Pandemics – derived from the Greek pandemos (affecting all people) – are not new events, but have occurred sporadically throughout history. These large, infectious epidemics threaten not only global health but can also have catastrophic social, economic and financial effects. Given the periodic nature of pandemics, we know there will be another one sometime, we just don

The conventional method of prostate cancer detection is based on blood tests showing elevated prostate specific antigen (PSA) levels followed by an uncomfortable digital rectal examination (DRE) and a 12-needle biopsy under ultrasound guidance.
Professor Jelle Barentsz, Head of the Prostate MR Reference Centre in Nijmegen, Netherlands, has pioneered a novel approach using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to effectively confirm or exclude suspected prostate cancer as well as determine the aggressiveness and spread of the disease, and even treat it in a number of cases. Despite obvious advantages, this approach has yet to gain wider acceptance, not least among radiologists who need to be trained for the procedure. Insurance companies and national health systems also have to be convinced of the benefits of the MRI-based method.