An improved accessory light for breast pumps apparatus is described. This improved accessory light for breast pumps apparatus may be secured or affixed to various models of breast pumps to allow the user to have a hands-free, illuminated view of the milk being expressed from the breast. The accessory light may consist of a clamp-based accessory secured to a breast shield neck or an accessory that is secured to the breast shield back using a flexible material.

An acoustic wave receiving apparatus is used, which includes: a holding member; a reception transducer array; a liquid vessel to which the reception transducer array is fixed and configured to store an acoustic matching liquid; a liquid supplying unit; a controlling unit configured to control a supplying rate of the acoustic matching liquid; and a scanning unit, wherein the controlling unit is configured to reduce the supply of the acoustic matching liquid into the liquid vessel when the reception transducer array detects an acoustic wave.

Systems, methods, and computer program products are disclosed that can receive temperature data from at least one temperature sensor over a period of time. At least one metric of the temperature data can be calculated, which may utilize the temperature data from a particular sensor over the period of time and may be indicative of variability in the temperature data. A tissue assessment can be determined by utilizing a classifier with at least one feature input to the classifier, the feature(s) being determined from the metric(s).

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.

A method is disclosed for generating sinograms by sampling a plurality of transducers acoustically coupled with the surface of a volume of tissue over a period of time after a light pulse at one wavelength, and after another light pulse at a different wavelength, and for processing those sinograms, reconstructing at least two optoacoustic images from the two sinograms, processing the two optoacoustic images to generate two envelope images and generating a parametric map from information in the two envelope images. In an embodiment, motion and tracking are determined to align the envelope images. In an embodiment, at least a second parametric map is produced from information in the same two envelope images. In an embodiment an ultrasound image is also acquired, and the parametric map is coregistered with and overlayed upon the ultrasound image, and then displayed.

An object information acquiring apparatus comprises a receiving unit including an acoustic wave detection elements; a setting unit configured to set to the object an area of interest for forming characteristics information on the object; a position control unit configured to move the receiving unit to predetermined reception positions; a recording unit storing information on the time taken for the acoustic waves generated from the area of interest to reach the acoustic wave detection elements and information on the predetermined reception positions after associating these two pieces of information; and an acquiring unit configured to acquire the characteristics information on the object using the electrical signals corresponding to the acoustic waves propagated from the area of interest and also using the information on the time.

A system for infrared analysis of a target surface region of a subject includes a reservoir containing a medium at a predetermined temperature and a conduit defining a channel for transmitting the medium from the reservoir to the target surface region. The conduit may have a first end that is attached to an outlet of the reservoir and a second end that is flexibly conformable to a shape corresponding to a perimeter of the target surface region. The system may further include an infrared camera(s) operable to capture infrared image data of the target surface region and one or more processors operable to produce a representation of the captured infrared image data at a plurality of timings relative to the transmission of the medium from the reservoir to the target surface region. Adjunctive reflective surfaces may ensure that IR signals from target geometric surfaces can be captured for analysis.

Systems and methods for spectral analysis of a tissue mass using an instrument, an optical probe, and a Monte Carlo algorithm or a diffusion algorithm are provided. According to one method, an instrument is inserted into a tissue mass. A fiber optic probe is applied via the instrument into the tissue mass. Turbid spectral data of the tissue mass is measured using the fiber probe. The turbid spectral data is converted to absorption, scattering, and/or intrinsic fluorescence spectral data via a Monte Carlo algorithm or diffusion algorithm. Biomarker concentrations in the tissue mass are quantified using the absorption, scattering, and/or intrinsic fluorescence spectral data.

The present disclosure relates to method for predicting location and depth of abnormal tissue in breast tissue by prediction system. The prediction system predicts location based on 2D thermal image generated based on temperature values and intermediate temperature values. The intermediate temperature values are estimated using triangular and rectangular patterns formed on pre-defined model of breast, thermal conductivity of breast tissue, 2D coordinates on one of triangular and rectangular patterns and temperature values at steady state of breast tissue. The depth is predicted based on 3D thermal image of breast tissue generated using temperature values and intermediate temperature values and error parameter. The intermediate temperature values are estimated based on one of tetrahedral and hexahedral patterns formed on predefined model of breast, density value, thermal conductivity of tissue, blood perfusion rate, specific heat capacity of blood, 3D coordinates, arterial temperature and metabolic heat generation value in normal and abnormal tissue.

To suppress variation of a distribution of radiated light depending on a position of a radiating unit in an information acquisition apparatus that uses an articulated arm as a waveguide unit. A waveguide unit (103) includes a plurality of first waveguides (103c), (103g), and (103k) that guide light in a direction parallel to a radiating direction in which the light is radiated from a radiating unit (105) to an object (123), at least one of second waveguides (103a), (103e), and (103i) that guides the light in an in-plane direction perpendicular to the radiating direction, and a plurality of articulations that each include therein a mirror disposed so as to substantially perpendicularly bend a wave guiding direction. The light is guided through the plurality of first waveguides (103c), (103g), and (103k) in the same wave guiding direction.