Maya Brinster
9/24/18
Biology C-Odd
Current Event #2
Thompson, Dennis. “Spinal Implant Could Be Breakthrough in Paralysis.” WebMD, WebMD, 24
For current event number two, I read the article titled “Spinal Implant Could be Breakthrough in Paralysis” by Dennis Thompson. This article describes the creation of a spinal implant, a medical innovation that greatly aids victims of paralysis. In 2013, 29 year old Jered Chinnock was in a major snowmobile accident which resulted in the damage of his spinal cord. He therefore suffered from complete loss of feeling and control below his lower back. However, an implant of an electrode stimulated his spinal cord, which allows Chinnock to control his legs by using his own mind and thoughts. He is now able to walk the full length of a football field, something that he never dreamt of doing before this life-changing invention. Although scientists are not certain as to why the brain can control the legs after the implant, they believe that some nerve fibers which transmit brain signals to the legs remained intact after the accident, which were re-stimulated after the therapy. This has never been done before, and is an immense advancement in medicine.
This medical achievement has a large impact on society. In medicine, it can inspire doctors to create new inventions and even help doctors and scientists who are currently studying even more ways to prevent or cure paralysis. It provides ideas that people can build off of and eventually create something even better. Technology is always advancing, and this invention accelerates it even more. To patients, families, and other people affected by paralysis, it provides hope. Although the spinal implant is still being tested, it will soon be accessible to almost every patient who is interested. Before reading this article, I thought that paralysis was permanent and could not be cured. However when I read about the spinal implant, I realised that victims to this condition can be rehabilitated. This article creates a sense of optimism in society and the medical field.
The author Dennis Thompson has both strengths and weaknesses in his writing. One strength is that he provides readers with many quotes. These quotes are a primary source and make an article stronger. They are a source of information that help to prove the author’s point, which caused Thompson to make a more impactful article. However, he should have made the explanation about the spinal implant more clear. This is the entire subject of the article, however I feel as if a simple and detailed definition of the object during the first paragraphs (instead of explaining it throughout the entire article) would have helped readers understand the article better. Overall, however, I really enjoyed reading this article and am looking forward to reading more about advancements in science for future current events.
Jess Wagner
ReplyDeleteMr.Ippolito
Biology H
Current Event 2
Thompson, Dennis. “Spinal Implant Could Be Breakthrough in Paralysis.” WebMD, WebMD, 24
Sept. 2018, www.webmd.com/brain/news/20180924/spinal-implant-could-be-breakthrough-in-paralysis#1.
I read my fellow classmate Maya Brinster’s review on “Spinal Implant Could Be Breakthrough in Paralysis” by Dennis Thompson. In Maya’s review I noticed she did a few things very well. One thing I thought that she did well was that she described exactly what the spinal implant was and what it did. This is important because it helps the reader understand what is going on right from the start. For example, Maya says, “This article describes the creation of a spinal implant, a medical innovation that greatly aids victims of paralysis.” This is very useful because the audience now knows what the article is about and what a spinal implant is. A second thing she did really well in her paragraph was she provided us an example of the spinal implant in use. This is important because it can help us visualize a real world example of this happening and it engages the readers interest in the implant. For example, Maya introduces us to Jered Chinnock, he was in a major snowmobile accident and lost control of below his lower back. “However, an implant of an electrode stimulated his spinal cord, which allows Chinnock to control his legs by using his own mind and thoughts.” This is interesting to read about because it shows us how this implant can change lives. And a last thing that Maya did well was, she explained why the implant is important to society and how it helps doctors and scientists studies. For example, “It provides ideas that people can build off of and eventually create something even better.” This is important because it shows that she understands what she’s talking about and she knows the impact the implant has on doctors and society.
Throughout her review, I did notice a couple of places where she could use improvement. The first general thing I noticed was, I thought that her transitions were a little abrupt and could have been smoother. For example, “To patients, families, and other people affected by paralysis, it provides hope. Although the spinal implant is still being tested, it will soon be accessible to almost every patient who is interested.” This transition between her two ideas are sort out of place, but if she added in another word or short phrase it could be beneficial to the flow of her writing. Another place of improvement was I think she could have given more detail or data about the article and the studies that have been done or important facts about it just to tie it together. “It provides ideas that people can build off of and eventually create something even better.” Maybe she could have addressed some of the ideas that were discussed and incorporated them into the review.
In conclusion, this review educated me on the spinal implant and how it’s changing science, technology, and lives. It brought together an inspiring and thoughtful story about a man being able to walk again and the technological effects of the implant all in one paragraph. I found this to be very interesting and it hooked me in and made me want to keep on reading because I was so fascinated by the technology and science behind the implant. I chose this review because when I saw “Spinal Implant”, I was immediately interested because paralysis is a known condition and if there is something that could possibly help with it I wanted to learn about it. This will change my understanding on science and technology because although we know that technological advancements can be unhealthy for humans. It can actually be used in a very productive way, such as new medical advancements. This changes my perception on modern day technology and makes me realize that it really is used for the better.
The Blog Post written by Maya Brinster concerning the article “Spinal Implant Could Be Breakthrough in Paralysis” written by Dennis Thompson discusses the discovery of a spinal implant that will be a big help to the people who suffer with the medical condition of paralysis. According to the article, Jared Chinnock, a 29 year old man was involved in a horrific snowmobile accident rendering him paralyzed from the waste down. An implant of electrode was able to stimulate one victim’s spinal cord. This enabled him to have access to the use of his legs using his own thoughts. Chinnock who is the victim in this case now has full mobility of his legs which will walk normally across the distance of one football field. The articles states that although scientists are unable to know for sure how the brain is able to control the implants, they have a theory “that nerve fibers which transmit brain signals to the legs remained intact after the accident, which were re-stimulated after the therapy”. This is very new in the medical industry and if proven successful multiple more times will be a huge advancement in the medical world.
ReplyDeleteMaya did a wonderful job explaining contents of this article in detail. I enjoyed how she included the backstory of the patient mentioned in the article. I also enjoyed when she stated that he was “in a major snowmobile accident which resulted in the damage of his spinal cord. He therefore suffered from complete loss of feeling and control below his lower back” It gave the reader a more personal connection and feel while grasping attention as well. Maya also did a great job explaining the significance of this article. When she said that “It provides ideas that people can build off of and eventually create something even better” it was a good general sense that got the point across. Maya’s explanation was very detailed and in most parts was not overly wordy. Even though this was a very well written article, it would be even better if Maya had provided more of an explanation as to what exactly the spinal implant is. When she stated it was “An implant of electrode was able to stimulate one victim’s spinal cord” It would of been even more interesting if she had gone more into detail about the implant.
I chose this article because I love the medical world and I found the title very interesting. It grabbed my attention right away. I learned about how the brain is able to still connect and have access to things that aren't even a natural part of the body. I also was able to learn about the spinal implant device. I loved reading this blog post about this article because it was overall really well written and interesting. It was able to grab my attention right from the start.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteIsabella Bouvard
ReplyDelete10/22/18
Core Biology 10H/Mr. Ippolito |Block C-Odd
Current Events #5
Thompson, Dennis. “Spinal Implant Could Be Breakthrough in Paralysis.” WebMD, WebMD, 24
Sept. 2018, www.webmd.com/brain/news/20180924/spinal-implant-could-be-breakthrough-in-paralysis#1.
For current events #5, I decided to read Maya Brinster’s review on “Spinal Implant Could Be Breakthrough in Paralysis” by Dennis Thompson. Throughout this article, Maya describes how a spinal implant was created which benefits victims of paralysis. She uses the example of Jered Chinnock’s life changing experience whereas he had the ability to walk again utilizing the device. In general, Maya did a very good job of drawing the reader's attention, providing details that were very enhancing as well as interesting. The information that Maya provided was very upfront and did not go into too much depth, making the facts simple in order for the reader to understand. The flow of the review was very good as well, while Maya did direct facts from the article she also described them within her own words for the purpose of the reader’s perception. Maya’s phrasing was very well constructed, and I was intrigued to read about her topic. By providing the examples and information that she did, her writing was evidently persuading within the point she was trying to make.
Despite Maya’s strengths described above, there was a couple things that might have room for improvement. For example, her entire summary was outlined with a white colored highlight that made it difficult to read after going through it after a certain amount of time. This really portrayed the contrast between both the black and the white, and for me made it harder to concentrate on what she was trying to say. An error possibly occurred when she copied it into the blog, something that can simply be fixed with proper formatting. There were also a few places whereas she forgot to put proper punctuation, such as commas or periods. For example, in her last paragraph she writes “One strength is that he provides readers with many quotes. These quotes are a primary source and make an article stronger.” These two sentences could have been more concise and contributed into one with better punctuation, like “One strength is that he provides readers with many quotes, a primary source which makes an article stronger.” as it is not necessary to divide both points into two sentences. This will in turn help to make her writing more concise and better presented to the viewer.
Before reading Maya’s review, I would have never thought that there could be a cure to paralysis. Such technology can change people’s lives. Even though this implant is still going through the process of testing, it is amazing that it has already given someone the ability to walk again. Because of Maya’s article, I have become more aware to the fact that science really does produce the unexpected. You may hear that researchers are conducting scientific studies as to things like this, however I would never even think that there would be a solution as the implant described. This provides hope to those who have struggled with symptoms all throughout their lives. In general, Maya’s review of this article helped me understand this life-changing advancement recently conducted by the scientific community in a very impactful way.
Teddy Wardell 10/21/18
ReplyDeleteBio C ODD Current Event
Thompson, Dennis. “Spinal Implant Could Be Breakthrough in Paralysis.” WebMD, WebMD, 24
Sept. 2018, www.webmd.com/brain/news/20180924/spinal-implant-could-be-breakthrough-in-paralysis#1.
For this week's current event assignment I read Maya Brinsters review on the article, “Spinal Implant Could be Breakthrough in Paralysis.” This article is about a man who had a horrible snowmobile accident and became injured his spinal cord. This lead to him losing feeling for the waste down and this meant that he couldn’t walk. Scientists were able to place an implant of an electrode stimulated his spinal cord this allowed him to walk again. I thought that Maya did a good job writing this article and their were many aspects of the article that were very strong. Maya was very good at engaging the readers by adding great pieces of evidence. This allowed the reader to get a stronger understanding of the article and be able to relate to it more. Maya also did a good job of grabbing the reader's attention. She did this by adding direct facts which help the reader stay intrigued and then added some more details. This helped the reader not get bored while reading. Another thing that Maya did well was give a strong opinion on weather or not she thought the article was good. She said that she enjoyed the article and we can tell from her response.
Maya had a very solid article. However, I would have added some things to the text to make it even better. First, Maya had some grammar mistakes such as missing punctuation. This could have been easily fixed by proof reading the paper or using an application like grammarly to check the work. Another, thing that I would have changed is having a bit more explanation in the final paragraph. This would help the reader understand why you liked or disliked certain aspects of the article.
I thought that this article was very interesting and I learned a lot. I had learned a bit about how prosthetics could help a person in my last article by placing 3D printed organs and placing them into someone. However, I did not not that you could prevent paralysis in some cases. I found this to be very interesting because it could lead to more scientific inventions to prevent different physical illnesses. Overall, I thought that this article was very well written and was very insightful.