Browsing Category: Pregnancy

Remote, non-invasive pregnancy monitor tracks uterine activity

Uterine activity monitoring is essential to pregnancy management. Current methods are either invasive, or their accuracy is compromised by obesity, maternal movements, or belt positioning. Pregnancy-monitoring company Nuvo has published a study showing that their cardiac-derived algorithm for uterine monitoring was more accurate than TOCO standard of care in 150 patients. This remote, non-invasive detection […]

“Placenta on a chip” to study pre-term birth

Penn researchers have developed a “placenta-on-a-chip” to model the transport of nutrients across the placental barrier.  It will be used in studies to identify causes of  and prevention methods for dangerous preterm birth. (Lungs, intestines, and eyes “on chips” are similarly being used for research.) The underlying mechanisms of pre-term birth studies currently rely on […]

Wireless monitor tracks contractions, fetal heart rate

TrueLabor is a wireless monitor that measures uterine contractions and fetal heart rate throughout all stages of pregnancy and labor.  It’s creator, OB-Tools, claims that it can distinguish between true and false contractions, and is not affected by movement. A uterine monitor measures electrical activity via surface  EMG electrodes attached to the abdomen.  An algorithm generates a wave […]

Smartphone fluid sensors to detect pregnancy, STDs, diabetes

Kort Bremer and Bernhard Roth at the Hanover Centre for Optical Technologies are developing lab-on-a-chip devices for smartphones to monitor blood, urine, saliva, sweat or breath.  This could enable phone based detection and monitoring of pregnancy, STDs, or diabetes, among other applications. The surface plasmon resonance sensors  detect biomolecular interactions when polarized light strikes an electrically conducting surface […]

Smartphone blood test detects HIV, Syphilis

Columbia bioengineering professor Samuel K. Sia has developed a cheap smartphone dongle that can detect three infectious disease markers from a finger prick of blood in 15 minutes. The device replicates mechanical, optical, and electronic functions of a lab based blood test.  It performs an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay without requiring stored energy, as power is drawn from […]

Phone pulse oximeter detects preeclampsia, pneumonia

Christian Petersen and colleagues at the University of British Columbia have developed a low cost smartphone pulse oximeter.  Its light sensor attaches to a user’s fingertip to measure blood oxygen levels. Software analyzes and simply displays the data on a phone, tablet or computer. The phone oximeter can measure heart and respiration rates, and be used […]

Algorithm determines embryo quality in IVF procedures

http://pc2013.afeka.ac.il/files/assets/basic-html/page238.html Researchers from Tel Aviv’s Afeka College of Engineering and Sourasky Medical Center have developed software to find the best embryos for IVF procedures.  Their algorithm uses Matlab to process microscopic pictures to choose the highest quality fertilized egg. Today embryologists use a microscope to find the best embryos, which five days later are inserted […]