Abstract:
Apparatus and methods are provided for use with a blood vessel of a subject, including a stent (20) configured to be placed in the blood vessel. The stent includes at least first (32), second (34), and third (36) strut portions disposed along the stent. The first and second strut portions are coupled to one another at a first junction (37A) that facilitates bending of the first and second strut portions with respect to one another. The second and third strut portions are coupled to one another at a second junction (37B) that facilitates bending of the second and third strut portions with respect to one another. At least one electrode (22) is disposed on at least an outer surface of the stent. Other applications are also described.
Abstract:
Apparatus and methods are described for generating a hole in a subject's nail. A nail penetration device (20) has a nail-contacting surface (26), a first electrode (29) being disposed on the surface. A skin-contact sensor unit (27) detects contact between the surface and the nail bed, the sensor unit including a pair of second electrodes (31) disposable on the subject's skin. A control unit (33) generates a hole in the subject's nail by moving the surface, while the surface is in contact with the nail. The control unit drives current having a given set of parameters via the first electrode, and detects a voltage between the second electrodes. The control unit does not move the surface, in response to detecting a change in the voltage between the second electrodes that is indicative of the current having travelled to the pair of second electrodes.
Abstract:
Apparatus comprising an ultrasound ablation system (10), which comprises a reflection-facilitation element (12), configured to be placed at an extramyocardial site of a subject, and to provide an extramyocardial reflective region; and an ultrasound tool (20), which comprises at least one ultrasound transducer (40) configured to be positioned within a heart chamber of the subject. The ultrasound transducer (40) is configured to ablate myocardial tissue by applying ultrasound energy to the myocardial tissue such that at least a portion of the transmitted energy is reflected by the reflective region onto the myocardial tissue. Other embodiments are also described.
Abstract:
Apparatus is provided for use with a gingival periosteum (230) lining a bone. The apparatus comprises a periosteal mesher (200), which comprises a mesher surface (210), and a plurality of cutting elements (212) distributed over the mesher surface (210), which are configured to cut the gingival periosteum (230) to increase flexibility thereof. Other embodiments are also described.
Abstract:
Apparatus is provided including an implant structure (22, 500), which includes a contracting mechanism (40), which comprises a rotatable structure (46, 810, 936), arranged such that rotation of the rotatable structure (46, 810, 936) contracts the implant structure (22, 500). A longitudinal member (86) is coupled to the contracting mechanism (40). A tool (80) for rotating the rotatable structure (46, 810, 936) is configured to be guided along the longitudinal member (86), to engage the rotatable structure (46, 810, 936), and to rotate the rotatable structure (46, 810, 936) in response to a rotational force applied to the tool (80). Other applications are also described.
Abstract:
Apparatus is provided, including first and second support structures (30, 32) for placement on skin of a subject. At least one of the first and second structures (30, 32) is moveable with respect to the other so as to draw a portion (122) of the skin and underlying tissue of the subject between respective lateral surfaces (51, 53) of the support structures (30, 32). At least one ultrasound transducer (40) is moveably coupled to the first support structure (30) along an axis of the structure (30) that is not parallel to the lateral surface (51) of the structure (30). The ultrasound transducer (40) is configured to transmit toward the portion (122) of skin and underlying tissue one or more forms of acoustic radiation energy, including treatment energy. At least one acoustic element (42) is coupled to the second support structure (32). Other applications are also described.
Abstract:
In some embodiments of the present invention, apparatus is provided for treating erectile dysfunction of a subject. The apparatus includes one or more electrodes (22) configured to be coupled to a vicinity of a blood vessel (50) that carries blood into or out of a penis (52) of the subject, and a control unit (24) configured to facilitate erection of the penis by peristaltically pumping blood in the blood vessel by stimulating nitric oxide (NO) production in the vicinity, by driving the electrodes to drive a current into the vicinity. Additional embodiments are also described.
Abstract:
A housing (50) is placed on skin of a subject, and draws at least a portion of the skin within at least a part of the housing. The housing includes at least first and second support structures (34), placed in contact with a surface of skin surrounding the portion of the skin, the first support structure having a first concave surface (153) and the second support structure having a second concave surface (153) that faces the first concave surface. The apparatus includes one or more first ultrasound transducers (160) coupled to the first support structure and one or more second ultrasound transducers coupled to the second support structure. The apparatus also includes a control unit which drives the first and second ultrasound transducers to induce an implosion wave in a target region of the skin. Other embodiments are also described.
Abstract:
In some embodiments of the present invention, apparatus is provided for treating erectile dysfunction of a subject. The apparatus includes one or more electrodes (22) configured to be coupled to a vicinity of a blood vessel (50) that carries blood into or out of a penis (52) of the subject, and a control unit (24) configured to facilitate erection of the penis by peristaltically pumping blood in the blood vessel by stimulating nitric oxide (NO) production in the vicinity, by driving the electrodes to drive a current into the vicinity. Additional embodiments are also described.
Abstract:
Apparatus is provided for detecting a concentration of an analyte in a subject. The apparatus includes a housing (20) adapted to be implanted in the subject. The housing (20) comprising an optical detector (30) adapted to detect a level of fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET). The apparatus also comprises live cells (26) genetically engineered to produce, in a patient's body, a sensor protein comprising a fluorescent protein donor, a fluorescent protein acceptor, and a binding protein for the analyte. Other embodiments are also described. 2