Category Archives: Neurotechnology

Tufts University is academic host and co-sponsor of the 2017 IEEE Midwest Circuits and Systems Symposium, to be held Aug. 6-9. The symposium will include oral and poster sessions, a student paper contest, tutorials by experts in circuits and systems topics, and special sessions. All areas of electronic circuits and systems will be covered, including the latest innovations in the field.

The three keynote speakers are Linton Salmon, Jesse Wheeler and Donhee Ham. Salmon, a program manager at the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, will give a keynote titled Microelectronics: Challenges and Opportunities on Aug. 7; Wheeler, the neurotechnology business lead at Draper Laboratory, will speak on Neurotechnology: Biomedical, Biomimetic, and Beyond on Aug. 8; and Ham, the Gordon McKay Professor of Applied Physics and Electrical Engineering at Harvard University, will speak on CMOS Electronics See Inside Biological Cellular Networks on Aug. 9.

Tufts Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering is well represented at the symposium. Associate Professor Valencia Joyner Koomson is technical program co-chair; Professor Sameer Sonkusale is publications co-chair; professor and department chair Eric Miller is advisory committee co-chair; and associate professors Mark Hempstead and Thomas Vandervelde are on the technical program committee.

Tufts undergraduate and graduates students will be presenters at the conference. Among them is Joel Dungan, a doctoral student in electrical and computer engineering, who has been selected as a finalist in the student paper contest.He will present research work on the development of a platform to study intercellular communication in non-neural cells as it relates to developmental biology and morphogenetic bioengineering. Co-authors on the paper are Koomson, biology postdoctoral scholar Juanita Mathews, and biology professor Michael Levin.

Other Tufts students presenting their research will be doctoral candidates Meera Punjiya,Yun Miao, Abigail Licht, John Chivers, Emily Carlson and Jun Jadormio, along with former undergraduate student Andrew Bourhis, E17.

For more information, and to register, go to the 2017 IEEE Midwest Circuits and Systems Symposium website.

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Tufts Hosts Engineering Conference - Tufts Now

Stryker reported 6.1 percent net sales growth for the second quarter of 2017, and raised full year guidance due to strong performance.

Here are seven things to know:

1. Stryker net sales reached $3 billion in the second quarter, a 6.1 percent increase over the same period last year. U.S. sales hit $2.2 billion, up 2.4 percent, while international sales were $811 million, a 2.7 percent growth over last year.

2. Orthopedics net sales hit $1.1 billion, up 5.5 percent over the same period last year. Here is the breakdown by segment:

Knee: $389 million, up 5 percent Hip: $322 million, down 0.3 percent Trauma and extremities: $351 million, up 7 percent Other: $79 million, up 32 percent

3. Stryker's MedSurg net sales were $1.3 million, a 6.2 percent increase over 2017. Here is the breakdown by segment:

Instruments: $392 million, up 4.1 percent Endoscopy: $406 million, up 13.9 percent Sustainability: $64 million, up 10 percent

4. Neurotechnology and spine net sales were $500 million, up 6.9 percent over the second quarter of 2017. Spine sales hit $183 million, a 2.9 percent decrease, and neurotechnology increased 13.9 percent to $352 million.

"We have some challenges [in spine] the market overall looks to be challenged certainly in this quarter," said Katherine A. Owen during Stryker's quarterly conference call, according to Seeking Alpha's transcript. "We've had some Stryker issues as we work through some of the supply challenges, but on the positive front, those do appear to be moderating for us. And we're also seeing really strong demand, but we are capacity constrained for our Tritanium products."

The company has several projects in research and development, and as a result expects to see improvement long term.

5. Net earnings increased 2.9 percent to $291 million in the quarter.

6. Stryker now expects 2017 organic net sales growth between 6.5 percent and 7 percent.

7. In the second quarter, Stryker reported 26 Mako robots were installed globally, a 5 percent increase over last year. There were 20 new systems installed in the U.S., and the company expects to "largely complete all U.S. system upgrades during 2018." There are more than 400 surgeons trained on the Mako system to date.

More articles on orthopedic devices:

Smith & Nephew reports $1.2B in Q2 revenue Zimmer Biomet reports $1.9B Q2 sales NuVasive reports better than expected Q2, revenue reaches $260.6M: 5 key notes

Read more from the original source:

Stryker reports 6.1% Q2 growth, installs 26 Mako systems: 7 things ... - Becker's Orthopedic & Spine

With the goal of harnessing the untapped potential of Iranian-Americans, and to build the capacity of the Iranian diaspora in effecting positive change in the U.S. and around the world, the Iranian Americans Contributions Project (IACP) has launched a series of interviews that explore the personal and professional backgrounds of prominent Iranian-Americans who have made seminal contributions to their fields of endeavor. We examine lives and journeys that have led to significant achievements in the worlds of science, technology, finance, medicine, law, the arts and numerous other endeavors. Our latest interviewee is Arshya Vahabzadeh.

Arshya Vahabzadeh, M.D, is the Chief Medical Officer at Brain Power, a federally and Congressionally supported neurotechnology company that is building transformative technologies for the treatment of autism community. Dr. Vahanzadeh is a leader in developing new technologies and scientific approaches to reduce human suffering and to improve mental health and wellbeing.

Dr. Vahabzadeh is on the staff of the Massachusetts General Hospital and has served as faculty in the Department of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, and at Exponential Medicine. He is triple trained in pediatric psychiatry, psychiatry, and family medicine, and has over 20 national and international awards in research, innovation, education, and medical leadership. He was the youngest council chairman at the American Psychiatric Association, and was described as one of ten outstanding physicians who represent the future of psychiatry by the American College of Psychiatrists.

Dr. Vahabzadeh is a regular national and international speaker on technology and mental health, and has given talks at Google, Stanford, Harvard, Health 2.0, the Digital Health Summit, and at Singularity University. He has been honored as a 40 under 40 healthcare innovator by MedTechBoston, and was one of only ten people globally to win the Khan Academy/American Association of Medical Colleges/Robert Wood Johnson Foundation MCAT Video competition.

Tell our readers where you grew up and walk us through your background. How did your family and surroundings influence you in your formative years?

I was born in Tehran, Iran, and spent much of my childhood growing up in England where I also attended medical school. I moved to the United States in 2010 to continue my medical training.

As a child I had a number of formative experiences. I remember watching Iraqi aircraft bombing Tehran as I peered out of the window during one of the regular blackouts. I also remember arriving at one of our country homes in Iran and seeing that it had been bombarded.

After moving to England, where my parents had previously undertaken their university studies, I was hit and near-fatally injured by a car outside of my home. I spent months hospitalized in a children's hospital and was essentially rebuilt.

Being an immigrant to England, and subsequently the United States, I have a first-hand insight into the arduous challenges that migrants face. I also have a deep appreciation for all of the individuals that have invested in me in both countries, and my hope is that my efforts to create healthcare and educational technologies will help to pay back some of that investment.

My parents provided me with not only a nurturing environment, but also a sense of resiliency to the turmoil that may have surrounded me at any moment. They promoted the importance of education, protecting the vulnerable, and receiving encouragement from the successes of others. I had the opportunity to see both immense poverty and wealth, as well as the humanity and struggles that faced people across society.

My professional life has included going to medical school in England and completing three residency programs over 11 years of postgraduate training, including family medicine under the Royal College of General Practitioners, adult psychiatry at Emory University, and child and adolescent psychiatry at Massachusetts General Hospital/McLean Hospital/Harvard Medical School. After completion of my training, I became a faculty member in psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and the Massachusetts General Hospital Psychiatry Academy, headed by one of my mentors Dr. David Rubin. I have also spent a considerable amount of time working on emerging technologies, mostly through my work as the Chief Medical Officer at Brain Power, a neurotechnology company founded by one of my friends from Harvard and MIT, Dr. Ned Sahin. Since completing my training, I have continued to see patients with severe mental health challenges on the frontlines of healthcare, including in emergency departments and in maximum-security correctional facilities.

You received a number of awards and honors for your research, mentorship and teaching. What were the significant accomplishments that led to these?

Over the last decade I have been honored with over two dozen different national and international awards as well as scholarships for innovations in medicine, medical leadership, research, and a host of other innovation related projects. I should say, however,that the most important part of any of these achievements is the opportunity that comes with them. The ability to build networks with like-minded people who are willing to improve healthcare, education, and the future of humanity has been both empowering and humbling.

I have long been involved in many different areas of medical and neuroscientific research, publishing articles, papers, and book chapters in neurobiology and clinical neuroscience on topics such as autism, post-traumatic stress disorder, neuromodulation, and digital mental health. I have presented at numerous institutions on my research and perspectives on mental health and transformative technologies,

Among my awards, I have been fortunate to have received the American College of Psychiatrists Laughlin Fellowship, the American Medical Association Foundation Excellence in Medicine Leadership Award, and the American Psychiatric Association (APA) Leadership Fellowship. I was lucky to have been federally supported through a NIMH/AADPRT BRAIN Scholarship, and a SAMSHA/APA grant focusing on autism.

I am very honored and always humbled by the awards I have received. I believe part of the reason for the recognition is a willingness I find within myself to go the extra mile in my academic work and to advocate publicly for mental health awareness wherever and whenever I can. The importance of doing good work and providing a voice for those who need it is something that I believe is an important part of my role as a physician with a public profile.

What has been your personal key to success? What were the biggest inspirations for your career?

I would like to say that I have consistently worked hard, averaging around 100 hours a week, and I have always tried to maximize the opportunities that I have been given. However, I have also realized the importance of having a powerful network, and indeed I often believe that having an empowered network of individuals behind you is as important as working hard or being naturally gifted. I also think that there is a lot to be said of never expecting others to treat you the way you treat them. I am also a huge fan of reducing the noise around myself. There are so many devices and social media platforms designed to distract you and pull your focus away from what you need to be doing. Eliminating or consciously reducing your engagement time with these distractions is crucial to your focus and ultimate success. Reducing the noise also means not allowing yourself to become too wrapped up in what other people are doing or claim to be doing.

I am a strong believer in achieving mind-body balance, and maintaining a balanced diet. I usually work out 7 days a week to improve physical coordination, strength, and endurance. On some days I may face a 16-hour clinical day, several hours of data analysis and academic work, and a social function, and I believe that having the right level of physical conditioning has been very helpful in these situations.

I am not a huge fan of idolizing people in the way that is often seen in the media, but I am inspired by those around me all the time. I am particularly fond of people who achieve personal success while making the world a better place, those who are relentless in pursuing their dreams, and people who put their ambitions on hold in order to care for their family members. Inspiration can be found in the most unexpected of places, and as a psychiatrist I hear about these stories all the time. A younger mother who was working at a fast-food restaurant recently impacted me, as I learned she was essentially living out of her car in the parking lot, and used the money saved to ensure that her children went to school. Her grit, resiliency, and steadfast approach to doing what was necessary were absolutely inspirational to me.

Your fields of interest cover using transformative technology to improve the lives of people with special needs and mental health conditions. Can you share some highlights of your work in these areas?

As I look around the world today, I see humans creating tremendous progress and opportunities in certain communities, while despair and isolation are rife in many others. Often these communities overlap in time and space; living and dying can exist just footsteps away from one another.

My fundamental belief is that we can use our knowledge of science and technology to improve the well-being of our fellow humans. We can produce technologies that can help us empower people through education, heal them in ill health, and allow them to reach their full potential. While technology advances at a rapid pace, we must also understand that the human experience involves giving other people your time and understanding them in the context of their relationships, communities, and social world. This is a task that is easier to articulate than to achieve in person!

While I hold certain lofty ideals, I am also very much a realist, as I have and will always continue to work with the most disadvantaged communities. As a frontline clinician, I have seen how immense healthcare needs in this country are, and just how critical it is to recognize and address the social determinants of health. I have witnessed how some of our greatest mental health challenges do not get the level of funding and support that they need, and how we still have huge gaps between scientific research and the practical real-world impacts of scientific advances.

I believe that technology has a crucial role to play in helping us throughout our daily lives, such as aiding those who have the biggest mental health challenges and promoting mental wellness in many others. I believe that understanding human mental health through the use of technology is extremely challenging perhaps much more than people realize. We are trying to gain insights into a persons mood state, cognitive functioning, and social thinking through the use of wearables, apps on smartphones, and smart glasses, but there is still quite a considerable way to go. Research in digital mental health continues to be quite fragmented, is often not reproducible, and rarely do results translate into a product that can positively impact peoples lives. One of my hardest tasks has been to create an actual device that would be helpful to people, and I think this goal continues to stump many overambitious entrepreneurs and can be intimidating to academics.

This is why I find my work at Brain Power very exciting. We are currently combining cutting edge augmented reality, artificial intelligence, social neuroscience, and digital tools to help the autism community succeed in education, health, and work. We have recently published the first scientific paper on the use social communication smart glasses in autism. We have also been fortunate to partner with a number of leading organizations like Google and Affectiva, and have both federal and congressional funding to build these next-generation technologies. The feedback that we have received from the community and experts has been very humbling, and we have been lucky enough to receive a wide range of scientific and autism-related awards for our work. We also run a number of internship training programs for students from local high schools, autism vocational training programs, and universities. Part of our mission is to not only create accessible technologies, but also help teach the next generation of innovators from across the breadth of society.

Can you tell us about your advocating for innovations in healthcare to reduce death and disability from brain disorders on a global scale?

We face a number of problems when we think about global mental health and the burden of brain disorders. Firstly, these conditions are the biggest cause of disability in the world, and they predominantly disable people in their youth. Secondly, our resources for tackling these problems are very limited. We simply do not have enough human experts to be able to provide the mental health care that is needed. We are going to have to rely more on technology to deliver scalable solutions to these challenges. My approach for tackling these issues partly comes through my work with Brain Power, but I am also involved in innovative brain health projects at the Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Exponential Medicine, Neurolaunch, and the American Psychiatric Association.

I am also passionate about working with organizations that are creating real-world impacts for the people who need it most. I am proud to be a part of two childrens charities. The Special Needs Network was founded by my friend Areva Martin ESQ, and focuses on helping children with special needs in Los Angeles, while Art of Hope was founded by one of my fellow Iranian-Americans, Tara Kangarlou, and provides art therapy to child refugees in Syria and the surrounding areas.

In your view, what is the biggest challenge with which your field is currently grappling?

Mental health has long been underserved by science, healthcare, and education. Because of stigma and ignorance, millions of people are suffering from psychiatric conditions that are unrecognized, untreated, disabling, and all too often, deadly. I recognize that stigma has had a significant role to play in this situation. However, understanding mental health requires challenging some of the most basic assumptions in the field. Many of the conditions that we diagnose and treat are based on behavioral symptoms, with the underlying scientific cause less clear. Future efforts that harness digital assessment, biological tests, and use large data-sets may help us to redefine these conditions, subtype them, and find more scalable and accessible means for people to lead healthier lives. I have already published and written about some of the most cutting edge areas such as digital suicide prevention, machine learning in depression, and the use of wearable technology for mental health.

Future challenges will involve access to care as the population increases and ages, along with changes to healthcare provision. In order to successfully overcome these challenges, I believe that the medical profession as a whole, but especially psychiatry, needs to embrace the potential of technologies such as telemedicine, virtual/augmented reality, and other forms of digital health to help to increase access, and ideally improve the quality of care that we deliver. That engagement needs to start today, it needs to be taken very seriously, and should be given far more attention than it is currently being given by the medical community.

Can you share your thoughts on your Iranian-American identity? What does it mean to be an Iranian-American to you?

The United States, with the exception of the Native Americans, is a nation of immigrants. It is a fact that the Iranian-American community has been described as being one of the most successful immigrant groups. I have found the Iranian-American community to be very warm and welcoming, and believe that the community shows incredible pride in both their Persian heritage and American identity. However, we should be mindful that the community also faces many challenges. Iranian-Americans continue to face racism, largely fueled by individuals with little appreciation of the current geopolitical situation, and a lackluster grasp of the history of human civilization. Secondly, being an immensely proud community has caused us to have blind spots; shame and honor impede our ability to tackle issues such as mental health, poverty, gender identity, and drug addiction. I have been inspired by the mentorship and education that I have received from Iranian-American organizations such as PAAIA, and have been particularly impressed with the work of outstanding Iranian Americans including Dr. FirouzNaderi (Former Director at NASA), and Bita Darybari(Pars Equality Center).

I believe that the Iranian-American community embraces many of the values that have made America great. It is also profoundly important to me that we support and work to empower other communities. I am committed to advancing equality and opportunity for all, regardless of background.

Originally posted here:

Arshya Vahabzadeh: Innovating at the Intersection of Brain, Behavior, and Technology - HuffPost

July 26, 2017 - By Marguerite Chambers

Capstone Asset Management Company increased Raytheon Co (RTN) stake by 6.19% reported in 2016Q4 SEC filing. Capstone Asset Management Company acquired 3,909 shares as Raytheon Co (RTN)s stock rose 4.85%. The Capstone Asset Management Company holds 67,074 shares with $9.53 million value, up from 63,165 last quarter. Raytheon Co now has $49.39B valuation. The stock increased 0.08% or $0.13 during the last trading session, reaching $169.59. About shares traded. Raytheon Company (NYSE:RTN) has risen 24.03% since July 26, 2016 and is uptrending. It has outperformed by 7.33% the S&P500.

Stryker Corporation is a medical technology company. The company has market cap of $54.83 billion. The Firm offers a range of medical technologies, including orthopedic, medical and surgical, and neurotechnology and spine products. It has a 32.77 P/E ratio. The Companys divisions include Orthopaedics; MedSurg; Neurotechnology and Spine, and Corporate and Other.

Analysts await Stryker Corporation (NYSE:SYK) to report earnings on July, 27 after the close. They expect $1.51 EPS, up 8.63% or $0.12 from last years $1.39 per share. SYKs profit will be $566.84M for 24.18 P/E if the $1.51 EPS becomes a reality. After $1.48 actual EPS reported by Stryker Corporation for the previous quarter, Wall Street now forecasts 2.03% EPS growth.

Since January 1, 0001, it had 1 insider buy, and 6 insider sales for $6.24 million activity.

Ratings analysis reveals 67% of Strykers analysts are positive. Out of 3 Wall Street analysts rating Stryker, 2 give it Buy, 1 Sell rating, while 0 recommend Hold. SYK was included in 3 notes of analysts from October 14, 2016. The firm has Underperform rating by Needham given on Friday, January 6. The firm has Buy rating given on Wednesday, January 25 by Canaccord Genuity. SunTrust initiated the stock with Buy rating in Friday, October 14 report.

The stock decreased 0.53% or $0.78 during the last trading session, reaching $146.06. About 15 shares traded. Stryker Corporation (SYK) has risen 24.95% since July 26, 2016 and is uptrending. It has outperformed by 8.25% the S&P500.

Greenleaf Trust holds 79.81% of its portfolio in Stryker Corporation for 25.36 million shares. Bonness Enterprises Inc owns 75,700 shares or 8.15% of their US portfolio. Moreover, Fundsmith Llp has 7.86% invested in the company for 4.95 million shares. The California-based Tukman Grossman Capital Management Inc has invested 7.65% in the stock. Cabot, a Alabama-based fund reported 82,711 shares.

Since February 14, 2017, it had 0 buys, and 16 insider sales for $15.18 million activity. Wood Michael J had sold 1,442 shares worth $235,017 on Monday, June 5. Another trade for 1,010 shares valued at $164,731 was sold by Kremer Wesley D. The insider Kennedy Thomas A sold $5.56M. Lawrence Taylor W sold 12,124 shares worth $1.84M. Another trade for 8,999 shares valued at $1.36 million was made by RHOADS REBECCA R on Tuesday, February 14. Another trade for 5,250 shares valued at $810,915 was sold by WAJSGRAS DAVID C. The insider OBrien Anthony F sold 2,852 shares worth $438,809.

Capstone Asset Management Company decreased Ishares S&P Smallcap 600 (IJR) stake by 5,386 shares to 30,365 valued at $4.18M in 2016Q4. It also reduced Cigna Corp (NYSE:CI) stake by 2,556 shares and now owns 26,508 shares. Mondelez Intl Inc (NASDAQ:MDLZ) was reduced too.

By Marguerite Chambers

Echostar Corporation-Receive News & Ratings Via Email - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings with our FREE daily email newsletter.

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Capstone Asset Management Company Has Boosted By $555078 Its Raytheon Co (RTN) Holding, Stryker (SYK)'s ... - Herald KS

Stryker Corporation (NYSE: SYK) and Trivascular Technologies (NASDAQ:TRIV) are both medical companies, but which is the superior business? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their risk, institutional ownership, dividends, valuation, earnings, profitabiliy and analyst recommendations.

Analyst Ratings

This is a breakdown of current ratings for Stryker Corporation and Trivascular Technologies, as provided by MarketBeat.

Stryker Corporation presently has a consensus price target of $139.21, suggesting a potential downside of 4.69%. Given Stryker Corporations higher probable upside, equities research analysts plainly believe Stryker Corporation is more favorable than Trivascular Technologies.

Dividends

Stryker Corporation pays an annual dividend of $1.70 per share and has a dividend yield of 1.2%. Trivascular Technologies does not pay a dividend. Stryker Corporation pays out 38.2% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Trivascular Technologies has raised its dividend for 6 consecutive years.

Insider and Institutional Ownership

74.3% of Stryker Corporation shares are owned by institutional investors. 7.4% of Stryker Corporation shares are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, endowments and hedge funds believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

Profitability

This table compares Stryker Corporation and Trivascular Technologies net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

Earnings & Valuation

This table compares Stryker Corporation and Trivascular Technologies gross revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

Stryker Corporation has higher revenue and earnings than Trivascular Technologies.

Summary

Stryker Corporation beats Trivascular Technologies on 9 of the 11 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Stryker Corporation

Stryker Corporation is a medical technology company. The Company offers a range of medical technologies, including orthopedic, medical and surgical, and neurotechnology and spine products. The Companys segments include Orthopaedics; MedSurg; Neurotechnology and Spine, and Corporate and Other. The Orthopaedics segment includes reconstructive (hip and knee) and trauma implant systems and other related products. The MedSurg segment includes surgical equipment and surgical navigation systems; endoscopic and communications systems; patient handling, emergency medical equipment, intensive care disposable products; reprocessed and remanufactured medical devices, and other related products. The Neurotechnology and Spine segment includes neurovascular products, spinal implant systems and other related products. The Companys products include implants, which are used in joint replacement and trauma surgeries, and other products that are used in a range of medical specialties.

About Trivascular Technologies

Trivascular Technologies, Inc. is a medical device company developing and commercializing technologies to advance minimally invasive treatment of abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA). The Ovation System, the Companys solution for the treatment of AAA through minimally invasive endovascular aortic repair, or EVAR, is a stent graft platform, providing an alternative to conventional devices. It is designed to specifically address many of the limitations associated with conventional EVAR devices and expand the pool of patients eligible for EVAR. The Company is developing Ovation iX iliac limbs for use with both its Ovation Prime and its Ovation iX and Alto aortic bodies, which are in development. Trivascular is developing Ovation iX aortic bodies for use with both its Ovation Prime and its Ovation iX iliac limbs. The Company is developing an aortic body that together with the iliac limbs makes up the Ovation Alto stent graft.

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Trivascular Technologies (TRIV) & Stryker Corporation (SYK) Critical Review - Stock Observer

Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and electroencephalography (EEG) may detect consciousness in ICU patients with severe traumatic brain injuries when a standard bedside neurological exam comes up short, according to new research at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH).

Studies have suggested that up to 40 percent of patients who have been deemed unconscious may actually be conscious on some level.

While prior research has used fMRI or EEG to detect this sort of covert consciousness in patients who have moved from acute-care hospitals to rehabilitation or nursing care facilities, no such study has been conducted in ICU patients.

In fact, the study is the first to test such an approach in acutely ill patients for whom critical decisions may need to be made regarding the continuation of life-sustaining care.

Early detection of consciousness and brain function in the intensive care unit could allow families to make more informed decisions about the care of loved ones, said Brian Edlow, M.D., of the Center for Neurotechnology and Neurorecovery in the MGH Department of Neurology, co-lead and corresponding author of the study.

Also, since early recovery of consciousness is associated with better long-term outcomes, these tests could help patients gain access to rehabilitative care once they are discharged from an ICU.

For ICU patients with serious brain injuries, the standard bedside neurological examination may inaccurately identify a patient as unconscious for several reasons: the patient may be unable to speak, write or move because of the effects of the injury itself or sedating medications or a clinician may mistake a weak but intentional movement as a reflex response.

For the study, the researchers enrolled 16 patients being cared for in MGH intensive care units after severe traumatic brain injury. Upon enrollment, eight were able to respond to language, three were classified as minimally conscious without language response, three classified as vegetative and two as in a coma.

fMRI studies were conducted as soon as patients were stable enough for the procedure, and EEG readings were taken soon afterwards, ideally but not always within 24 hours. A group of 16 healthy age- and sex-matched volunteers underwent the same procedures as a control group.

The screenings were taken under three experimental conditions. To test for a mismatch between the patients ability to imagine performing a task and their ability to physically express themselves what is called cognitive motor dissociation patients were asked to imagine squeezing and releasing their right hand while in the fMRI scanner and while EEG readings were being taken.

Since it is known that certain parts of the brain can react to sounds even when a person is sleeping or under sedation, the patients were exposed to brief recordings of spoken language and of music during both the fMRI and EEG tests.

These screenings were developed to detect activity in areas of the brain that are part of the higher-order cortex, which interprets the simple signals processed by the primary cortex in this instance not just detecting a sound but potentially recognizing what it is.

Of eight patients who had been classified as unable to respond to language during the traditional bedside examination, the researchers found evidence in four patients of covert consciousness based on the hand-squeeze exercise, including the three originally classified as vegetative.

In two other patients, higher-order cortex activity was seen in response to either language or music. Although higher-order cortical activity doesnt necessarily prove that a patient is conscious, Edlow notes, a response in these brain structures could have implications for a patients future recovery.

Edlow also notes that negative responses to these tests should not be considered a poor likelihood of recovery. For example, about 25 percent of the healthy controls had no detectable brain response during the hand squeeze imagery test, and one of the comatose patients who showed no response to language, music or motor imagery during the early fMRI and EEG tests made a complete recovery 6 months later.

In fact, no links were shown between early brain responses and long-term outcomes, which could be due to the small size of the study or the fact that several patients were sedated during the fMRI and EEG tests.

The findings are published in the journal Brain.

Source: Massachusetts General Hospital

APA Reference Pedersen, T. (2017). fMRI, EEG Tests May Detect Consciousness in Severe TBI Patients. Psych Central. Retrieved on July 24, 2017, from https://psychcentral.com/news/2017/07/24/fmri-eeg-tests-may-detect-consciousness-in-severe-tbi-patients/123683.html

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fMRI, EEG Tests May Detect Consciousness in Severe TBI Patients - PsychCentral.com

July 19, 2017

For all its resiliency and creativity, the human brain is equally fragile and prone to disease. Millions around the world are affected by neurological and neurodegenerative diseases. In fact, a World Health Organization study found eight out of 10 disorders in the three highest disability classes are linked to neurological problems, a figure likely to increase, as the global elderly population is expected to double by 2050.

In response to this growing need, a new collaboration between Arizona State University, the University of Houston and industry members formed to develop and test new neurotechnologies. Above: From left to right, Professors Jose L. Contreras-Vidal and Marco Santello pose for a photo with Deans Joseph W. Tedesco and Kyle Squires, of the University of Houston's Cullen College of Engineering and ASU's Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering, respectively, at Old Main on the Tempe campus, June 29. Santello and Contreras-Vidal lead the ASU and UH sites for the new National Science Foundation-funded Building Reliable Advancements in Neurotechnology, or BRAIN, an IndustryUniversity Cooperative Research Center. Photo by Jessica Hochreiter/ASU Download Full Image

Building Reliable Advancements in Neurotechnology, or BRAIN, is an IndustryUniversity Cooperative Research Center dedicated to bringing new neurotechnologies and treatments to market. The center was officially funded earlier this year with a $1.5 million grant from the National Science Foundation, and has already attracted nine industry partners.

BRAIN held its first industry advisory board meeting June 2930 on ASUs Tempe campus, bringing together stakeholders to begin charting the course of the collaboration.

Neurodegenerative diseases are one of the biggest challenges society faces today, said Professor Marco Santello at the outset of the meeting. An aim of the center is to not only develop new devices and strategies in the realm of neurotechnology, but validate existing ones as well.

Santello and Professor Jose L. Contreras-Vidal, directors of the respective ASU and UH BRAIN sites, will lead the center, which includes more than 40 faculty members from ASUs Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering and UHs Cullen College of Engineering.

The pair defined the centers five main research areas as neurological clinical research, mobility assessment and clinical intervention, invasive neurotechnology, noninvasive neurotechnology and neurorehabilitation technology.

Santello, who also serves as the director of the School of Biological and Health Systems Engineering, said BRAINs areas of interest are intentionally broad as to fully investigate all potential solutions, approaches, and outcomes related to neurotechnology.

Contreras-Vidal, who also leads UHs Laboratory for Non-invasive Brain-Machine Interface Systems, noted the unique faculty resources that UH and ASU bring together, whose research expertise encompasses neuroscience, invasive and noninvasive interfaces and neuromodulation, neuroimaging, rehabilitation technologies, big data and bioinformatics as well as regulatory science and law and neuroethics.

Though a stable of researchers firmly rooted in neurology, data, device development and clinical trials are essential to BRAINs success, equally important is the inclusion of regulatory law experts. To this end, Contreras-Vidal is leading a Research Collaborative Agreement between UH and the Food and Drug Administration.

Brain activity measurements, such as scalp electroencephalography, have both diagnostic value in and of themselves, and also value as objective endpoints for measuring the efficacy of other medical devices. However, despite their growing importance, very little is known about the constancy and variability of these measurements in real complex settings in healthy individuals and in the patient population. Nevertheless, the efficacy and safety of EEG-based diagnostics and therapeutics depend on such scientific understanding, Contreras-Vidal said. Thus, understanding of the population distribution of EEG-based biometrics is regulatory science that contributes to personalized medicine and to the development of better biomedical devices.

Professor Barbara Evans of UH, whose background includes engineering, earth science and law, will serve as a resource for regulatory processes, issues and strategy, noting its sometimes necessary to think five or 10 years ahead.

This type of work is going to take careful thought about how to address the FDA, and work out regulatory solutions, said Evans, who is also the director of the Center on Biotechnology and Law at UH. The burden of neurocognitive diseases is a pressing problem. While there are pharmaceutical solutions which have promise, there is even greater promise in terms of the research at BRAIN and I believe we have to attack these diseases on every front. The main thing I hope to do is help translate wonderful technology to market and help people.

The nine industry partners include companies such as Medtronic, the CORE Institute, Indus Instruments and Brain Vision LLC, as well as medical institutions such as the Phoenix Childrens Hospital and The Institute for Rehabilitation and Research Memorial Hermann Hospital.

Eric Maas, a Medtronic representative, said his company was drawn to the immense talent pool contained within BRAIN.

This partnership not only benefits Medtronic, but the world, Maas said. Big companies like ours like to go after big problems, but a center like this opens up paths to solve smaller, sometimes overlooked illnesses that deserve attention.

For Dr. David Adelson, director of the Barrow Neurological Institute and chief of pediatric neurosurgery at Phoenix Childrens Hospital, BRAIN has been a long time coming. Adelson has long since been an advocate for bringing cutting-edge research to clinical care, pushing for a center like BRAIN for some time.

So much of medicine is focused on adults and not children, and so much of is applicable to pediatric care, said Adelson, noting that traumatic brain injury is the leading cause of disability and death in children and adolescents in the U.S.

United with invested industry partners, the multifaceted, transdisciplinary research approach of ASU and UH caught the interest of the National Science Foundation as a way to address the big picture challenges of brain research.

The technical expertise of both ASU and UH goes without saying, but both universities did well in bringing together industry members to get this center off the ground, said Dmitri Perkins, director of the NSFs IUCRC program. Brain research is in general an area of great national interest. The NSF looks for centers with potential to deliver great impact in their areas of study as well as the possibility to work with other IUCRCs, universities and industries, and we see that here.

VisitBRAIN onlinefor more information about the center, or contactSantelloandContreras-Vidalto discuss partnership opportunities.

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BRAIN center gathers to ponder future, direction - Arizona State University

The idea of the human mind as the domain of absolute protection from external intrusion has persisted for centuries. Today, however, this presumption might no longer hold. Sophisticated neuroimaging machines and brain-computer interfaces detect the electrical activity of neurons, enabling us to decode and even alter the nervous system signals that accompany mental processes. Whereas these advances have a great potential for research and medicine, they pose a fundamental ethical, legal and social challenge: determining whether or under what conditions it is legitimate to gain access to or interfere with another person's neural activity.

This question has special social relevance because many neurotechnologies have moved away from a medical setting and into the commercial domain. Attempts to decode mental information via imaging are also occurring in court cases, sometimes in a scientifically questionable way. For example, in 2008 a woman in India was convicted of murder and sentenced to life imprisonment on the basis of a brain scan showing, according to the judge, experiential knowledge about the crime. The potential use of neural technology as a lie detector for interrogation purposes has garnered particular attention. In spite of experts' skepticism, commercial companies are marketing the use of functional MRI- and electroencephalography-based technology to ascertain truth and falsehood. The military is also testing monitoring techniques for another reason: to use brain stimulation to increase a fighter's alertness and attention.

Brain-reading technology can be seen as just another unavoidable trend that erodes a bit more of our personal space in the digital world. But given the sanctity of our mental privacy, we might not be so willing to accept this intrusion. People could, in fact, look at this technology as something that requires the reconceptualization of basic human rights and even the creation of neurospecific rights.

Lawyers are already talking about a right to cognitive liberty. It would entitle people to make free and competent decisions regarding the use of technology that can affect their thoughts. A right to mental privacy would protect individuals against unconsented-to intrusion by third parties into their brain data, as well as against the unauthorized collection of those data. Breaches of privacy at the neural level could be more dangerous than conventional ones because they can bypass the level of conscious reasoning, leaving us without protections from having our mind read involuntarily. This risk applies not only to predatory marketing studies or to courts using such technology excessively but also to applications that would affect general consumers. This last category is growing. Recently Facebook unveiled a plan to create a speech-to-text interface to translate thoughts directly from brain to computer. Similar attempts are being made by companies such as Samsung and Netflix. In the future, brain control could replace the keyboard and speech recognition as the primary way to interact with computers.

If brain-scanning tools become ubiquitous, novel possibilities for misuse will arisecybersecurity breaches included. Medical devices connected to the brain are vulnerable to sabotage, and neuroscientists at the University of Oxford suggest that the same vulnerability applies to brain implants, leading to the possibility of a phenomenon called brainjacking. Such potential for misuse might prompt us to reconceptualize the right to mental integrity, already recognized as a fundamental human right to mental health. This new understanding would not only protect people from being denied access to treatment for mental illness but would also protect all of us from harmful manipulations of our neural activity through the misuse of technology.

Finally, a right to psychological continuity might preserve people's mental life from external alteration by third parties. The same kind of brain interventions being explored to reduce the need for sleep in the military could be adapted to make soldiers more belligerent or fearless. Neurotechnology brings benefits, but to minimize unintended risks, we need an open debate involving neuroscientists, legal experts, ethicists and general citizens.

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Preserving the Right to Cognitive Liberty - Scientific American

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Comparing Uroplasty (UPI) and Stryker Corporation (NYSE:SYK) The Cerbat Gem The Company offers a range of medical technologies, including orthopedic, medical and surgical, and neurotechnology and spine products. The Company's segments include Orthopaedics; MedSurg; Neurotechnology and Spine, and Corporate and Other. What Next for Stryker Corporation (SYK) Stock After Making 52-Week High?WeeklyHub What's Propelling Stryker Corporation (SYK) to Reach 52-Week High?Weekly Register SEC FORM 4 - SEC.govSEC.gov Zacks.com all 95 news articles »

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Comparing Uroplasty (UPI) and Stryker Corporation (NYSE:SYK) - The Cerbat Gem

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Here is the rundown on market activity for Stryker Corporation (NYSE:SYK). Group President, Orthopaedics David Floyd sold 19,305 shares at an average price of $144.56 on Wed the 12th. Floyd now owns $1,238,590 of stock per an SEC filing yesterday. David Floyd, Group President, Orthopaedics sold $1,068,031 worth of shares at an average price of $144.70 on Mon the 5th. That brings the Group President, Orthopaedicss holdings to $4,033,223 as reported to the SEC.

Timothy J. Scannell, Group President sold $1,810,327 worth of shares at an average price of $135.89 on May 2nd. That brings Scannells holdings to $15,576,119 as recorded in a recent Form 4 SEC filing.

Stryker Corporation (Stryker), launched on February 20, 1946, is a medical technology company. The Company offers a range of medical technologies, including orthopedic, medical and surgical, and neurotechnology and spine products. The Businesss segments include Orthopaedics; MedSurg; Neurotechnology and Spine, and Corporate and Other. The Orthopaedics segment includes reconstructive (hip and knee) and trauma implant systems and other related products. The Businesss MedSurg segment consists of instruments, endoscopy, medical and sustainability products. The Neurotechnology and Spine segment includes neurovascular products, spinal implant systems and other related products..

These funds have also shifted positions in (SYK). Eqis Capital Management, Inc. added to its stake by buying 1,575 shares an increase of 10.3% as of 06/30/2017. Eqis Capital Management, Inc. owns 16,877 shares valued at $2,342,000. The value of the position overall is up by 16.3%. As of the end of the quarter Old National Bancorp /in/ had sold a total of 241 shares trimming its holdings by 4.9%. The value of the investment in (SYK) went from $647,000 to $649,000 increasing 0.3% quarter over quarter.

As of quarter end Lejeune Puetz Investment Counsel LLC had disposed of 240 shares trimming its position 6.1%. The value of the investment in SYK decreased from $516,000 to $511,000 a change of 1.0% quarter to quarter. As of the end of the quarter Central Trust Co had sold a total of 200 shares trimming its stake by 5.6%. The value of the investment in Stryker Corporation decreased from $467,000 to $465,000 a change of $2,000 since the last quarter.

Cantor Fitzgerald added SYK to its research portfolio with a rating of Neutral. On May 16 analysts at Goldman Sachs started covering SYK giving it an initial rating of Neutral.

On December 15 the stock rating was upgraded to Buy from in a statement from UBS. On November 1 the company was upgraded from Underperform to Market Perform in a report from BMO Capital.

Equity analyst SunTrust Robinson Humphrey issued its first research report on the stock setting a rating of Buy. On June 9, 2016 Guggenheim Securities initiated coverage on SYK with an initial rating of Buy.

The company is so far trading up from yesterdays close of $143.2. Additionally Stryker Corporation announced a dividend that will be paid on Monday the 31st of July 2017. The dividend payment will be $0.425 per share for the quarter or $1.70 on an annualized basis. This dividend represents a yeild of $1.18 which is the dividend as a percentage of the current share price. The ex-dividend date will be Wednesday the 28th of June 2017.

Shares of the company are trading at $145.40 just above the 50 day moving average which is $140.23 and barely above the 200 day moving average of $130.49. The 50 day moving average went up by +3.68% and the 200 day average was up $14.91.

The company currently has a P/E ratio of 32.67 and market capitalization is 54.35B. In the latest earnings report the EPS was $4.45 and is projected to be $6.43 for the current year with 373,765,000 shares outstanding. Next quarters EPS is forecasted to be $1.52 with next years EPS anticipated to be $7.05.

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Insider Activity Stryker Corporation (NYSE:SYK) - Highlight Press