StemCell Therapy

As we baby boomers confront various health issues as we age, its good to keep abreast of medical advances that may offer us hope or, in some cases, maybe just a dose of amusement.

Interestingly, some of these developments were the stuff of science fiction when we were growing up. Take a look:

Silly Putty can help track blood pressure

When we boomers were kids, one of the coolest things you could do with Silly Putty was press it on comics and transfer the image. Now researchers have discovered this polymer can measure blood pressure, pulse and respiration rate. The scientists added grapheneconsidered the thinnest and strongest material to existto Silly Putty, then measured if electrical current would pass through it. They found G-putty was 250 times more sensitive than a typical metal-based sensor and, when placed on a subjects chest, was able to measure how much blood was pushing on artery walls. Who knew?

Speed bumps can help diagnose appendicitis

Apparently, how much pain patients experience when theyre driven over a speed bump is a highly reliable clinical indicator of acute appendicitis. According to a study published in the medical journal BMJ, Asking about speed bumps may contribute to clinical assessment and could be useful in telephone assessment of patients. So if you feel increased abdominal pain when going over a speed bump, maybe you should keep driving straight to the hospitalbecause delayed surgery for acute appendicitis can lead to severe infection, even death. Not funny.

Surgeons want to transplant a human head

A Russian tech geek, a Chinese surgeon and an Italian neurosurgeon walk into an operating roomsounds like the opening line of a joke, right? Well, according to an article in the Washington Post, these three folks want to be involved in the first human head transplant (the Russian is volunteering his head because hes got a fatal genetic disorder). The neurosurgeon says the transplant could happen as early as this year (probably in China since its unlikely to get US or EU approval) and has a 90 percent plus chance of success. It would require 80 surgeons (none named Frankenstein) and cost tens of millions of dollars. Im still wrapping my head around this one

Robot to care for the elderly at home

Remember Rosie, the household robot from The Jetsons? Well, researchers at Rice University and IBM are working on an in-home assistant for elders who wish to age in place named MERAthe Multi-purpose Eldercare Robot Assistant. MERA will monitor an individuals heart rate and respiration, and can detect if someone falls, automatically calling a caregiver or 911. People using the device can also ask it health-related questionslike what are the signs of a stroke or heart attackand MERA shares these messages with caregivers or providers. The device is powered by Watson, IBMs artificial intelligence and analytical softwareand Jeopardy champion. Wonder if MERA plays any games

Part-human, part-pig creature grown in lab

Remember The Island of Doctor Moreau, or Jeff Goldblum in The Fly? Well,according to STAT, a national medical newsletter from Boston Globe Media, scientists recently announced they produced a human-pig chimeraa hybrid created by fusing a sperm and egg from different species. The researchers injected pig embryos with human stem cells, and the chimeras began to grow organs containing human cells. These creatures werent allowed to develop past the fetal stage, but the experiment suggests hybrids might someday be used to grow organs for transplant, easing a dire shortage. Hmmethical considerations aside, what human-animal combos would you like to see?

Got stomach acid? It might be the battery of the future

Also according to STAT, biomedical engineers at Brigham and Womens Hospital believe your churning stomach acid could power ingestible medical devices like long-acting drug-delivery capsules or sensors that can detect blood or toxins. The acid allows electrons to move between two metals, producing a small amount of current, like a battery. In an animal study, an ingestible thermometer was able to poweritself for about six days while transmitting measurements every 12 seconds. Better lay off the antacids, huh?

When you think about it, it is pretty amazing what the human mind has brought to life, inspiring this haiku:

Medicine is like science fiction: its the art of the possible.

What do you think? Are there other medical advances that wereor still seemlike science fiction to you? If you could have a head transplant, whose would you want? Conversely, who would you donate your head to? Please share

Go here to read the rest:
6 unusual medical advances baby boomers might appreciate - Bangor Daily News

This entry was posted on April 14, 2017 at 1:44 pm and is filed under Death by Stem Cells. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed. |