Tag Archives: health

Drill-Free Dentistry, A Solution To Everyone’s Dental Nightmare?

Posted on February 27, 2016 by | 3 comments
Source: Wikipedia Commons

Anatomy of Tooth
Source: Wikipedia Commons

Going to the dentist can be an anxiety filled rollercoaster for certain individuals. The sounds of drills, the feeling of dental instruments scraping away at your teeth, and constantly having your dentist asking you to “open wider” makes some people think twice before booking their appointment. Cavities, medically known as Caries, are the most common chronic disease in children and arguably one of the strongest reasons why people book appointments to see their dentist in the first place. Cavities are caused by the food remnants left behind after a meal that are combined with acid made by the bacteria in our mouth. This mixture combined with your saliva forms plaque, which will eat away at the enamel of your teeth, causing cavities. Currently, the only solution is to go to the dentist and get the cavity filled. Recently, a study conducted by researchers from the University of Sydney provides a new cavity prevention system that contrasts current dental practices. Caries Management System (CMS) can stop, prevent, and reverse cavities so you won’t need to always get “drilled and filled” every time the dentist sees minor tooth decay.

Before getting into the CMS lets take a look at the current “drill and fill” method used in dental practices so a comparison can be made with CMS. Traditionally, the dentist would start by administering an anesthetic to numb the area around the damaged tooth. Next the dentist would proceed to clean the bacteria filled area via drill, etch the hole, patch it with a dental filling, then remove any excess substance used. The video below by DentalEdu provides an in-depth visual representation of the current process.

YouTube Preview Image

Credit: DentalEdu

Contrasting the current “drill and fill” method of handling cavities, researchers at the University of Sydney found a preventative procedure that found to decrease the need of  fillings by 30%-50%. The researchers conducted their study over seven years at 22 different clinics, with 12 of those using the CMS procedure. The patient-specific procedure consists broadly of:

1. Application of high concentration fluoride varnish by dentists to the sites of early decay

2. Attention to home tooth brushing skills

3. Restriction of between-meal snacks and beverages containing added sugar

4. Risk-specific monitoring. (higher risk patients will have more tailored program to fit their needs)

By using CMS, dental practitioners could change their outlook on how tooth decay is viewed, and patients could have a different perspective on the fearful stigma of going to the dentist. Rather than simply drilling the tooth immediately to rid of tooth decay, as well as taking away the tooth itself, this patient-tailored program focuses more on pre-cavity prevention solutions rather than post-cavity drilling. CMS could change how an average person would view going to the dentist, by knowing that they are going to get personalized prevention treatment rather than a drill at the earliest sign of tooth decay would help people improve their oral health as well as become more educated about it.

Harsh Bhatt

 

 

 

 

 

3 Comments

Posted in Science in the News

Tagged , , , , ,

Benefits of Breastfeeding: Breast Milk Contains Sugars that Contribute to Healthy Infant Growth

Posted on February 22, 2016 by | 3 comments

Were you aware that the thousands of bacteria residing in our gastrointestinal tract (gut) and their interactions with the dietary foods we consume actually have a great impact on human health?

Two 25-milliliter samples of human breast milk. The lefthand sample is first milk produced and the righthand sample is milk produced later during the same pumping.

Two 25-milliliter samples of human breast milk. Source: Wikipedia Commons

Inspired by this discovery, a team of researchers led by Jeffrey Gordon from the Washington University School of Medicine in St.Louis found that the interactions of gut bacteria with the sugars in breast milk promote healthy infant growth.

Why is healthy infant growth a topic of discussion?
Every year, childhood malnutrition causes over 3 million deaths, leads to stunted growth and is associated with impaired cognitive ability.

Branched Oligosaccharide Structure

Branched Oligosaccharide Structure.                  Source: Wikipedia Commons

In Malawai, Africa, almost 50% of children under the age of 5 showed stunted growth. The researchers collected samples of human breast milk from those mothers with healthy babies or stunted babies. They discovered that the amount of oligosaccharides (sugar) in the breast milk containing sialic acid, an essential nutrient for brain development and cognition, were much greater in the mothers with healthy, relative to stunted growth babies.

This finding suggests that the sugars in the breast milk contribute to healthy infant growth. To analyze whether this was the case, the researchers created animal models, ensuring that both the bacteria in the gut and the diet could be manipulated. Gordon and his team began by isolating bacterial strains from fecal matter of the undernourished babies and inserted it into mice or piglets. Then, the researchers fed the mice or the piglets a typical Malawian diet, consisting of legumes, corn, vegetables, and fruit, a diet itself which is insufficient for healthy growth.

Whey

Whey, a by-product of cheesemaking. Source: Wikipedia Commons

With the mice and the piglets mimicking the undernourished Malawian infants, Gordon and his team then began testing effects of the sialic acid-containing sugars. They used cow milk as an alternative because of the difficulty to purify large amounts of sugars from human breast milk. They were able to obtain sialic acid-containing sugars from whey, a by-product of cheesemaking, and fed it to the animals. The mice and piglets showed significant improvements in growth, in both muscle mass and in bone volume. The mice and piglets also showed improved brain development and metabolic activities in the liver.

Because the bacteria in the gut was allowed to be manipulated, the researchers were able to pinpoint which bacterial strains were affected by sialic acid-containing sugars and how the different strains interacted with one another. They found that one strain of bacteria fed on the sialic acid-containing sugars and another strain fed on the digested products of sialic acid-containing sugars. This revealed a possible food web within the bacterial gut community.These two strains of bacteria alone were not sufficient enough to explain healthy growth in the mice and piglets, signifying that more complex interactions among different bacteria in the gut were necessary for growth.

The results of their study were recently published in Cell and serves as the foundation for future studies on the benefits of the components of breast milk on healthy infant growth and its interaction with gut bacteria.

 

Posted on February 22, 2016 By Jenny U

3 Comments

Posted in Biological Sciences, Issues in Science, Science Communication, Science Communicators, Science in the News, Uncategorized

Tagged , , , , , , ,

Nanotechnology: The Cure for Cancer?

Posted on February 20, 2016 by | 2 comments

What is Cancer (disease)?

Cancer is a very well known disease plaguing human society for the last century. It is characterized by abnormally rapid cell division often accompanied by tumor growth; the type of tumor mainly being malignant to be more precise. It is

Cigarette, Source: Wikimedia Commons

Cigarette, Source: Wikimedia Commons

known to sprout from sources known as carcinogen (such as ultraviolet radiation and smoking cigarettes) as well as genetic dispositions.

 

Current Treatment

Current treatments are quite limited and do not have an 100% success rate since there are so many mutations and varieties in cancer. Treatments such as chemotherapy often have lasting side effects. Additionally, there is a likelihood that cancerous cells are not completely eradicated and may resurface in years to come.

The following is the background behind chemotherapy and the effects it has on the human body provided by Dnews on YouTube.

What the Future Holds?

What scientists are trying to obtain is a sustainable as well as safe method of treating cancer. Scientists are looking into stem cell research, protein inhibition (protein Kinase inhibition) and artificial intelligence as potential methods. But, perhaps one of the most promising of the potential treatments is nanotechnology.

*Credit to Inquisitr.com for providing these different potential treatment methods.*

Nanotechnology and Cancer Treatment

Nanoparticles are as small as cell organelles with great flexibility when it

Mesoporous silica, Source: Wikimedia Commons

Mesoporous silica, Source: Wikimedia Commons

comes to shape, size and composition. Research by scientists have found a mesoporous silicon nano particle that is able to encase azobenzene molecules within its membrane pores as well as carry different sized substrates inside the particle itself.  It is important to note the fact that azobenzene switches its orientation/ configuration (cis/trans) when exposed to light and its size changes when going from cis to trans. This  means that the permeability of the silica nanoparticle can be regulated by the azobenzene molecular configuration.  Small pellets of anti-cancer drugs can be inserted into the silica nanoparticles and injected into the human body. With controlled light exposure and intensity, the size of azobenzene changes releasing the substrate into the cancer cell targeting either just the cancerous components or the entire cell.  The following video uploaded by FGRGAnimation made by Frank Gu from the University of Waterloo outlines the process of osmosis and cell substrate concentration in regulating and controlling transport in a nanoparticle.

This process will be safe due to the high control levels in the real (in vivo) environment. We are able to selectively insert the amount of substrate into the nanoparticles to control concentration and light intensity. Thus, the correct dosage is always applied. Interestingly, the treatment  process can be both selective or general meaning scientists are able to use substrate specifically targeting cancerous components in a cell or the entire cancer cell.

Although the focus was on nanoparticles and nanotechnology, any of the the aforementioned 4 methods can be an important breakthrough in cancer treatments if proven experimentally successful.

Posted by Ming Lun (Allan) Zhu

 

2 Comments

Posted in Biological Sciences, Issues in Science, Science Communication

Tagged , , , , , , , ,

BPA-free Plastics: Are They Really Any Safer?

Posted on February 8, 2016 by | 3 comments

Consumers nowadays are very concerned with what chemicals are found in household products, especially since the discovery that “BPA” found in water bottle and food container plastics can leach into food and water and cause deleterious effects. Bisphenol A (BPA) is a molecule used to strengthen plastics, however many manufacturers have discontinued it’s use after studies done on animals displayed a link to early growth development and an increase in breast and prostate cancers. Consumers are now consciously buying BPA-free products, although a new study suggests that they may not be any safer than plastics that do contain BPA.

BPA and BPS are found in plastics used to make water bottles. Source: flickr.com

BPA and BPS are found in plastics used to make water bottles. Source: flickr.com

A press release published by Science Daily reports on a study done by a team of scientists from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) who studied the effects of Bisphenol S (BPS), a common alternative to BPA, on zebrafish. This is the first study done to determine the effects of both BPA and BPS on brain cells that control the growth and function of reproductive organs.

The researchers exposed the zebrafish to low doses of BPA and BPS, equivalent to concentrations found in polluted rivers. They found that growth in the embryonic stage of these animals was advanced by as much as 25 hours, which resulted in accelerated egg hatching. As another part of the study, the scientists tagged certain developmental proteins in the brain and discovered that there was a 40% increase in endocrine neurons in zebrafish, which suggests that BPA over-stimulates the reproductive system. Similar results were found with BPS. The team suspects that the increase in neurons could lead to premature puberty and the disruption of the reproductive system, and could have a similar effect on humans.

Zebrafish were used in this study due to their transparent embryos in order to watch the cells as they grow. Source: youtube.com

Zebrafish were used in this study due to their transparent embryos in order to watch the cells as they grow. Source: youtube.com

Not only did this study discover the dangerous effects of BPS, it also found that BPA and BPS act through the estrogen system as well as the thyroid hormone system. Past research showed that BPA only mimics the effect of estrogen, however these scientists discovered that it also mimics the effect of the thyroid hormone system, which has an important influence on brain development. The findings from this study support the hypothesis that endocrine-disrupting chemicals may be contributing to early developmental problems.

Where do we go from here as a society? Currently all plastics used for water bottles and food containers contain either BPA or BPA alternatives, and the only replacement for these plastics is glass. As this is a continuous issue in scientific news and public media, solutions to this problem need to be found. For now, consumers need to be careful of what plastics they buy, and may want to think twice before buying “safer” BPA-free plastics.

For more information on the effects of BPA and BPS, the video below released by the University of Calgary discusses the results  of their study:

YouTube Preview Image
  • Emma Peachey, February 8, 2016

3 Comments

Posted in Issues in Science, Science in the News

Tagged , ,

What Is Skin Cancer? and How Can We Prevent It?

Posted on February 8, 2016 by | 4 comments

Summer is the best season for sun activities, but the sun exposure is not without a price. As many people already know, skin cancer is mostly developed through sun exposure. Obviously, the best way to prevent skin cancer is to avoid the sun, but we all are eagerly anticipating fun in summer; we want to have pool parties and BBQs in hot and sunny weather. Now, I want to suggest to you the most effective and realistic way to prevent skin cancer when you have fun outside.

The Types of Skin Cancer

First, it is important to know the types of skin cancer because one is more dreadful than other. There are two main types of skin cancer: Squamous Cell Carcinoma and  Melanoma. The first one is less harmful; it only stays in one location of a body. Melanoma, on the other hand, spreads to other areas of a body, especially to other organs. Melanoma is usually darkish, but it can be any colour. In men, it is usually found on the back, whereas in women, it is often found on the leg. 

skin-cancer-chart-700x437

Credit: simpleorganiclife.org

The Risk Factors of Skin Cancer

Patients with light-complexioned skin, naturally blond or red hair, a family history of skin cancer, or many moles have a higher risk of getting skin cancer.

The Ways to Prevent Skin Cancer

It is important to cover up your skin as much as you can. For instance, you should try to wear a hat to protect your face; you should wear sleeves and pants.

You should monthly check your skin, making sure that there is nothing suspicious on your skin. If you think you have skin cancer, you should not hesitate to see doctors.

It is essential to use sunscreen; it is by far the best way to prevent skin cancer. However, you should make sure you use the sunscreen with SPF 30 or higher, with stated “UVA and UVB” protection on the bottle, and the ingredients “titanium” and/or “zinc oxide.”

YouTube Preview Image

Having fun in summer is definitely not wrong, but you should be careful. If you still want sun activities, you should make sure you follow the suggestions I made above, and I hope everyone has a great summer in the future and stays healthy.

skincancer_illustrations

Credit: advanceddermatologypc.com

 

Dohoon Kim

4 Comments

Posted in Biological Sciences, Science in the News

Tagged , , , ,

Promising Lead to a Universal Flu Vaccine

Posted on February 7, 2016 by | 1 comment

It’s flu season. Every year people get vaccinated against the flu, also known as influenza. Now, researchers are looking at a long-lasting flu vaccine that does not need to be given annually.

Tylenol

– Image Source: Dennis S. Hurd, Flickr

A recent study shows that scientists may have found a new potential target to generate new vaccines against certain types of the flu. They focused on a protein called hemagglutinin found on the surface of viral influenza particles. This protein contains a head region, which undergoes constant genetic changes, as well as a stem region that does not change. Although current influenza vaccines are composed of the viral particles from the head region, researchers discovered a way to stabilize the stem region in order to create a vaccine. Their results showed that vaccinated mice and ferrets either had reduced symptoms or complete immunity against certain related influenza viruses.

A vaccine is produced from taking a virus and weakening it so that it is unable to replicate and cause harm within an individual. When the vaccine is injected, the body is tricked into thinking that the virus particles are dangerous, thus initiating an immune response and producing antibodies that destroy that specific virus particle. As a result, these antibodies reside in the body for long periods of time. Therefore, if in the future the real virus enters the body, you will have specific antibodies to protect you from the virus.

– Credit: TED-Ed

Although a new flu vaccine is produced every year, the effectiveness of the vaccine may vary. Each flu season, because the virus is constantly changing, researchers try to determine the specific types of influenza that are currently circulating and those that will be present in the coming year. Based on this information, a vaccine is produced consisting of multiple types of the virus, however, it is impossible for the vaccine to be 100% accurate. With the discovery of this new target area on hemagglutinin, it could lead to the production of one vaccine for a group of related influenza viruses.

– Credit: Discovery News

According to the Government of Canada, approximately 10-20% of the population becomes infected with influenza annually. Flu symptoms typically include fever, cough, and aches. Furthermore, there are 12,200 hospitalizations and 3,500 deaths each year. Individuals at greater risk for complications or hospitalization caused by the flu include people with other diseases and weakened immune systems, residents in chronic care facilities, people aged 65 or older, and pregnant women. Immunize BC emphasizes the importance of everyone getting vaccinated in order to prevent the spread of disease to others. Researchers are hoping that a longer-lasting flu vaccine will encourage more people to get vaccinated, and also reduce the cost associated with producing and administering seasonal flu vaccines.

However, we may still have to get our yearly flu shots for quite some time. Researchers, although very optimistic about the future of creating a new long-lasting vaccine, say that more research needs to be done to determine the efficacy in human models.

– Brian Infanti

1 Comment

Posted in Biological Sciences, Science in the News

Tagged , , , , , ,

Eating Turkey Makes You Sleepy: True or False?

Posted on January 31, 2016 by | 4 comments

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aa1_CeUAQIc#action=share

Many of us have probably heard or even experienced the famous phenomenon known as food coma. If you have no idea what food coma is, you most probably have experienced it before unknowingly. Food coma is a state of lethargy or sleepiness experienced after consuming a large portion of food. Despite its informal name, it is a medically recognized condition called post-prandial comnolence.

Food coma generally hits harder at the most festive times of the year- the holiday seasons. The thanksgiving turkey is no exception. You stack your plates with turkey, sweet potatoes, dressing, cranberries and all the other old-fashioned foods, then fill your stomach up to the brim. Then, of course, you go for a second, then third round. It’s the holiday seasons after all. Not long after, you start to feel lethargic, energy-less and sleepy. Unknowingly, you have fallen into the food-coma trap.

For many years, urban myths have blamed the turkey for the main cause of the sleepiness. But is the turkey really to be blamed?

Where did the myth come from?  Many of you might have heard about the amino acid called tryptophan. Tryptophan is one of the components of the hormone serotonin. Serotonin is converted to the sleep-inducing hormone melatonin. Without melatonin, we will all be always wide awake. This chemical is essential in our body to give us enough rest at night for proper bodily functions. Hence, yes, tryptophan is an essential chemical in our body. However, our body does not produce tryptophan. Tryptophan is obtained by our body from the food we eat.

The tryptophan we ingest competes with other amino acids in our body to enter our brain through the blood-brain barrier. The blood-brain barrier is an interface that separates the brain from the rest of the body. It protects the brain from harmful chemicals that enters the body by filtering them. The blood-brain barrier will only allow certain chemicals to enter the brain. Only a portion of the tryptophan we ingest successfully enters our brain. Most of them are broken down in our liver. The myth that turkeys make us sleepy began when tryptophan were found in turkey meat.

So, do turkeys make us sleepy? The answer to this question is- yes and no. Turkey meat contains tryptophan-yes. However, according to Standford neuroimmunologist Lawrence Steinman, MD, the levels of tryptophan  in turkey “is not higher than in most other muscle tissue from other animals, more commonly known as meats”. It is not the turkey that makes us sleepy but it is the enormous amounts of carbohydrates and often alcohol consumed on the holiday seasons.

Carbohydrates such as the dressing or mashed potatoes induces the release of insulin into the bloodstream compared to other amino acids present. As a result, higher levels of tryptophan are concentrated at the brain-blood barrier.

In conclusion, it is not the turkey that makes you sleepy after Thanksgiving. So, take a quick nap on Thanksgiving, but be sure to wake up in time for the dishes!

4 Comments

Posted in Biological Sciences

Tagged , , , , , , , ,

Image

The Outbreak of the Zika Virus

Although not a new illness, Zika is currently spreading at an alarming rate in Central and South America, a tropical disease that is caused by the Zika virus. Zika is spread primarily by an infected Aedes aegypti female mosquito, where the mosquito becomes infected by biting a person already infected by the virus. The Zika virus is in the same family as yellow fever, dengue fever, and the west nile virus and is known to cause mild symptoms such as a rash, headaches, fever, and pink eye. In fact, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says only 20% of those infected will get sick.

Aedes aegypti mosquito. Credit: James Gathany

So if this illness is mild, then why are we concerned? On top of the fact that more than a million people have already been infected in Brazil, there is now evidence that Zika may be linked to birth defects in unborn infants. Scientists say that pregnant woman who get infected could pass this virus to their child, causing the fetus to develop microcephaly, a small brain and head abnormality. New York Times stated that more than 4,000 cases of microcephaly have been registered in Brazil. Hawaii’s Department of Health has also confirmed USA’s first microcephaly case linked to the Zika virus. Moreover, The Vancouver Sun has reported 2 confirmed cases of Zika in B.C. residents. With no treatment or vaccine available, there have been growing concerns for its appearance in North America.

MRI’s of a normal individual (left) and a patient with microcephaly caused by an ASPM mutation (right). Credit: Public Library of Science (PLOS) Biology

World Health says that the virus will likely spread to regions of Central, South and North America with the exception of Chile and Canada, as the type of mosquitos that spread the Zika virus are not present in these two countries. It is also important to note that the Zika virus isn’t necessarily being transmitted in North America but it is infected people that are returning from Brazil and Mexico for example, who are bringing the disease to Canada and the United States. Researchers are predicting that Zika will likely follow the same pattern as dengue fever in the US, hitting the hardest in the hotter months.

It is important to educate the public about Zika and advise pregnant woman to postpone their travels to these countries where they could possibly become infected.

When trying to prevent getting infected by this virus, the most important prevention methods revolve around mosquito bites, as this is the most common way this virus spreads within a population. The following are therefore critical when you are in a location where this virus is found: wearing long-sleeve clothing, sleeping with a mosquito net, and most importantly, using insect repellant.

The video below by CNN explains the possible spreading of this virus, along with the concerns about pregnant woman with the Zika disease.

YouTube Preview Image

 

-Daniela Castillo

1 Comment

Posted on January 31, 2016 by in Science in the News

Tagged , , , , , , , , , ,

Are E-Cigarettes truly harmless?

Posted on January 30, 2016 by | 2 comments
Man using E Cigarette indoors. Credit: Vaping360.com

Man using E Cigarette indoors.
Credit: Vaping360.com

The trend of “vaping” via  E-Cigarettes has exploded over the years. A fad that has quickly spread across a variety of age groups may now be a potential health hazard. An average user of an E-Cigarette may not consider that the vapour they are inhaling is harmful to their body. It can’t possibly be toxic since it’s not real cigarette smoke, right? Unfortunately, this isn’t the case. The lack of data linking E-Cigarettes and heath concerns has been the main reason why the general public deems they are safe and why they aren’t as strictly regulated as regular cigarettes. The way the E-Cigarette has been handled by the government regarding health concerns is quite nostalgic of how normal cigarettes were treated 60 years ago. Cigarettes were thought to be safe until many years later cases of cancer were popping up left and right. The ultimate question raised is, will these E-Cigarettes pose a serious health concern in the future?

A recent study conducted by Harvard T.H School of Public Health tested 51 E-Cigarette refill liquids for diacetyl, 2,3-pentanedione, and acetoin. Diacetyl  has been linked to causing “popcorn lung“, a serious lung disease that is commonly treated by a lung transplant. Furthermore, the other 2 chemicals acetoin and 2,3-pentanedione have both been recognized as respiratory hazards in a public workplace. The researchers of the study found that 47 of the 51 liquids tested contained one of these compounds. These results don’t necessarily mean that all refill liquids possess these compounds, but a majority of them do.

Another article posted by Heather Buschman of University of California discusses a study conducted that focuses on how E-Cigarette vapour kills cells in the airway of mice and makes bacteria more virulent. In the study, two groups of mice were treated with an antibiotic-resistant bacteria with one group exposed to E-Cigarette vapour while the other group was not. The results indicated that 25% of the mice that had been exposed to the E-Cigarette vapour and the antibiotic-resistant drug had died due to the bacteria being more virulent. The researchers of the study show that E-Cigarette vapour can also potentially have negative indirect effects on subjects other than just causing lung disease, such as making bacteria more virulent and thus creating multiple concerns that weren’t present before.

Both studies mentioned have come to a conclusion one way or another that E-Cigarette vapour is not completely harmless. Hopefully in the future more research will be conducted resulting in conclusive evidence that changes the stigma of “harmless vaping”.

The video below by AsapSCIENCE compares traditional smoking and E-Cigarettes. By comparing the harms associated with both, the video explains how due to the lack of current data we won’t know the extent of the harm caused by E-Cigarettes until the future, although studies being conducted don’t indicate a bright future for these technological fads.

YouTube Preview Image

Credit: AsapSCIENCE

 

Posted by Harsh Bhatt

2 Comments

Posted in Science in the News

Tagged , , , , ,

Will Human Head Transplant Work?

Posted on January 25, 2016 by | 2 comments

Science has advanced very much in the field of medicine with discoveries that give people another chance to live. In the past century, there have been many new inventions including new medicines, vaccinations and organ transplant in humans. However, the idea of a head transplant was only a mystery which was only seen in movies such as Frankenstein. Surprisingly, that fiction is about to become a reality in the near future. In the next year or two, Italian neurosurgeon Sergio Canavero is to perform the first ever human head transplant which will evolve science to new echelons.  According to Canavero, the surgery is intended for those who have a fully functioning head, but endure a paralyzed body from the neck down due to some type of incurable disease or injuries suffered from accidents. The healthy head will be placed onto a healthy body of someone who is brain dead, and there is “90 percent” chance for the surgery to succeed.  Similar to other complications, “of course there is a marginal risk” according to Sergio Canavero.

The surgery of head transplant never performed before, and with the risks being higher than any other normal standard operation, Valery Spiridonov, a Russian computer scientist is willing to be the first patient. Spiridonov suffers from a motor neuron disease called Werdnig-Hoffmann Disease, which leads to the shrinking of the muscles every day and can cause difficulties breathing and swallowing. Currently, there is no cure for the disease and the head transplant can be a potential cure in the near future. Head transplant can also be a cure for those suffering from spinal cord injuries due to accidents, such as car crushes, falling from heights and others. 

valery spiridonov

Valery Spiridonov, first to be patient of head transplant

Photo Credit: Huffingtonpost, UK

The estimated time for the operation is about 36 – 72 hours, with about 80 surgeons involved, and the estimated cost to be about 11 million British Pounds which is $15 – 16 million US dollars.  The procedure of the operation will involve, first cutting the head of the patient with a really sharp blade, then using special surgical glue called polyethylene glycol, to attach the head into the new body and then stitching up the blood supplies. Afterwards, the patient will be put into coma for about four weeks to allow the head to heal with the new body, and small electric shocks given in order to improve the flow of connection. After the patient wakes up, everything is expected to be normal such as the functioning of the senses and movement coordinations. If this operation succeeds, more people could experience a second chance at survival and a new life. For a detailed procedure, please read this.

Blood vessel connection

Photo credit: The Telepgraph, UK

In conclusion, I think head transplant operation is another step towards expanding science and with its success, it can give lots of people hope and perhaps a new life to look forward too.

For detailed information watch:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FmGm_VVklvo

Video credit: Juanker52

  • Hamed Hussaini, January 25th 2016

2 Comments

Posted in Science in the News

Tagged , , , , , , ,