Advances in Medical Ethics
Open Access

A Brief Overview of Medicine

Tim Brain^{* *}Correspondence: Tim Brain, Department of Medical Ethics, University of Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany, Email:

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Description

Nuclear medicine is a medical specialty that involves the use of radioactive substances in illness diagnosis and therapy. Nuclear medicine imaging is, in some ways, "radiology done inside out" or "endoradiology," because it records radiation emitted within the body rather than radiation emitted from outside sources such as X-rays. Furthermore, nuclear medicine scans differ from radiology in that, the emphasis is on function rather than anatomy. As a result, it is referred to as a physiological imaging modality. The two most prevalent imaging modalities in nuclear medicine are Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography (SPECT) and Positron Emission Tomography (PET).

Nuclear medicine in diagnosis

Nuclear medicine can be used to diagnose a variety of infections. A radiopharmaceutical will be inhaled, swallowed, or injected into the patient. This substance is radioactive. The patient will usually lie down on a table after consuming the chemical, while a camera captures photographs. The doctor will be able to see what kind of problem there is and where it is by focusing the camera on the area where the radioactive material is concentrated.

PET (Positron Emission Tomography) and Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography (SPECT) are two types of imaging procedures. PET and SPECT scans may find out a lot about how a particular organ is functioning. Thyroid problems, gall bladder disease, heart disorders, and cancer can all be diagnosed with this type of imaging. It can also make the diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease, as well as other kinds of dementia and brain disorders. Previously, identifying intestinal issues required surgery, but nuclear medicine eliminates this requirement. When a patient is diagnosed and therapy begins, PET and SPECT scans can be used to determine how effectively the treatment is working. In addition, PET and SPECT are providing new insights into mental diseases, neurological disorders, and addiction.

Targeted molecular ultrasound, which is beneficial in identifying different forms of cancer and identifying blood flow, and magnetic resonance neuroimaging, which is used to diagnose cancer and metabolic abnormalities, are two more types of imaging used in nuclear medicine.

Nuclear medicine in treatment

In addition, radioactive procedures are employed in therapy. Treatment can be delivered using the same substances that are used in nuclear imaging. It is possible to consume, inject, or inhale the radiopharmaceutical. Radioactive iodine is one such example (I-131). It's been used to treat thyroid cancer and hyperthyroidism, or an overactive thyroid, for more than 50 years. It's now being utilized to treat non-Hodgkin lymphoma and cancer-related bone discomfort.

Targeted Radionuclide Treatment (TRT) with Iodine-131 (I-131) infuses radioactive iodine into the body. This chemical destroys thyroid cells and cancer cells when it absorbs it. I-131 can be taken in the form of capsules or as a liquid. Chemotherapy might be included in medicine imaging agents that selectively interact to cancer cells in the future. The chemotherapy would then destroy only the target cells, leaving the surrounding healthy tissue completely intact. Some of the side effects of chemotherapy would be reduced as a result of this.

Nuclear medicine (radiation treatment) and immunotherapy are combined in Radio Immunotherapy (RIT). Immunotherapy is a treatment that imitates the body's cellular function. Nuclear medicine may be targeted more directly to the cells that require it when the two forms of treatment are combined. Radionuclides of various types are utilized. I-131 or Radioactive Iodine treatment is the most prevalent (RAI). Other alternatives include the lymphoma drugs 90Y-ibritumomab tiuxetan and Zevalin, which are used to treat several forms of lymphoma. Bexxar or 131-Itositumomab, is a treatment for lymphoma and multiple myeloma. Expertise in nanomedicine, advanced polymer chemistry, molecular biology, and biomedical engineering are focusing on strategies to transport medications to the right place without causing harm to the surrounding tissues. Theranostics is a therapeutic strategy that combines diagnostic and imaging nuclear medicine techniques with treatment procedures. It can guide the radioactive material to the target location by mixing molecular targeting vectors, such as peptides, with radionuclides to diagnose and treat at the same time.