THIS COULD PUT BIOPSIES OUT OF BUSINESS
At last month’s American Physical Society meeting, Dartmouth researcher Mary Ann Myeek described a new laser system that will help doctors identify a malignant tumor without having to do a biopsy. The laser system can detect slight chemical and structural changes in a tissue that may signify the very early stages of cancers. When tested on patients with colon polyps, this new detection method was just as accurate as conventional procedures.
Normally, when a doctor finds a suspicious growth a piece of the tissue is removed and sent to laboratory for analysis. Getting the result can take days even weeks. Myeek’s new laser system, however, gives immediate answers, and it’s much less invasive than a biopsy. Myeek’s team tested the laser system on 17 patients who were undergoing routine colon examinations. Every time a polyp was discovered, doctor took a picture of the tissue’s molecular structure with the laser. For comparison, a tissue sample was also biopsied. In nearly every case, the two methods gave similar results. Myeek says this device could be widely available in a few years.
Fonte: Business week, 12/04/09, p. 61.
Releia o trecho: “Biologists have found a vírus that causes obesity in animals such as dogs. Nowadays, the researchers are testing people for it”.
A que se referem os pronomes destacados, respectivamente?
