76results about How to "Improve clinical utility" patented technology

A medical imaging system includes an image sensor that receives imaging signals from a region of interest, a memory coupled to the image sensor, and a processor coupled to the memory. The memory stores image data derived from the imaging signals for first and second sub-regions of the region of interest acquired during a first and second occurrence of a physiologic cycle. The processor initiates display of the first image data while the second image data is being acquired and initiates display of the first image data joined with the second image data after the second image data is acquired.

The present invention relates to methods for administration of insulin into the intradermal compartment of subject's skin, preferably to the dermal vasculature of the intradermal compartment. The methods of the present invention enhance the pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic parameters of insulin delivery and effectively result in a superior clinical efficacy in the treatment and / or prevention of diabetes mellitus. The methods of the instant invention provide an improved glycemic control of both non-fasting (i.e., post-prandial) and fasting blood glucose levels and thus have an enhanced therapeutic efficacy in treatment, prevention and / or management of diabetes relative to traditional methods of insulin delivery, including subcutaneous insulin delivery.

A method and system for measuring energy expenditure of individuals by measuring force from a plurality of foot-borne force sensitive resistors and calculating incline from a foot-borne tri-axial accelerometer.

A surgical barrier device includes an inflatable thermal blanket formed integrally with, or attached to, a surgical drape. The inflatable thermal blanket is inflatable through an inlet by a thermally-controlled inflating medium. An aperture array on the undersurface of the inflatable thermal blanket exhausts the thermally controlled inflating medium from the inflatable thermal blanket. The surgical drape extends from the inflatable thermal blanket and is sized to substantially cover the entirety of the patient's body. Where patient access is required, the drape has an opening to provide access to a surgical site.

The invention relates to an automatic bacteria culture instrument, which comprises a sealed incubator. A rotatable sample disc is arranged in the middle of the incubator; at least one culture bottle base is arranged at the peripheral edge of the rotatable sample disc; a biphase culture bottle is arranged inside the culture bottle base; a mobile device is arranged above the rotatable sample disc; a mechanical hand capable of gripping the biphase culture bottle and enabling the biphase culture bottle to overturn up and down is arranged on the mobile device; and the mobile device is also provided with a camera device facilitating dynamic observation of a culture plate in the biphase culture bottle. The automatic bacteria culture instrument reduces complex manual culture operation programs, shortens the culture time, and is convenient to early discover positive samples. The infection risk due to the contact between the operating personnel and the samples is avoided, and the health of the operating personnel is guaranteed; and the positive results of the samples delivered to the lab can be timely discovered and reported, and precious time for the clinical service is obtained.

The present invention provides improved methods for ID delivery of drugs and other substances to humans or animals. The methods employ small gauge needles, especially microneedles, placed in the intradermal space to deliver the substance to the intradermal space as a bolus or by infusion. It has been discovered that the placement of the needle outlet within the skin and the exposed height of the needle outlet are critical for efficacious delivery of active substances via small gauge needles to prevent leakage of the substance out of the skin and to improve absorption within the intradermal space. The pharmacokinetics of hormone drugs delivered according to the methods of the invention have been found to be very similar to the pharmacokinetics of conventional SC delivery, indicating that ID administration according to the methods of the invention is likely to produce a similar clinical result (i.e., similar efficacy) with the advantage of reduction or elimination of pain for the patient. Delivery devices which place the needle outlet at an appropriate depth in the intradermal space and control the volume and rate of fluid delivery provide accurate delivery of the substance to the desired location without leakage.

The present invention relates to methods and devices for administration of vaccines and therapeutic agents into the intradermal layer of the skin. The methods of the present invention elicit increased humoral and / or cellular response as compared to conventional vaccine delivery methods, e.g., intramuscular route. Furthermore, the methods of the present invention facilitate induction of an immune response by an amount of vaccine which is otherwise insufficient for inducing an immune response when delivered via conventional vaccine routes, e.g., intramuscular route.

The invention discloses a magnetic resonance angiography method. The magnetic resonance angiography method includes applying a flowing sensitive dispersed phase gradient magnetic field in the readout direction and / or the phase encoding direction and / or the layer selection direction in a vasoconstriction period and then applying a residual magnetic moment removing gradient magnetic field after the flowing sensitive dispersed phase gradient magnetic field is applied; collecting blood flow images in the vasoconstriction period; collecting blood flow images in a vasodilatation period; and carrying out subtraction on the blood flow images in the vasoconstriction period and the blood flow images in the vasodilatation period to obtain blood flow images. The invention further discloses a magnetic resonance angiography system. According to the magnetic resonance angiography method and the magnetic resonance angiography system, in the specific implementation method, the flowing sensitive dispersed phase is used in the vasoconstriction period imaging process, so that intra-arterial self-spin dispersed phase can significantly lower arterial blood signals, and therefore the influence on imaging due to the velocity and the direction of blood flow can be reduced, high-quality peripheral arterial images can be obtained, and clinical practicability of the non-enhanced magnetic resonance angiography technology is improved.

The present invention relates to methods for administration of a substance into the junctional layer of a subject's skin, i.e., a transitory tissue between the reticular dermis and the hypodermis of the subcutaneous layer of the skin. The present invention provides an improved method of parenteral drug delivery in that it provides among other benefits, minimized unwanted immune response and inadvertent immunotoxic effects provoked by the substance administered. In addition, an improved pharmacokinetic profile can be obtained by employing the methods of the present invention. Devices that can be used in accordance with the methods of the invention are also disclosed.

The present invention provides improved methods for ID delivery of drugs and other substances to humans or animals. The methods employ small gauge needles, especially microneedles, placed in the intradermal space to deliver the substance to the intradermal space as a bolus or by infusion. It has been discovered that the placement of the needle outlet within the skin and the exposed height of the needle outlet are critical for efficacious delivery of active substances via small gauge needles to prevent leakage of the substance out of the skin and to improve absorption within the intradermal space. The pharmacokinetics of hormone drugs delivered according to the methods of the invention have been found to be very similar to the pharmacokinetics of conventional SC delivery, indicating that ID administration according to the methods of the invention is likely to produce a similar clinical result (i.e., similar efficacy) with the advantage of reduction or elimination of pain for the patient. Delivery devices which place the needle outlet at an appropriate depth in the intradermal space and control the volume and rate of fluid delivery provide accurate delivery of the substance to the desired location without leakage.

The present invention relates to methods for administration of insulin into the intradermal compartment of subject's skin, preferably to the dermal vasculature of the intradermal compartment. The methods of the present invention enhance the pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic parameters of insulin delivery and effectively result in a superior clinical efficacy in the treatment and / or prevention of diabetes mellitus. The methods of the instant invention provide an improved glycemic control of both non-fasting (i.e., post-prandial) and fasting blood glucose levels and thus have an enhanced therapeutic efficacy in treatment, prevention and / or management of diabetes relative to traditional methods of insulin delivery, including subcutaneous insulin delivery.

Decision-support systems, such as neural networks, for assessing the risk of delivery within a predetermined time or the likelihood of preterm delivery are provided.

The invention relates to a spinal surgery minimally invasive surgery navigation system. The spinal surgery minimally invasive surgery navigation system comprises an imaging portion, a treatment portion, and a navigation portion, wherein an imaging portion scanner performs scaning and imaging around a treatment object; the treatment portion includes a mechanical arm, a connecting rod, a power supply unit, a clipper, a puncture channel into a lesion of a spinal column, and an ablation electrode needle. The puncture channel is a minimally invasive surgical working cannula having a diameter of about 2 mm. The system has the advantages of simple structure, low cost and easy operation, and the CT and MRI images are combined to integrally reconstruct the intervertebral disc tissues of the patient's bone structure, nerves, blood vessels and compression nerves as well as the ligament before the surgery, according to the position of protrusion of intervertebral disc and the nerve compression, areasonable surgical approach is designed before the surgery, and the intraoperative scanning bone image is registered, a robot arm is remotely controlled to accurate ablate the compression nerve tissue through real-time navigation, and the safety and stability are good. The system avoids damage to normal tissues caused by doctor fatigue during surgery and effectively reduces the damage of radiation to patients and doctors.

The invention relates to a manufacturing method of a functional area tooth preparation guide plate and a detachable drill limiter. The method comprises the following steps that a tooth required to besubjected to tooth preparation and adjacent teeth are scanned; the three-dimensional shape of a tooth preparation body is designed by using three-dimensional reverse engineering software; a guide groove capable of guiding the motion path of a dental drill in the whole process in the key functional area preparation process is designed in the guide plate; the dental crown data surfaces of the adjacent teeth are each thickened to be a thin wall with the thickness of 1-4 mm; the guide plate is machined into an entity through a three-dimensional printer or numerical control machining equipment; thedetachable drill limiter is designed to be matched with a hemispherical groove in the top of the guide plate; and after the guide plate is completely in place on a dentition model, accurate tooth preparation of the corresponding area can be completed according to the designed tooth preparation amount. According to the method, the accuracy and efficiency of tooth preparation of the key functionalareas such as the axial surface, the edge, the guide plane (the tooth preparation guide plate is shown in the description) and a jaw support fossa of a base tooth in the fixed repair and removable repair process can be improved, and popularization and application can be facilitated.

The invention relates to a method for preparing the nanometer target drug used to treat cancer. Wherein, it is a nanometer magnetic-antibody / ligand drug and nanometer magnetic target drug used in cancer magnetic thermal treatment, with high specific thermal power; it comprises 1:0.0001-0.20 effective molecule and guide molecule, while the effective molecule is magnetic powder whose diameter is lower than 1000nm, and the specific thermal power SAR is 10-7000W / gFe; the guide molecule comprises antibody or ligand or magnetic powder; the diameter of target drug is 2-1000nm; the preparation comprises that coupling the magnetic powder and guide molecule in water, organic or inorganic mixture. The inventive drug can effective kill cancer cell and treat cancer.

The present invention relates to methods and devices for administration of vaccines and gene therapeutic agents into the intradermal layer of skin.

Methods of cooling blood platelet suspensions which can be stored and preserved for extended periods of time. The normal morphology of platelets and their ability to function are substantially maintained. The steps include preparing a platelet suspension having blood platelets, a carbohydrate and at least one biocompatible polymer to assist in stabilizing platelet membranes. The platelet suspension may be cooled to a temperature of less than approximately 10 degrees C. at a rate of cooling greater than 1 degree C. / min. The platelet suspension may be kept at a storage temperature ranging from approximately -1 to 6 degrees C. Additionally, methods are provided for maintaining the biological activity of blood platelets. Platelet suspensions may be initially prepared which include platelets, sucrose, verapamil, magnesium chloride and a biocompatible polymer. Cooling of the platelet suspension may be followed at a cooling rate ranging from approximately 1 to 12 degrees C. / min or faster to a temperature below 10 degrees C. The cooled platelet suspension may be thus stored at a storage temperatures as high as 6 degrees C.

A novel submaximal F-wave acquisition and analysis system that employs computational intelligence to set up submaximal F-wave acquisition conditions and to extract submaximal F-wave features automatically, without operator intervention.

Disclosed is a prodrug of the formula: where A is a sulfur or a selenium, and R is derived from a mono- di- or oligo- saccharide.Also disclosed is a prodrug of the formula: where A is sulfur or selenium, R′ is derived from a sugar and R′ has the formula (CHOH)nCH2OH, where n is 1 to 5, or R′ is an alkyl or aryl group, orR′ is ═O, and the R″ groups may be the same or different and may be hydrogen, alkyl, alkoxy, carboxy.Also disclosed is a conjugate of an antioxidant vitamin and a thiolamine or selenolamine.Also disclosed is a prodrug of the formula; where A is sulfur or selenium, and R′ is derived from a sugar and R′ has the formula (CHOH)nCH2OH, where n is 1 to 5, or R′ is also be an alkyl or aryl group, orR′ is ═O, and R‡ is an alkoxy, or an amine group.Also disclosed is a prodrug of the formula: where R is COOH or H, and R′ is derived from a sugar and R′ has the formula (CHOH)nCH2OH,where n is 1 to 5, or R′ is an alkyl or aryl group, or R′ is ═O.

A diagnostic test apparatus comprises:an elongate housing defining a test strip holder containing a lateral flow test strip;a fluid sampling chamber provided with an opening connecting the fluid sampling chamber with the test strip holder;a viewing window in the elongate housing allowing reading of one or more portions of the lateral flow test strip; anda connector configured to couple the diagnostic test apparatus to a bulk source of fluid.The apparatus may be included in a kit of parts. The apparatus is useful for detecting peritonitis. The bulk source of fluid may be peritoneal dialysate. Various markers may be determined in the bulk source of fluid such as MMP8, IL-6, HNE, MMP2, MMP9, TIMP1, TIMP2, NGAL, A1AT, desmosine, fibrinogen, IL-8, calprotectin, fMLP, IL1b, cystatin C, HSA, RBP4, SPD, MPO, sICAM and TNFa. Detection of the markers to indicate peritonitis may also inform treatment choices.

Central systolic and diastolic pressures are measured non-invasively using a peripheral sensor to capture a patient's peripheral pulse waveform. Either the peripheral pulse waveform or a central pressure waveform generated, e.g., using a transfer method is recalibrated to account for differences between non-invasively measured systolic and diastolic pressure and invasively measured systolic and diastolic pressure. The recalibration is based, at least in part, on cardiovascular features of the patient's waveform. The determined central systolic and diastolic pressure values can be used to generate a corrected central pressure waveform having cardiovascular features preserved and maximum and minimum values set to the determined values.

The invention provides a confocal microscope system based on an optical fiber coupler, comprising a light source, an optical fiber coupling unit, a scanning unit, a microscopy imaging unit and a detection unit, wherein the light source is used for generating coherent light and transmitting the coherent light to the optical fiber coupling unit; the optical fiber coupling unit is used for transmitting the coherent light to the scanning unit and transmitting reflected light or fluorescent light returned by the scanning unit to the detection unit; the scanning unit is used for receiving the coherent light and transmitting to the microscopy imaging unit, and receiving the reflected light or fluorescent light returned by the microscopy imaging unit and transmitting to the optical fiber couplingunit; the microscopy imaging unit is used for gathering the coherent light to the surface of a sample, and transmitting the reflected light or fluorescent light of the sample to the scanning unit; andthe detection unit is used for collecting the reflected light or the fluorescent light. The optical fiber coupler is used for separating mainframe parts such as laser and a detector from scanning andmicroscopy imaging parts, so as to shorten the patient waiting time.

A method of transforming a three-dimensional ultrasound Doppler image that represents flow within a subject uses a three-dimensional ultrasound intensity image that has a common field of view and represents structure within the subject. Within the three-dimensional structural image, there is identified a three-dimensional reference surface that represents the location of a surface of the structure represented by the three-dimensional structural image. A mapping is derived that maps the three-dimensional surface into a two-dimensional plane. The mapping is applied to map the three-dimensional surface of the flow image at the location represented by the three dimensional reference surface into a two-dimensional flow image.

An immunotherapeutic strategy is disclosed that combines antigen-encoding DNA vaccine compositions combined with siRNA directed to pro-apoptotic genes, primarily Bak and Bax, the products of which are known to lead to apoptotic death. Gene gun delivery (particle bombardment) of siRNA specific for Bak and / or Bax to antigen-expressing DCs prolongs the lives of such DCs and lead to enhanced generation of antigen-specific CD8+ T cell-mediated immune responses in vivo. Similarly, antigen-loaded DC's transfected with siRNA targeting Bak and / or Bax serve as improved immunogens and tumor immunotherapeutic agents.

Disclosed are compounds having the formula wherein R1 is hydrogen, an alkyl group, an aryl group, a cycloalkyl group, an alkenyl group, an alkynyl group, an aralkyl group, or ═O, R2 is an alkyl group, an aryl group, a cycloalkyl group, an alkenyl group, an alkynyl group, or an aralkyl group, or the pharmaceutically acceptable salt or ester thereof. Also disclosed are methods of using the compounds.

A composition containing a macrophage inhibitor may be administered in an effective amount to prevent, inhibit or reduce restenosis, thrombus or aneurysm formation in implanted polymeric vascular grafts. The composition may be administered prior to vascular graft implantation, at the same time as vascular graft implantation, following vascular graft implantation, or any combination thereof. Examplary macrophage inhibitors include bisphosphonates, anti-folate drugs and antibodies, preferably in a controlled release or liposomal formulation.