Abstract: A mesenchymal stem cell harvesting system and method for increasing the efficiency of collecting and processing physiological fluids containing mesenchymal stem cells from a cavity within a patient’s skeletal system. Microenvironments risk in MSC production and concentration within a cavity, for example the patient’s ilium, are penetrated with a pointed instrument used to create an aperture in the hard cortical bone forming the cavity followed by the insertion of an aspiration device which extracts one or more samples of cancellous bone, bone marrow, bone marrow blood and other aspirated material. The aspirate is rinsed and may be filtered to remove unwanted material and to increase the concentration and purity of the mesenchymal stem cells in the aspirant far beyond levels formerly obtainable for use in autologous treatment of the patient.

Abstract: An assembly includes a movable door assembly and a heating element. The movable door assembly is configured to be disposed on an exterior of a vehicle. The heating element is coupled to the movable door assembly, and is configured to receive energy from a battery disposed on the vehicle and to heat at least a portion of the movable door assembly.

Abstract: A testing apparatus for testing a fluid and a loss control material (LCM) is provided. The testing apparatus includes a testing chamber having an upstream end, a downstream end, a device central axis, and a general flow direction. The testing chamber includes a chamber body having an upstream cap, a downstream cap, a first chamber wall, and a second chamber wall. The first chamber wall has a first diameter and in part defines a first chamber interior, the second chamber wall has a second diameter, the first diameter is less than the second diameter, and both the first chamber wall and the second chamber wall are positioned relative to one another such that an annulus is defined in part in between. The traversal of the fluid and the LCM along the fluid flow path is restricted by a flow restriction.

Abstract: A medical probe, consisting of an insertion tube having a distal end configured for insertion into a body of a patient and containing a lumen having an electrical conductor for conveying electrical energy. The probe also has a conductive cap attached to the distal end of the insertion tube and coupled electrically to the electrical conductor, the cap including a side wall having multiple longitudinal bores therein. There are a plurality of thermocouples disposed in respective ones of the longitudinal bores, and an electrically conductive cement at least partially fills the longitudinal bores so as to secure the thermocouples in the bores while making electrically conductive contact between the thermocouples and the conductive cap.

Abstract: An apparatus for detecting sleep disorders, such as obstructive sleep apnea, includes a housing insertable into an ear canal of a subject. A sensor disposed within the housing measures a position of the subject's head relative to an axis of gravity. A transducer is responsive to the sensor and is capable of creating a stimulus detectable by the subject under certain conditions. In various embodiments, a controller receives signals corresponding to a pitch angle and a roll angle of the subject's head measured by the sensor, determines if the pitch and roll angles correspond to a sleep apnea inducing position, and causes the transducer to generate a stimulus upon determining that the subject's head is in the sleep apnea inducing position more than a predetermined threshold number of times. Various parameters of the stimulus may be modified with successive stimulus generation until a non-sleep apnea inducing position is detected.

Abstract: An apparatus includes a tube, a tip electrode coupled to a distal end of the tube and shaped to define at least one cavity, a microelectrode disposed within the cavity and including an outer surface that is of lesser convexity than that of a portion of the tip electrode surrounding the cavity, and a conductive polymeric coating that coats the outer surface. Other examples are also described.

Abstract: In one exemplary mode, a medical system includes a catheter to be inserted into a chamber of a heart of a living subject, and including a distal end including catheter electrodes to contact tissue at respective locations within the chamber of the heart, at least one position sensor to provide at least one position signal indicative of at least one position of the distal end, a display, and processing circuitry to assess respective qualities of contact of the catheter electrodes with the tissue, compute positions of respective ones of the catheter electrodes responsively to the at least one position signal, generate a 3D anatomical map of at least part of the chamber of the heart responsively to the assessed respective qualities of contact and the computed positions of the respective ones of the catheter electrodes and render to the display the generated 3D anatomical map.

Abstract: A method and system for monitoring a user's intoxication including receiving a set of signals, derived from a set of samples collected from the user at a set of time points; providing a sobriety task to the user proximal to a time point of the set of time points; generating a performance dataset characterizing performance of the sobriety task by the user; receiving a supplementary dataset characterizing a demographic profile of the user and/or a physiological state of the user; determining a set of values of an intoxication metric, derived from the set of signals; generating a predicted temporal profile of the intoxication metric for the user based upon the set of values, the set of time points, and the supplementary dataset; generating an analysis of the user's sobriety based upon the performance dataset and the predicted temporal profile; and providing a notification to the user based upon the analysis.

Abstract: In one exemplary mode, a catheter apparatus includes an elongated deflectable element including a distal end, a flexible puller including a distal portion, and configured to be retracted through the deflectable element, and an expandable assembly including a plurality of resilient splines, each resilient spline including at least one electrode disposed thereon, the resilient splines being disposed circumferentially around the distal portion of the puller, with first ends of the splines being coupled with the distal end of the deflectable element and second ends of the splines coupled with the distal portion of the puller, the splines being configured to bow radially outward in a relaxed form of the expandable assembly and bow further radially outward when the puller is retracted expanding the expandable assembly from the relaxed form to an expanded form.

Abstract: A catheter includes: (i) a shaft for insertion into an organ of a patient, (ii) an expandable distal-end assembly, which is coupled to the shaft and includes multiple splines, (iii) at least an ablation electrode, which is configured: (a) to be coupled to a spline of the splines, and (b) when placed in contact with tissue of the organ, to apply an ablation signal to the tissue, and the ablation electrode includes a slot, and (iv) a temperature sensor, which is contained within the slot and is configured, when the ablation electrode is placed in contact with the tissue, to produce a thermal signal indicative of a temperature of the tissue.

Abstract: A catheter includes, a shaft for insertion into an organ, an expandable distal-end assembly coupled to the shaft and includes splines, at least one of the splines includes a flexible substrate, configured to conform to tissue of the organ, and a sensing electrode, configured: (a) to be coupled to the flexible substrate, and (b) when in contact with the tissue, to produce a electrically signal indicative of an electrocardiogram signal sensed in the tissue, the sensing electrode including: (i) a gold substrate, formed over the flexible substrate and configured to conduct the electrically signal, (ii) a first polymer layer, formed over a first section of the gold substrate and configured to electrically isolate between the tissue and the gold substrate, and (iii) a second polymer layer, formed over a second, different, section of the gold substrate, and configured to conduct the electrocardiogram signal between the tissue and the gold substrate.

Abstract: A system includes a fixture, a laser assembly, and a positioning assembly. The fixture is configured to hold (i) a substrate of a distal-end assembly of a catheter and (ii) a lead placed on a given solder pad disposed on the substrate, the laser assembly is configured to emit a laser beam, and the positioning assembly is configured to move the fixture, with the substrate and the lead, relative to the laser assembly, so as to mark a soldering position, at which the lead is to be attached to the given solder pad, with a laser spot of the laser beam.

Abstract: Cationic polymers are provided that comprise monomeric units of Formula (V). (V) Each asterisk (*) indicates an attachment position to another monomeric unit; R is hydrogen or methyl; each R2 is each independently an alkyl, aryl, or a combination thereof; L is a linking group comprising an alkylene group; and +R3 is a cationic nitrogen-containing group free of any N—H bonds. Membranes formed from said cationic polymers, devices including such membranes, and methods of making such cationic polymers are also provided.

Abstract: A method for fabricating a medical device includes providing a metal electrode to be used in applying electrical energy to biological tissue and specifying a frequency at which the electrical energy is to be applied. A thickness of a ceramic coating to be applied to the metal electrode is identified so as to reduce an electrical impedance between the metal electrode and the tissue at the specified frequency by a specified amount. The ceramic coating is deposited over the metal electrode to the identified thickness, and the metal electrode is assembled onto a probe for application to the biological tissue.

Abstract: A medical apparatus includes a shaft and a basket assembly. The shaft is configured for insertion into a cavity of an organ of a patient. The basket assembly is connected distally to the shaft and includes electrodes, which are configured to apply electrical energy to tissue within the cavity. The basket assembly further includes a flexible porous sheath, which is fitted over the basket assembly and is configured to contact the tissue within the cavity while simultaneously (i) preventing the electrodes from indenting the tissue and (ii) allowing electrical energy applied from the electrodes to be delivered to the tissue.

Abstract: An apparatus includes a tube, a support element, multiple spines proximally coupled to the tube, and multiple electrodes coupled to the spines. The spines include respective expandable superelastic elements, and respective polymeric elements extending from respective distal ends of the superelastic elements and coupled to a surface of the support element by virtue of being bent proximally, into alignment with the surface, at a distal end of the support element. Other examples are also described.

Abstract: A system for use with multiple electrodes coupled to respective spines of a probe includes multiple switches connected to the electrodes and configured to short different respective first subsets of the electrodes to each other and different respective second subsets of the electrodes to each other per different respective settings of the switches. The system further includes a processor configured to control the switches so as to alternate through the settings and, for each of the settings, cause a power generator to apply a voltage between the shorted first subset and the shorted second subset while the probe is deployed within a body of a subject. Other examples are also described.

Abstract: A dental floss loop includes an elastic band having a diameter when in a relaxed position smaller than a distance between a user's thumb and pinkie on one hand.

Abstract: A medical probe includes a shaft and a basket assembly. The shaft is configured for insertion into a cavity of an organ of a patient. The basket assembly, which is connected at a distal end of the shaft, includes (a) multiple electrically-conductive spines that are electrically-connected to one another so as to form a distributed electrode, and (b) a plurality of spine mounted electrodes, which are disposed along the spines and are configured to (i) sense electrical activity in the cavity, (ii) ablate and (iii) prevent the distributed electrode from indenting tissue in the cavity.