Mar 17 - 23 / 2024 - Research and Resources

I am very happy to say this was a very good week for me. Let's get into it!

What's on the agenda for this week:

  • Friend's and the effect of mental and emotional well being
  • New Brunswick - Government Drug Plan Help
  • Medical Scanning Technologies MIR and PSMA
  • Smart Drugs for Cancer Treatment
  • Bleeding Edge Medical Research using AI
  • AI tools to help your Research and Well Being 

The hormone drugs must be working as I'm not as sore and I cut back on the pain meds. Which really helps keep my mind from being fuzzy.. ha! I wonder what my good friends would comment on that statement! ;)

I spent an afternoon with a good friend at his saw mill cutting 200+ year old hemlock logs.  There is something very satisfying creating timber from raw trees.  These hemlocks were damaged during a storm and had to be removed from the hardwood forest.  It's too bad in a way as I'm sure there isn't a lot of 200+ year old trees in New Brunswick anymore due to all the logging.  Each of these logs could provide a 12 x 12 beam 12 feet long or any combination of dimensioned lumber from that max size.

My friend Mark who will be putting the milled timber to good use needed 1" x 6" x 12' for siding a garage on his homestead farm.  It will be beautiful once it's done.

My long time friend Robbie drove up to Woodstock from his place near Moncton which is a two hour drive!  We chatted  about many things including his hobby farm and the old wire spools he put in his area for his goats.  The goats immediately climbed up on them to get a better view I suppose!  

It was a great visit and a free lunch at Popeye's for me!  Thanks Robbie.

Having friends that don't dwell on my situation, but understand it, helps keep my mind on what is important. Enjoy and live life to the fullest.  I don't make nor have time to dwell on negative thoughts and the likes of where the mind thinks of when in a negative space: What "could happen" or if this happens what will you do?  Maybe you should slow down, maybe you should rest. Maybe, maybe..... 

I love to build things, I love the outdoors and I love to interact  with others and help where I can.  I rest when I need too, I eat well, stay active as much as my body will let me and think about how I can share my experience and knowledge with others.  Hopefully; this is the way I'll be remembered after I pass. 

NB Government Drug Plan Help

Are you struggling to pay for the drugs associated for treating and managing Cancer?  They are expensive.  Especially when you don't have private coverage.  I found this program offered by the government of New Brunswick which may help to pay for medications.  Here is the link 

Technology Terms Leading and Bleeding Edge:

For clarification and the avoidance of confusion the terms "leading edge" and "bleeding edge" are used to describe the advancement and adoption of new technologies:

1. Leading edge: This refers to technologies that are at the forefront of innovation and are considered advanced and cutting-edge. Leading-edge technologies are typically more established, have undergone some level of testing, and are generally considered safe and reliable for adoption by early adopters and mainstream users.

2. Bleeding edge: On the other hand, bleeding-edge technologies are even more experimental and risky than leading-edge technologies. These are at the very frontier of innovation, often still in the research and development phase, and may not have been thoroughly tested for reliability or security. Bleeding-edge technologies are often adopted by risk-takers or organizations with a high tolerance for failure.

In summary, leading-edge technologies are advanced and proven innovations, while bleeding-edge technologies are extremely new and experimental, with higher associated risks.

Smart Drugs. What are they and how can they help Cancer Patients 

Researchers are finding new ways to use tiny particles to deliver drugs to treat cancer. They are working hard to make sure these particles are safe and effective in targeting cancer cells while causing minimal harm to healthy tissues. Some of these particles are designed to respond to specific signals in the body, so they can release the drug at the right time and place. This technology shows great potential for treating cancer in a more precise and controlled way. Overall, advancements in nanotechnology and other sciences are leading to innovative drug delivery systems that can revolutionize cancer treatment. This article discusses these advancements and provides useful information for scientists working in drug delivery and related fields.  

The Bleeding Edge:

Medical researchers are utilizing artificial intelligence (AI) to create entirely novel antibodies for the first time. This groundbreaking study, detailed in a preprint on bioRxiv1 this week, suggests the potential of introducing AI-driven protein design.  Here is a link to the original article released this week.  

Imagine for a moment AI being applied to help design smart drugs to help eliminate/reduce the side effects of the medication on the human body.  I believe that our children will have access to a much wider range of therapies and medication for treating not only Cancer, but many other diseases not currently getting as much scientific attention.  I can't imagine all the possibilities that AI will bring in all areas of life, especially from a medical positive treatment and destructive (military use) manners.

Talking About AI - Research and Well Being:

Did you know you can use artificial intelligence (AI) to help you to understand various complex topics and do research?  You may have heard of ChatGTP but what is it and how can it help from a Cancer research and well being perspective?

ChatGPT is like a helpful friend who is also really smart. It is a computer program that uses artificial intelligence to have conversations with people. It can chat with you, answer questions, provide information. It is designed to mimic human conversation and provide assistance in a wide range of topics.

For the following links, an account for ChatGTP+ is required. It's a simple sign up process but they do charge a fee to use the service. 

PSMA Knowledge - PSMA (Prostate-Specific Membrane Antigen) Knowledge is designed to be a comprehensive resource for trial and study information related to Prostate-Specific Membrane Antigen (PSMA) PET scans and prostate cancer.
Created by Benjamin Davies, its prime function is to collate data and provide an all-encompassing view of the trials and studies in this specialized subject area. The tool is structured to bolster the understanding of users, be they scientific researchers, medical professionals, or others with a particular interest in this field.

Medical Research - Medical Research Studio is a tool that enables users to conduct medical research quickly and efficiently. With the power of artificial intelligence, this research studio allows users to input their medical research objectives or topics, generating tasks that gather relevant information about the objective. Users can review the output generated by Insight and run further tasks based on the information found. The tool analyzes the input and generates outputs based on the data gathered, helping users gain insights into their research topic.

Emotional Well Being - Emotional Well-being Coach AI is a GPT engineered to assist users in understanding and managing their emotions. Its core use is to provide support during moments of uncertainty, frustration, or unease, guiding users to identify, sort, and verbalize their feelings. However, it doesn't just handle negative emotions - it's also adept at helping users articulate and share their joyful experiences and achievements. 

How it works is straightforward. Using pre-set prompts such as 'How to use?', or specific emotional cues such as 'I'm struggling with my relationship with my partner.', it initiates an interactive session where users can express varying emotions.

It reacts to various scenarios, whether it's a case of work-related anxiety or general emotional unrest. The aim of Emotional Well-being Coach AI is to improve both emotional well-being and self-understanding, acting as a helpful companion through emotional ups and downs, offering a confidential space to explore feelings.

Cancer Loss Coach - Cancer Loss Coach was developed to assist individuals who are dealing with the grief and sorrow from losing a loved one to cancer. 

It's intended to provide compassionate and timely support, offering avenues to express feelings, seek comfort, and find hope during such challenging periods.  This tool offers prompts and helpful messages tailored to the needs of the user, fully aware of the delicate emotional state a person grieving may find themselves in.

Examples of prompts: 
  • How do I use this Loss Coach? 
  • How do I find hope in grief?

Medical Scanning Technologies MIR and PSMA

An MRI scan and a PSMA scan (Positron Emission Tomography with Prostate-Specific Membrane Antigen) are different imaging techniques used in the field of medical diagnostics.

MRI Scan:

  1. MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) uses a magnetic field and radio waves to create detailed images of the body's organs and tissues.
  2. MRI scans provide detailed images with high contrast between different types of tissues, allowing for accurate assessment of the structure and function of internal body parts.
  3. MRI is commonly used to visualize the brain, spinal cord, joints, and internal organs.
  4. MRI scans are non-invasive and do not involve exposure to ionizing radiation, making them safe for patients of all ages.

PSMA Scan:

  1. PSMA scan is a type of PET (Positron Emission Tomography) imaging that uses a radiotracer targeting prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) to detect prostate cancer cells based on their increased PSMA expression.
  2. PSMA scans are highly sensitive and can detect the presence and location of prostate cancer cells within the body, including at early stages or in cases of recurrent or metastatic disease.
  3. PSMA scans are commonly used in the diagnosis, staging, and monitoring of prostate cancer.
  4. PSMA scan involves exposure to a small amount of radiation from the radiotracer used, but the benefits of accurate cancer detection often outweigh the risks.
In summary, while MRI scans provide detailed imaging of various body structures, PSMA scans are specifically designed to detect prostate cancer cells based on their PSMA expression. Each imaging technique has its own strengths and applications in the field of medical diagnostics, depending on the specific condition being investigated.

To my knowledge, New Brunswick does not have the equipment available to do a PSMA scan.  You will need to travel out of the province to get one and most likely will have to pay out of your own pocket for it.  If I am wrong, please leave a comment and I will update the information as needed.

Epilogue:

Well, that's it for this week.  Lot's of technical information in this post for sure!  It happens to be where I'm at - researching and learning more.  In fact I'm starting to get information overloaded.  How about you?  Did you find the post informative?