A system and method for locating magnetic material. In one embodiment the system includes a magnetic probe; a power module in electrical communication with the magnetic probe to supply current to the magnetic probe; a sense module in electrical communication with the magnetic probe to receive signals from the magnetic probe; and a computer in electrical communication with the power module and the sense module. The computer generates a waveform that controls the supply of current from the power module and receives a signal from the sense module that indicates the presence of magnetic material. The magnetic probe is constructed from a material having a coefficient of thermal expansion of substantially 10.sup.?6/? C. or less and a Young's modulus of substantially 50 GPa or greater. In one embodiment magnetic nanoparticles are injected into a breast and the lymph nodes collecting the particles are detected with the probe and deemed sentinel nodes.

Described here are devices, systems, and kits for delivering substances to tissues. The devices generally include one or more chambers (102) and a reservoir (108) within each chamber. The reservoir may locally deliver a microdose amount of a substance to a target tissue. In some variations, a microdose amount is used in early human studies, e.g., before a phase I clinical trial, to evaluate the effect of the substance on a target tissue, or to obtain pharmacokinetic or metabolic data. In other variations, a microdose amount is used to locally treat a medical condition. In yet other variations, a microdose amount is used to locally deliver a contrast agent for a structural or functional imaging procedure. Methods for delivering and retrieving the devices from the target tissue are also described.

A phantom calibration body (12) for calibrating diffusion MRI device (16) that mimics a material such as a mammalian tissue is disclosed. The phantom calibration body (12) includes a homogeneous aqueous solution (30) that contains a mixture of low molecular-weight and high molecular-weight polymers housed in a container (14) that is placed in the diffusion MRI device (16) for obtaining one or more diffusion MRI images of the phantom calibration body (12). A measure of diffusivity is calculated for each of the one or more diffusion MRI images in order to calibrate the diffusion MRI device. Methods of using the phantom calibration body (12) to calibrate diffusion MRI device (16) are also disclosed.

A monitoring device includes a housing configured to be attached to a body of a subject. An optical emitter, optical detector, and sensor for measuring motion noise are located within the housing. Light transmissive material is in optical communication with the optical emitter and detector and is configured to deliver light from the optical emitter to one or more locations of the body of the subject and to collect light external to the housing and deliver the collected light to the detector. A signal processor is configured to receive and process signals produced by the optical detector and the motion noise sensor, and to remove noise from the signals produced by the optical detector. The signal processor may generate physiological parameters for the subject such as heart rate, blood flow, blood pressure, VO.sub.2max, heart rate variability, respiration rate, and blood gas/analyte level.

A method for analyzing biological specimens by spectral imaging to provide a medical diagnosis includes obtaining spectral and visual images of biological specimens and registering the images to detect cell abnormalities, pre-cancerous cells, and cancerous cells. This method eliminates the bias and unreliability of diagnoses that is inherent in standard histopathological and other spectral methods. In addition, a method for correcting confounding spectral contributions that are frequently observed in microscopically acquired infrared spectra of cells and tissue includes performing a phase correction on the spectral data. This phase correction method may be used to correct various types of absorption spectra that are contaminated by reflective components.

A method of monitoring a subject includes detecting subject head motion information via a microelectromechanical systems sensor associated with an earpiece worn by the subject, processing, via a processor associated with the earpiece, the head motion information to determine subject head displacement relative to an origin and to determine if the subject has fallen down and/or is not moving, and transmitting the processed head motion information to a remote device. The method further includes communicating corrective action to the subject from the remote device and/or communicating corrective action for the subject from the remote device to a third party. The earpiece may include an audio headset, a hearing aid, or an earpiece fitting.

A wearable monitoring device configured to be attached to a subject includes at least one physiological sensor configured to identify the subject and to detect and/or measure physiological information from the subject, at least one motion sensor, at least one battery, digital memory storage, at least one processor, and at least one transceiver. The at least one transmitter communicates sensor data from the at least one physiological sensor and the at least one motion sensor with at least one remote device and receives targeted advertisement information from the at least one remote device. The targeted advertisement information is generated by processing the sensor data from the at least one physiological sensor and the at least one motion sensor.

Radioimaging methods, devices and radiopharmaceuticals therefor.

An earpiece monitor configured to be worn by a subject includes a battery, an earpiece fitting configured to be inserted within an ear canal of an ear of the subject, a reflective pulse oximeter configured to measure pulse rate and pulse intensity of the subject, a motion sensor configured to monitor footsteps and head motion of the subject, a digital memory for storing at least one algorithm, and a processor configured to process signals from the reflective pulse oximeter and the motion sensor using the at least one algorithm to generate as assessment of a health state of the subject. The earpiece fitting is configured to transmit sound to the inner ear or eardrum of the subject. The assessment of the health state of the subject may include an assessment of subject physiological stress and/or an assessment of overall subject health.

An apparatus adapted to be worn at or near at least one ear of a subject includes a battery, a reflective pulse oximeter, a motion sensor, an analog-to-digital convertor configured to convert analog signals from the reflective pulse oximeter and the motion sensor into digitized information, a speaker, a digital memory device configured to store at least one algorithm for signal processing, a transceiver, and a signal processor. The signal processor is configured to process data from the reflective pulse oximeter to monitor cardiopulmonary functioning of the subject, process data from the motion sensor to monitor head and body motion, execute the at least one algorithm for assessing a health state of a subject, poll the reflective pulse oximeter and the motion sensor at certain time intervals to extend life of the battery, and process digital audio information into analog sounds to be presented to the subject via the speaker.