Systems and methods for gastrointestinal electrical stimulation to treat abnormalities in gastrointestinal motility are provided. In some embodiments, a system for relieving ileus includes an intraluminal catheter comprising: a catheter body having a proximal tip and a distal tip and a duodenal portion proximal to the distal tip of the catheter; and at least one electrode pair disposed along the duodenal portion of the intraluminal catheter, the at least one electrode pair being configured to detect a sensing information indicative of myoelectric activity of a patient and to provide stimulation energy; a sensing system in communication with the at least one electrode pair to receive the sensing information; and an energy delivery system in communication with the at least one electrode pair and the sensing system, the electrical energy delivery system being configured to delivery energy to the patient through the at least one second electrode pair based on the sensing information from the sensing system.

A system for monitoring digestive efficiency within the rumen of one or more ruminant animals comprises rumen boluses shaped and sized to be retained within the rumen dorsal sac and each comprising temperature, pH sensor, and redox sensors, and a wireless transmitter. A processor is arranged to derive from the sensor data one or more parameters indicative of animal digestive efficiency including any combination of one or more of hydrogen scale (rH), partial pressure of hydrogen (pp[H.sub.2]), oxygen fugacity (f(O.sub.2)) and free energy of the system (ΔG). A method and bolus are also claimed.

A fluorescence endoscopic method for visualization of colorectal tissue using a fluoroquinolone antibiotic and a method for diagnosis of lesions of colorectal tissue using the same. The fluorescence endoscopic method for visualization of colorectal tissue includes staining goblet cells of the colorectal tissue with moxifloxacin, which is a fluoroquinolone antibiotic, and exciting the stained goblet cells with single photons in the near UV region or in the visible region, followed by fluorescence endoscopic photographing of the goblet cells, thereby enabling acquisition of morphological information on living tissue without damage to or destruction of the colorectal tissue, while allowing diagnosis of lesions of the colon based on the morphological information on living tissue such as information on the distribution of the goblet cells. Specifically, the fluorescence endoscopic method includes: a colorectal tissue staining step in which the crypt of the colorectal tissue is stained with a fluoroquinolone antibiotic; an image pickup unit insertion step in which an image pickup unit is inserted into the colon; a light irradiation step in which the colorectal tissue is irradiated with excitation light from a light source of the image pickup unit; a colorectal tissue photographing step in which the colorectal tissue is photographed using a photographing device of the image pickup unit through the fluoroquinolone antibiotic fluorescence-excited by light in the light irradiation step, wherein, in the colorectal tissue staining step, goblet cells of the crypt are stained with the fluoroquinolone antibiotic; in the light irradiation step, the light source emits single photons as excitation light inducing fluorescence of the fluoroquinolone antibiotic, the excitation light from the light source having a wavelength band within the near UV and visible regions; and, in the image pickup unit insertion step, the image pickup unit is a general fluorescence endoscope or a confocal endoscopic microscope.

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 capsule endoscope includes: an in vivo information acquiring section that acquires information on an inside of a body of a subject; a battery that supplies power; a power source switch that turns on/off power supply from the battery to the in vivo information acquiring section; a detection section that includes at least two electrodes disposed on an outer face of a casing, and, upon detection of introduction to the inside of the body of the subject based on a change in electric resistance between the electrodes, outputs a detection signal; and a control section that controls the power source switch according to the detection signal.

An anorectal expulsion device includes a balloon having a wall that extends between proximal and distal ends of the balloon and defines a balloon interior. The balloon interior contains a self-expanding, low compression-set material (e.g., open cell foam). The device also includes a catheter that extends through the proximal end of the balloon and at least a portion of the balloon interior. An interior of the catheter is in fluid communication with the balloon interior. The device also includes a termination component (e.g., a cap or a valve) coupled to the catheter at a position along the catheter that is outside of and proximal to the proximal end of the balloon (e.g., at the proximal end of the catheter). The physical configuration of the termination component is adjustable, and controls whether the balloon interior is in fluid communication with the external environment.

The present invention provides an improved breath analyzer and breath test method to determine the presence of disease in humans, including but not limited to, the bacterium H. pylori in a subjects digestive tract. In certain embodiments, the present invention provides a universal breath testing platform and methods of testing for diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, the liver, the kidneys, and the lungs, along with testing for cancer, infections, and metabolic diseases.

An image processing device includes a processor, and the processor decides whether or not to perform image processing on the medical image on the basis of an imaging condition of the medical image and/or an image analysis result obtained by analyzing the medical image. The processor performs, for the medical image on which the processor has decided to perform the image processing, at least one of calculation of an index value related to a stage of ulcerative colitis, determination of the stage of the ulcerative colitis, or determination of remission or non-remission of the ulcerative colitis on the basis of denseness of superficial blood vessels, intramucosal hemorrhage, and extramucosal hemorrhage that are obtained from the medical image.

An audible augmented reality (AR) computing system may receive audio data such as audible information, from a sensing system in an operating room (OR), ambient noise in the OR. The audio AR computing system may generate AR content. For example, the audio AR computing system may generate AR content based on the audible data. The AR content may be or may include audible information associated with the audio data. The audio AR computing system may receive an adjustment indication. The adjustment indication may be or may include one or more of adjustment information for the AR content. For example, the adjustment indication may be or may include one or more of a surgical task indication, a task importance indication, an audio insertion indication, an audio translation indication, an audio source location indication. The audio AR computing system may adjust the AR content based on the received adjustment indication.

A computing system for measuring and monitoring patient biomarkers for detecting or predicting a post-surgical bariatric complication may be provided. A post-surgical bariatric complication may be predicted or detected by comparing measured/processed patient biomarker data with a corresponding determined threshold value. The comparison of the measured/processed patient biomarker data and the corresponding threshold may be performed in association with a context. The context may be based on at least one of a bariatric surgery recovery timeline, at least one situational attribute, or at least one environmental attribute. A notification message associated with a predicted or detected post-surgical bariatric complication may be sent (e.g., sent in real time) to a patient device or a healthcare provider's device. The notification message may be supplemented by a severity level message.