A wide spectrum of anomalies of the pancreas, the pancreatic ductal system, and the biliary tree are commonly encountered at radiologic evaluation. These anomalies may simulate various neoplastic, inflammatory, and posttraumatic conditions and should be part of the differential diagnosis for a variety of abnormalities found at diagnostic imaging. Anatomic variants, developmental anomalies (eg, pancreas divisum, annular pancreas, ectopic pancreas, pancreatic agenesis and hypoplasia), and congenital diseases (congenital pancreatic cysts, von Hippel-Lindau disease, choledochal cysts), in addition to potential imaging pitfalls (uneven distribution of fat, "pseudomasses"), can all pose a diagnostic challenge for the radiologist. Familiarity with these anomalies, the imaging techniques available for their study, and their variable imaging manifestations is necessary for differentiating them from other biliary and pancreatic conditions. A basic understanding of the embryologic development and normal anatomy of the pancreas and biliary tree is also essential for identifying these anomalies.
Recent developments in online collaborative technologies such as Wikipedia (www.wikipedia.org) have demonstrated the potential usefulness of an online reference resource produced as the collective effort of many users. Although this type of resource has enjoyed success in the public arena, however, its value remains unproved in the academic community. RadiologyWiki (www.RadiologyWiki.org) was created to apply the technology and methods of collaborative authorship to create a dynamic online radiology educational resource. The World Wide Web site capitalizes on the core technology of Wikipedia, allowing individuals with little technical experience to easily create, categorize, and search for articles by using a standard Web browser. RadiologyWiki shows promise for applications in the field of radiology, although issues pertaining to copyright, peer review, and academic motivation must be overcome if it is to make a meaningful contribution in this context. Nevertheless, it is hoped that RadiologyWiki will develop into a free, simple, and rapid collaborative authorship tool for communication and education in radiology.
Audience response systems (ARSs) have been suggested as a means to improve the effectiveness of didactic lectures, but their widespread use has been limited because of cost and complexity. The authors developed a simple, cost-effective ARS that relies completely on standard networking technology, is embedded easily into a PowerPoint presentation, and operates without the need for extensive server setup and configuration. A PowerPoint Add-in that capitalizes on WiFi (wireless fidelity) technology was created that allows lecturers to easily add interactive question and response slides to an existing PowerPoint presentation. In the system, audience members can submit responses by using any wireless network-enabled device (eg, laptop computer, cell phone). The system was designed to be easy to use, to be standard compliant, and to eliminate the high operating costs associated with current interactive ARSs.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.