[HN Gopher] MRI and Ultrasound Can Sneak Cancer Drugs into the B...
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       MRI and Ultrasound Can Sneak Cancer Drugs into the Brain
        
       Author : samizdis
       Score  : 61 points
       Date   : 2021-10-28 16:28 UTC (6 hours ago)
        
 (HTM) web link (spectrum.ieee.org)
 (TXT) w3m dump (spectrum.ieee.org)
        
       | gurjeet wrote:
       | > Researchers have developed a technique to get treatments
       | through the protective blood-brain barrier
       | 
       | It's a good thing.
       | 
       | I read the HN headline to mean that it's a bad thing; meaning
       | something like "cancer patients undergoing treatment, experience
       | drugs breaking and entering the blood-brain barrier.
       | 
       | HN Headline> MRI and Ultrasound Can Sneak Cancer Drugs into the
       | Brain
        
         | mwilliaams wrote:
         | Yeah my brain thought "cancer causing" drugs. I was thinking
         | the dyes and such they use must have been linked to cancer.
         | Glad to see I misunderstood.
        
       | tudorw wrote:
       | quite interesting, here's a tangential article about the vagus
       | nerve, https://www.apa.org/monitor/apr04/vagus
       | 
       | "Psychobiologists show how the vagal pathway links hormones
       | outside the brain to neurotransmitters inside the brain to lock
       | in memory of emotional or stressful events."
        
       | superkuh wrote:
       | Basically, ultrasound can fluidize the lipid membrane and cause
       | leaks. MRI is used for mapping and guidance of the ultrasound
       | mediated lipid shearing.
        
         | amelius wrote:
         | Does this mean that ultrasound (e.g. when used for imaging) can
         | cause bad effects as well?
        
           | williamscales wrote:
           | I know very little about medical ultrasound, but I do know
           | that ultrasonic cleaners can seriously hurt you if they're
           | powerful enough. On the other hand I recently had a treatment
           | on my foot where they used ultrasound to stimulate blood
           | flow. I just felt a slight warmth. So I imagine it's a matter
           | of intensity, and where it's pointed.
        
             | dragosmocrii wrote:
             | does that apply to ultrasonic toothbrushes too?
        
               | knodi123 wrote:
               | Probably not- the faster sonicare toothbrushes vibrate at
               | 512 Hz, while sonograms are between 2,000,000 to
               | 18,000,000 Hz. There's probably a significant difference
               | in power levels, too.
        
           | venachescu wrote:
           | Not really when it's used in the ways they use for imaging.
           | What this procedure uses is 'focused' ultrasound that is
           | comprised of a helmet-array of transducers (it has serious
           | Magneto vibes) that is very specifically calibrated to create
           | areas of focused resonance within the brain, using the MRI
           | imaging as guidance. Any of the individual transducers don't
           | have anywhere near enough power or penetration to be really
           | dangerous by themselves.
           | 
           | This same technique is also being researched as an
           | alternative for radiation therapy, since it doesn't cause
           | nearly as much collateral damage.
        
       | t-writescode wrote:
       | I wonder if this could be used for a post-exposure, post-symptoms
       | rabies treatment.
        
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       (page generated 2021-10-28 23:01 UTC)