Abstract: A method is disclosed for achieving improved quality of monitoring and diagnosis for heart functions. Specifically, a method is disclosed for continuous temperature measurement and thermal characterization of patient heart tissue based on non-invasive thermal mapping technology. The method includes multi-dimensional cardiac tissue temperature scanning and tissue thermal pattern analysis with high precision, which can greatly improve the efficiency and lower the medical procedure risk for identifying myocardial ischemia (MI) disorders, predicting the MI occurrence, and mapping MI characteristics and impacting MI medical treatment, such as drug delivery and long term cardiac care. A system is also disclosed for use with the method.

Abstract: A surgical navigation system has a computer with a memory and display connected to a surgical instrument or pointer and position tracking system, so that the location and orientation of the pointer are tracked in real time and conveyed to the computer. The computer memory is loaded with data from an MRI, CT, or other volumetric scan of a patient, and this data is utilized to dynamically display 3-dimensional perspective images in real time of the patient's anatomy from the viewpoint of the pointer. The images are segmented and displayed in color to highlight selected anatomical features and to allow the viewer to see beyond obscuring surfaces and structures. The displayed image tracks the movement of the instrument during surgical procedures. The instrument may include an imaging device such as an endoscope or ultrasound transducer, and the system displays also the image for this device from the same viewpoint, and enables the two images to be fused so that a combined image is displayed.

Abstract: A system supports, adaptively processing HL7 compatible transaction message data of different HL7 version as well as conversion of transactions between HL7 versions and operational validation of transaction messages. A system for processing HL7 protocol compatible data comprises an interface for establishing a communication link enabling acquisition of HL7 compatible transaction messages. An acquisition processor acquires multiple different HL7 compatible transaction messages including healthcare data using the communication link. An HL7 data processor automatically parses an HL7 compatible transaction message to identify HL7 items indicating type of information conveyed at a location in the transaction message identified in response to a predetermined message location identifier.

Abstract: A system and method are disclosed for providing a ventilated orthotic cranioplasty helmet for treating positional plagiocephaly in infants. Specifically, a system and method are disclosed in which patient-specific parameters such as head size, patient age, degree of patient sweating, diameter of patient's hair, average length of patient's hair, and sweat range are input into a computer implemented algorithm along with a user-proposed ventilation hole array to determine an optimal ventilation hole arrangement. The computer may be connected either directly or indirectly to an automated hole drilling machine to drill the hole array in the specified portion of the helmet. The same computer implemented algorithm can be used to revise the ventilation hole array to accommodate changes in patient physiology during treatment to thereby achieve an optimal ventilation hole design throughout the treatment process.

Abstract: A system and method provide local image enhancement. Internal native images of a patient may be acquired during an interventional procedure. A portion of the native images may show an interventional device or material. Subtracted images may be created by subtracting mask images from the native images, such as via either digital subtraction angiography to display vessel structures, or “roadmapping” during interventional procedures to deploy various medical devices and materials. The local level of absorption associated with the portion of the images showing a vessel structure or in which the interventional object resides may be determined from either the native images or the mask images. Subsequently, the subtracted images may be locally altered to compensate for the local level of absorption such that the visibility of a vessel structure or interventional object is enhanced. The subtracted images may be enhanced by altering the local contrast, brightness, or sharpness, or noise.

Abstract: The blender includes a motor housing that has an outer surface surrounding an electric motor. The motor housing has a first end and a second end. The outer surface has a first mounting member. The motor housing includes a control electrically connected to the motor. A jar has an open end and a blending end and an interior surface. The jar includes a blade assembly proximate to the blending end. The jar is removably mountable to the first end of the motor housing in a operable position. The interior surface of the jar has a second mounting member. The second mounting member is in releasable registry with the first mounting member when the open end of the jar is placed over the first end of the motor housing in a storage position such that the motor housing is at least partially contained within the jar.

Abstract: New compounds of the Formula (I): for the treatment of non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus.

Abstract: A clinical data processing system systematically organizes and analyzes clinically significant information of a patient using a result flag indicating a critical or abnormal result to automate display of a view of clinical data in various contexts including diagnosis, insurance, medical complaint assessment and others to improve patient care. A system for use in processing patient clinical data for access by a user includes a repository associating an observation with a clinical significance indicator and with data indicating observations relevant to evaluation of the observation having the associated clinical significance indicator. A clinical data processor uses the repository fork automatically providing data for display in response to receiving data representing an input observation and an associated clinical significance indicator. The data for display supports a user in making a patient assessment and includes the input observation and associated relevant clinical data items.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for automatically selecting an end of diastole image frame and an end of systole image frame for cardiac analysis. In the method and apparatus, a plurality of image frames of a heart having a contrast medium injected into the heart and an electrocardiogram (ECG) curve of the heart are obtained. Candidate image frames are identified in the plurality of image frames that correspond to a first predetermined point on the ECG curve of the heart associated with the end of diastole. An end of diastole image frame is selected from the candidate image frames. An end of systole image frame is then identified and selected from the remaining one of the plurality of image frames.

Abstract: A method for controlling the retention time of a casting retained in a mold comprises providing a vibratory shakeout conveyor having a conveying surface, placing the mold on the conveyor; and imparting a vibratory force to the conveyor at a predetermined angle to the conveying surface whereby the predetermined angle determines the retention time of said casting in said mold. A plurality of sensors for detecting mold position and media breakdown may also be employed to detect appropriate mold retention time.

Abstract: A system and method to produce video data by transmitting time information with the video data. The equivalent horizontal and vertical timing at the reception device are reconstructed. The method includes receiving one or more control packets specifying a quantity of pixels in an associated data packet. Data packets are received that contain the quantity of pixels specified in the associated control packet. A time interval between received control packets is determined. A running average of the time intervals is calculated and a time interval of a current control packet is determined. The running average is compared with the time interval of the current control packet. A clock frequency is adjusted as a function of the comparing step.

Abstract: Method of making eyeglass lens are disclosed where the lens are made of layers which include an outer, convex hard coating, a layer of hard epoxy, a laminated PVA film where one of the layer of the PVA film is dipped in high contrast dye, a layer of soft epoxy, a base material, and an inner, concave hard coating. Other methods configuration of lens also include a camouflaged patterned lens, a layer of hard epoxy, a polyurethane mixture, a laminated PVA film where one of the layer of the PVA film is dipped with high contrast dye, a layer of soft epoxy, a base material, and an inner, concave hard coating.

Abstract: An image data subtraction system suitable for use in Angiography or other medical procedure enhances vessel visualization. The system comprises an imaging system for acquiring, during a medical procedure, data representing multiple temporally sequential individual images of vessels of a portion of patient anatomy. The sequential individual images encompass introduction of a contrast agent. An image processor automatically processes the data representing the multiple temporally sequential individual images to identify a first image indicating presence of the contrast agent and a second image preceding the first image by comparing a difference between measures representative of luminance content of the first and second image, with a threshold. The second image is substantially exclusive of an indication of presence of the contrast agent.

Abstract: The invention is a removable motorcycle gear shifter covering that prevents marring of a motorcyclist's shoe during upshifting operation. The device is elastic and designed to securely fit many different shift levers. It provides for weather resistant implementation, non-marring cushioned contact on upshifting, and non-slip tread on downshifting.

Abstract: Compounds of the formula are inhibitors of protein tyrosine phosphatases (PTPases) and, thus, may be employed for the treatment of conditions mediated by PTPase activity. The compounds of the present invention may also be employed as inhibitors of other enzymes characterized with a phosphotyrosine binding region such as the SH2 domain. Accordingly, the compounds of formula (I) may be employed for prevention and/or treatment of insulin resistance associated with obesity, glucose intolerance, diabetes mellitus, hypertension and ischemic diseases of the large and small blood vessels, conditions that accompany type-2 diabetes, including hyperlipidemia, hypertriglyceridemia, atherosclerosis, vascular restenosis, irritable bowel syndrome, pancreatitis, adipose cell tumors and carcinomas such as liposarcoma, dyslipidemia, and other disorders where insulin resistance is indicated.

Abstract: The disclosed method analyzes cardiac electrophysiological signals, including ECG and internal cardiac electrograms, based on multi-level symbolic complexity calculation and multi-dimensional mapping. The results may be used to objectively identify cardiac disorders, differentiate cardiac arrhythmias, characterize pathological severities, and predict life-threatening events. Multi-level symbolization and calculation of the electrophysiological signal is used provide better reliability and analysis resolution for identifying and characterizing cardiac disorders. Adaptive analysis of the cardiac signal complexity enables calculation efficiency and reliability with high SNR, and with low calculation volume and power consumption. One dimension (time or frequency domain) and multi-dimension symbolic analysis is used to provide more information of cardiac pathology and high risk rhythm transition to doctors.

Abstract: An electric can opener for opening a top of a metal can which includes a housing that has a top end and a front side. A can cutting mechanism is on the front side of the housing proximate the top end of the housing. A hand held jar grip is removably mounted on the top end of the housing. The top end of the housing includes a recess that receives an interior surface of the hand held jar grip.

Abstract: End-diastolic and end-systolic image frames are automatically selected on a real-time basis from a sequence of X-ray ventricular angiogram images by modeling the angiogram images by a dynamic graphical model and estimating a posterior probability density of the ventricular area in each angiogram image frame using Bayesian probability density propagation and adaptive background modeling. Then, a variation curve plot of expectation values of the posterior probability density of the ventricular area of each angiogram image frame is generated in which peaks and valleys in the variation curve correspond to end-diastolic and end-systolic angiogram image frames, respectively.

Abstract: Disclosed are method and apparatus for motion correction of Digital Subtracted Angiography (DSA) images. Prior to display of DSA image frames, a pixel shift vector is calculated for each fill frame. For a fill frame in which a pixel shift vector cannot be directly calculated, an approximate pixel shift vector is interpolated between, or extrapolated from, other pixel shift vectors. A mask frame is shifted by a pixel shift vector. The resulting shifted mask frame is subtracted from the corresponding fill frame to generate a motion-corrected subtracted frame, which is then displayed on a video display. Motion correction is performed prior to diagnostic review.