Stem Cell application

A stem cell is a kind of cell produced in a four-five day old fetus, called a blastocyst, which hasn't been assigned a specific purpose in the body yet. This "unassigned" cell allows researchers to implant stem cells into dying patients to improve impaired body parts and organs. Stem cell applications, whether embryonic, adult or pluripotent, is a huge breakthrough in modern-day scientific research. For scientists, stem cells are very vital to understanding how the body works and how to improve certain body tissues and cells. As of now, the goverment is not funding adequate amounts of money to pave the way for uses for stem cells, due to ethical problems. Yet, researchers have found that stem cells can help with numerous diseases and illnesses, ranging from cancer to a "broken heart" to glaucoma.

Stem cells can be transplanted into a patient, therefore completely eliminating the problem of a non-working body organ. Stem cells can also fix chromosomal abnormalities at birth.

Subretinal Implants

Subretinal implants is a device which is implanted between the pigment epithelial layer and the outer layer of the retina. Many microelectrodes are placed onto a very thin plate which is then inserted under the retina. Light which falls on the retina activates a current resulting in a stimulation of sensory neurons from the retina. The information is sent directly then to the optic nerve exactly like a normal eye. This subretinal implant directly mimics the natural function of the retina, thus making this procedure better than the epiretinal implant. With the subretinal implant, the eye can function normally without any wires hanging around.

Subretinal implants have a promising future because they can fix the problem with the most efficency and ease.

http://www.opticsreport.com/content/article.php?article_id=1007

Percentage of Brain Used

There are many myths about the brain that may or may not be true. One myth is that humans only use about 10% of our brain. This myth was coined by Albert Einstein and since then has been scientifically proven to be false. His logic was that only one out of every 10 nerve cells are being used, thus we only use 10% of our brain. There is scientifical evidence which proves this to not be true: even if neurons are not firing action potentials, they could still be recieving signals from other neurons. The fact is if you look at a cognitive brain map, every part of the brain is used. There are many different parts of the brain which aid other parts of the brain in successfully equipping a human being. Also, there is no point in having that much space in the brain if we only use 10% of it. For an example, consider a patient who experiences a traumatic blow to the head. When they go to a doctor, the doctor tells them they have brain damage all around the brain. They don't say, "Oh, you only have brain damage in this part of your brain, but good thing that's not the 10% of your brain that you actually use." The whole brain is used in everyday life. Every part of the brain works together to form a working machine. Some say that this myth still continues due to popular media continuing to advocate this false myth.

http://www.time-etc.com/2007/06/ten-myths-about-brain.html

http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/tenper.html

Pacemakers

A pacemaker is a medical device that fixes hearts that aren't beating properly. When the pacemaker senses irregular beating of the heart, it will fire a short, low voltage pulse to stimulate beating. There are also many different types of pacemakers in the market. Demand pacemakers are pacemakers that monitor the heart's natural electrical activity and discharge only when the heart's own rate is too slow or the heart misses a beat. Fixed-rate pacemakers discharge impulses at a single, steady rate, regardless of the heart's own electrical activity. Rate-responsive pacemakers are designed to raise or lower the pacing rate to help meet the body's needs during physical activity or rest. Pacemakers may also be single, dual or triple-chambered pacemakers. Single-chambered pacemakers generally only have to carry impulses to and from either the right atrium to the right ventricle. A dual-chamber pacemaker usually only has two leads, one to the right atrium and one to the right ventricle, both of which can monitor and carry impulses to one or both chambers. This type of pacemaker mimics the natural function of the heart. Triple-chambered pacemakers improve the heart's blood flow. There are temporary and permanent pacemakers that can be either be implanted or not. It really depends on which pacemaker is best suited to your heart's needs, but I feel that the rate-responsive pacemakers are best. They do not exert unnecessary electrical impulses like the fixed-rate pacemakers do. They can also adjust to different needs of the body during different strenous activities.