The University of Southampton

Author: Katie Magill

Bionic Athletes

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A few years ago, I completed some work experience alongside an orthopaedic surgeon, where I got to see a total hip replacement surgery take place. Before taking part in this experience, I had the mindset that it was only older patients needing these sorts of surgeries. But to my surprise, it was a female in her mid 30s that came into the theatre.

The presentation given by MatOrtho sparked my interest once again in this area of bioengineering. They mentioned that Andy Murray, a top 10 tennis player, had received one of their hip resurfacing implants. As a keen sportsperson myself I was intrigued to hear that top athletes can receive such implants and return to the same level of sports performance.

From the presentation they explained that osteoarthritis of the hip is the most common reason for needing a hip implant. Osteoarthritis of the hip causes: severe pain, swelling, and stiffness which causes reduced motility. The image to the right highlights what an X-Ray of an osteoarthritic hip looks like.

I also learnt some of the major differences between total hip replacements and hip resurfacing implants.

The Pros of Hip Resurfacing

I found these two images which I think show the physical differences of the two types of implants quite well. The example of the hip resurfacing implant is the model developed by MatOrtho know as ADEPT. This model has a patient satisfaction of over 95%.

MatOrtho’s website also provided a good list of the benefits that come with the hip resurfacing implant. This included that, hip resurfacing patients can return to a wider variety of sporting activities without restriction, hip resurfacing significantly reduces the risk of dislocation and has a lower risk of postoperative infection than the total hip replacement.

https://www.matortho.com/products/adept-hip-resurfacing-system#:~:text=Hip%20resurfacing%20significantly%20reduces%20the,of%20mortality%20compared%20to%20THR.

So from reading further about the hip resurfacing it seems that the main selling point is that younger patients who receive this type of implant can return to a fully active lifestyle…

The research that has been done has shown that the hip resurfacing has majorly increased the majority of the patient’s ability to take part in sport after the hip replacement. And not only take part, but excel in sport performance.

The future

This made me think what effect a hip resurfacing procedure could have on a person with a perfectly healthy hip. Although there’s no research on hip resurfacing in healthy patients, the advancements that have been made so far in going from the total hip replacement to developing the hip resurfacing implant is already major.

It is not only science and engineering that is constantly trying to break boundaries, athletes are a prime example of where records are being broken on a regular basis. Athletes are always looking for ways that they can improve their sports performance within their training and diet. Could it be possible that we could introduce these types of implants so that one day athletes could purposely get them as a way of increasing their sports performance?

I decided to get in contact with consultant orthopaedic surgeon, Paul Magill to get his opinion on whether orthopaedic implants could be introduced as a way to increase sports performance.

Interview with Paul Magill

An Extra Brain Just in Case?

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I was reading about how stem cells are used so much in research in recent years to grow and develop organs in the lab. In particular, the advancements being made in growing mini brains. How amazing would it be if we were one day able to develop a fully functioning brain from our own brain cells that could be transplanted into brain dead patients!

So how close have scientists got to creating a fully developed and functioning brain?

Many ongoing experiments have been able to take human tissue and develop it into cerebral organoids, better known as mini brains. But what is the science behind this? I read an article written by Tiare Dunlap from University of California, Los Angeles. The article explains that scientists take the human tissue and engineer it to become induced pluripotent cells. Induced pluripotent cells are cells that can differentiate into any cell type in the body. They can then take these cells and by changing the environment the cells are in they can make them become neural stem cells. These neural stem cells are capable of developing into most of the types of cells found within the brain. The article also explained how there is no set protocol that is used across labs resulting in huge differences between ongoing experiments. I suppose the differences obtained in the results of the experiments can be a good thing in such a new and developing area of science. However, it did make me question if discoveries could ever be backed up with more evidence if each experiment carried out is slightly different. Is it limiting the discoveries that could be made within this highly important research? (https://newsroom.ucla.edu/releases/making-mini-brain-organoids-brainier#:~:text=To%20produce%20mini%E2%80%93brain%20organoids,cell%20type%20in%20the%20body.)

I found this video which gives a good summary of the the ongoing research and some of the science behind it.

What can we do with mini brains?

This is an image of cerebral organoids that were grown in a lab. At the minute, the mini brains are being used to research neural development, creating models to research neurodevelopmental disorders and for testing drug administration and responses.

But the big question is how far can we go with these mini brains?

A large amount of ongoing research is aimed at developing mini brains that can be conscious. There has been a few experiments that have shown that it is possible for the organoids to develop properties of a conscious brain. This includes, in 2019, Muotri’s group published a paper showing the creation of human brain organoids that produced coordinated waves of activity, resembling those seen in premature babies.

At the present time, there is no evidence that cerebral oranoids can become fully conscious, but the theory behind it has sparked many ideas on how we can further develop and use cerebral organoids. The downloadable PDF written by Sara Reardon gives a great insight to some further research ideas that are starting to become a reality.

can_lab_grown_brains_become_conciousDownload

Further reading and research into my initial question; whether a fully functioning brain could be developed from our own cells, has shown that there is still a lot of research to be done if it is to become a reality. And although the reality of this happening is still far down the line it was extremely interesting to see how far science has come.

Waterpolo

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Olympic water polo is the most nightmarish sport in the world!!!

insider
I wasn’t shocked to see that water polo was voted as one of the toughest sports but disappointed to read all the negative stories that came with that title. So I wanted to highlight a few of the many benefits that come with the sport.

5 benefits of playing water polo:

Toning
Water polo players are constantly on the move, using an eggbeater kick to stay high in the water. A good eggbeater is vital to water polo and uses every muscle in your legs

Stamina
You can’t switch off for a second in water polo. It’s a high-paced game where essentially you are interval training.

Easy on the joints
Water polo is an intense, physical game, but the fact that it’s played in water means it’s easier on joints than sport played on hard ground.

Social
Playing team sports is a fantastic way for people to develop their social skills. Teamwork and good communication are vital for success in water polo.

Problem solving
Another benefit of playing a water polo is that it’s great at developing problem solving. You’ll learn strategies to break down a defence and how to play with an extra player. Water polo involves having to think on your feet and find the best scenario straight away.

I found this video which gives a great overview on the sport.

Hopefully this post will entice a few more people to give the sport a go!