Colton BrownJunior BIOSC major, pre-dental Artificial Intelligence (AI) is defined as the development of computer programs that can perform tasks that typically require human intelligence. This idea of computer systems taking over human responsibilities can be scary, especially in the medical field; however, technological advancements have molded the world into what it is today. When I learned of the current research surrounding AI, I knew that I had to get involved. As a result, I discovered the “AI in Anesthesia” project within the Department of Anesthesiology at Pitt’s Dental School. The purpose of the AI in Anesthesia project is to determine the functionality of AI in the field of Dental Anesthesia. A vast majority of the data necessary for the project was collected from thousands of de-identified patients who received general anesthesia with endotracheal intubation. Because the project is still in its infancy, the collected data is currently being entered into a unique computer program. The data consists of patient health history and extensive details of each procedure that thousands of patients had completed. These details include the identity of drugs administered, along with patient vitals at specific time intervals. Once all the data has been entered into the database, the AI and artificial neural networks within the program will be able to conduct extensive data analyses. Furthermore, the AI will be used to determine the level of consistency in the decisions of clinicians. For instance, the program will examine the correlation between the medical history of patients and the anesthetics chosen by these clinicians. Based on the relationships between medical history and the decisions of anesthesiologists, phase two of the project will commence. The next goal of this research will be to determine if the AI program can determine treatment options to the clinicians based on the trends of clinician decisions in the past. While the final portion of the project sounds intimidating, in my opinion it is the most exciting part of the research. The program will be used to analyze the capability of artificial intelligence in making these treatment decisions during procedures while the clinicians simply monitor the activity of the AI system.
Overall, the future of AI in dentistry could provide a huge advantage to clinicians by allowing them to focus on the specific details involved in each procedure while artificial intelligence takes a portion of the workload. From assistance in decision making to carrying out tasks typically meant for clinicians, artificial intelligence has a vast amount of potential. In today’s world, it’s not about what you know, it’s about who you know. If you want to talk about getting involved in undergraduate research, you should come get to know me at my office hour on Mondays from 10am-11am in Langley A230! (or stop by my "pop-up" office hours on Tuesdays from 5:30-6:30 at the Hillman Cup & Chaucer on March 26 and April 2!).
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Parker DenzMicrobiology Senior and Pre-PhD It may be easy to find your major in college, but it can be difficult to choose a minor. The first question many people have is: Why have a minor? There are several benefits to pursuing a minor or certificate. The first benefit is that a minor allows you to study a discipline not necessarily associated with your major. A minor allows you to branch out and gain a well-rounded education. A second benefit to pursuing a minor is that the classes within the minor can fulfill some of your general education requirements.
Some people may feel intimidated making the commitment to a minor. While you do have to commit to taking a certain number of credits within the minor, it is definitely manageable. Starting a minor early in your college career, between freshman or sophomore year for example, allows you to take one or two classes a year to complete the minor by the time you graduate. It is even possible to complete a minor if you start in your third year of study—if you have a passion you want to pursue and the time to do it, go for it! Another great thing is that most minors are flexible. You can often take a large variety of different classes to complete the minor, and you can tailor it more specifically to your interests and schedule easily. If a minor (outside of the built-in Chemistry Minor) sounds like something you would be interested in, there are several ways you can find more information. A good place to start is by coming to Biology Peer Advisor Office Hours. Many of us have minors that we would love to discuss with you. Another great place to look for potential minors or certificates is the Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences webpage. I would also like to mention that a great place to get information on the minors offered at Pitt is the Majors and Minors Expo that happens every year. That is actually where I learned about the Religious Studies Minor I am pursuing. Bio Peer Advisor Minors: Parker Denz: Religious Studies Lisa Coe: Studio Art Owen Poling: History Kristen Richards: Spanish Owen PolingSenior BIOSC major and pre-dent I have a great position as a dental assistant in Shadyside. The dentist I work with has been in the area for quite a long time, so he has a well-established patient-base, but new patients walk in all the time. I have seen so many interesting cases of tooth pain, degeneration, damage, and repair. I always find myself thinking when I work, “Isn’t it amazing that one of the most important pieces of our body, the teeth, cannot regenerate in any capacity.” It is unfortunate. I always think how cool it must be to be a shark with multiple sets of teeth. Cavities would be a thing of the past! Traditionally, dental practices favor dental composites, implants, crowns, and root canals as solutions to trauma and decay sustained to mature teeth. Within the past decade, stem cell research identified a new population of stem cells coming from the tooth and periodontal structure, dental stem cells (DSCs)! There are five primary types of DSCs including dental pulp stem cells (DPSCs), stem cells from exfoliated deciduous teeth (SHED), stem cells from apical papilla (SCAP), periodontal ligament stem cells (PDLSCs), and dental follicle precursor cells (DFPCs). All these stem cells resemble mesenchymal stem cells and have multipotent capability, becoming an enticing solution to the irreparability of teeth! I found the SCAP population of dental stem cells to be most interesting, so for this blog post I wanted to tell you a bit about them. SCAPs were first discovered around 2006. The research group that characterized them were able to use modern flow cytometry (a technique used for classifying membrane-bound molecules on stem cells) to fully characterize the stem cells, proving that they were a different population from other DSCs. In their research they were able to show that SCAPs have the unique advantage of being from the developing portion of the tooth root, the apical papilla. Because of the regenerative ability of SCAPs, and the area of the tooth where they are isolated from, they may offer a large step in regenerative dental medicine. Current research in SCAPs explore the cells’ ability to regenerate dentin and roots of teeth when paired with bioengineering methods in animal models. The animal models commonly use rats as to observe the regenerative capacity of the cell culture. In one study, PGA and PGLA (polyglycolic, biodegradable scaffolds to hold the cells and allow a scaffold for mineralization) were implanted into the gums of a rat along with a SCAP population. Within a few weeks, a mineralized structure with dentin and hard enamel formed! While current animal models of regeneration of SCAP do offer promising results and the in vivo culturing of SCAPs are improving, research has not given us any studies with human models or provided a further analysis of the longevity of these SCAP-based repairs. |
Pitt Bio BlogThe Pitt Bio Blog is maintained by the Department of Biological Sciences Advising Office. Posts are authored by our students Archives
January 2022
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