First Womb Transplant Woman is Pregnant

This article is about a woman that received the first ever successful uterus transplant. Although it was the 2nd attempt, this particular transplant was done in a Turkish hospital and has gone perfectly so far. The lady is now 3 months pregnant and all aspects of the pregnancy look positive at the moment. The uterus was taken from a recently deceased donor whereas the previous attempt at the uterus transplant was taken from a living donor. The previous attempt eventually failed due to blood clots and they were forced to take the organ back out of the patient. There are a few problems that the doctors are worried about. Due to the unnatural drugs that are being taken by the patient, it could cause issues such as brain damage and other deformation problems.
I am impressed with this procedure. I think that it is incredible that this is even possible. I would love to know the opinions of others about this procedure. I think it has a possibility for controversy because of the effects that it might have on the child. I think there could be some interesting arguments on each side of the spectrum. Overall, this is an amazing accomplishment for the Health field throughout the World. If the procedure continues to run as smoothly as it is now, maybe it will be introduced into the United States.

http://www.skynews.com.au/health/article.aspx?id=863088

Robert Edwards. 4/12/13. 1:17

Key link between obesity and type 2 diabetes discovered

This article explains new research that was completed in London that explains the exact link between obesity and type 2 diabetes. He explains that there was always an understanding that these two phenomenon were connected, but the molecules that were responsible for this connection was still unclear. The head researcher did his experiment on genetically engineered mice and tested many aspects of obesity and type 2, such as insulin, fat accumulation, and protein regulation (mostly a protein by the name of T-Bet). He concluded that human obesity is not always associated with insulin resistance. Dr Howard explains that further studies are needed in order to know what other molecules are involved alongside of T-Bet. He believes that with the answers to these studies, it could mean the future drug developments in order to treat Type 2 diabetes.
I was extremely impressed with this article. Although I did not thoroughly understand many of the scientific aspects of it, I respect everyone involved. The article makes us aware that nearly 371 million people in the world that struggle with diabetes. It has become an extremely severe problem in places such as India. The technology that we have available to us in modern day society in order to understand health related issues is incredible. The fact that many scientist's dont think that we are in our prime is amazing. We have already achieved so much, and we still have more goals to accomplish.

http://www.indiaeducationdiary.in/showEE.asp?newsid=21364

Robert Edwards. 4/5/12. 4:21pm

Threesome: How to Make One Baby From Three People

This article explains a new process that has been discovered and is currently being researched and studied in Britain as well as the United States. Don't be fooled by the title, this strictly scientific article tells the reader of the new vitro fertilization technique that can create a baby with the DNA of three people. This process is used as a sort of replacement technique to replace structures in the child that might lead to genetic sicknesses. It has already been proven to help some situations such as muscular dystrophy and mental retardation. There are many questions and controversies about this process. The British doctor involved in the discovery explains that he is not scared for the future of this because it is not directly dealing with gene mutations. It is simply a donor mother giving mitochondrial structures to the child of two other people. The DNA of the child will only be of his two legitimate parents, but he could possibly resist more diseases and sicknesses from this process.
I think that this article is an incredible discovery. I cannot fathom or understand the aspects that must go into this type of research to gain this knowledge. One thing that is worrisome to me is the fact that this is yet another discovery of modern day medicine that will allow our new generations to live longer. This sounds like an amazing discover, but it could also be quite dangerous. We are already dealing with overpopulation as a society due to the increase of medicines and treatments that we have. Imagine how much different this will be when there are no more sicknesses in the first place. How advanced can we possibly get until it is too much for humans to handle.

http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2013-03-22/threesome-how-to-make-one-baby-from-three-people

Robert Edwards 3/22/13 4:55pm

Americans Are Eating Fewer Calories, So Why Are We Still Obese?

This article that was featured in TIME magazine explains that Americans have incredibly managed to decrease the number of calories consumed over the past decade, but still gain an increasing amount of weight. One of the issues that is causing this is the amount of fast food that is consumed by Americans. One point that was discovered in this article was that adults around the age of 60 and older were not eating nearly as much fast food as other ages. It is also said that around 1/5th of the daily calories in the adult african-american community consumed calories comes from fast food. One very important aspect in the diets of Americans is the amount of sugar that is consumed. Although the statistics show a decrease in the amount of sugar consumed, these numbers have to be higher in order to achieve any type of weight loss as a whole.
The good news of this article is that Americans are heading in the right direction. With an increasing number of groups and families becoming aware of diets and obesity awareness, it is very possible that this society can change into a healthier one. Although we have eaten less fast food recently than we have in the past, there is still not enough people to cause a noticeable change in weight. I believe that through teaching the younger generations about the dangers of obesity, we will get there soon enough.

Robert Edwards 2/22/13 3:18

Blog 3: FDA Approves the "Bionic Eye"

This week, the Food and Drug Administration approved a device geared towards people that suffer from Retinitis Pigmentosa, which is a disease of the eyes that causes a gradual loss in vision to the point of eventual blindness. For the approximate 100,000 people dealing with Retinitis Pigmentosa, this "Bionic Eye" will be a life-changing experience. The device functions by using flashes of pictures taken from an extremely small camera and transmitting them to electrode sensors that have been artificially placed on the patients eye. This helps to replace the damaged cells that are inside the retina and creates the process of sight. During the testing of the product, many of the patients were excited when they were able to see sights of the community around them, and even more so in 2009 when the first patient was able to see large letters.
I find this invention to be incredible. Last week I read an article about a man that was able to overcome an injury leaving him a quadruple amputee. This week I learning that the scientists in the health field are  more or less "giving sight to the blind." I feel as though we are already the future of medicine, but this article assures us that more is to come. In fact, the doctor that was interviewed in this article says that this discovery is simply a beginning. This article is nothing short of amazing. In reading the section where a man describes seeing his son for the first time since the effects of disease proves the success of modern day health and science.

http://www.webmd.com/eye-health/news/20130214/fda-approves-bionic-eye-to-help-against-rare-vision-disorder

Robert Edwards: 2/15/13 12:50!

Quadruple Amputee Vet Says New Arms Feel "Amazing"

       Last Tuesday, a veteran from the war in Iraq was able to break medical history by having the first ever successful arm transplant surgery. Brendan Marrocco was severely wounded by a car bombing in Iraq, which tragically severed all four off his limbs. It was said to be a miracle that he even survived. He explains in this article that he died and was resuscitated three times before he finally became stable. Throughout the years since this horrible injury in 2010, Marrocco has struggled with his way of life. He says that missing legs doesn't affect a person's freedom as much as missing his arms. This all changed when the results of a 13 hour surgery gave Marrocco a new pair of working, human arms.
        When discovering this story, I was instantly mesmerized. It seems like every part of this story is nothing short of miraculous. The fact that someone could even survive an injury of this sort is unbelievable. There is no doubt that this will be a sacred moment in medical history. Prosthetic limbs were a revolutionary creation and have changed the course of medicine, but only a handfull of human transplants (limbs) have been attempted, and nothing this extreme. The science of connecting the bones together with plates and screws combined with the connection of the nerves, blood vessels, and tendons really helps the viewer understand how intricate and special this surgery was. I feel as though I have just witnessed the future of medicine and can't imagine the potential that this brings.

Reference: http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-18563_162-57566545/quadruple-amputee-vet-says-new-arms-feel-amazing/

Robert Edwards | 3:44 February 8

Mental Health Screening for Kids

This featured article on USA Today says that in wake of the Newtown school shootings, the idea of mental screening for kids that attend schools has become increasingly popular. The article informs the reader that students are required a verification of good health in order to attend schools, and that many schools require dentist and eye doctor check-ups. Many perpetrators involved in mass shooting have been able to be identified at a very early age. Using this information, what is holding us back as a society from making mental screenings necessary? Briggs, the author of the article, explains the issues and controversies that come with mental screening. These issues include the judgement of the diagnosed child by the other students, the interference in the families, and the fear of misdiagnosis and overmedication.
I believe that although this issue can be very controversial, the counselors and members of the health profession would work really hard in order to decrease the possibility of judgements to be put upon the student. This fact would seem to cancel out the issues of privacy and judgement for the student, but could still worry parents and guardians of misdiagnosis. The doctors and health care professionals are well trained and many are known to have a great deal of respect from all of their patients. I think that the mental screening of students would be smart, and could possibly save the lives of these children and the children around them

Robert Davis Edwards
2/1/13 12:36

Health/Disease

I am interested in the topic of Health and Disease because I plan on pursuing a career in Sports Medicine or Sports Psychology. I am extremely interested in these two topics and I'm excited to learn more about them.
1/18/13 11:17  Robert Edwards