Abstract: Systems and methods are provided for quantitatively and objectively characterizing sleep architecture in normal individuals and persons with various health conditions. Embodiments of the invention facilitate characterizing temporal-pattern information of an individual's sleep, such as measured by electroencephalography (EEG), for identifying persons with abnormalities in the temporal-pattern information, sequences or durations of their stages of sleeping (“sleep architecture”), for facilitating selecting appropriate therapy or treatment, and for monitoring the effectiveness of such therapy or treatment. In one aspect, a set of time series are formed by electronically representing and storing information pertaining to brain activity, such as EEG hypnogram or sleep information, over a multi-night span.

Abstract: A tissue collecting tool includes: a main body that is long; an operation part arranged on a proximal end side of the main body; a bag part including a bottom portion and an opening portion and having a part of the opening portion fixed to the main body such that the opening portion is positioned on a further proximal end side than the bottom portion; and a linear member connected to the opening portion and the operation part and raising the opening portion by being moved in a longitudinal direction of the main body.

Abstract: A brain wave measuring device includes a first brain wave measuring unit that contacts an ear of a user, a second brain wave measuring unit, joined to the first brain wave measuring unit, that contacts the ear, and a transmitter that transmits a brain wave measurement result obtained by the first brain wave measuring unit and the second brain wave measuring unit to a terminal device.

Abstract: Noninvasive methods and apparatus for detecting blood volume imbalances in a mammalian subject are disclosed. The method includes obtaining baseline measurements of at least three physiological parameters from a subject wherein the parameters are selected from the group consisting of heart rate, electrical body impedance, skin temperature, perfusion index, peripheral blood flow and skin humidity. Measurements of electrical body impedance, skin temperature, perfusion index, peripheral blood flow and skin humidity are taken at one or more extremities of the subject such as the calf, ankle, forearm, thigh, fingers and toes. The physiological parameters for which baseline measurements were obtained are then monitored to detect changes from the baseline measurements that indicate blood volume imbalances.

Abstract: An electroencephalogram (EEG) sensor is disclosed. The EEG sensor includes a housing defining a chamber capable of storing a gel, the housing includes a first and a second chamber wall, the walls each comprising a corresponding access port located on a common axis extending through the housing; an electrically-conductive probe with a probe tip extending at least partially through the chamber along the axis, at least a portion of the probe tip being exposed to the chamber; an electrical terminal located at an outer surface of the second chamber wall, the electrical terminal being in electrical communication with the probe tip through the access port at the second chamber wall; and a compliant member mechanically coupled to the access port at the first chamber wall capable of compressing, thereby providing a dispense pathway from the chamber through the access port at the first chamber wall.

Abstract: An aspect of the disclosure pertains to a blood pressure measurement device and methods of obtaining pulse information from a blood pressure measurement. An inflatable bladder defines, at least in part, a pressurizable volume. The inflatable bladder may be inflated to pressurize a user's appendage and temporarily occlude blood flow in the user's appendage, where the inflatable bladder is inflated to a pressure greater than a maximum amplitude pressure from oscillometric data in a pressure profile. The inflatable bladder may be deflated and then re-inflated to a target pressure and held at the target pressure to generate pulse information, or the inflatable bladder may be deflated to the target pressure and held at the target pressure to generate the pulse information.

Abstract: An acoustic device for spirometric measurement is provided. The acoustic device includes an inlet conduit configured to receive an airflow and a central cavity in communication with the inlet conduit. The central cavity includes a channel configured to guide at least a portion of the airflow into a vorticial flow about a central axis of the central cavity. The acoustic device further includes an outlet conduit configured to receive at least a portion of the vorticial flow and transduce at least a portion of kinetic energy of the vorticial flow into an acoustic emission. A frequency of the acoustic emission varies based on a rate of the airflow provided to the inlet conduit. In addition, the acoustic device includes a flow controller configured to modify at least a portion of the airflow provided to the inlet conduit.

Abstract: A system, a computer readable storage medium, and a method for analyzing electroencephalogram signals can include a plurality of sensors configured to contact a skull and capture the electroencephalogram signals, one or more computer memory units for storing computer instructions and data, and one or more processors configured to perform the operations of clustering the electroencephalogram signals using at least stored objective data and added subjective data including patient profile data to provide clustered data results and predicting one or more among a medical diagnosis, assessment, plan, necessary forms, or recommendations for follow up based on the clustered data results.

Abstract: A method for calibration of a photoplethysmographic device including the steps of providing a fluid circuit (305) for blood or other liquid, a pump mechanism (310) to generate pulsatile flow of blood through the fluid circuit, a sample of excised tissue (315) in the fluid circuit through which the blood flows, and a photoplethysmographic device including an emitter and a photodetector (330) positioned on the tissue (335, 340) so that a portion of the light output by the emitter passes through the tissue and is incident on the photodetector. The method further includes the steps of energizing the pump mechanism (420) to move the blood through the tissue, energizing the emitter (425) to output light, collecting paired data from the photodetector and from one or more reference measurements (430), and processing the paired data to calibrate the photoplethysmographic device (435).

Abstract: Vital sign sensor apparatuses which measures vital signs based on arterial pressure waveforms are described. In some embodiments, the apparatus includes an infrared sensor configured to capture at least a portion of an arterial pulse pressure waveform from a user. The apparatus further includes a processor configured to determine a maximum point for each of a plurality of peaks of the arterial pulse pressure waveform, and a corresponding first timestamp. The processor also determines one or more vital signs (e.g., a heart rate for a user, a heart rate variation of the user, a respiration rate of the user, and/or an arterial pulse pressure of the user) based at least in part on the plurality of maximum points and the plurality of corresponding timestamps. Related systems, methods, and articles of manufacture are also described.

Abstract: The invention provides a catheter (12) comprising longitudinally spaced acoustic emitters (S1, S2) and receivers (M1, M2, M3) for use in determining the locations of obstructions in an upper airway of a patient. A plurality of emitters and plurality of receivers are provided, such that, when inserted into an upper airway or oral cavity, the relative attenuation of signals received at each receiver from each emitter may be used to determine the existence and/or extent of obstructions located along the propagation path between each of the various emitter-receiver pairs. Also provided are methods for determining the locations of obstructions in an upper airway using signals received from acoustic receivers as comprised by catheter arrangements according to embodiments of the invention.

Abstract: A device is disclosed for taking critical measurements of a dental patient's anatomical features to aid in building prosthetic teeth in a minimal number of patient visits. The device to a multi-functional tool for dental professionals to acquire valuable anatomical data.

Abstract: A reinforcement learning brain-machine interface (RL-BMI) can have a policy that governs how detected signals, emanating from a motor cortex of a subject's brain, are translated into action. The policy can be improved by detecting a motor signal having a characteristic and emanating from the motor cortex. The system can provide, to a device and based on (i) the motor signal and (ii) an instruction policy, a command signal resulting in a first action by a device. Additionally, an evaluation signal, emanating from the motor cortex in response to the first action, can also be detected. With the foregoing information, the system can adjust the policy based on the evaluation signal such that a subsequent motor signal, from the subject's brain, having the characteristic results in a second action, by the device, different from the first action, as needed.

Abstract: A patient monitor for monitoring cerebral activity of a patient may include a processor configured to determine a depth of consciousness index for the patient based on electroencephalography (EEG) data and determine regional oxygen saturation for the patient based on regional oximetry data. Additionally, the processor may be configured to determine a metric associated with cerebral activity of the patient based at least in part on the one or more values of the depth of consciousness index and the one or more regional oxygen saturation values and to provide the one or more values of a depth of consciousness index and the metric to an output device.

Abstract: System and method for evaluating a cognitive load on a user, corresponding to a stimulus is disclosed. Electroencephalogram (EEG) data corresponding to the stimulus of a user is received. The stimulus corresponds to a mental task performed by the user. The EEG data is split into a plurality of slots. A slot of the plurality of slots comprises a subset of the EEG data. One or more EEG features are extracted from the subset of the EEG data. The one or more EEG features are represented in one of a frequency domain and a time domain. A plurality of data points present in the one or more EEG features is grouped into two or more clusters using an unsupervised learning technique. The two or more clusters comprise one or more data points of the plurality of data points. The one or more data points correspond to a level of the cognitive load.

Abstract: The present invention is directed to a method of continuously monitoring neuronal avalanches in a subject comprising (a) determining a deviation in avalanche exponent (?) or branching parameter (?) from a predetermined value at rest, wherein the pre-determined value of ? is a slope of a size distribution of the synchronized neuronal activity and the predetermined value is ?3/2 and the pre-determined value of ? is a ratio of successively propagated synchronized neuronal activity and the predetermined value is 1; and (b) repeating step (a) one or more times to continuously monitor neuronal avalanches in a subject. The invention also features methods of determining or monitoring the degree of sleep deprivation in a subject, methods of identifying subjects that are susceptible to a sleep disorder and methods of diagnosing a sleep disorder in a subject.

Abstract: A more practical method for evaluating an inhibitory circuit applicable to a living body, and the use thereof. Herein the action of an inhibitory circuit on an excitatory circuit is evaluated on the basis of attenuation of the brain activity produced by activation of an excitatory circuit by the input of an inhibitory circuit by performing a step for inputting an inhibitory circuit by applying a second trigger in advance of a first trigger to an excitatory circuit activated by a first trigger which is a stimulus or challenge.

Abstract: The invention provides a two-step approach to providing a BCI system. In a first step the invention provides a low-power implantable platform for amplifying and filtering the extracellular recording, performing analogue to digital conversion (ADC) and detecting action potentials in real-time, which is connected to a remote device capable of performing the processor-intensive tasks of feature extraction and spike classification, thus generating a plurality of predetermined templates for each neuron to be used in a second processing step. In the second step the low-power implantable platform amplifies and filters the extracellular recording, performs ADC and detects action potentials, which can be matched on-chip to the predetermined templates generated by the external receiver in the first step.

Abstract: A sensor is provided for measuring a dissolved oxygen concentration in vivo when implanted at a tissue site and in ex vivo applications. The sensor includes an article comprising a sensing medium retained within the implantable article by an oxygen-permeable material. The sensing medium comprises an MR contrast agent for oxygen. The sensor is configured to indicate the dissolved oxygen concentration of a fluid, e.g., in vivo at the tissue site, when subjected to an MR-based method.

Abstract: A single sensor capable of detecting both airflow in spirometry and the full range of sound frequencies needed to track clinically relevant breath sounds is provided. The airflow sensor includes a movable flap with one or more integrated strain gauges for measuring displacement and vibration. The airflow sensor is inherently bidirectional. The sensor is an elastic flap airflow sensor that is capable of detecting data needed for both spirometry and auscultation measurements. The sensor is sterilizable and designed for the measurement of human respiratory airflow. The sterilizable sensor is also suitable for non-medical fluid flow metering applications. Additional devices such as sensors for the ambient level of various chemicals, sensors for temperature, sensors for humidity and microphones, may be affixed to the flap. When the strain gauge is placed in a conventional Wheatstone bridge configuration, the sensor can provide the airflow measurements needed for medical spirometry.