Medical Publishing

In 2001, the Dobelle Institute in New York developed an artificial eye can draw outlines of objects and therefore help the blind to distinguish their surroundings. The prosthesis consists of a pair of glasses on fixing a video camera and a detector distances. The camera records the environment and the sensor calculates the length distance that separates the individual from the obstacles. The information is sent to a small bag that is inside a computer. The computer cables are connected to the visual cortex, making up the optic nerve, brain perceives the forms of surrounding people and objects. The first tests are inconclusive because individuals achieve their independence.

José Sahel improved this technique, the institute’s director of vision of the Quinze-Vingts hospital in Paris. The computer is replaced by an electrode that connects directly into the eye. The images are taken by the camera present on the pair of glasses and send them directly to the microprocessor. The signal is sent directly to the optic nerve. No need to carry so many cables or over a computer. This discovery won him theAltran in 2007. Has still to be tested in people.The Voice technique would translate the images into sounds that the individual could translate. This concept is a kind of language for the deaf, but blind. It puts a code point then all sound. The lights correspond to strong sounds, unvoiced sounds and silences to more or less intense according to the distance that separates the individual. This system includes a pair of glasses equipped with a video camera, a digital assistant including The Voice software that translates images into sound.

This mechanism is far from ready as it does not cover allows the individual to a biased manner. The interest of this technique is that it is noninvasive and thus avoids any risk of infection compared with corneal implants or brain.

With age, men tend to lose their hearing. To remedy used numerous internal and external prosthesis to expand outside sound. But what can be done by people with severe deafness? So far the results are not good, sometimes the patient hears loud sounds (at the risk of splitting the eardrum). The solution is to put the amplifier inside the ear.

This requires a surgical procedure that allows deaf people to carry a normal life and reintegrate into a society where they are misunderstood. However, the intervention does not give a perfect ability to hear normal conversations but may not use sign language or having to make lip reading.

The clucks consists of hair cells that convert sounds into mechanical vibrations that are converted into electrical signals from auditory nerve. Each sound frequency is related to a type of hair cells. In the deaf, most of these cells are injured and can not transmit sound to the brain. To counter this deficiency, scientists entering the clucks a range of electrodes that will play the role of missing cells.

However, the electrodes can cause mechanical vibrations. No problem, researchers can put a kind of microphone behind the ear. This includes all sounds, which are treated by a vocal processor that the patient wears on his belt. The information returned to the microphone, which serves as the interpreter. The receiver at the implant restores information transmitted through the skin.

Finally, for women who want to give birth without knowing the drawbacks of pregnancy: varicose veins, fluid retention … and especially labor, will be delighted to know that it will soon be possible to use artificial wombs. A discovery that could allow infertile women or women who have undergone a hysterectomy know the joys of motherhood.

Female or male infertility in our society has increased for several reasons: pollutants, untreated infectious diseases … Several techniques have been developed, such as hormone injections or even by country, the belly is a rental means to have a natural child. These procedures are quite complicated and there are several ethical reasons why a part of society is against it.

The idea of creating an artificial womb is not new, in 1923, biologist John BS Haldane was the first to work on the ectogenesis outside the body of the mother. His studies continue to develop today. In 2002 in USA, Hung Ching Liu Helen managed to grow in vitro uterine cells from a patient in a biodegradable artificial support. Thus recreated uterine wall can keep embryos. To verify the feasibility of this artificial uterus, implanted embryos obtained by artificial insemination. They began to develop, however, his experiment was stopped the experiment after six days. The controversy was served.

Given this success, research has continued in mice. Scientists are divided, pitting two camps: those who see this aspect therapeutic technique,ie help sterile women who have undergone hysterectomy have children while others talk about moral and ethical issues.

Some women may only use this technique of pregnancy to avoid having to suffer all the changes to which the body is subjected others whose age was not allowed to have children may have them. In fact, there are unscrupulous doctors who inseminate sixty years for women who are mothers (and we have a case in Spain).

credit to: Suzanne Ortega