Abstract:
Agonists of a non-proteolytically activated receptor can be used in methods for treating a disease or disorder in a subject. The methods comprise administering to the subject a therapeutically effective amount of an agonist, wherein the disease or disorder is scleroderma, macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, Huntington's disease, Parkinson's disease, closed head trauma, glaucoma, optic neuritis or allograft vasculopathy.
Abstract:
Disclosed are thrombin peptide derivative dimers comprising two polypeptides having the amino acid sequence SEQ ID NO. 2: Arg-Gly-Asp-Ala-Cys-Glu-Gly-Asp-Ser-Gly-Gly-Pro-Phe-Val, or a C-terminal truncated fragment of the polypeptide having at least six amino acids. Zero, one, two, or three amino acids in the polypeptide or polypeptide fragment differ from the corresponding position of SEQ ID NO. 2. Also disclosed are methods of treating a subject in need of treatment with a thrombin receptor agonist. The methods comprise the step of administering an effective amount of the thrombin peptide derivative described above.
Abstract:
A therapeutic mobilization device includes a flexion assembly, a pro/supination assembly and a valgus carrying angle compensation device. The flexion assembly has an arm attachment assembly and an elbow actuator and the elbow actuator defines and axes of rotation. The pro/supination assembly is attached to flexion assembly and has a distal forearm attachment assembly and a pro/supination actuator operably connected thereto. The valgus carrying angle compensation device is operably attached to the flexion assembly and the pro/supination assembly. Preferably the pro/supination assembly is slidably mounted on a housing shaft whereby during flexion the pro/supination assembly is free to move along the housing shaft. Further, preferably the arm attachment assembly includes an attachment ring and an adjustable clamp pivotally attached thereto whereby the attachment ring defines a pro/supination axis and the adjustable clamp pivots orthogonally to the pro/supination axis.
Abstract:
The present invention provides continuous passive motion (CPM) devices for joints. An ankle CPM device includes a lower leg support attached at its lower end to a semi-circular track. An actuator slides along the track and can be locked in any desired position on the track. A shaft is pivotally connected at one end thereof to the actuator and a shoe is attached at the other end thereof. When the actuator is positioned at the bottom of the track, the ankle joint of the patient undergoes inversion/eversion motion. When the motor housing is rotated 90 DEG and positioned near the top of the track plantar/dorsi, flexion movement is obtained. A combination of both types of joint movement are obtained for the actuator in intermediate positions. A wrist CPM device includes a brace for the forearm attached to a semi-circular track on which an actuator is mounted. A hand grip is mounted on a semi-circular bracket and a shaft extends between the actuator and a coupling slidably mounted on the semi-circular bracket. With the actuator positioned below the forearm, when the actuator pivots the shaft the wrist joint undergoes ulnar/radial deviation movement and when the motor is rotated 90 DEG and positioned at the side of the arm, extension/flexion movement of the wrist joint is obtained. Positioning the actuator in intermediate positions produces a wrist movement which is a combination of extension/flexion and ulnar/radial deviation of the wrist joint.
Abstract:
Non-invasive therapeutic treatment and/or quantitative evaluation of musculoskeletal tissue are performed in vivo by subjecting musculoskeletal tissue (11) to an ultrasonic acoustic signal pulse excitation, involving a composite sine wave signal consisting of plural discrete frequencies that are spaced in the ultrasonic region to approximately 2 MHZ, and repeated substantially in the range of 1 Hz to 1000 Hz. In a quantitative evaluation, the signal is supplied to one of two transducers (12, 13) on opposite sides of the tissue, and the signal received by the other transducer is processed (14): (a) to obtain an averaged per-pulse signal, and (b) to produce a Fourier transform of the averaged per-pulse tissue transmittal signal. In a separate operation, the same transducers are subjected to the same excitation, reception and processing, using a medium of known acoustic properties and path length to produce a reference Fourier transform. In a therapeutic treatment, the transducer (12) excited by the composite sine wave signal, is applied for a time period and magnitude.
Abstract:
Disclosed are thrombin peptide derivatives comprising a polypeptide having the amino acid sequence SEQ ID NO. 2: Arg-Gly-Asp-Ala-Xaa-Gly-Asp-Ser-Gly-Gly-Pro-Phe-Val, or a C-terminal truncated fragment of the polypeptide having at least six amino acids. Xaa is alanine, glycine, serine, or an S-protected cysteine. Zero, one, two, or three amino acids in the polypeptide or polypeptide fragment differ from the corresponding position of SEQ ID NO. 2. Also disclosed are methods of treating a subject in need of treatment with a thrombin receptor agonist. The methods comprise the step of administering an effective amount of the thrombin peptide derivative described above.
Abstract:
This invention is a method of ultrasonic bone therapy that subjects a bone (10) to an ultrasonic excitation pulse signal of finite duration, supplied to a transducer (14) next to the bone, and involving a sinusoidal signal in the ultrasonic region to approximately 2 Mhz peculiarly modulated by a sinusoidal signal with frequency between 0 Hz and about 25 kHz; the excitation signal is repeated in the range of 1 Hz to 5000 Hz. The exposure time for therapy is chosen to be in the range of 5 minutes to 1 hour, for 1 time to 3 times a day, for a period of days as necessary for healing or for promoting bone growth and ingrowth. An apparatus for implementing the above method for ultrasonic bone therapy is disclosed comprising a transducer (14) having a transmitting and a receiving element, a special waveform signal generator (20), and a computer (16) for performing the necessary operations defining a preferred treatment regime.
Abstract:
A medical treatment device (20) is disclosed which includes a medical treatment element (36,38) and resilient securing members (32,34) which adjust or deform to conform to the particular dimensions of that part of the patient's anatomy which is to be treated. The resilient securing members (32, 34) move or deform outwardly away from the patient (22) as the device is applied to conform to the size of the patient and ensure that the patient is centered within the treatment device. The medical treatment elements (36,38) are thus accurately positioned with respect to the patient (22). This is particularly important in treatments involving the application of magnetic fields to the patient (22). In addition, the disclosed medical device (20) is relatively comfortable and can be worn by a patient (22) for a relatively long period of time. The invention also extends to the method of applying the medical treatment device (20) to the patient (22).