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At least 73 records · Page 4Linked to original sources
PubMed2005

The emergence of radically new health care technologies: inventive users as innovation networkers.

Besides a large body of research on user innovation, little is known which role users play in the emergence of radically new health care technologies. Such technologies are 'new-to-the-world', highly complex, shift market structures, and require user learning as they often induce significant behaviour changes on side of the users. In a multi-case-study-analysis we identified an 'entrepreneurial' role of inventive users. Those surgeons that were the original inventors of radically new health care technologies established and organized the required innovation networks. They identified relevant partners, formed a network of experts with complementary knowledge bases, and coordinated this network. These innovation networks were required to transform their radically new ideas into first physical prototypes. To better understand the observed phenomenon we analysed factors that might explain this exclusive role. We find that a high problem pressure, an active role of users in the idea generation phase, a high degree of innovativeness of the prospective product, and missing competencies as well as missing resources explain the networking activities of inventive users. The findings shed light on the role of users in the emergence of radically new health care technologies.

Biomedical Technology↗
PubMed2006

Comment on the provisions of the French laws of 6 August 2004 and 8 December 2004 relative to the protection of genetic inventions.

The question of gene patentability has raised some opposition in France. Too broad a definition of the rights conferred by patent would hamper the development of research. The French legislature strictly defined genetic inventions in the Laws of 6 August 2004 and 8 December 2004. Exclusivity of use applies only to the function or functions precisely described in the patent application. Potential abusive use of rights by the holder of the patent has also been addressed through reinforcement of the provisions of the Code of Intellectual Property to combat such abuse. The Laws we discuss smooth the way to the granting of dependency licenses and broaden the field of application of ex officio licenses. The French legislature has achieved satisfactory balance between the legal protection of genetic inventions necessary to finance research, and the free circulation of scientific knowledge indispensable for medical progress.

France↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Enzymes as a subject of invention].

A patent-legal situation is analyzed which has arisen in the world in connection with the problem on protection of native enzymes as objects of invention. The objects under study are shown to correspond to the demands of novelty, essential distinctions and positive practical effect which are made by the legislation of the USSR to inventions. Possibility of legal protection of enzymes as substances with unstated structure obtained microbiologically is determined in terms of acting standard statements. A set of characters necessary and sufficient for recognition of enzymes and substantiation of their novelty is suggested for characteristics of enzymes in original papers and patent documents. General approaches to optimization of native enzyme examination for the novelty and essential characteristics are developed.

Enzymes↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Problems of protecting complex inventions in the field of microbiology].

Some problems are discussed which are connected with the protection of inventions in the field of microbiology when the invention is complex. The rights of the author are determined when a method and a product are to be protected at the same time. The additional juridical protection of a microbial strain is not necessary. The complex protection of a microbial strain and the method of its utilization is recommended in certain cases since it might prevent conflicts which arise upon the parallel juridical protection of a strain and the method of its utilization.

Legislation as Topic↗
PubMed1980

[Conditions for legal protection of inventions in the area of vaccines and sera].

The problems connected with the conditions of the legal protection of inventions in the field of the development and production of vaccines and sera are considered. The discussions held in connection with these problems indicate that the most rational and widely spread form of the protection of proposals in the field of the development and production of vaccines and sera is the achievement of a positive effect; in most cases such effect may be proved, irrespective of the object of invention, by testing the properties of the target product.

Immune Sera↗
PubMed1997

Revolutionary inventions in the 20th century. The history of endoscopy.

Today, the wide variety of modern endoscopes allows routine diagnostic examinations. Precise observation is possible because of excellent optical and light transmission. Surgery can be performed while viewing a television screen, and video documentation and intraoperative photography are possible with outstanding quality. The invention of a rod-lens optical system by Harold H. Hopkins, PhD, in 1959 and the addition of fiberoptic light transmission by Karl Storz in 1960 marked a breakthrough in modern endoscopy. This article summarizes an interview with the instrument maker, Karl Storz.

Endoscopes↗
PubMed2002

The CP molecule labyrinth: a paradigm of how endeavors in total synthesis lead to discoveries and inventions in organic synthesis.

Imagine an artist carving a sculpture from a marble slab and finding gold nuggets in the process. This thought is not a far-fetched description of the work of a synthetic chemist pursuing the total synthesis of a natural product. At the end of the day, he or she will be judged by the artistry of the final work and the weight of the gold discovered in the process. However, as colorful as this description of total synthesis may be, it does not entirely capture the essence of the endeavor, for there is much more to be told, especially with regard to the contrast of frustrating failures and exhilarating moments of discovery. To fully appreciate the often Herculean nature of the task and the rewards that accompany it, one must sense the details of the enterprise behind the scenes. A more vivid description of total synthesis as a struggle against a tough opponent is perhaps appropriate to dramatize these elements of the experience. In this article we describe one such endeavor of total synthesis which, in addition to reaching the target molecule, resulted in a wealth of new synthetic strategies and technologies for chemical synthesis. The total synthesis of the CP molecules is compared to Theseus' most celebrated athlos (Greek for exploit, accomplishment): the conquest of the dreaded Minotaur, which he accomplished through brilliance, skill, and bravery having traversed the famous labyrinth with the help of Ariadne. This story from Greek mythology comes alive in modern synthetic expeditions toward natural products as exemplified by the total synthesis of the CP molecules which serve as a paradigm for modern total synthesis endeavors, where the objectives are discovery and invention in the broader sense of organic synthesis.

Biological Factors↗
PubMed1994

On the invention of the ophthalmoscope.

The author offers an English translation of three passages of Purkinje's Commentatio de examine physiologico organi visus (1823). He shows that Purkinje made three inventions: (1) by using a transparent mirror, (2) by anticipating Maxwellian illumination, and (3) by providing the first recorded ophthalmic examination of animal and human eyes.

Animals↗
PubMed2005

Are animals just noisy machines?: Louis Boutan and the co-invention of animal and child psychology in the French Third Republic.

Historians of science have only just begun to sample the wealth of different approaches to the study of animal behavior undertaken in the twentieth century. To date, more attention has been given to Lorenzian ethology and American behaviorism than to other work and traditions, but different approaches are equally worthy of the historian's attention, reflecting not only the broader range of questions that could be asked about animal behavior and the "animal mind" but also the different contexts in which these questions were important. One such approach is that represented by the work of the French zoologist Louis Boutan (1859-1934). This paper explores the intellectual and cultural history of Boutan's work on animal language and the animal mind, and contextualizes the place of animal behavior studies within late-nineteenth- and early-twentieth-century French biology. I explore the ways in which Boutan addressed the philosophical issue of whether language was necessary for abstract thought and show how he shifted from the idea that animals were endowed with a purely affective language to the notion that of they were capable of "rudimentary" reasoning. I argue that the scientific and broader socio-cultural contexts in which Boutan operated played a role in this transition. Then I show how Boutan's linguistic and psychological experiments with a gibbon and children provide insights into his conception of "naturalness." Although Boutan reared his gibbon at home and studied it in the controlled environment of his laboratory, he continued to identify its behavior as "natural." I specifically demonstrate the importance of the milieu of the French Third Republic in shaping Boutan's understanding not only of animal intelligence and child education, but also his definition of nature. Finally, I argue that Boutan's studies on the primate mind provide us with a lens through which we can examine the co-invention of animal and child psychology in early-twentieth-century France.

Animal Communication↗
PubMed1977

Willem Einthoven's fortuitous invention.

It is usually assumed that Willem Einthoven started out as a young investigator to invent the electrocardiograph and that he succeeded. On the contrary, his career had several false starts. True, fortune smiled on him. But his diligence and clinical interest plus the scientific freedom of his age led to his remarkable discovery.

Cardiology↗
PubMed2003

Evaluation of the compression characteristics and physical properties of the newly invented one-step dry-coated tablets.

This study was conducted in order to clarify the compression characteristics, and to confirm the superiority of the physical properties, of the newly invented One-Step DRy-Coated tablets (OSDRC). We compared both the compression characteristics and the physical properties of OSDRC with those of physical-mixture tablets (PM) that were prepared with the same ingredients, quantity, and compression pressures. We selected potassium chloride (KCl) and acetaminophen (AAP) as the model drugs, since the former is known for its appropriate compression characteristics and the latter for its brittleness. The advantage of OSDRC is that they are capable of maintaining any kind of drug in their core, because the core is tightly surrounded by the outer layer, even when the drugs in the core have poor compression characteristics, which causes difficulties in forming a solid core tablet using conventional dry-coated tablet methods. The radial tensile strength of OSDRC was the same as, or superior to, that of PM containing of AAP. The results were in accordance with the compression process analysis performed according to Kawakita's equation. The friability of OSDRC was also superior to that of PM. These preferable characteristics were attributable to the high intensity of the OSDRC outer layer surface in comparison to that of PM. It was difficult to clarify the difference between OSDRC and PM in their physical properties when KCl was applied, since the tabletability of the whole tablet was high due to KCl's physical properties. The OSDRC containing AAP in their cores showed a controlled release pattern, though no other materials that have been known to influence drug release was present. It was considered that this controlled release pattern was caused by a reduced AAP particle surface area due to compression. It was confirmed with these experiments that the compression characteristics and the physical properties of AAP-OSDRC were superior to those of PM. These results indicated that it is possible to produce tablets that have materials with poor compression characteristics in the core portion, and high tabletability materials for the outer layers. In other words, it is possible to produce capsule-like tablets using the OSDRC compression method.

Acetaminophen↗
PubMed2005

If 'atypical' neuroleptics did not exist, it wouldn't be necessary to invent them: perverse incentives in drug development, research, marketing and clinical practice.

Perverse incentives in drug development, research, marketing and clinical usage can be illustrated by considering the example of the so-called 'atypical' neuroleptics which have grown to become a standard - indeed expanding - part of psychiatric practice despite their probable inferiority to older sedative agents. There is now ample evidence to suggest that neuroleptics (aka. anti-psychotics and major tranquillizers) are dangerous drugs, and patients' exposure to them should be minimized wherever possible. This clinical imperative applies whether neuroleptics are of the traditional type or atypical variety, albeit for different reasons since the traditional agents are neurotoxic, while atypicals are mainly metabolic poisons. Usage of traditional neuroleptics seems indeed to be declining progressively, but the opposite seems to be happening for 'atypicals', and new indications for these drugs are being promoted. Yet the atypical neuroleptics are a category of pharmaceuticals which are close to being un-necessary since there are safer, cheaper and pleasanter substitutes, such as benzodiazepines and the sedative antihistamines (e.g. promethazine). If 'atypical' neuroleptics did not exist, it would not be necessary to invent them. Analysis of how such expensive, dangerous and inferior drugs as the 'atypicals' have nevertheless come to dominate clinical practice casts light on the perverse incentives which now motivate the pharmaceutical industry in an era of massive state regulation. The lack of positive incentives to deploy off-patent drugs is longstanding, but there is a new disincentive in the widespread but erroneous belief that only randomized controlled trials (RCTs) can provide valid 'evidence' of effectiveness. Consequently, those who control RCTs now control clinical practice. It sometimes makes commercial sense to develop and market new drugs that are inferior to existing agents, since new drugs are patent-protected and can be promoted on the back of a mass of new RCTs funded and 'owned' by the pharmaceutical corporations. The current regulatory and patenting situation, therefore, requires major reform if drug efficacy and patient safety are to become higher priorities. Given that psychiatric practice is apparently 'locked-in' to prescribing atypicals, and if (as seems likely) most informed individuals would wish to avoid neuroleptics for themselves and their loved-ones except as a last resort; then in the short-term it may be wise for patients and their families to explore the possibilities of increased self-management of psychiatric problems using over-the-counter drugs, such as the sedative antihistamines. In the long-term, there need to be legal reforms to change the regulatory and commercial framework of incentives relating to drug development. These might include new forms of short-term re-patenting of old drugs.

Antipsychotic Agents↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Harold Ridley and the invention of the intraocular lens.

On November 29, 1949, Harold Ridley implanted the first intraocular lens (IOL). This marked the beginning of a major change in the practice of ophthalmology and, for Ridley, the beginning of an era of inspiration, reward and challenge, unfortunately marred by the disdain and discourteous actions of many colleagues within the academic establishment in Europe and the United States. By the late 1970s IOLs and implantation procedures had undergone many improvements, and Ridley's invention had become an accepted option for the optical correction of aphakia. Since that time Ridley has been accorded the recognition due him for his unique contribution to ophthalmology through the conferring of numerous awards and honors. This colorful biographical account is based on published history, statements from Ridley's colleagues, and recent interviews with Ridley himself.

England↗
PubMed1998

The invention of the modern uroflowmeter by Willard M. Drake, Jr at Jefferson Medical College.

The uroflowmeter is perhaps the most important and certainly the most commonly used urodynamic instrument currently employed in urologic practice. The modern uroflowmeter was invented by Willard M. Drake, Jr., in 1946 at the Jefferson Medical College. The original manuscript, entitled "The uroflometer: an aid to the study of the lower urinary tract," appeared in Journal of Urology in 1948. Drake obtained a US patent for the device, entitled "Uroflometer," in 1953. The flowmeter, originally manufactured by van Beek Industries, was more recently manufactured and distributed by Grewe Plastics. Drake is now retired and living in Nacogdoches, Texas.

Equipment Design↗
PubMed1998

The outpatient Closed Burch-M.M. procedure for treatment of genuine stress urinary incontinence with no laparotomy or laparoscopy by newly invented bladder saver device.

Objective: To identify a more effective, less invasive surgical technique and tool for treatment of genuine stress urinary incontinence. The new outpatient procedure is one of the most effective ways to treat the patient without sacrificing safety and outcome.Method: The Closed Burch Procedure is a retropubic, trocar and ligature carrier suspension by newly invented bladder saver device that is a major solution to the problem of female genuine stress incontinence. As originally described by Dr. John C. Burch in 1961, the operation entails use of the vaginal wall as an endogenous suburethral sling. The vagina is elevated bilaterally at the urethrovesical junction, thus repositioning the proximal urethra within the abdominal cavity toward Cooper ligament by permanent sutures.Result: After confirmation of diagnosis, 11 patients underwent the new outpatient procedure. The new approach showed no failure of technique or any major complications. It also showed no postoperative urinary retention, no recurrence of stress urinary incontinence up to this time, no wound infection, no hematoma, no rejection of sutures, no nerve damage, no osteitis, and no vaginal enervation.Conclusion: The new outpatient Closed Burch technique is an effective treatment for genuine stress incontinence. The procedure is outpatient with logical anatomical restoration. It is fast and can be done under local anesthesia for some patients.Complications are minimum to none. There is no urinary retention, no self-catheterization, and no major or expensive system needed. The procedure has shown very impressive results.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2002

The immune system: a weapon of mass destruction invented by evolution to even the odds during the war of the DNAs.

Living systems operate under interactive selective pressures. Populations have the ability to anticipate the future by generating a repertoire of elements that cope with new selective pressures. If the repertoire of such elements were transcendental, natural selection could not operate because any one of them would be too rare. This is the problem that vertebrates faced in order to deal with a vast number of pathogens. The solution was to invent an immune system that underwent somatic evolution. This required a random repertoire that was generated somatically and divided the antigenic universe into combinatorials of determinants. As a result, it became virtually impossible for pathogens to escape recognition but the functioning of such a repertoire required two new regulatory mechanisms: 1) a somatic discriminator between Not-To-Be-Ridded ('Self') and To-Be-Ridded ('Non-self') antigens, and 2) a way to optimize the magnitude and choice of the class of the effector response. The principles governing this dual regulation are analyzed in the light of natural selection.

Animals↗