We Can Make Him Better Trivia Quiz

Answer: Egyptian

The Egyptians were the earliest known developers of prosthetic limbs. Rudimentary prosthetics go back as far as 2750 B.C., based on the finding of splints in archeological digs from that period. The first recorded uses of artificial limbs come during the New Kingdom circa 1000 B.C. and include the finding of a prosthetic toe made of wood and fiber. The "Cairo toe", as it is called, is remarkably lifelike and functional.

Artificial limbs are also mentioned in the Hindu sacred text, the "Rigveda", also believed to have been created circa 1000 B.C. Greek records on the use of prosthetics include references from Herodotus in the fifth century B.C. Herodotus recounts the story of Hegesistratus, who cut off his foot to escape Spartan enslavement and replaced his foot with a wooden replica.

Answer: Microprocessors

In 1997, the pioneering German prosthetic company Ottobock introduced the revolutionary C-Leg, a knee prosthesis that uses computers to vary pressure and resistance to mimic the movement of a patients' natural walk. The computer implanted in the artificial knee requires the use of a microprocessor to fit in the small space. The microprocessor in the unit analyses data from sensors designed to recognize knee angle in order to determine the type of motion desired by the patient. The microprocessor interprets the sensory signals to control the hydraulic cylinders in the knee-joint. Small changes in the levels of hydraulic fluid in the cylinder regulate the extension and compression of the piston connected to the tip of the knee.

The microprocessor controlled prosthesis provides a more accurate approximation of the individual patients natural walking pattern. Improvements in the processors and knee-joints allow many patients to vary the speed of their movements and even to run. Similarly, the fast processing time can permit many patients to walk down stairs with a natural step-over-step approach without the need to stop and approach each step individually.

Answer: Blade

Prosthetic feet come in many different forms. Specialized carbon fiber feet that resemble small skis or "blades" are very popular with para-athletes. Oscar Pistorius was a South African athlete who, in 2012, became the first person to run in both the able-bodied and para-Olympics. Pistorius used "Flex-Foot Cheetah" running blades. The blades attached at the knees and replaced his legs and feet. Flex-Foot Cheetah blades were first created in 1984. The blades' spring-like design was an improvement on earlier prosthetic feet. The "blade" acted to store the runner's kinetic energy allowing the runner to move more efficiently.

Oscar Pistorius lost his legs at 11 months as a result of the genetic defect, fibular hemimelia, that left him without a fibula bone. Oscar, however, was undeterred and excelled at athletics using a variety of prosthetic legs. As a runner, Pistorius won six gold medals between 2004 and 2012 Para-Olympics. Pistorius set his sights to run against able-bodied competition and petitioned to appear at the 2008 World Championships. The hi-tech look of the Cheetah blade caused a controversy where competitors in able-bodied events felt that the spring-effect of the prosthetics gave Pistorius an unfair advantage. Ultimately, after extensive testing, Pistorius and his blades were deemed able to compete. This allowed Oscar to make his biggest mark when he qualified for and raced in the 400M race at the 2012 (able-bodied) Olympics. Remarkably, Oscar qualified for the semi-finals, but did not make the final.

Answer: Hearing

The cochlear implant is a process of creating electrical impulses to stimulate nerve endings in the ear to approximate hearing amongst certain patients with limited or no hearing. The implant consists of both an external piece that sits on or near the ear and a surgical implant within the ear. The implant does not restore a person's hearing, but rather, through the stimulation of the nerve endings, provides a representation of sound. The relationship between the sound produced by a cochlear implant to "normal" sound can be compared to the difference between sight and the use of bio-sonar by animals to locate objects. Cochlear implants are not hearing aids. A hearing aid amplifies sound, whereas the cochlear implant directly stimulates the auditory nerve. Advancements in the science of cochlear technology are expanding the clarity and usefulness of the devices.

From the start, cochlear implants were controversial within the deaf community. Historically, many hearing loss advocates argued that use of the implants de-empathizes the development of sign language skills and creates a culture of disability within deaf children. However, as the use of the cochlear device and the developing improvements in "normalizing" the hearing sensation continue, opposition within the community has softened.

Answer: True

Myoelectric limbs are the cutting edge of robotic or mechanical limb replacement in the early twenty-first century. Functional limb prosthetics generally are either body-powered or externally-powered prosthetics. Body-powered prosthetics use cables bound to the patient permitting a mechanical movement of an arm or leg.

The low tech process requires a bulky and often fatiguing manual manipulation process. Externally-powered artificial limbs use electrical stimulus to control mechanical movements.

The prosthetic uses electronic sensors at the point of the limbs attachment to detect brain signals. The processor takes the brain stimulus and triggers the movement of the limbs motors to move the limb. The process creates an artificial limb that moves much like a natural limb based on the mental stimulus of the user.

Increases in the use of lightweight metals and plastics are both driving the weight and cost of these exciting limb replacements down, increasing their benefit and viability.

Answer: LASIK

LASIK is an acronym for a "laser assisted in-situ keratomileusis". LASIK is a form of refractive eye surgery to improve vision without the aid of corrective aids, such as contact lens or eye glasses. The LASIK procedure, as well as similar laser assisted refractive techniques such as LASEK and PRK, use a specialized laser beam to reshape the cornea of the eye. In its most basic terms, the LASIK procedure shapes the cornea to remove imperfections or age effects unique to the patient's eye, reducing or removing nearsightedness, farsightedness and astigmatism. The correction of these unique distortions allows the patient to experience crisper, sharper vision.

For most patients, LASIK and other refractive surgeries are done on an out-patient basis with the patient experiencing little or no discomfort and immediate vision improvement. The variety and scope of refractive surgeries continue to develop with per eye costs decreasing. A word of advice, however - it is perhaps best not to trust the future of your vision to the lowest cost provider.

Answer: As a bridge to a permanent transplant

An enduring goal in transplantation science is to reduce and eventually eliminate the need for human donor organs by creating permanent artificial replacement organs. A prominent part of this effort has been the development and use of artificial hearts. In 1969 a partially artificial heart was implanted into a patient in Texas to replaced a failing heart and serve as a short term bridge for a transplant. The first clinical attempt at a permanent artificial heart used a device called the Jarvik-7 and was implanted into Barney Clark in 1982. Mr. Clark survived 112 days with the mechanical heart. Donor organ transplant remains the only viable permanent solution for total organ replacement.

While total artificial organ development remains in the theoretical stage, the use of partial synthetic organ implants is used for a number of purposes. For example, internally implanted heart regulators that provide electrical stimulus and control over heartbeat have been used since the late 1950s. Since the late 1990s, deep brain stimulation (DBS), often called the "brain pacemaker", have been used to assist with depression, chronic pain and other electrochemical brain disorders.

Answer: Bluetooth

Bluetooth is the umbrella name for a wireless technology standard that allows for the exchange of data over short distances. The most common use of the Bluetooth technology is to replace the need for a direct cable connection between a mobile phone and a headphone or earpiece.

The Bluetooth technology, however, has applications beyond cell phones. One of these developing applications is for use in prosthetic limbs. The first use of the wireless technology in prosthetics occurred in 2007, when Marine Lance Cpl. Joshua Bleill, an Iraqi veteran and wounded warrior, received two artificial legs with embedded Bluetooth technology.

The Bluetooth devices communicate with each other to regulate the length of stride, foot pressure and gait speed in the prosthetic legs. Research is underway to create Bluetooth controlled limbs using direct brain stimulus and common gaming headsets to create a more affordable prosthetic.

Answer: Rattan

Artificial bone is the use of synthetic material used to replace human bone that has to be removed or replaced due to severe breaks or disease. In a broad sense, the human skeletal system can be compared to the framework of a building, where the bones provide support for the tissue, organs and muscles. However, bones are also living parts of the human anatomy that participate in blood cell development and other functions. As such, creating an artificial substitute for human bone is akin to creating artificial organs and has proven to be almost as elusive. In 2008, Italian scientists announced the development of a promising new technology that converts rattan wood into a bone material. The rattan based bone is both bioactive (it can accommodate connection to living bone and not cause that bone to die) and is more flexible than metal or plaster based options. The rattan wood bone is significantly more cost effective than current bone transplant or metal based options.

Rattan is a generic name for a family of palm like plants that grown as a vine. Over seventy percent of the world's rattan comes from Indonesia, but the plants grow in other tropical regions in Africa, Asia and Australia. The wood of the plant is processed primarily to make furniture. The plant's bark or skin is peeled away for use as a weaving material. The woven rattan skin creates wicker and is also used in making decorative items and furniture.

Answer: Embryonic stem cells can become any type of organ cell

Stem cells are cells in an organism that are not yet "coded" or differentiated into a specific cell type. A stem cell is like an unmolded piece of clay that can be developed into different shapes or uses. Embryonic stem cells exist when a human embryo is in the blastocyst phase of development. Blastocysts are fertilized eggs that have divided (via mitosis) into a mass of cells that are ready to, but have not yet, attach themselves to the uterus. These cells are highly adaptable and have the ability to develop into any type of body cell. This ability to grow stem cells in a laboratory and "cause" the stem cell to become a heart or liver cell (and thus a new heart or liver) has great potential to replace organ donation for transplant purposes.

In function, adult stem cells are similar but are less versatile than embryonic stem cells. First, there are fewer adult stem cells in mature tissue as compared to embryonic cells. Unlike embryonic stem cells, adult stem cells are pre-specialized and generally are limited to reproducing the type of tissue from which they were harvested. However, the process of harvesting adult stem cells is not painful and is also a valuable part of using stem cells for the control of certain diseases and tissue regeneration.

The use of embryonic stems in medical research is highly controversial and touches on the subject of when life begins. Critics of the use of embryonic stem cells argue that once an egg is fertilized and enters the zygote and blastocyst phase the embryo is "alive". Thus using these cells is in essence killing the life.