August 30, 2005

• 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 ...

  • 7:41 pm
  • 3 Comments