Abstract: There is a monitoring system that can be employed by any number of users that monitors their physiological state and environmental surroundings. Based on this information, the system provides recommendations for the changing and/or modification of certain behaviors. These modified and/or changed behaviors are directly related to the perceived biological rhythm disruption registered by the system. By modifying and thereby tuning these biological rhythm disruptions, users can help prevent disease, improve quality of life, and alleviate certain conditions.

Abstract: An instrument for measuring physiological characteristics of a living organism based upon the monitoring of the respiratory sinus arrhythmia senses a subject's heartbeat and senses beginning of inspiration and expiration in the subject's respiratory cycles. Instantaneous heart rate values are derived for each heartbeat. A time value is stored for each heartbeat, and from those time values the temporal location of each instantaneous heart rate within the respiratory cycle of the patient is determined. Based upon the time values and the instantaneous heart rate values corresponding to those time values, measurement values which indicate a characteristic of the subject's cardiovascular and/or cardiopulmonary systems are derived. Corrections for the effects of mean heart rate, respiratory rate, respiratory volume and respiratory flow rate, and time of day of the test, are provided.

Abstract: A laboratory instrument and method used by a technician to gain access to vessels and tissues within the tail of an animal. The instrument includes a restrainer to restrict movement of the animal's body. A window supports the animal's tail. A light positioned opposite the window from the tail transilluminates the tail making the vessels and tissues therein visible. The vessels are dilated by heating the animal's body. Cannulating the vessels provides access thereto. The instrument is particularly useful for intravenous administration of drugs to rodents used in pharmocologic testing.

Abstract: A needle support is disclosed for supporting a needle inserted into a body part of a patient. The needle support is a frusto-conical member formed from a pair of semiconical halves which are joined at a common hinge edge with the halves presenting opposing flat surfaces which may be pivoted to a closed position with the surfaces opposing and abutting one another. The needle support 50 is formed of a material which is sufficiently rigid to support a needle disposed between said conical halves yet deformable about a rigid needle with deformable portions defining a needle receiving channel. A support base is provided secured to the body portion and sized to cover a part of a patient's skin and adhesive is provided on a skin abutting surface of the support base.

Abstract: A medical instrument includes a noninvasive pulse transducer which senses heart beats of a human subject. Based upon pulse signals from the transducer, the instrument provides visual stimulae which allow the human subject to voluntarily synchronize the subject's respiration cycles with the subject's heart beats. At the same time, the instrument determines and stores the instantaneous beat-to-beat heart rate for each beat of the respiratory cycles. After a predetermined number of synchronized respiratory cycles have been completed, the instrument performs both classical statistical and rhythmometric analyses utilizing the stored instantaneous heart rates.