If one industry or sector in the last one or two decade shown most proactive growth and promises of advancement in all regards, it is undoubtedly healthcare. Some of the greatest medical breakthroughs of the decade made the healthcare standard and medical treatment in an unprecedented way. Besides the array of great outputs in the fields of medical research and therapeutic outcomes we should also ascribe greater importance to the great influence that mobile devices, information technology and corresponding applications started to exert on medical practices and professional demeanors. Some of the revolutionary research outcomes unearthed in this decade only changing the course and standard of treatment and quality of life of the patients. From human genome projects and its genetic discoveries that already started to reach in medicinal formula at the patient's bedside to the truly revolutionary outcomes of stem cell research that make laboratory production of body parts and tissues possible to targeted drug therapy for cancer treatment, this last decade set many milestones of healthcare advancement ever since modern medical science came into being. Here are our picks of top 10 medical breakthroughs of the decade.
The finding of the sequence of all the genes that build up our DNA is the most audacious and revolutionary of all medical breakthroughs of the decade. Formally named as human genome project, is the greatest leap in the scientific research about human ever since Darwin's theory of evolution and it would potentially open the door to new medical breakthroughs like finding the responsible gene for diseases and genetic structure vulnerable to various health conditions and diseases and corresponding medical answers in genetic drugs. This huge discovery gave way to Human Microbiome Project which would unveil the complex system of bacteria that live in our organic process and continue to play its role. Mapping the human genes is certainly a big milestone that would eventually give rise to other more medical breakthroughs.
Stem cell research or more pointedly telling stem cell transplant is another revolutionary medical advance of our time that evoked worldwide hope of permanent and conclusive treatment to many crucial as well as life threatening diseases. Stem cell research made the laboratory production of biological cell possible for the first time in medical history that can further be used transplant in the area of degenerated or damaged cells in the body. This great outcome is reported to have medical potential to thwart progression of Alzheimer's disease and being instrumental in curbing other diseases in the near future including Parkinson's disease, diabetes, osteoarthritis, skin disorders, burns, heart diseases, stroke, etc. Stem cell research outputs all over the world gave birth to more revolutionary operative replacement procedures. For crucial diseases concerning brain cell damage where all previous medications only proved to be too inadequate stem cell replacement can be the most promising boundary in arresting such gradual decay of brain cells.
Functional MRI or as it is called in some quarters brain mapping technique is undoubtedly one of the most promising medical breakthroughs of the decade. This sophisticated imaging technique tracts how brain neurons work through measuring the metabolic speed at which they consume sugar. Using this technique, researchers all over the globe already made significant progress as to many crucial aspects of brain functioning in mood disorder, brain tumor, depression, memory disorders, brain cancer, etc. Though FMRI as a technique was shaped in the preceding decade, but it came to prominence and extensive medical use for observing crucial brain chemical reactions and neurotic functions in this decade only.
No other disease has been subject to such huge and widespread medical research as Cancer. Though conclusive treatment of all types of cancer and unveiling the mystery surrounding the typical uncontrollable cell growth is still far away, in the recent time many minor cases of cancer could be addressed with treatment that could either guarantee better survival rate or controlling the cancerous cell growth to a much higher degree. Some specific drugs for particular cancer ailments can steadily produce great results which are dubbed as targeted drug therapy for cancer. After billions of healthcare dollars and long years of human resources spent on cancer research this is undoubtedly a revolutionary leap in cancer treatment.
It might sound ridiculous just ten years before but not now, since it became a reality that the operating surgeon can operate a patient using the precision driven brilliance of robotic hands while he would be taking control of the joysticks. Yes, to our amazement many minor and even some major surgeries even can be taken care of by robotic technology. Though still now it is being only applied partly in select surgical environments the signs are already well established enough to see it as a trendsetter in the very near future. Considering the huge impact that it is going to bestow on the modern surgical environment, it is undoubtedly to be dubbed as one of the most striking medical breakthroughs of the decade.
A surgery with no spilling of blood, does not it sound ridiculous to our ears who for ages have commonly thought of surgery as to expose our internal organs to the surgeons and practitioners while we are anesthetized? With the latest minimally invasive surgery technique in place our organs might be viewed on a sophisticated screen while the operation can be guided without the surgeons touching us. A surgery is all about exposing the internal organs to the surrounding environment while the surgical team would go on pursuing their surgical process in relation perfecting the organic functions. But that notion concerning a surgery is already going to be matter of past thanks to the latest technology of minimally invasive surgery or laparoscopic surgery. Now for removing a gallbladder stone or transplanting a pacemaker, surgeons can use the truly precise laparoscopic technology without exposing the internal organs. This revolutionary breakthrough reduced the risks of infection and other health complications to a great degree.
In the recent time across many developed nations HIV survival rate increased significantly and consequently the death rate due to the lethal disease also dropped to a great extent. One of the key factors contributing to this is obviously the newly evolved combination drug therapy for HIV treatment. While medication with one active ingredient already proved to evoke drug resistance in the body, combination therapy significantly reduces such effects. Combination therapy with multiple active drugs and simultaneously administered therapies are increasingly being popular for many diseases including HIV/AIDS, leprosy, cancer, malaria, tuberculosis and many other viral and bacterial borne diseases. As per many substantial analysis and proven effects combination therapy is beneficial even for typical chronic disorders like high blood pressure.
Man's determined effort and rigorous endeavor to fight the killer disease cancer is to be continued for sure and in spite of our huge research outputs on cancer we still are not equipped enough to conclusively wipe cancer from our life, but in the recent time, particularly in the last decade some cancers have almost found their conclusive medical answer. Yes, after some types of skin cancer being declared as completely treatable with almost 100% survival rate, now there is another situation that can as well be dubbed as one of the most promising medical breakthroughs of the decade. In this decade only survival rate for localized breast cancer has risen to 98% which is not a small feat in the global fight against cancer.
Just think of treating a malfunction or any awkward symptom of a baby even when he or she is in the mother's womb, is not born. This typical surgery performed in the fetus of the birth giving mother is called fetal surgery which opened a new range of revolutionary medical possibilities, particularly in respect of assuring better health of the new born babies. If you can medically ascertain the health and proper organic function of a new born baby you are actually saving him from all future health complications and life threats and obviously reducing the healthcare risks and costs. Considering the huge benefit it can incur on the generations to come fetal surgery is obviously is one of the few milestone medical breakthroughs of the decade.
Unveiling the lethal risk factors associated with the hormonal therapies which for long has been in use for regulating menopause is undoubtedly a major breakthrough that the medical research in the last decade can duly boast off. For controlling troublesome menopause symptoms the medical practitioners long had prescribed hormonal therapy incorporating the changes into two crucial hormones, Estrogen and Progestin. But in this decade only the wide array of health risks of hormonal therapy were unveiled to the medical community and to our shock we came to know how the therapeutic changes in these two hormonal function increases the risk of breast cancer rapidly. Undoubtedly replacing hormonal therapy from therapeutic uses in this decade we made a significant advance in our understanding and determined fight against cancer.
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