Browse Topic: Fluids and secretions

Items (509)
Find
Sensors Measure Uric Acid LevelsTBMG-4977901/01/2024
Researchers have invented sensor-based noninvasive medical devices to make the monitoring and treatment of certain physiological and psychological conditions timelier and more precise.
Extraction of Largely Unexplored Bodily Fluid Could Be a New Source of BiomarkersTBMG-4691911/01/2022
Wireless Smart Contact Lenses Detect DiseaseTBMG-4554204/01/2022
Having diabetes means a lifelong obligation of insulin shots and monitoring of blood glucose levels. But a team of researchers has developed a way to control the secretion of insulin just by wearing contact lenses.
Developing a Customized Glucometer Using GreenPAKTBMG-3976909/01/2021
Glucometers play an important role in managing a diabetic patient’s health issues. Typically, the patient inserts a disposable test strip into the meter, pricks their finger, loads a droplet of blood onto the test strip, waits a couple of seconds, and then receives a reading of the current blood glucose level.
Bioprinted 3D Cardiac Patches Could Reverse Scar Formation After Heart AttacksTBMG-3976709/01/2021
Cardiovascular diseases account for 32 percent of global deaths. Myocardial infarction, or heart attacks, play a large part in heart diseases and the necrosis of cardiac tissue after blood supply is decreased or stopped.
Wearable, All-in-One Health MonitorTBMG-3958508/01/2021
Engineers developed a soft, stretchy skin patch that can be worn on the neck to continuously track blood pressure and heart rate while measuring the wearer’s levels of glucose as well as lactate, alcohol, or caffeine. It is the first wearable device that monitors cardiovascular signals and multiple biochemical levels in the human body at the same time.
Wearable Device Captures Cancer Cells from BloodTBMG-3961808/01/2021
Tumors can release more than 1,000 cancer cells into the bloodstream in a single minute. Current methods of capturing cancer cells from blood rely on samples from the patient — usually no more than a tablespoon taken in a single draw. Some blood draws come back with no cancer cells, even in patients with advanced cancer, and a typical sample contains no more than 10 cancer cells.
Nearly Pain-Free Microneedle PatchTBMG-3961008/01/2021
Doctors often use blood samples to check for biomarkers of disease such as antibodies or cytokines indicative of inflammation seen in conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis and sepsis.
Quantum-Limit-Approaching Chemical Sensing ChipTBMG-3863903/01/2021
University at Buffalo researchers are reporting an advancement of a chemical sensing chip that could lead to handheld devices that detect trace chemicals — everything from illicit drugs to pollution — as quickly as a breathalyzer identifies alcohol.
Painless Paper Patch Test for Glucose Levels Uses MicroneedlesTBMG-3864103/01/2021
Patches seem to be all the rage these days. There are birth control patches, nicotine patches, and transdermal medicinal patches, just to name a few. Now, a team of researchers at the Institute of Industrial Science, The University of Tokyo, have developed a patch of needles connected to a paper sensor for diagnosing conditions such as prediabetes. Luckily, this patch doesn't multiply the pain and discomfort of a single hypodermic needle. In fact, these microneedles are painless and biodegradable.
Handheld Device Measures Cancer BiomarkersTBMG-3834201/01/2021
Researchers have created the prototype for a handheld device to measure a biomarker for cancer. The device works much like the monitors that people with diabetes use to test their blood-sugar levels and could be used in a medical clinic or at home, all without lab work, greatly simplifying the process for testing blood for cancer’s signature.
Products of Tomorrow: January 2021TBMG-3834401/01/2021
This column presents technologies that have applications in commercial areas, possibly creating the products of tomorrow. To learn more about each technology, see the contact information provided for that innovation.
Designing Rugged Myoelectric Interfaces for Highly Functional ProstheticsTBMG-3830801/01/2021
Using the laptops and cellphones in today’s world is solved by using modern prosthetic devices that connect signals from the brain via surface-mounted sensors and detectors. New sensor technologies combined with high-performance microwiring is extending the performance and reliability of active myoelectric prosthetics. The evolution of newly developed microprocessor chip sensors offers advanced communication from the brain to the prosthetic devices. Myographic chips monitor and measure the force produced by muscles as they move from relaxed mode to contractions and can deliver intensity and muscle signal speed. The surface-mounted electromyographic sensors with isolated microwiring receive analog signals sent from the brain to be captured and converted to digital signals. They are then connected to newly adapted prosthetic devices that enhance the life and capability of amputee patients.
Implantable Sensor Could Measure Bodily Functions and Safely BiodegradeTBMG-3830901/01/2021
Sensors that monitor a patient’s condition during and after medical procedures can be expensive, uncomfortable, and even dangerous. Now, an international team of researchers has designed a highly sensitive flexible gas sensor that can be implanted in the body — and, after it’s no longer needed, safely biodegrade into materials that are absorbed by the body.
Painless Paper Patch Tests Glucose LevelsTBMG-3834501/01/2021
Researchers have been trying to develop a practical way to use microneedles — tiny needles less than 1 mm in length — for routine at-home medical monitoring. Microneedles are so short that they stay within the skin and do not make contact with any neurons, meaning that they cause no pain. Rather than extracting blood, they draw up fluid in the skin that contains most of the important biomarkers that blood tests look for. Several types of microneedles exist but until now, making a practical device that quickly analyzes the fluid has proved elusive.
Extraction of Largely Unexplored Bodily Fluid Could Be a New Source of BiomarkersTBMG-3832201/01/2021
Using an array of tiny needles that are almost too small to see, researchers have developed a minimally invasive technique for sampling a largely unexplored human bodily fluid that could potentially provide a new source of information for routine clinical monitoring and diagnostic testing.
Wearable Device Measures Cortisol in SweatTBMG-3834301/01/2021
The hormone cortisol rises and falls naturally throughout the day and can spike in response to stress, but current methods for measuring cortisol levels require waiting several days for results from a lab. By the time a person learns the results of a cortisol test — which may inform treatment for certain medical conditions — it is likely different from when the test was taken.
5 Ws of the SARS-CoV-2 RapidPlex SensorTBMG-3817912/01/2020
COVID-19 can be easily spread to others by a person who has yet to show any signs of infection. The carrier of the virus might feel perfectly well and take the virus with them to work, to the home of a family member, or to public gatherings. An at-home test that can rapidly identify infections in people who are not yet symptomatic could dramatically reduce the number of people exposed.
Zero-Gravity Body Posture Influences Acupressure Massage ChairTBMG-3817812/01/2020
Spinoff is NASA’s annual publication featuring successfully commercialized NASA technology. This commercialization has contributed to the development of products and services in the fields of health and medicine, consumer goods, transportation, public safety, computer technology, and environmental resources.
High-Performance, Low-Field MRI for Cardiac and Lung ImagingTBMG-3796911/01/2020
A low-magnetic-field MRI system was developed that vastly improves image quality of the lungs and other internal structures of the human body. The low-field system may also be safer for patients with pacemakers or defibrillators, quieter, and easier to maintain and install.
Pot of Gold Engineered to Help with Early Disease DetectionTBMG-3807011/01/2020
The University of Queensland Brisbane St. Lucia, Australia
3D Printed Unique Micro-Scale Fluid Channels Made for Medical TestingTBMG-3806411/01/2020
Researchers have 3D printed unique fluid channels at the micron scale that could automate production of diagnostics, sensors, and assays used for a variety of medical tests and other applications. The team is the first to 3D print these structures on a curved surface, providing the initial step for someday printing them directly on the skin for real-time sensing of bodily fluids.
Q&A: Soft Electronics Treat Heart ArrythmiasTBMG-3798311/01/2020
Professor Igor Efimov and a team at George Washington University in Washington, DC — in collaboration with Professor John Rogers’ laboratory from Northwestern University in Chicago, IL — are pioneering a new class of medical instruments that uses flexible electronics to improve patient outcomes in minimally invasive surgeries.
3D-Printed Sweating Robot MuscleTBMG-3800711/01/2020
One of the hurdles for making enduring, adaptable, and agile robots is managing the robots’ internal temperature. If the high-torque-density motors and exothermic engines that power a robot overheat, the robot will cease to operate. This is a particular issue for soft robots made of synthetic materials. While more flexible, they hold their heat unlike metals, which dissipate heat quickly. An internal cooling technology, such as a fan, may not be much help because it would take up space inside the robot and add weight.
Patches Detect When a Viral Disease Is About to Get WorseTBMG-3807811/01/2020
Just before a viral illness such as the flu or COVID-19 worsens, bodies start producing more inflammatory biomarkers, and the concentrations of these biomarkers in bodily fluids increases. Therefore by continuously monitoring these biomarker concentrations on our skin’s surface, doctors can spot such turns for the worse and act immediately, preventing complications and saving lives.
E-Tongue Nanosensor ArrayTBMG-3799511/01/2020
E-Tongue, a patent-pending technology, is comprised of a silicon-based interdigitated electrode (IDE) array with nanostructured materials that can detect biomolecules and chemical compounds in a liquid sample.
Wearable Sensors Printed on Natural Materials Analyze Substances Present in SweatTBMG-3783910/01/2020
A wearable sensor printed on microbial nanocellulose, a natural polymer, has been created in Brazil by researchers at the University of São Paulo (USP) in São Carlos in collaboration with colleagues at São Paulo State University (UNESP) in Araraquara, the University of Araraquara (UNIARA), the University of Campinas (UNICAMP), and the Brazilian National Nanotechnology Laboratory (LNNano).
Electronics Mimic the Human Brain in Biological LearningTBMG-3782810/01/2020
Researchers have discovered, while investigating protein nanowires, how to use these biological, electricity-conducting filaments to make a neuromorphic memristor or “memory transistor” device. It runs extremely efficiently on very low power, as brains do, to carry signals between neurons.
Adhesive Film Turns Smartwatch into Biochemical Health Monitoring SystemTBMG-3785610/01/2020
UCLA engineers have designed a thin adhesive film that could upgrade a consumer smartwatch into a powerful health monitoring system. The system looks for chemical indicators found in sweat to give a real-time snapshot of what’s happening inside the body. A study detailing the technology was published in the journal Science Advances.
Researchers Develop Portable Blood Ammonia DetectorTBMG-3758909/01/2020
Researchers have developed a handheld, portable ammonia detector that — like glucometers used to measure blood sugar — assesses ammonia levels from a finger or earlobe prick.
Laser Technology Assesses Cancer CellsTBMG-3763909/01/2020
Devising the best treatment for a cancer patient requires doctors to know something about the traits of the particular cancer. One of the greatest difficulties in treating cancer is that cancer cells are not all the same. Even within the same tumor, cancer cells can differ in their genetics, behavior, and susceptibility to chemotherapy drugs.
How Unlimited-Length Flexible Printed Circuits Are Transforming Electrical Interfaces in Medical DevicesTBMG-3758309/01/2020
Undergoing surgery is a costly procedure, often involving a hospital stay and the ongoing monitoring of the patient after discharge. During and after an operation, the patient is put through considerable stress, both mentally and physiologically, which affects the body’s respiratory, cardiovascular, excretory, and immune systems in particular. Whenever possible, limiting the size and number of incisions made during surgery by using minimally invasive surgery (MIS) techniques is extremely beneficial to the patient’s recovery time.
Automated Robotic Device for Faster Blood TestingTBMG-3762609/01/2020
Diagnostic blood testing is the most commonly performed clinical procedure in the world, and it influences most of the medical decisions made in hospitals and laboratories. But the success rate of manually drawing blood samples depends on clinicians’ skill and patient physiology, and nearly all test results come from centralized labs that handle large numbers of samples and use labor-intensive analytical techniques.
4D Printing Creates Microneedles to Replace HypodermicsTBMG-3765209/01/2020
Painful hypodermic needles may not be needed in the future to give shots, inject drugs, and get blood samples. With 4D printing, engineers have created tiny needles that mimic parasites that attach to skin and could replace hypodermic needles.
Four Critical Challenges of Prehospital InfusionTBMG-3759709/01/2020
Prehospital medicine, also referred to as emergency medical services (EMS), is a subspecialty within the medical field that initiates care for ill or injured patients before they arrive at a hospital or while they are in transit to a hospital. As a result of the nature of this unpredictable and ever-changing environment, prehospital clinicians, namely paramedics, must be prepared to handle every challenge thrown their way.
Paper-Based Device Analyzes SweatTBMG-3736208/01/2020
Researchers have constructed a paper-based device as a model of wearables that can collect, transport, and analyze sweat in next-generation wearable technology. Using a process known as capillary action, akin to water transport in plants, the device uses evaporation to wick fluid that mimics the features of human sweat to a sensor for up to 10 days or longer.
Paper-Based Technology Advances Earlier Cancer DetectionTBMG-3734508/01/2020
Washington State University researchers have developed a technology that is more than 30 times more sensitive than current lab-based tests in finding early stage cancer biomarkers in blood.
Adhesive Film Turns Smartwatch into Biochemical MonitorTBMG-3748008/01/2020
Engineers have designed a thin adhesive film that could upgrade a consumer smartwatch into a powerful health monitoring system. Smartwatches can already help keep track of how far the wearer walks and sleeps and monitors heart rate; newer models monitor blood pressure. Working with a tethered smartphone or other devices, someone can use a smartwatch to keep track of those health indicators over a long period of time.
Hydrogel Contact Lens to Treat Eye DiseaseTBMG-3744708/01/2020
Corneal melting is a condition that is a significant cause for blindness worldwide. The incurable eye disease can be initiated by a number of different causes such as autoimmune diseases (like rheumatoid arthritis, Lupus, or Stevens-Johnson syndrome), chemical burns, or some surgical procedures (like LASIK and cataract procedures). The patient’s cornea melts due to the uncontrolled production of certain zinc-dependent enzymes called matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) by the patient’s immune cells in the cornea. To help prevent this, a new hydrogel was developed that deactivates those enzymes by removing the zinc ions.
Wearable Patch May Provide New Treatment Option for Skin CancerTBMG-3735308/01/2020
Conventional melanoma therapies, including chemotherapy and radiotherapy, suffer from the toxicity and side effects of repeated treatments due to the aggressive and recurrent nature of melanoma cells.
Noninvasive Fetal Oxygen Monitor Could Enable Safer DeliveriesTBMG-3736008/01/2020
A device to directly measure blood oxygen saturation in a fetus during labor has been developed by researchers could both reduce the rate of cesarean sections and improve outcomes in difficult deliveries.
Smart Fabrics Monitor Body by Changing ColorTBMG-3734808/01/2020
Researchers have developed biomaterial-based inks that respond to and quantify chemicals released from the body (e.g., in sweat and potentially other biofluids) or in the surrounding environment by changing color. The inks can be screen printed onto textiles such as clothes, shoes, or even face masks in complex patterns and at high resolution, providing a detailed map of human response or exposure.
3D-Printed Glucose BiosensorsTBMG-3745408/01/2020
People with diabetes most commonly monitor their disease with glucose meters that require constant fingerpricking. Continuous glucose monitoring systems are an alternative but they are not cost-effective. Researchers have been working to develop wearable, flexible electronics that can conform to patients’ skin and monitor the glucose in body fluids such as sweat. To build such sensors, manufacturers have used traditional manufacturing strategies such as photolithography or screen printing. While these methods work, they have several drawbacks including requiring the use of harmful chemicals and expensive cleanroom processing. They also create a lot of waste.
Simple Device Monitors Health Using SweatTBMG-3735208/01/2020
A device that monitors health conditions in the body using a person's sweat has been developed by Penn State and Xiangtan University researchers, according to Huanyu “Larry” Cheng, assistant professor of engineering science and mechanics, Penn State.
Material “Shape-Shifts” in Response to External ForcesTBMG-3747808/01/2020
A self-adapting material was developed that can change its stiffness in response to the applied force. This advancement can someday open the door for materials that can self-reinforce to prepare for increased force or stop further damage; for example, a bone implant or a bridge that can self-reinforce where a high force is applied without inspection and maintenance.
Robot Automates Blood Drawing and TestingTBMG-3720807/01/2020
A team of researchers has created a blood-sampling robot that includes an ultrasound image-guided robot that draws blood from veins. A fully integrated device — which includes a module that handles samples and a centrifuge-based blood analyzer — could be used at bedsides and in ambulances, emergency rooms, clinics, doctors’ offices, and hospitals.
New Device Quickly Detects Lithium Ions in Blood of Bipolar Disorder PatientsTBMG-3724407/01/2020
A group of Hokkaido University researchers has developed a paper-based device that can easily and cheaply measure lithium ion concentration in blood, which could greatly help bipolar disorder patients.
Virtual Reality Blood Flow Simulation to Improve Cardiovascular InterventionsTBMG-3723007/01/2020
Biomedical engineers at Duke University are developing a massive fluid dynamics simulator that can model blood flow through the full human arterial system at subcellular resolution. One of the goals of the effort is to provide doctors with guidance in their treatment plans by allowing them to simulate a patient’s specific vasculature and accurately predict how decisions such as stent placement, conduit insertions and other geometric alterations to blood flow will affect surgical outcomes.
Device Simulates Filtering and Ion Transport Functions of Human KidneyTBMG-3723507/01/2020
Chemical engineering researchers at the University of Arkansas have developed a device that simulates the blood filtering and ion transport functions of the human kidney. The technology could transform treatment options for people in the final stage of renal disease.
New Tool Helps Distinguish Cause of Blood ClotsTBMG-3722807/01/2020
A new tool using cutting-edge technology is able to distinguish different types of blood clots based on what caused them. The tool could help physicians diagnose what caused a blood clot and help them select a treatment that targets the cause to break it up. For example, it could help them determine if aspirin or another kind of anti-clotting drug would be the best choice for a person who has just had a heart attack or stroke.
Items per page:
1 – 50 of 509