The present teachings generally include techniques for characterizing the health of an animal (e.g., gastrointestinal health) using image analysis (e.g., of a stool sample) as a complement, alternative, or a replacement to biological specimen sequencing. The present teachings may also or instead include techniques for personalizing a health and wellness plan (including, but not limited to, a dietary supplement such as a customized formula based on a health assessment), where such a health and wellness plan may be based on one or more of the health characterization techniques described herein. The present teachings may also or instead include techniques or plans for continuous care for an animal, e.g., by executing health characterization and heath planning techniques in a cyclical fashion. A personalized supplement system (e.g., using a personalized supplement, personalized dosing device, and personalized packaging) may also or instead be created using the present teachings.

Disclosed are methods and medical device systems for automated delivery of therapies for pain and determination of need for and safety of treatment. In one embodiment, such a medical device system may comprise a sensor configured to sense at least one body signal from a patient; and a medical device configured to receive a first sensed body signal from the sensor; determine a patient pain index based at least in part on said first sensed body signal; determine whether said patient pain index is above at least a first pain index threshold; determine a safety index based at least in part on a second sensed body signal; select a pain treatment regimen based on at least one of said safety index and or a determination that said pain index is above said first pain index threshold; and deliver said pain treatment regimen.

Methods, systems and devices for treating a patient include performing a first treatment to treat a first portion of tissue and performing a second treatment to treat a second portion of tissue. The second portion of tissue is treated at least twenty-four hours after the first portion of tissue is treated. In particular embodiments, the first portion of tissue includes duodenal tissue, and the second portion of tissue includes duodenal or other gastrointestinal tissue.

An apparatus for determining a shape of a luminal sample including: a catheter including a lens, the catheter disposed within a strain-sensing sheath such that the lens rotates and translates; a structural imaging system optically coupled to the catheter; a strain-sensing system optically coupled to the catheter; and a controller coupled to the strain-sensing system and the structural imaging system. The controller determines: a first position of the catheter relative to the luminal sample at a first location within the strain-sensing sheath; a second position of the catheter relative to the luminal sample at a second location within the strain-sensing sheath; a first strain of the strain-sensing sheath at the first location; a second strain of the strain-sensing sheath at the second location; a local curvature of the luminal sample relative to the catheter; a local curvature of the catheter; and a local curvature of the luminal sample.

Ingestible devices are disclosed that provide very high localization accuracy for the devices when present in the GI tract of a body. Related systems and methods are also disclosed.

A method for diagnosing motility disorders of a gastrointestinal tract of a body. The method can include measuring electrical signals from the gastrointestinal tract while the patient is engaged in normal daily activities, recording the measured electrical signals on a portable electronic device carried by the body, recording by the patient in real time one or more symptoms of the body and analyzing characteristics of the recorded electrical signals with the recorded symptoms of the body to diagnosis gastrointestinal disorders of the body. Apparatus for use therewith and methods for treatment thereof are provided.

Systems and methods are disclosed that facilitate providing guidance to a user during performance of a program or routine using a personalized avatar. In an aspect, a system includes a reception component configured to receive biochemical information about a physiological state or condition of a user, including information identifying a presence or a status of one or more biomarkers. The system further includes an analysis component configured to determine or infer one or more characteristics of the physiological state or condition of the user based on the information identifying the presence or the status of the one or more biomarkers, and a visualization component configured to adapt an appearance of an avatar presented to the user based on the one or more characteristics to reflect the one or more characteristics.

Systems and methods are disclosed that facilitate providing guidance to a user during performance of a program or routine using a personalized avatar. In an aspect, a system includes a reception component configured to receive biochemical information about a physiological state or condition of a user, including information identifying a presence or a status of one or more biomarkers. The system further includes an analysis component configured to determine or infer one or more characteristics of the physiological state or condition of the user based on the information identifying the presence or the status of the one or more biomarkers, and a visualization component configured to adapt an appearance of an avatar presented to the user based on the one or more characteristics to reflect the one or more characteristics.

An example of a system for monitoring and treating a medical condition of a patient may include signal inputs to receive patient condition signals indicative of a state of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), a signal processing circuit configured to process the patient condition signals and generate patient condition parameters indicative of the state of IBD using the processed patient condition signals, and a medical condition analyzer configured to analyze the patient condition parameters and determine the medical condition including the state of IBD using an outcome of the analysis. The patient condition parameters may include one or more physiological marker parameters each representative of a physiological marker of IBD and one or more quality of life parameters each being measure of quality of life of the patient.

The present invention relates to a sampling device 100. The sampling device 100 comprises a separate compartment 110 that is ejected creating an increased space or volume for a sample to be stored. The sampling device 100 of the present invention is suitable for collecting a sample in an aquaculture environment, enclosed system or in the gastrointestinal tract of a human or an animal. The invention also relates to a method of orally administering the device 100 to an animal and recovering the device 100 and/or separate compartment 110 to carry out analysis on the collected sample for diagnosing the health of the gastrointestinal tract and determining nutrient absorption and digestibility.