One of the most fun parts of doing research is discovering new things
(another is working with interesting people, but I digress...).
Recently I've been working with another fellow on analyzing and
understanding some patterns we've seen in the relationship between
coronary calcium (this is what "Heart check America" and similar
electron beam computed tomography tests - EBCT - are measuring when
they look for evidence of heart disease in otherwise seemingly healthy
people) and a variety of physical and lab measurements. We have
some baseline data from a study we are working on (baseline = before
they start taking study drug or placebo) and have been looking at the
relationship between lipids (ie cholesterol measures) and coronary
calcium, and have come across a relationship no one else has so far
reported.
Normally, when you think you have "discovered" something new, your
knee-jerk reaction should be: "I don't think so...". Healthy
skepticism is the sane first response. So, we looked for all
kinds of other possible reasons (errors in coding or in data transfer,
confounding variables that create the impression of a relationship
where there is none, etc.). At this point it looks real.
We've requested some additional data from the people who do the test
and soon (hopefully tomorrow) we'll have a better idea whether this is
really something new --- or just something old that we mistook for
something new.
This is the kind of thing that keeps the adrenalin pumping when you sit
and stare at the screen for hours on end looking at numbers ... numbers
... numbers ...
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