Abstract: A needle protective device is provided for reducing inadvertent needle sticks. The needle protective device includes a tubular member that is attached to a base cap. A spring and a shield are positioned in the base cap to selectively cover an access hole of the chamber so that after use of the needle, a needle tip and blood-borne pathogens on the needle are encased within the base cap. The device is selectively pre-activated and is configured such that when activated, the needle tip is contained in the base cap and the device becomes un-usable.

Abstract: In accordance with the apparatus and method of the present invention, a biopotential lesion sensor is placed directly over a lesion in a symptomatic breast and a reference sensor is located away from the symptomatic breast. A plurality of electropotential test measurements are taken during a test period with the lesion sensor and averaged to obtain a primary test potential. This primary test potential can be weighted to compensate for one or more biologic variables such as patient age, time in the patient menstrual cycle, and the time of day during which the measurement is taken. To provide noise enhancement of the primary test potential average measurement, the symptomatic breast is divided into four equal quadrants with one quadrant containing the lesion.

Abstract: A DC biopotential sensing electrode assembly is provided for an apparatus for sensing DC biopotentials present at the skin of a subject. An electroconductive medium for transmitting ions from the skin which has a chloride ion content within a range of from 6-15 grams per hundred grams of such medium is formulated for use with the electrode. To reduce the corrosive effect of this electroconductive medium, each electrode includes only one metallic component, and to provide an electrode with a low AC impedance, this metal is uniformly coated upon nonmetallic sensor and terminal bodies with a coating thickness within a range of from 0.5 to 1.5 mil. To insure a complete electrical path through both the sensor and the terminal bodies, the nonmetallic portions are formed of conductive plastic.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for screening or sensing disease states, injury sites or bodily conditions in a human or animal subject by separately detecting the DC biopotential of the electromagnetic field at a plurality of test points in a test area. The DC biopotentials are converted by analog to digital converters connected to DC biopotential test sensors at the test points into digital test signals, and the DC biopotential test sensors and analog to digital converters form a biopotential sensing section which is separate from a processing section that receives and processes the digital test signals. Signals between the processing section and the bopotential sensing section are transmitted by a transmission network which electrically isolates the two sections.

Abstract: A DC biopotential sensing electrode assembly is provided for an apparatus for sensing DC biopotentials present at the skin of a subject. The electrodes include an electroconductive medium for transmitting ions from the skin which has a chloride content within a range of from 6-15 grams per hundred grams of such medium. To reduce the corrosive effect of this electroconductive medium, each electrode includes only one metallic component, and to provide an electrode with a low AC impedance, this metal is uniformly coated upon nonmetallic sensor and terminal bodies with a coating thickness within a range of from 0.5 to 1.5 mil. To insure a complete electrical path through both the sensor and the terminal bodies, the nonmetallic portions are formed of conductive plastic.

Abstract: A method and apparatus are disclosed for fetal anatomic sex assignment by ultrasound during early pregnancy based on pattern recognition that allows identification of external genitalia during the gestational age range of 12 to 14 weeks. The pattern recognition derives from knowledge of the embryology of the developing external genitalia of the fetus and the relationship between embryologic events and recognizing patterns specific for male and female obtained by ultrasonic imaging. Fetal anatomic sex has been accurately diagnosed using high resolution digital linear-array real-time ultrasound in over 500 pregnancies that were scheduled for ultrasound except for detected cases of sex reversal, sex chromosome mosaicism, prior to genetic amniocentesis, and ambiguous sex chromosomes, except as noted, ultrasonic imaging of the penile or clitoral structure corresponded to later sex determination by karyotype.