The present invention relates to enhancing mechanical properties of tissue such as collagenous or collagen-containing or elastin-containing tissue (e.g., tendons, ligaments, and cartilage) and treating related musculoskeletal and non-musculoskeletal conditions or injuries.

Featured are impact detection sensors that include a nonconductive layer disposed between two conductive layers. Each conductive layer includes an electrical circuit configured to generate a signal in response to an impact. Also featured are devices (e.g., a wearable device or device configured for use with a piece of equipment, such as a vehicle) including a plurality of impact detection sensors. The device having sensors can receive and process data from the sensors and provide situational awareness for users in adverse conditions, such as during combat or wartime. The wearable device may further include one or more inflatable bladders configured to apply pressure to a wound site for treatment.

A hair pulling apparatus includes a frame having a longitudinal axis, a first leg extending from the frame, a movable leg spaced apart from the first leg, the movable leg extending from the frame and movable, linearly, relative to the frame, a control system comprising a processor to execute a plurality of pulling profile instructions stored in memory, a linear actuator operatively coupled to the control system and constructed to move linearly along the longitudinal axis relative to the frame, a gripper coupled to the linear actuator, and a load cell coupled to the linear actuator. When one or more of the plurality of pulling profile instructions stored in memory are executed by the processor, the control system causes the linear actuator to retract along the longitudinal axis, applying a pulling force to a strand of hair gripped by the gripper in order to measure the pulling force.

A reconfigurable orthopedic implant trial comprising: (a) a first orthopedic component; (b) a second orthopedic component that includes a second sensor on a second articulating surface thereof, the second orthopedic component configured to removably mount to the first orthopedic component; (c) a third orthopedic component that includes a third sensor on a third articulating surface thereof, the third orthopedic component configured to removably mount to the first orthopedic component, where the second sensor and the third sensor are configured to generate kinematic data.

The present disclosure provides methods and apparatuses for identifying and/or analyzing a muscle tissue of a subject. An apparatus for identifying and/or analyzing muscle tissue of the present disclosure may comprise an optical element comprising an excitation probe and a collection probe. A method for identifying or analyzing muscle tissue of the present disclosure may comprise the generation of images of a muscle tissue using signals generated from the tissue by a beam of light directed towards the muscle tissue from the excitation probe and collected by the collection probe. Signals collected by the collection probe may include forward second harmonic generation signals.

A method of determining a condition of bone structure in a living organism includes impacting a bone to induce vibration in multiple modes having a resonance frequency in a range of about 400 Hz to about 1000 Hz, detecting at least one modal vibration response of the bone for the at least one mode of vibration, and analyzing the at least one modal vibration response to determine a modal vibration characteristic of the bone. A system for determining a condition of bone structure in a living organism includes a force input device configured to impact a bone to induce vibration having a resonance frequency of about 400 Hz to about 1000 Hz, at least one sensor configured to sense at least one modal vibration response, and a computer configured to collect modal vibration response data and analyze the modal vibration response data to determine a vibration characteristic of the bone.

The present disclosure provides systems and methods for predicting a disease state of a subject using ultrasound imaging and ancillary information to the ultrasound imaging. At least two quantitative measurements of a subject, including at least one measurement taken using ultrasound imaging, as part of quantified information can be identified. One of the quantitative measurements can be compared to a first predetermined standard, included as part of ancillary information to the quantified information, in order to identify a first initial value. Further, another of the quantitative measurements can be compared to a second predetermined standard, included as part of the ancillary information, in order to identify a second initial value. Subsequently, the quantitative information can be correlated with the ancillary information using the first initial value and the second initial value to determine a final value that is predictive of a disease state of the subject.

Systems, methods, and devices for mapping brain activity to identify therapeutic targets in a patient are disclosed. A set of stimuli is applied to the patient, which includes stimulus that are at least one of provocative, soothing, or neutral with respect to a condition of a patient, for example addiction, phobia, disorder, etc. The patient focuses on one of the stimuli, in some embodiments suppressing the patient's mental or emotional response to the stimuli. As the patient responds to the stimuli, the patient's brain activity is monitored, for example by fMRI. After presenting a series of sets of stimuli to the patient and monitoring the patient's brain activity responsive to the stimuli, the brain activity is mapped to the condition based on the type of stimuli corresponding to the brain activity.

A loading device, a monitoring system, and a method thereof can measure stiffness of a structural member (SM), such as a bone, and monitor progress or property over time. The loading device includes two types of displacement sensors, one type being an antenna. As the SM, which is in a magnetic or electromagnetic field and electromagnetically coupled to the antenna without contact, undergoes displacement under known loads, characteristics of the electromagnetic field coupling between the antenna and the SM change over time due to the displacement of the SM. The shift in the characteristics of the electromagnetic field coupling between the antenna and the SM can be used to determine the displacement of the SM. Based on the changes in the displacement over time, diagnosis of the SM being monitored over an evaluation period can be made.

A method for reconstructing displacement and strain maps of human tissue of a subject in vivo or other objects includes applying a mechanical deformation for a target area, imaging tissues while deformation is applied on the target area, measuring the axial and lateral displacements and axial, lateral, and shear strains of tissue in the target area, differentiating between tissues of different stiffness and strain responses, and labeling tissues of different stiffness and strain responses. In some embodiments, displacement and strain imaging are performed using a high-resolution, high-speed, highly-accuracy hierarchy recursive displacement tracking from conventional ultrasound brightness mode images. Particularly, this invention relates to the reconstruction of displacement and strain images from conventional ultrasound B-mode images acquired using any ultrasound machine of different manufacturers without the need to use carrier signals.