find synthetic or bio-engineered replacements for. BloodBlood is important because there is usually always a shortage of it. Because of this blood substitutes are currently undergoing clinical trials. They are better known as oxygen-carrying compounds since this a major function of blood. Artificial blood comes in two basic forms. One is made from hemoglobin, the natural substance that carries oxygen and the second are perfluorocarbons. (NOVA) Perfluorocarbons are carbon-based synthetic compounds that also can carry oxygen. KidneyThe function of the kidney is to filter out unneeded urea, salt, sugar and water. Dialysis machines do this for someone who has a kidney, which is not operating properly. But the dialysis machine does not recycle the good materials in the body. David Humes, a nephrologist at the University of Michigan has developed an artificial kidney that recycles, by absorption through the kidney cells, the good materials back into the blood. (NOVA) It has been tested on dogs and is expected to be tested on humans sometime in the near future. HipsOlder people frequently fall and break their hip; it is a painful and often requires sugary. The hip, like many of the bones in the body, has 2 main part, the ball and the socket. The bone is made of metal with a ceramic head; the head is the top of the bone, which is shaped like a ball. When there is a chance for the bone to heal properly a fabricated mesh is placed around the broken area to promote growth. EyeAnother problem plaguing older people is the lose of eyesight. MIT Researchers are developing an eye implant that could restore vision to patients that have retinal disease. Macular degeneration is an age-related condition is the leading cause of blindness. (NOVA) The retinal implant will have two silicon microchips. One microchip provides solar power and the other will process the image taken by a small camera attached on glasses worn by the patient. The image processin...
