers have shown that the 1030cm-1 band to be indicative of glycogen and the group’s work showed that the ratio between absorption bands 1030cm-1 and 1080cm-1 may be used as metabolic markers for cancer. Using the FTIR-LDA model, to test paraffin embedded samples with a known Gleason score, produced a good correlation using the 3 band gleason grading system.

It was also found that the biochemical activity changed in cells before the tissue structure suggesting that the FTIR-LDA model may be able to use biochemical activity as a marker as opposed to tissue structure to grade cancer. The FTIR-LDA model is more suitable as it is an objective method that doesn’t require the use of dyes or stains, is operator independent and has a good resolution.

The work done so far is promising and the group are looking at a number of future possibilities. Firstly the automation of the process would help to simplify the process and also cut down the time scale required for diagnosis in comparison to the fixation process currently used. The use of the biochemical activity as a marker is also another possibility which would allow earlier detection possibility with better sensitivity and specificity. There is also the idea of combining the grading method with an imaging process, similar to face recognition software, in order to identify tissue structure to determine the disease stage. A final point would be to improve the speed of the equipment in order to improve the speed of data acquisition.

In conclusion, the model is a good method but requires much more work before it can be put into practice. Legal and ethical issues need to be considered to produce a large set of biopsy samples, from which an appropriate and reliable reference standard can be created for comparison. The procedure must also be cheap and easy to use and the technology perfected so that people will make the switch from the traditional subjective methods to more modern methods for cancer diagnosis.