635 results about "Live organisms" patented technology

An electrical current is created across an electrically conductive medium comprising a cell which may be part of a tissue of a living organism. A first electrical parameter which may be current, voltage, or electrical impedance is measured. A second electrical parameter which may be current, voltage or a combination of both is then adjusted and/or analyzed. Adjustments are carried out to facilitate analysis and/or obtain a desired degree of electroporation. Analysis is carried out to determine characteristics of the cell membrane and/or tissue.

A biodegradable and biocompatible polyurethane composition synthesized by reacting isocyanate groups of at least one multifunctional isocyanate compound with at least one bioactive agent having at least one reactive group —X which is a hydroxyl group (—OH) or an amine group (—NH₂). The polyurethane composition is biodegradable within a living organism to biocompatible degradation products including the bioactive agent. Preferably, the released bioactive agent affects at least one of biological activity or chemical activity in the host organism. A biodegradable polyurethane composition includes hard segments and soft segments. Each of the hard segments is preferably derived from a diurea diol or a diester diol and is preferably biodegradable into biomolecule degradation products or into biomolecule degradation products and a biocompatible diol. Another biodegradable polyurethane composition includes hard segments and soft segments. Each of the hard segments is derived from a diurethane diol and is biodegradable into biomolecule degradation products.

The present invention takes the form of a current limiting apparatus and method for limiting current flow, induced when the level of an external signal is greater than an external signal threshold signal level, in a conductive loop formed by a medical device implanted within a living organism having electrically excitable tissue. The system includes an implantable pulse generator (IPG) system having a housing, a signal generator disposed in the housing that generates an electrical signal, and at least one lead extending from the housing to convey electrical signal to the patient. To limit the induced current flow, the IPG includes current limiting componentry, an impedance increasing element, and/or alternating current blocking elements. These components provide an alternating current impedance path to the electrical ground from a lead coupled to the capacitive element. Also disclosed are techniques for reducing the effective surface area of the current inducing loop caused by the IPG system.

The present invention relates to novel fluorescent dyes, novel fluorogenic and fluorescent reporter molecules and new enzyme assay processes that can be used to detect the activity of caspases and other enzymes involved in apoptosis in whole cells, cell lines and tissue samples derived from any living organism or organ. The reporter molecules and assay processes can be used in drug screening procedures to identify compounds which act as inhibitors or inducers of the caspase cascade in whole cells or tissues. The reagents and assays described herein are also useful for determining the chemosensitivity of human cancer cells to treatment with chemotherapeutic drugs. The present invention also relates to novel fluorogenic and fluorescent reporter molecules and new enzyme assay processes that can be used to detect the activity of type 2 methionine aminopeptidase, dipeptidyl peptidase IV, calpain, aminopeptidase, HIV protease, adenovirus protease, HSV-1 protease, HCMV protease and HCV protease.

A physiological data measuring apparatus and a measuring strip are disclosed. The apparatus includes a measuring body and a measuring strip. The measuring body reads, displays and records a physiological signal. The measuring strip has a containing space for accommodating the measuring body and includes conducting metals for measuring and transmitting the physiological signal to the measuring body, wherein the conducting metals constitute a set of paired conducting metals that are wrapped by a soft material of the measuring strip. The soft material forms the containing space and two wings, and a pair of conducting metals are disposed at the bottom of the containing space and penetrates through the soft material to form two contact points, and another pair of conducting metals is disposed at the two wings outside the containing space to form a third contact point. The strip includes at least one adhesive for attaching a live organism.

A method and system for continually monitoring oxygenation levels in real-time in compartments of an animal limb, such as in a human leg or a human thigh or a forearm, can be used to assist in the diagnosis of a compartment syndrome. The method and system can include one or more near infrared compartment sensors in which each sensor can be provided with a compartment alignment mechanism and a central scan depth marker so that each sensor may be precisely positioned over a compartment of a living organism. The method and system may comprise hardware or software (or both) may adjust one or more algorithms based on whether tissue being monitored was traumatized or is healthy. The method and system can also monitor the relationship between blood pressure and oxygenation levels and activate alarms based on predetermined conditions relating to the oxygenation levels or blood pressure or both.

A device is disclosed which is therapeutically beneficial to the well-being of living organisms such as humans, animals, and/or plant life, using photon or light waves. The device is intended to lie against the skin or surface, near the skin/surface, and/or from a distance ranging up to several feet from the skin/surface. The device is intended to be used for: general relaxation and detoxification of an organism; stimulating the healing process in an organism which is ill, diseased or injured; aiding in the elimination of pain and inflammation in an organism; stimulating/sedating the acupressure meridian system of an organism and rebalancing the electromagnetic energy-field surrounding the organism.

An improved electrode for neural stimulation, including deep brain stimulation, cortical stimulation, muscle stimulation and other similar applications. The improvement of our invention over prior art consisting of the possibility of a larger number of electrode pads from where to originate the electrical stimulation, thereby offering the possibility of fine control of the location of the stimulating signal. Our invention discloses a system of address wires which controls switches and demultiplexers to select one of a plurality of wires and one of a plurality of electrode pads from where the electric stimulation starts, and latches that maintain some selected choices after the address buses go on to select other wires and other electrode tips. Our invention also discloses time delay lines which are used to keep the stimulating pulses for a pre-assigned time, after which the stimulating pulses stop until further instruction to start again.

A phototherapy or photobiomodulation process employing the application of electromagnetic radiation (EMR) to a living organism, typically a human being. The EMR is generated by one or more strings of LEDs and is programmed to emit one or more wavelengths, typically in the visible and infrared portions of the spectrum, the EMR in each wavelength being delivered in pulses having specified on-times, off-times, photoexcitation frequencies, duty factors, phase delays, and power amplitudes. A system for providing such EMR includes a microcontroller having a pattern library of algorithms, each of which defines a particular sequence of synthesized pulses, and an application pad, preferably flexible, containing the LED strings.

A process for identifying and treating cells in a living organism. The cells are labeled, circulated within the organism, detected with an implanted detector, and then either isolated or ablated.

The present invention relates to a system for measuring respiratory function of living organisms. More particularly, signals indicative of the change in lung volume, defined as active and passive work, required to breathe and the airflow through the respiratory system of the living organism are obtained and processed as waveforms to provide a signal indicative of the respiratory restriction. The methods of the present invention measure clinical forms of airway obstruction, airway reactivity and lung volume and may be used to continuously or intermittently monitor patients with compromised respiratory function. In a preferred embodiment, a head-out, breath in respiratory plethysmograph system provides the signals indicative of change in lung volume as related to pressure changes in a chamber. Further, flowmetric variables are generated that provide a characterization of airway obstructions.

A method and device for using topically applied acoustical vibrations to treat diseases and conditions in living organisms. This approach is non-invasive, and more specifically does not involve introducing chemicals or physically invading the organisms. One or more acoustical transducers are placed directly on the skin of the organism in certain locations, and specific vibration profiles designed to treat specific diseases and conditions are applied to the organism through the transducers. The treatment includes the regular application of various vibration pulse profiles that generally include sequences of pulses in which each pulse has a duration in the range of 0.5 to 10 seconds, is separated by rest periods in the range of 0.1 to 3 seconds, is modulated with an oscillatory signal in the frequency range of 1 Hz to 1,500 Hz, and has a pulse amplitude in the range of range from about 20 to 5000 microns.

A fluid pressure sensor for a lead or catheter intended for placement in a living organism, such as a human heart, includes a rigid annular or tubular supporting structure and a piezoelectric element disposed on at least a portion of the outer surface thereof. The piezoelectric element delivers an electrical signal when subjected to a pressure variation, and exhibits circumferential sensitivity. The rigidity of the sensor is defined to satisfy predetermined criteria to ensure that the sensor, when sensing pressure transferred to the sensor through an on-growth of tissue on the sensor, which is at least 90% of the signal which the sensor would emit without the on-growth.

A blood pressure monitoring system includes a blood pressure measurement device for measuring blood pressure using a cuff, a memory for storing an externally inputted pulse wave propagation time fluctuation threshold, a time interval detection reference point detection section for detecting a time interval detection reference point in a pulse wave on the side of aortae of a living organism, a pulse wave detection section for detecting a pulse wave on the side of peripheral blood vessels appearing with a time lag with respect to the pulse wave on the side of aortae, a pulse wave propagation time measurement section for measuring a pulse wave propagation time based on respective detected outputs from the time interval detection reference point detection section and the pulse wave detection section, an operation device for calculating a pulse wave propagation fluctuation from two measured pulse wave propagation times, a judgment device for judging whether or not the calculated pulse wave propagation time fluctuation exceeds the pulse wave propagation time fluctuation threshold read from the memory, and a control device for controlling the blood pressure measurement device based on an output of the judgment device so that the blood pressure of a subject is measured using the cuff.