744 results about "Skeletal muscle" patented technology

A method is disclosed for enhanced vaccination and genetic vaccination of mammals. The vaccination is accomplished by delivering molecules such as proteins and nucleic acids into skeletal muscle and other cells residing in the skeletal muscle in vivo. The protein or nucleic acid is first injected into the muscle at one or multiple sites. Immediately or shortly after injection, electrodes are placed flanking the injection site and a specific amount of electrical current is passed through the muscle. The electrical current makes the muscle permeable, thus allowing the pharmaceutical drug or nucleic acid to enter the cell. The efficiency of transfer permits robust immune responses using DNA vaccines and produces sufficient secreted proteins for systemic biological activity to be observed.

The present invention relates to a method for promoting blood vessel formation in tissues and organs. In particular, the method relates to implantation or attachment of an engineered three-dimensional stromal tissue to promote endothelialization and angiogenesis in the heart and related tissues. The three-dimensional stromal tissue of the present invention may be used in a variety of applications including, but not limited to, promoting repair of and regeneration of damaged cardiac muscle, promoting vascularization and healing during cardiac surgery, promoting blood vessel formation at anastomosis sites, and promoting vascularization and repair of damaged skeletal muscle, smooth muscle or connective tissue.

Methods of treatment of tissue with electromagnetic radiation (EMR) to produce lattices of EMR-treated islets in the tissue are disclosed. Specifically, methods of treating internal hard and soft tissues, such as but not limited to organs, bones, muscles, tendons, ligaments, vessels and nerves, with such EMR-treated islets are described. Also disclosed are devices and systems for producing lattices of EMR-treated islets in tissue, and cosmetic and medical applications of such devices and systems.

[Problem to be Solved]The problem to be solved by the present invention is to reduce the load applied to the wearer by correcting a parameter in correspondence with detectivity of biosignals.[Means to Solve Problem]The calibration controlling part 162 of the movement assisting apparatus 10 enables the power amplifying part 158 to apply a driving force of the driving source 140 as a load (input torque) from the load generating part 164 to the wearer 12 when the wearer 12 wears the movement assisting wearing device. Then, the wearer 12 applied with the driving force of the driving source 140 generates power from the skeletal muscles by performing a predetermined calibration operation. Accordingly, the physical phenomenon detecting part 142 detects joint angle along with the calibration operation, and the biosignal detecting part 144 detects myoelectric signals. In the parameter correction part 156, a parameter K is corrected based on the difference between the load (input torque) and the driving force (muscular strength) being calculated by the difference deriving part 154 with respect to the phase identified by the phase identifying part 152.

The present invention describes compositions and methods for treating, preventing and improving the appearance of skin, particularly, treating, preventing, ameliorating, reducing and / or eliminating fine lines and / or wrinkles of skin, wherein the compositions include limonoid constituents which inhibit acetylcholine release at neuromuscular junctions of skeletal muscle so as to relax the muscles involved with wrinkling, folding and creasing of skin, e.g., facial movement and expression. The limonoids preferably include the plant alkaloids toosendanin and azadirachtin. The compositions, which also are used to treat hyperhidrosis, are preferably applied to the skin, or are delivered by directed means to a site in need thereof.

A patient monitoring system including an implantable medical device for monitoring a plurality of physiological factors contributing to physiological conditions of a patient's heart by measuring a first impedance affected by the plurality of physiological factors, across one of a plurality of vectors, and a second impedance affected by the plurality of physiological factors, across a second one of the plurality of vectors subsequent to determining the first impedance. A change in impedance is determined based upon the first impedance and the second impedance measurements. Using an equation ΔZVX=αAVX*QA+αBVX*QB, where QA is a fractional resistivity change of a first contributing physiological impedance factor, QB is a fractional resistivity change of a second physiological impedance factor, αAVX is an impedance sensitivity factor for physiological impedance factor QA, and αBVX is an impedance sensitivity factor for physiological impedance factor QB, the value of one of the contributing physiological impedance factors is determined. The contributing physiological impedance factors may include lung resistivity, blood resistivity, heart muscle resistivity, skeletal muscle resistivity, heart volume and lung volume.

The invention is directed to novel combinations of muscle-specific enhancers and promoter elements useful for achieving persistent expression in the muscle or myocyctes. The muscle-specific promoter elements are derived from a muscle creatine kinase promoter, a troponin I promoter, a skeletal alpha-actin promoter, or a desmin promoter. The muscle-specific enhancer elements are derived from either troponin I internal regulatory elements, muscle creatine kinase enhancers, or desmin enhancers.

A preferably non-electrical nerve communication enhancement tool that sends specific, pre-timed, controlled vibrational and / or acoustical stimulation frequencies to the body to enhance nerve communication for the purpose of assisting in proper function of skeletal muscle, smooth muscle, sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems, and facilitating rapid and improved cerebellar timing circuit and related cerebellar learning mechanism pathways such as the inferior olivary-Purkinje-Thalamus cell system and other similar neuronal pools, to improve muscle memory, coordinated functional neuron-musculo-skeletal performance improvement, enhance blood flow, increased range of motion, flexibility, strength and dexterity, neuromuscular re-education, muscle tone recovery, pain modulation, improved eye-hand coordination, gait improvement, balance and stability gains, kinetic chain integration, neurological performance enhancement, sensory dysfunction reduction, and improvement in mental and cognitive function.

A biological function assist apparatus composed an electromechanically-based system wrapped in protective coating and controlled by a controller, which also provides power to the electromechanically-based system. The electromechanically-based system can be formed as a mesh using MEMS or a larger electromechanically grid and wrapped around a failing heart, or the electromechanical system can be formed in a circle forming an artificial valve (e.g., sphincter). The electromechanically-based system can operate as a bone-muscle interface, thereby functioning in place of tendons.

Cardiac sensing and / or stimulation devices and methods that adapt to implant location and positioning, and may employ automated vector selection from multiple electrodes. Devices include a housing having a first face opposing a second face, and an edge extending around the perimeter. A pulse generator and controller are coupled to three or more electrodes. Electrode arrangement facilitates selection of the particular electrodes that sense cardiac activity irrespective of one or more of positioning of the device, rotation of the housing, and which of the first and second faces of the housing is orientated toward the patient's skin. A first vector may be selected that provides for sensing cardiac activity, and a second vector may sense skeletal muscle activity. The vectors may be selected based on amplitude or signal-to-noise ratio exceeding a predetermined threshold. Methods may involve delivering defibrillation or cardioversion energy and / or determining cardiac rhythm states using selected vectors.

The present invention relates to a system and method for determining sleep, sleep stage and / or sleep stage transition of a person, including heart rate detecting means configured for detecting a heart rate of the person, movement detecting means configured for detecting a movement of a part of the body of the person, where the detected movement is caused by a skeletal muscle of the body, recording means configured for recording the detected heart rate and the detected movement of the part of the body, heart rate classifying means configured for classifying the recorded heart rate of the person into at least one heart rate class at least one heart rate variability class, movement classifying means configured for classifying the recorded movement into at least one movement class, and determining means configured for determining sleep, a sleep stage, a sleep stage transition and / or a sleep event of the person based at least partially on the at least one heart rate class and the at least one movement class.

Systems and methods define an index of risk for cardiac disease by detecting cellular derangements that may lead to cardiomyopathy, heart rhythm disorders or ischemic heart disease. The markers include fluctuations or abnormal rate-behavior of electrical, mechanical or other measurable biosignals. The invention operates in modes that can be applied to prevent atrial fibrillation or the risk for ventricular arrhythmias. Alternative embodiments are applied to tissue outside the heart such as skeletal muscle, smooth muscle, the central nervous system, the respiratory system, the urogenital system and the gastrointestinal system.

A unit dosage form, such as a capsule or the like, for delivering a skeletal muscle relaxant, such as cyclobenzaprine hydrochloride, into the body in an extended or sustained release fashion comprising one or more populations of drug-containing particles (beads, pellets, granules, etc.) is disclosed. At least one bead population exhibits a pre-designed sustained release profile. Such a drug delivery system is designed for once-daily oral administration to maintain an adequate plasma concentration—time profile, thereby providing relief of muscle spasm associated with painful musculoskeletal conditions over a 24 hour period.

The invention is directed to topical formulations and methods of treating a migraines and / or cluster headaches, muscle sprains, muscle spasms, spasticity, tension headaches, tension related migraines and related conditions associated with muscle tension and pain with a therapeutically effective amount of an ergot alkaloid, skeletal muscle relaxant, serotonin agonist, combinations thereof, pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof, prodrugs thereof or derivative thereof.

Methods for treating conditions in an animal or human subject. The conditions may be pain, skeletal muscle conditions, smooth muscle conditions, glandular conditions and cosmetic conditions. The methods comprise the step of administering a Clostridium neurotoxin component or Clostridium neurotoxin component encoding DNA to the subject using a needleless syringe.

A method to control skeletal muscles generally comprising generating at least one coded waveform signal that is substantially similar to at least one coded waveform signal that is generated in the body and operative in the control of at least a first skeletal muscle and transmitting the generated waveform signal to a subject to control the first skeletal muscle.

An apparatus for determining tissue versus fluid components of an organ include a detector that generates a detector signal based on electrical signals derived from tissue and fluid. The apparatus includes a signal processor in communication with the detector which subtracts in real time a tissue component from the detector signal and produces a fluid volume signal. A method for monitoring a patient's fluid volume of a patient's organ. An apparatus for monitoring a patient's organ. A method for monitoring a patient's organ. A method to piggyback an admittance system onto a AICD / Bi-ventricular Pacemaker for a heart of a patient, in particular a weakened heart having features consistent with congestive heart failure. An apparatus for monitoring an organ, such as a heart, lungs, brain, skeletal muscle, and bladder of a patient which includes a detector which detects the admittance of the organ. The apparatus includes a transmitter in communication with the detector which transmits a wireless signal indicative of the admittance of the organ. A method for monitoring an organ of a patient includes the steps of detecting with a detector the admittance of the organ. There is the step of transmitting with a transmitter in communication with the detector a wireless signal indicative of admittance of the organ.

Systems and methods for immobilizing a target such as a human or animal with a stimulus signal coupled to the target via electrodes provide the stimulus signal in accordance with a strike stage, a hold stage, and a rest stage. Systems include a launch device and separate projectile, where the projectile includes a battery, a waveform generator, and electrodes. The strike stage and hold stage may include pulses at a pulse repetition rate, for example, from 10 to 20 pulses per second, each pulse delivering a predetermined amount of charge, for example, about 100 microcoulombs at less than about 500 volts peak. The hold stage may continue immobilization at a lesser expenditure of energy compared to the strike stage. Because the strike stage and hold stage may immobilize by interfering with skeletal muscle control by the target's nervous system, a rest stage may allow the target to take a breath.

An apparatus, according to various aspects of the present invention, produces contractions in skeletal muscles of a target to impede locomotion by the target. The apparatus is used with a provided deployment unit that deploys an electrode away from the apparatus. The electrode conducts a current through the target. The apparatus includes a terminal; a producing sub-system for producing an electric arc to warn the target without conducting a current through the target; a conducting sub-system for conducting the current in series through the terminal and through the target; an initiating sub-system for initiating deployment of the electrode; and an operator interface. The operator interface facilitates selecting one or more cartridges of a set of cartridges to provide a stimulus signal to a target and / or display an arc.

An apparatus, according to various aspects of the present invention, produces contractions in skeletal muscles of a target to impede locomotion by the target. The apparatus is used with a provided deployment unit that deploys an electrode away from the apparatus. The electrode conducts a current through the target. The apparatus includes a terminal; a producing sub-system for producing an electric arc to warn the target without conducting a current through the target; a conducting sub-system for conducting the current in series through the terminal and through the target; an initiating sub-system for initiating deployment of the electrode; and an operator interface. The operator interface facilitates selecting one or more cartridges of a set of cartridges to provide a stimulus signal to a target and / or display an arc.

The present invention relates to a device and system to measure and assess superficial skeletal muscle mechanical and neuromuscular contractile characteristics, and interpret the results to provide metrics with quantifiable and qualitative descriptors relating to muscle function. The present device provides a further type of mechanomyography and a new use for acceleromyography by measuring the mechanical muscle movement of an involuntary stimulated muscle from an automated electro-stimulation protocol to determine muscle contractile properties. Muscle twitch response during the latent, contraction and relaxation phase is measured using an array of multiple accelerometers on a sensor pad to assess and diagnose muscle. function from various measurements. This information is processed using algorithms to determine muscle function abnormalities, muscle activation patterns, muscle symmetry of lateral muscle pairs, muscle synchronization of antagonist muscle, muscle force, muscle acceleration, muscle speed, muscle tone, muscle fatigue, muscle power / torque and muscle efficiency.

A device for treatment of patients with disturbed posture and motor activity comprises shoulder, pelvic, knee, pedal, elbow, hand, and finger supports (1), all of them being interconnected by fixing elements, which are shaped as elastic tie-members (2) and placed on the surface of the patient's body in antagonistic pairs so as to follow anatomical arrangement of skeletal muscles. Each of the tie-members (2) is connected to two of the supports (1) and comprises an adjuster (3) of its tension, which is interposed between the tie-member (2) and one of the supports (1) through a lock (5).

Methods for treating conditions in an animal or human subject. The conditions may be pain, skeletal muscle conditions, smooth muscle conditions, glandular conditions and cosmetic conditions. The methods comprise the step of administering a Clostridium neurotoxin component or Clostridium neurotoxin component encoding DNA to the subject using a needleless syringe.

Some embodiments of the invention provide a software generated series of tests or screens to determine skeletal muscle balance as related to muscle strength and muscle flexibility. In some embodiments, a color coded muscle map illustrating the findings of the screens, is generated. The findings of the screens compile an exercise program, specifically tailored to the individual's general health and fitness state, as well as to the specific shortcomings identified in the screen. The invention also provides, in some embodiments, an exercise program adherence tracking calendar which monitors both completed exercises and exercise effectiveness as measured by changes in screen results.

Disclosed are methods, compositions, and cells useful for increasing insulin sensitivity, as well as lack of insulin production in a host in need thereof. One aspect of the invention discloses methods of increasing skeletal muscle perfusion through administration of cells capable of directly and / or indirectly stimulatory of angiogenesis and / or vascular responsiveness. Another aspect provides means of increasing sensitivity to insulin through administration of a cell composition capable of integrating into host insulin responsive tissue and upregulating responsiveness either through mobilization of host cells capable of responding to insulin, mobilization of host cells capable of endowing insulin responsiveness on other host cells, exogenously administered cells taking the role of insulin responsiveness, or exogenously administered cells endowing insulin responsiveness on other host cells. Another aspect comprises modifying said host to allow for concurrent insulin sensitization and upregulated production of insulin.

This invention discloses isolated short peptides comprising the amino acid sequence Cys-Glu-Phe-His (CEFH) and analogs thereof as well as compositions comprising CEFH peptides and analogs thereof. The CEFH peptides disclosed herein are effective in mediating the denitration of 3-nitrotyrosines (3-NT) in cellular proteins thereby preventing tissue damage associated with excess nitric oxide (NO) and its reactive species. The CEFH peptides disclosed herein are useful in the treatment of ischemia / reperfusion (I / R) injury of various tissues (e.g., I / R injury of heart muscle associated with heart attack or cardiac surgery, I / R injury of brain tissue associated with stroke, I / R injury of liver tissue, skeletal muscles, etc.), septic shock, anaphylactic shock, neurodegenerative diseases (e.g., Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases), neuronal injury, atherosclerosis, diabetes, multiple sclerosis, autoimmune uveitis, pulmonary fibrosis, oobliterative bronchiolitis, bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD), amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), sepsis, inflammatory bowel disease, arthritis, allograft rejection, autoimmune myocarditis, myocardial inflammation, pulmonary granulomatous inflammation, influenza- or HSV-induced pneumonia, chronic cerebral vasospasm, allergic encephalomyelitis, central nervous system (CNS) inflammation, Heliobacterium pylori gastritis, necrotizing entrerocolitis, celliac disease, peritonitis, early prosthesis failure, inclusion body myositis, preeclamptic pregnancies, skin lesions with anaphylactoid purpura, nephrosclerosis, ileitis, leishmaniasis, cancer, and related disorders.