godfather of surgery

Chapter 1167 I am just a patient's family member

Morris felt that he had wasted all his years as a doctor. He was a top-notch neurosurgeon, yet he couldn't answer Professor Yang's question.

From Professor Yang's eyes, it was clear that he disdained to engage in further communication with a doctor who could not answer his questions. But where could he learn such knowledge?

Morris wasn't unfamiliar with this subject; however, as a neurosurgeon, he certainly didn't have the same in-depth knowledge as scholars who studied basic neurology. Just as an internist knows how to diagnose and prescribe medication, but in terms of pharmacological knowledge, he certainly doesn't have the same depth of knowledge as a specialized pharmacology professor, he only possesses some simple pharmacological knowledge that is clinically useful.

For example, take the antihypertensive drug Adalat. Cardiologists know it's a long-acting antihypertensive drug, but why is nifedipine, which is clearly short-acting, classified as a long-acting one? Cardiologists also know that it's not due to the inherent long-acting nature of the drug's molecules, but rather a long-acting effect achieved through packaging technology. Going deeper, this drug encapsulates nifedipine in a shell-like pump, using laser perforation technology to create holes in the shell. The drug is slowly released through these small holes to achieve a long-acting effect. But delving even further, how exactly does this perforation technology maintain a uniform release over 24 hours? How many holes are made, what is their diameter, why are they made this way, what is the release rate, and what factors affect it? At this point, no internist can answer these questions because it's beyond their area of ​​expertise. If they were to delve even further into this area, it would be even less likely that any doctor would know the answer.

Let alone such complex knowledge, the percentage of people who can even speak about the pharmacological knowledge of every commonly used drug in their field, such as pharmacokinetic knowledge, is far less than one percent.

Morris is now facing a problem not because he is not good enough, not because he is not a good neurosurgeon, but because he is too good. His knowledge is limited to the diagnosis, treatment and surgery of neurosurgical diseases, and extends beyond that field.

However, the surgery her daughter is undergoing is no longer the textbook-standard procedure; it requires doctors with strong research capabilities to perform.

Morris's knowledge in this area was also scarce and fragmented, and some of the basic knowledge was outdated rather than cutting-edge. Therefore, it was difficult for him to build a strong system based solely on his neurosurgical knowledge.

"You can go back now. Dr. Song will talk to you if there are any problems." Yang Ping noticed that Morris didn't react and assumed that he hadn't heard him.

"Thank you!"

Morris snapped out of his daze, mechanically stood up, thanked Yang Ping, and then walked towards the door.

He was not even qualified to discuss neurosurgery with Professor Yang.

This was a big blow to Morris. He had always been very proud, especially after living in the United States for a long time. He had a feeling that he was the best in the world. Now, on his first trip abroad, Professor Yang had poured cold water on him. His feeling of being the best in the world was so fragile.

He returned to his ward and, disregarding the time difference, dialed Johannesson's number. Johannesson was a colleague of his, and they often met and exchanged ideas at academic conferences, so they could be considered professional friends.

Johannesson told him that this was normal because the Sanbo Hospital Research Institute used their own self-compiled textbooks for training doctors. These textbooks were very in-depth and cutting-edge in anatomy, physiology, and pathology. Their textbooks had logically connected the knowledge of various disciplines into a whole. Without exposure to their specialized textbooks, it would be difficult to understand Professor Yang's lectures.

Therefore, Johannesson advised Morris not to force himself to ask Professor Yang any questions. His time was precious and should be used for more important things. He didn't have time to discuss advanced knowledge with a doctor who had no background in the subject, unless that doctor was his student.

"I see. That makes things easier," Morris said. He could lower himself and learn from Professor Yang, asking Professor Yang to give them a set of teaching materials.

Johannesson laughed heartily: "Maurice is too naive; he's just a boy who hasn't been through the harsh realities of life."

“Their textbooks are entirely in Chinese. I was fortunate enough to have access to their textbooks and received training from Professor Yang. Currently, no doctor in the English-speaking world can accurately and completely translate their textbooks. As I just mentioned, these textbooks are composite textbooks, involving a lot of cutting-edge knowledge, requiring a large team to translate them. Unfortunately, even if such a team were assembled, these people would be isolated and unable to achieve good communication during translation. Their knowledge would not be integrated. So unless Professor Yang himself translates them, but Professor Yang currently has no interest in translating them into English, there is only one way: you must learn Chinese well. This is also the threshold for you to potentially study there.” Johannesson did not want to discourage his colleagues, but he had to tell the truth.

Chinese? I have to learn Chinese, this is a real headache.

“I will be coming to Sanbo Hospital in China soon and will be involved in your daughter’s surgery. Professor Yang has already told me that your daughters can have the surgery. Congratulations! You are so lucky. They can live independently from now on and won’t be tied together.”

Johannesson said.

Morris was delighted to hear that Johannesson was coming to China, as this would at least give him a friend to consult.
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Song Ziming is very busy right now. This surgery is too special, and he is personally in charge of all the preparations.

His doctors were also extremely busy, and one after another, the data of the conjoined twins was collected, including genetic analysis data.

Much of the collected data was uploaded to Director He's large model. With this futuristic model, many things became much easier, and many surgical plans were designed more precisely.

For example, in artificial knee replacement, the patient's standard CT 3D reconstruction data is uploaded, and the large model immediately provides the best artificial knee design plan. The plan is then transmitted to Ruixing Medical, where the 3D printing flexible production line immediately produces the artificial knee joint. After sterilization and packaging, under normal circumstances, the patient can use this customized knee joint within 72 hours, while in expedited cases, the artificial knee joint can be used within 24 hours.

This is a completely customized artificial knee joint, not a generic artificial knee joint. Such efficiency was unimaginable before.

The current surgery for conjoined twins, which requires distinguishing the boundary of the nervous system, would require a specially designed project, and it would take two or three years to achieve any results. Now, with large artificial intelligence models, as long as there is sufficient data, results can be obtained in just a few minutes, and they are more accurate than the results of a team's research over two or three years.

The 2024 Nobel Prize in Chemistry was awarded to David Baker, a scientist at the University of Washington, and two others: Demis Hassabis, the British scientist who founded Google's DeepMind, and John Jiangpo, an American scientist at the company.

On the one hand, they used computational software to construct entirely new protein structures, and on the other hand, they developed an artificial intelligence (AI) model called "Alpha Fold 2" based on amino acid sequences, using this AI technology to predict complex protein structures.

In the world of proteins, amino acids link together to form long chains, folding into complex three-dimensional spatial structures. It is this complex and diverse spatial structure that gives proteins their important functions.

Since the 1970s, biologists have been working to predict protein structure based on amino acid sequences, that is, to predict their three-dimensional structure based on their one-dimensional structure, but this is an extremely challenging research task.

The complex interactions between amino acids result in complex spatial shapes in the amino acid chains, making it extremely difficult to accurately determine the three-dimensional spatial structure of proteins.

The introduction of the AI ​​model "AlphaFold 2" provides a powerful tool for solving this problem. Previously, in protein structure research, traditional methods required a team to study for two or three years to find the structures of only a few new proteins. Now, using artificial intelligence, the structures of dozens of proteins can be found in one or two hours. This demonstrates how technological progress improves work efficiency.

Therefore, in the future, whoever masters artificial intelligence will rule the world.

In the doctor's office, there are two computers that can access the large model, so it is very convenient for the doctor to transfer data and receive help from the large artificial intelligence model without leaving the office.

While Song Ziming and his students were transmitting data, Morris watched from the side and asked curiously, "Is this all there is to it?"

As a patient's family member, Maurice's constant presence around Song Ziming naturally annoyed Song Ziming. He didn't want a family member always following him around while he was working.

"Go back to your room and wait. I'll come find you if anything happens," Song Ziming told Morris.

Morris shook his head: "It's alright, I have plenty of free time. My wife takes care of them, and I can sit here and watch you work."

Morris's purpose in following Song Ziming was simple. He knew that Song Ziming was Professor Yang's student. Since he couldn't bother Professor Yang, he thought he could learn something from Song Ziming. He wanted to secretly learn some knowledge about neurosurgery during this time.

So he followed Song Ziming around like a shadow, taking every opportunity to be there. When Song Ziming sat in front of the computer, he sat next to him; when Song Ziming transferred data, he watched closely; when Song Ziming interacted with students, he listened intently.

It seems the foreigner didn't understand the subtle language of Chinese people, so Song Ziming switched to more direct language: "Excuse me, it's very impolite of you to monitor our work like this. You're a doctor, you must really hate it when your family members follow you around like they're monitoring your work, right?"

As expected, foreigners prefer straightforward language. Morris understood and blushed, "I'm sorry, Dr. Song, please don't misunderstand. I just... just wanted to get involved. I'm also a neurosurgeon."

“But your identity is that of a patient’s family member, not a member of the medical team. You need to be clear about the boundaries between these two roles.”

Song Ziming was straightforward because he could only understand straightforward language.

“Okay, I apologize.” Morris stood up and left the doctor’s office somewhat reluctantly. They were right, I’m not a doctor, just a patient’s family member.

The graduate student who was entering data breathed a sigh of relief; the foreigner had finally walked away. He had been following them around the whole time, which was really annoying.
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Johannesson had already arranged his work and flew to Nandu Province in China.

He will personally participate in the surgery on the conjoined twins. This case is rare in the world, and the surgery is a world-class operation. He can learn a lot from it.

This surgery will be unlike any other; it will showcase the surgeon and his team's strong research spirit and their ability to control unknown and uncertain factors.

The method for finding the true boundaries of the brain tissue of conjoined twins can also be applied to tumors, especially brainstem tumors, in the future. This will help surgeons design personalized, precise, and safe approaches. At the same time, this knowledge can be used to determine the true and precise boundaries of the tumor.

In Chinese terms, this is called technology sinking.

This wasn't Johnnison's first visit to Sanbo Hospital; he was very familiar with the place. After checking into the Sanbo Hotel, he didn't rest but immediately went to the research institute's ward. His plan was to first visit Professor Yang and then go see the conjoined twins.

When he saw Yang Ping, he was very excited and hugged Yang Ping tightly: "Respected Professor Yang, I haven't seen you for a long time. I have been thinking about you day and night."

Johannesson's Chinese has improved significantly. Morris, standing to the side, looked puzzled. He had never known that Johannesson knew Chinese, let alone that his Chinese was so fluent and advanced.

"This is the medical sanctuary I told you about. This is my mentor, Professor Yang Ping. He has already told me that your two daughters can have their surgeries arranged. I came here to see if I can help and also to learn some new knowledge. You two should have met before."

"This is Mr. Morris, the patient's family member, my colleague in the United States, and also an excellent neurosurgeon."

Johannesson explained.

To say something is excellent here would make Morris a little embarrassed, causing him to blush. He couldn't answer the question Professor Yang had raised.

"Welcome to our medical team." Song Ziming patted him on the shoulder.

"I'm just here to do odd jobs," Johannesson said modestly. By all accounts, Song Ziming was his senior.

Morris couldn't help but feel envious. No wonder he had made such rapid progress in the past year or two, making rapid progress in the field of brainstem surgery and frequently introducing new approaches.

Brainstem surgery is the Mount Everest of neurosurgery. Whoever masters a better and safer approach holds the key to brainstem surgery, and clearly, Johannesson has mastered that key.

Unfortunately, he couldn't do odd jobs; he was just a patient's family member.

“I’ve collected all the tests they had done in the US and brought them here now, hoping they can be of some help to you.” Johannesson took out a CD.

This information is very useful. It can be compared with current examination results to dynamically track changes. If fed into a large model, it can make more accurate judgments.