44 results about "Human airway" patented technology

Methods and devices are provided that are effective to remove an obstruction in a human airway related to snoring and / or OSA. In one embodiment, the device includes mouthpiece having a hollow body configured to be disposed in a user's mouth. The body includes superior and inferior outer surfaces as well as anterior and posterior surfaces, a channel configured to receive a user's teeth formed in at least one of the superior and inferior surfaces, an inner cavity formed between the superior, inferior, anterior, and posterior surfaces, and at least one aperture formed in the posterior surface that extends into the inner cavity. In one exemplary embodiment the at least one aperture is oriented to extend away from the user's teeth and toward a user's tongue when the mouthpiece is in use. In another embodiment, the hollow body is substantially c-shaped, and the at least one aperture includes a plurality of apertures spaced a distance apart from one another along the posterior surface between first and second terminal ends of the c-shaped inner portion of the hollow body. In still another embodiment, the mouthpiece includes an outer portion having an opening extending therethrough such that the outer portion is coupled to the hollow body and is in fluid communication with the cavity in the hollow body. A one-way valve can be disposed in the opening and can be configured to allow air to flow out of a user's oral cavity when the mouthpiece is in use.

In one embodiment, the invention provides a device for decreasing intracranial or intraocular pressures. The device comprises a housing having an inlet opening and an outlet opening that is adapted to be interfaced with a person's airway. The device further includes a valve system that is operable to regulate respiratory gas flows through the housing and into the person's lungs during spontaneous or artificial inspiration. The valve system assists in lowering intrathoracic pressures during each inspiration to repetitively lower pressures in the venous blood vessels that transport blood out of the head to thereby reduce intracranial or intraocular pressures.

A method and an apparatus for measuring the concentration of a specific gas component of a gas mixture including another gas whose concentration is independently known using light absorption spectroscopy are provided. A method and an apparatus for assessing human airway inflammation by measuring the concentration of exhaled NO and CO2 present in orally exhaled breath using light absorption spectroscopy are also provided. NO concentration is determined at the time during breath sampling corresponding to a known exhaled CO2 concentration. Methods and apparatus are further provided for measuring NO concentration in orally exhaled human breath that analyze breath emanating from the lower airways and lungs, while excluding breath from the nasal cavity. They include steps and apparatus for discarding initially exhaled breath, flowing breath through an analysis chamber using a vacuum pump and flowing breath through an analysis chamber using a vacuum pump at an initial flow rate and later at a flow rate higher than the initial flow rate.

Devices, such as computer readable media, and methods, such as automated methods, for labeling and / or matching. Some of the devices and methods are particularly useful for anatomical labeling of human airway trees. Some of the devices and methods are particularly useful for matching branch-points of human airway trees from represented in two or more graphs.

Methods and devices are provided that are effective to remove an obstruction in a human airway related to snoring and / or OSA. In one embodiment, the device includes mouthpiece having a hollow body configured to be disposed in a user's mouth. The body includes superior and inferior outer surfaces as well as anterior and posterior surfaces, a channel configured to receive a user's teeth formed in at least one of the superior and inferior surfaces, an inner cavity formed between the superior, inferior, anterior, and posterior surfaces, and at least one aperture formed in the posterior surface that extends into the inner cavity. In one exemplary embodiment the at least one aperture is oriented to extend away from the user's teeth and toward a user's tongue when the mouthpiece is in use. In another embodiment, the hollow body is substantially c-shaped, and the at least one aperture includes a plurality of apertures spaced a distance apart from one another along the posterior surface between first and second terminal ends of the c-shaped inner portion of the hollow body. In still another embodiment, the mouthpiece includes an outer portion having an opening extending therethrough such that the outer portion is coupled to the hollow body and is in fluid communication with the cavity in the hollow body. A one-way valve can be disposed in the opening and can be configured to allow air to flow out of a user's oral cavity when the mouthpiece is in use.

Methods and devices are provided that are effective to remove an obstruction in a human airway related to snoring and / or OSA. In one embodiment, the device includes a mouthpiece that is adapted to form a sealed cavity within a human mouth, and a hollow elongate member having a first end that is coupled to the mouthpiece and that is in communication with the sealed cavity, and a second end that is adapted to be coupled to a negative pressure generator. In use, a negative pressure generator can be attached to the hollow elongate member to create a negative pressure in a human mouth in response to an obstructed airway, thereby removing the obstruction. In particular, this device is effective to pull a patient's tongue and / or soft tissues of the upper airway up and away from the posterior pharyngeal wall to reopen the airway.

The invention relates to an intelligent electronic simulated bronchoscope training device, which comprises the simulated bronchoscope, a simulated prosthesis module, a host and a display, wherein the forefront end of the simulated bronchoscope is fixedly provided with two signal transmitters; the two signal transmitters are used for tracking the position and the direction of the simulated bronchoscope respectively and the position and the direction are transmitted to the host; the simulated prosthesis module comprises a simulated head and a prosthesis frame for simulating a human airway structure, the simulated bronchoscope enters the prosthesis frame through a mouth or a nose of the simulated head, the prosthesis frame limits the movement trajectory of the simulated bronchoscope according to a preset range, a resistance providing device is also arranged at the inlet of the prosthesis frame for limiting the advancing of the simulated bronchoscope; and the host is internally provided with a bronchoscope training system for progressively training a bronchoscope operator, and a quantitative assessment standard for evaluating whether a clinician can safely operate the bronchoscope on a patient can be realized.

A method of detecting a risk for or presence of asthma in a subject. The method comprises obtaining a biological sample comprising human airway smooth muscle cells from a subject and testing the biological sample for the presence of a pentraxin-3 (PTX3) polypeptide. The presence and / or quantity of PTX3 polypeptide in the biological sample correlates with the risk for or presence of asthma in the subject.

The present invention relates to the targeted delivery of a delivery vehicle construct which specifically binds to and stimulates endocytosis into cells expressing the urokinase plasminogen activator receptor (uPAR), and particularly human airway epithelia. The delivery vehicle construct comprises a portion of uPA and a cargo linked thereto and is useful for the targeted delivery of the cargo to a cell. In one aspect of the invention, the uPA portion of the delivery vehicle construct comprises the wild-type uPA, a fragment of uPA which has the PAI-1 binding region deleted, or a uPA peptide comprising amino acids 13–19 and is useful for the targeted delivery of the cargo to cells, and in particular to airway epithelia. The present invention also provides a method for delivering the delivery vehicle construct to a cell. The method comprises the steps of (a) contacting a target cell with a delivery vehicle construct comprising a uPA portion and a cargo portion; and (b) obtaining a desired result in the target cell.

The present invention relates to the targeted delivery of a delivery vehicle construct which specifically binds to and stimulates endocytosis into cells expressing the urokinase plasminogen activator receptor (uPAR), and particularly human airway epithelia. The delivery vehicle construct comprises a portion of uPA and a cargo linked thereto and is useful for the targeted delivery of the cargo to a cell. In one aspect of the invention, the uPA portion of the delivery vehicle construct comprises the wild-type uPA, a fragment of uPA which has the PAI-1 binding region deleted, or a uPA peptide comprising amino acids 13-19 and is useful for the targeted delivery of the cargo to cells, and in particular to airway epithelia. The present invention also provides a method for delivering the delivery vehicle construct to a cell. The method comprises the steps of (a) contacting a target cell with a delivery vehicle construct comprising a uPA portion and a cargo portion; and (b) obtaining a desired result in the target cell.

A microfluidic device is provided for studying primary human airway cells cultured at the air-liquid interface defined in the device by a barrier between an apical and basolateral compartment provided by a porous support for growing a cell layer. Within the chip, a liquid flow channel is provided through the basolateral compartment. Primary measurement electrodes are arranged widely spaced apart in the basolateral compartment to cause a significant component of electrical current flowing between them to flow via the cell layer. Secondary measurement electrodes are also provided to make comparative measurements which are used to deduce parameters that are relevant for the equivalent circuit model use for analysing the data obtained from the primary measurement electrodes. The microfluidic device has a modular construction of substrate, spacer and sidewall piece, with the electrodes being formed on the substrate, and the substrate and spacer co-defining the flow channel.

The invention belongs to the fields of tissue engineering and a medical material, relates to an airway epithelium-porous silk fibroin protein complex, and a preparation method and application thereof, and particularly relates to a method for carrying out airway epithelium cultivation on porous silk fibroin protein, and application of the airway epithelium-porous silk fibroin protein complex in trachea defect reconstruction. The porous silk fibroin is adopted as a bracket material; a primary human airway epithelium cell is taken as a seed cell; the airway epithelium cell is subjected to composite cultivation on the porous silk fibroin protein, so as to form the airway epithelium-porous silk fibroin protein complex. The complex is covered on the inner wall of an artificial trachea, so that the inner wall of the artificial trachea is covered by respiratory mucosa, so as to be closer to a normal trachea structure; the artificial trachea can be further applied to preparation of a tissue engineering trachea, repair of clinical tracheal mucosa and clinical tracheal defect reconstruction, and reduction of postoperative complications of tracheal reconstruction as the medical material.

The present invention relates to the use of desloratadine and / or other antihistamines in the treatment and / or prevention of severe nasal congestion and / or nasal congestion associated with allergic and inflammatory diseases of the upper and lower airways of humans .