Search PubMed⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search PubMed

Results for “Inventors”

Search indexed PubMed citations on genomics, clinical trials, systematic reviews and public health. Explore titles, authors and supplied subject terms, then open the PubMed record.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 325 records · Page 18Linked to original sources
PubMed1999

An early approach to controlled hypotension: Felice Visalli and the "pneumoanemizator.".

In this historical vignette, the authors describe the conception and realization of the "pneumoanemizator," an ingenious pneumatic apparatus originally designed in the 1940s for the purpose of controlled hypotension. The authors also give a biographical sketch of its inventor, the pioneering Italian neurosurgeon Felice Visalli. The general working features of this nearly forgotten device and its performance in experimental and clinical trials are evoked in the light of a brief history of controlled hypotension.

Anesthesiology↗
PubMed2003

The artificial tympanic membrane (1840-1910): from brilliant innovation to quack device.

OBJECTIVE: To present the rich and checkered history of the artificial eardrum, a widely used device in the 19th century, and to illustrate the behavior of otologists in response to the introduction of a promising new technology. DATA SOURCES: Over 40 published books and articles spanning the years 1821 to 1909 in English, German, and French. DEVICE DESCRIPTIONS: A wide variety of devices were used to improve hearing and, purportedly, to reduce aural discharge. The most popular devices were made of gutta percha attached to a silver wire stem (Toynbee) and cotton balls with extraction cords (Yearsley). Other membranes included India rubber, lint, tin or silver foil, and even the vitelline membrane of an egg. Adhesion to the drum remnant was with saliva, water, petroleum jelly (Vaseline), or glycerin. Some were applied by the physician, whereas others were inserted daily by the patient, much as contact lenses are today. CONCLUSIONS: In several cases, the method of positioning an object over the drum remnant was actually invented by clever patients and then later adopted by practitioners. Once introduced, great optimism was generated about the "miraculous" value of this deafness cure. Petty jealousy among early inventors led to very public (and unprofessional) quarrels over the primacy of invention and bickering about whose device was superior. Over the subsequent decades, as more experience demonstrated the device's limited value, enthusiasm waned until otologists largely abandoned these devices around the turn of the last century. In the first two decades of the 20th century, artificial eardrums reached their peak of fame among the public when they were enthusiastically (and dishonestly) marketed by numerous quacks through newspaper advertisements as a universal cure for all forms of deafness. Only with the coming of the Food and Drug Administration did advertisements for US dollars 5 mail-order, medicated eardrums disappear from popular newspapers and magazines.

Advertising↗
PubMed2005

Giovanni Alfonso Borelli--the father of biomechanics.

Giovanni Alfonso Borelli is often described as the father of biomechanics. He was born in Naples in 1608. His De Motu Animalium, published in 1680, extended to biology the rigorous analytical methods developed by Galileo in the field of mechanics. Borelli calculated the forces required for equilibrium in various joints of the human body well before Newton published The Laws of Motion Borelli was the first to understand that the levers of the musculoskeletal system magnify motion rather than force, so that muscles must produce much larger forces than those resisting the motion. Borelli died in Rome on December 31, 1679, but his impressive body of original work helped inspire a great number of future scientists, microscopists, and inventors. The highest honor bestowed by the American Society of Biomechanics is the Giovanni Borelli Award.

Biomechanical Phenomena↗
PubMed2004

Outcome of total en bloc spondylectomy for solitary metastasis of the thoracolumbar spine.

BACKGROUND: Total en bloc spondylectomy (TES) was devised to minimize the incidence of local recurrence following resection of spinal tumor. Successful local control with TES has been reported for patients with primary malignant or aggressive benign spinal tumors. As for metastatic spinal tumors, however, only a few surgeons except for the inventor group have reported the outcome of TES. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether TES could provide radical resection of the tumor in patients with solitary spinal metastases. METHODS: Twelve patients underwent TES for a solitary metastatic tumor of the thoracolumbar spine. Primary malignancies included breast cancer in four patients, thyroid cancer in three, renal cell carcinoma in three, lung cancer in one, and unknown in one. All patients were regularly followed up with plain radiographs, computed tomography scans, and magnetic resonance imaging to detect local recurrence. RESULTS: In two of the four cases with paraspinal tumor extension, local recurrences developed at 25 months after surgery. Seven patients have survived for an average of 61 months, while the remaining five died of disseminated metastases with a mean survival of 23 months after surgery. Local recurrences were common in patients with paraspinal extensions. TES for lesions with paraspinal extensions failed to provide curative resection of the tumor. CONCLUSION: Given the great technical demands and potential risks of TES, the indication for TES with spinal metastases should be limited to cases with solitary lesions that do not extend to the paraspinal area.

Adult↗
PubMed2003

Görög Thrombosis Test: a global in-vitro test of platelet function and thrombolysis.

This is the first laboratory evaluation of a new instrument, designed to test both platelet function and thrombolytic activity from a native blood sample, in vitro. The inventor assumed that the reduction and arrest of blood flow was due to activation, aggregation and stabilized thrombus formation by shear-activated platelets, and that re-establishment of flow was due to thrombolysis. Morphologic and functional studies presented here confirm these mechanisms. In vitro tests provided incontestable evidence for the principal role of platelets in the obstruction of flow (occlusion time) and for thrombolysis as the principal mechanism underlying the restoration of blood flow (lysis time). In addition to aggregation, it is the explosive generation of thrombin by shear-activated platelets that results in the formation of an occlusive haemostatic thrombus. Anticoagulation of blood completely prevented occlusion. Platelet-rich thrombus formation (occlusion time) was dose-dependently inhibited by monoclonal antibody against platelet glycoprotein (GP) Ib (6B4 and 12E4), aurin tricarboxylic acid, monoclonal antibody against platelet GPIIb/IIIa (MA-16N7C2 and abciximab), a synthetic GPIIb/IIIa antagonist (TAK-029), thrombin inhibitor (argatroban), and anti-von Willebrand factor, but not by anti-fibrinogen. Plasminogen activator streptokinase (Varidase) and tissue-type plasminogen activator (Monteplase) dose-dependently enhanced thrombolysis (lysis time) without affecting platelet function (occlusion time). The test is specific for thrombolysis. The plasmin inhibitor tranexamic acid prevented plasminogen activator-induced thrombolysis, while inhibition of clot retraction by cytochalasin B did not affect the lysis time. This rapid and sensitive global test of platelet function and thrombolytic activity could be of great value both in research and in clinical practice.

Adult↗
PubMed1985

Technology and medicine.

Technology, which is older than science, has been of vital importance in the development of modern medicine. Even so, there are voices of dissent to be heard. The disenchantment with technology expressed by Aldous Huxley in Brave new world has been echoed by contemporary writers on the technology of modern medicine. Medicine is seen by some to have been dehumanized by technology, and techniques that are expensive are thought to be consuming a greater proportion of health resources than they deserve. The practice of medicine has, nevertheless, been transformed by modern technology and diagnostic techniques and therapeutic measures undreamed of a few short decades ago are now commonplace. There is no reason why these developments should be any more dehumanizing than the use of similar techniques in modern transportation or communication, nor is their expense out of proportion when compared with other demands on the nation's purse. British workers have been at the forefront of many recent advances. Yet, even though the National Health Service provides a ready market for the products of British medical technology, the nation depends to an inordinate degree on imported products. In the development of appropriate medical technology there is an urgent need for better communication between inventors, scientists, industrialists and the National Health Service. At the same time there is an equal need for improved evaluation of untried techniques. The pressure for a central integrating body to coordinate resources could well be supported by the establishment of evaluation units in the different health authorities in this country.

Diagnosis↗
PubMed2003

Perspective: Genetic assimilation and a possible evolutionary paradox: can macroevolution sometimes be so fast as to pass us by?

The idea of genetic assimilation, that environmentally induced phenotypes may become genetically fixed and no longer require the original environmental stimulus, has had varied success through time in evolutionary biology research. Proposed by Waddington in the 1940s, it became an area of active empirical research mostly thanks to the efforts of its inventor and his collaborators. It was then attacked as of minor importance during the "hardening" of the neo-Darwinian synthesis and was relegated to a secondary role for decades. Recently, several papers have appeared, mostly independently of each other, to explore the likelihood of genetic assimilation as a biological phenomenon and its potential importance to our understanding of evolution. In this article we briefly trace the history of the concept and then discuss theoretical models that have newly employed genetic assimilation in a variety of contexts. We propose a typical scenario of evolution of genetic assimilation via an intermediate stage of phenotypic plasticity and present potential examples of the same. We also discuss a conceptual map of current and future lines of research aimed at exploring the actual relevance of genetic assimilation for evolutionary biology.

Adaptation, Biological↗
PubMed1995

Nathan Keep--William Morton's Salieri?

Dr Nathan Cooley Keep (1800-1875) was a Boston dentist and doctor who carried our pioneering work in both dentistry and anaesthesia. He worked with William Morton before the first public demonstration of ether anaesthesia, formed the world's first anaesthetic partnership with Morton but parted company with him and later opposed Morton's claim to be the sole inventor of ether anaesthesia.

Anesthesia, Dental↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Detecting systematic bias between two raters.

1. I recently reviewed, inter alia, methods for comparing two raters who make judgements on an ordered categorical scale, directed principally at the kappa statistic and its weaknesses. 2. The main weakness of the kappa statistic is that it fails to detect the all-important feature of systematic bias between raters. 3. I described various methods for detecting bias between two raters. These included a modified McNemar test and the single binomial test. Others that have been suggested are the symmetry of disagreement index (SD) and the marginal homogeneity test. 4. I now realize that none of the above four tests for bias is satisfactory, because all ignore the extent of agreement. 5. The bias index (BI) does take into account the extent of agreement, but its inventors did not propose how BI could be evaluated. I now describe a method for doing this.

Algorithms↗
PubMed1989

Inventing urine incontinence devices for women.

Nurses have long been aware of the devastating effects of urinary incontinence on women. Although women may find diapers, pads and protective clothing valuable protection, there are few options for a continuous wear, external urine incontinence device (EUID). Inventors have attempted to develop an EUID since ancient times; the first United States patent for an EUID was awarded in 1949. The purpose of this paper is to review technological considerations for development of an external urinary incontinence device for women. Patents and products illustrate the considerations.

Equipment Design↗
PubMed1962

Celsius versus centigrade: the nomenclature of the temperature scale of science.

The temperature scale used by scientists in America has been called centigrade, while in many countries it was called Celsius for its inventor. In 1948 the 9th General Conference on Weights and Measures, representing 33 nations that subscribed to the Treaty of the Meter, adopted the name Celsius. This name, however, did not come into general use by scientists in America, partly because they were unaware of the official action of the conference and partly because some preferred the old name. At the 11th General Conference in 1960 the scale was defined in a way that makes the adjective centigrade inexact. The name Celsius is correct and its use by American scientists would help make the nomenclature of temperature uniform in all countries.

Americas↗
PubMed1982

Cost of new journals.

Arthur Schawlow should have been identified as a Nobel laureate in physics, not chemistry, in Eliot Marshall's article "Gould advances inventor's claim on the laser" (News and Comment, 23 Apr., p. 392).

Costs and Cost Analysis↗
PubMed2000

Relevance of the viral RAK alpha gene in diagnosis of malignant versus nonmalignant tumors of the ovary and uterus.

Human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1)-like antigens RAK (named after the inventor E. M. Rakowicz) p120, p42, and p25, as well as HIV-1-like segments of cancer DNA (RAK gene alpha), have been found before in breast and prostate cancers. The present study focused on determining the value of markers RAK in the diagnosis and prognosis of gynecological cancer. Expression of RAK antigens in ovarian, uterine, cervical, and vulvar cancer, in benign tumors, in tissues adjacent to cancer, and in normal tissues was tested by Western blot hybridization of the electrophoretically separated proteins with monoclonal antibody RAK BrI. The RAK alpha gene was PCR amplified with HIV-1-derived primers SK68 and SK69. RAK antigens p120, p42, and p25 were found in 95% of ovarian, uterine, and cervical cancer cases and in 75% of vulvar cancer cases. The RAK alpha gene was expressed in 100% of cancer cases, in approximately 25% of benign ovarian tumors, and in 40% of benign tumors of the uterus. DNA sequences amplified in all cancer cases exhibited more than 90% homology to HIV-1 gp41 and were encoded for the functional peptide. DNA sequences found in benign tumors contained frameshift mutations and encoded truncated or nonfunctional peptides. Such sequences have not been amplified in normal tissues. RAK antigens and the RAK alpha gene seem to belong to a lentivirus type that is highly related to HIV-1. Beyond the diagnostic value of RAK markers, future cloning of the full viral genome would lead to a better understanding of the etiology of malignant and nonmalignant tumors of reproductive organs and to the development of novel therapeutic approaches.

Antigens, Neoplasm↗
PubMed1996

How can impact factors be improved?

Impact factors are widely used to rank and evaluate journals. They are also often used inappropriately as surrogates in evaluation exercises. The inventor of the Science Citation Index warns against the indiscriminate use of these data. Fourteen year cumulative impact data for 10 leading medical journals provide a quantitative indicator of their long term influence. In the final analysis, impact simply reflects the ability of journals and editors to attract the best papers available.

Bibliometrics↗
PubMed2003

Dr Erasmus Darwin (1731-1802) of Lichfield and placental respiration.

Erasmus Darwin was a great philosopher, scientist, inventor, poet, and physician. His creative intellect has been compared with that of Leonardo da Vinci. This brief article draws attention to two perinatal contributions made on placental respiration and management of the umbilical cord.

England↗
PubMed1998

Gastroenterology research in the United Kingdom: funding sources and impact.

AIMS: To determine the sources of founding for UK gastroenterology research papers and the relative impact of papers funded by different groups and of unfunded ones. METHODS: UK gastroenterology papers from 1988-94 were selectively retrieved from the Science Citation Index by means of a specially constructed filter based on their title keywords and journal names. They were looked up in libraries to determine their funding sources and these, together with their numbers of authors, numbers of addresses, and research category (clinical/basic) were considered as input parameters to the research. Output parameters analysed were mean journal impact category, citation counts by papers, and the frequency of citation by a US patient. RESULTS: Gastroenterology papers comprise about 7% of all UK biomedical research and 46% of them have no acknowledged funding source. One quarter of the papers acknowledged government support, and a similar fraction a private, non-profit source; 11% were funded by the pharmaceutical industry. The papers acknowledging funding had significantly more impact than the others on all three measures. The citing patents had six times more UK inventors than the average for all US Patent and Trademark Office patents in the relevant classes and were mostly generic in application. CONCLUSION: The variation in impact of papers funded by different sources can mostly be explained by a simple model based on the input factors (numbers of funding bodies, numbers of authors, numbers of addresses, and research type). The national science base in gastroenterology is important for the underpinning of UK invented patents citing to it.

Financing, Organized↗
PubMed2004

Are patents for methods of medical treatment contrary to the ordre public and morality or "generally inconvenient"?

"No one has advanced a just and logical reason why reward for service to the public should be extended to the inventor of a mechanical toy and denied to the genius whose patience, foresight, and effort have given a valuable new [discovery] to mankind" (Katopis CJ. Patents v patents: policy implications of recent patent legislation. St John's Law Review 1997;71:329). The law around the world permits the granting of patents for drugs, medical devices, and cosmetic treatment of the human body. At the same time, patentability for a method of treatment of the same body is denied in some countries on various public policy grounds. Is there any logical justification for this distinction? Are methods of medical treatment not as vital to the health or even to the life of a patient as drugs or medical devices? Why is a cosmetic result patentable and a curative result not?

Australia↗