Embodiments provide swallowable devices, preparations and methods for delivering viable cells (VC) into the GI tract including GI wall tissue or other tissue site. Particular embodiments provide a swallowable device such as a capsule for delivering VC into an intestinal wall or other site. The VC can be contained within a tissue-penetrating shell disposed in the capsule that protects the VC as they pass through the GI tract until they are inserted into GI tract tissue or other location. The shell desirably has shape, size and material consistency to be contained in a swallowable capsule, delivered from the capsule into solid tissue by the application of force on the shell and biodegrade within the solid tissue to release the VC into the tissue. Within the shell or other structure the VC can be maintained in a viability-sustaining gel that preserves the viability of the VC for selected time periods.

A measurement chamber that is essentially dome shaped and has a base area with a membrane and has at least two connection points fora fluid flow. The measurement chamber has two outer webs opposite each other, one of the webs engaging a clamping edge of a coupling element.

A method for operating an accessory device to capture calibration data. The method can include capturing an image of a portion of a user's body that includes the user's stoma and at least two reference locations, and storing distance scale information representative of a distance between the two reference locations. The method further includes processing the captured image, including: identifying the reference locations, identifying the stoma, and generating calibration data representative of one or more stoma parameters as a function of the identified reference locations, identified stoma and the distance scale information. The calibration data can be stored.

The disclosure provides for methods for monitoring mucosal healing in a patient with a digestive disease, or for use in a pre-disease state, and includes intestinal as well as extra-intestinal disorders in which gut permeability is increased. The method may include establishing a baseline of the patient, treating the patient for the digestive disease or the pre-disease state, measuring gut permeability of the patient after treatment, and comparing a second total percentage of the administered dose recovered to the baseline total percentage of the administered dose recovered. Establishing the baseline may include enterally administering a first dosage of a composition comprising a fluorescent tracer, measuring a first amount of the administered dose that can be found outside the gut over a period of time, and determining a baseline total percentage of the administered dose recovered. Measuring gut permeability may include enterally administering a second dosage of the composition, measuring a second amount of the administered dose, and determining a second total percentage of the administered dose recovered.

An electronic sensing and allocation system is provided for a distributed water infrastructure containing a plurality of differing appliances. The system may receive, from at least one sensor upstream of the plurality of differing appliances, a plurality of signals indicative of water usage within the distributed water infrastructure. The system may output a first indication of a first volume of water together with an indicator attributing the first volume of water to a first rate schedule, and output a second indication of a second volume of water together with an indicator attributing the second volume of water to a second rate schedule. The system may enable billing of the first and second volumes of water to a consumer at differing rates based on differing uses.

Methods and apparatuses for monitoring and regulating physiological states and functions are disclosed. Several embodiments include application of one or more microelectrode arrays to a dorsal root ganglion for measurement of sensory neuron activity, or stimulation of sensory reflex circuits. The methods and apparatuses can be used, for example, for monitoring or controlling bladder function in a patient.

Methods for treating tissue are provided. In one embodiment, an adjunct material, when secured to tissue, can receive at least one physiological element released from the tissue during healing progression of the tissue, and can exhibit first and second stiffnesses in compression that are approximately constant during first and second time periods from contact with the tissue, with the second stiffness decreasing with time as a function of at least one of oxidation, enzyme-catalyzed hydrolysis, and change of pH resulting from interaction with the at least one physiological element. In another embodiment, the adjunct can receive a unit volume of fluid that causes first and second portions of the adjunct to expand according to first and second expansion behaviors that differ from one another to apply different pressures to the tissue.

In general, systems and methods described herein include active or passive sensing mechanisms, such as sensors, that can monitor at least one exposure condition of an adjunct and any medicant(s) retained therein. In some instances, the active or passive sensing mechanisms can also track the extent of the adjunct's and medicant(s)'s exposure, e.g., frequency, intensity, and/or duration).

A device for measuring contractions and/or relaxation of one or more muscles of a body cavity, the device having a hollow body which is for positioning in the body cavity and which is covered by a coating made of or having a biocompatible material, the body being formed of two half-shells which are each physically connected, permanently and continuously during the use of the device, with the aid of non-compressible or deformable connecting means, to at least one pressure sensor, or part of the pressure sensor, arranged in the body. Also, a method for measuring the contraction and/or relaxation of the muscles of a body cavity, a method for monitoring the contractions and/or relaxation of the muscles, and a method for exercising these muscles.

An ingestible electronic capsule for the collection of samples along a gastric intestinal tract and methods relating thereto are provided. The ingestible electronic capsule includes a housing and a cap that form an interior chamber. The cap includes a sampling port and one or more sample collection chambers are disposed within the interior chamber. A motor is also disposed within the interior chamber and is configured to rotate one of the cap and the one or more sample collection chambers so to align one or the one or more sample collection chambers and the sampling port of the cap so to allow for sample collection. A microcontroller is also disposed within the interior chamber and is in communication with at least the motor. The microcontroller is configured to control the selective alignment of the sampling port and one of the one or more sample collection chambers and induce gastric intestinal fluid sampling.