Upper Airway Stimulation device offers hope for sleep apnea sufferers

Loud snoring is not just a tiring irritation for partners but can also be a sign of sleep apnea.

The National Institutes of Health reports that more than 12 million Americans suffer from the most common of the three varieties – obstructive sleep apnea, where the upper airway is repeatedly blocked during sleep.

There are a number of treatment options already available and Minneapolis-based Inspire Medical Systems is about to add a shocking new addition to the treatment options on offer.

The new system – which is about to enter clinical trials – electrically stimulates the nerve at the base of the tongue to keep it from blocking the air's journey to and from the lungs, and so offers the patient a good night's sleep.

An apneic can experience a cessation of airflow for more than ten seconds, but is generally partly awoken to take a breath. Even so, this lack of sound sleep can lead to other problems.

Persistent oxygen starvation often results in daytime fatigue, lack of concentration and decreased alertness and can go on to increase the risk of heart attack and stroke. Depression, muscle pain, inefficient metabolism, diabetes, impotence and a host of other ailments are also associated with sleep apnea.

One of the main causes of the most common variety of the condition – obstructive sleep apnea – is caused by the tongue and throat muscles becoming too relaxed and blocking the airway. Most sufferers are treated using a system known as continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP), where air is blown through the nose throughout the night and which can be very effective if used all the time.

But such a system is not for everyone and studies have shown that the technique is often abandoned by a significant percentage of sufferers.

Using well-established technologies from the fields of cardiac pacing and neurostimulation, Inspire Medical Systems has developed a system specifically to help those who are plagued by that troublesome tongue. The Upper Airway Stimulation (UAS) therapy designed by Inspire Medical Systems stimulates the nerve that controls the base of the tongue with a small electrical pulse during sleep, to keep it toned and in place.

A pacemaker-like device is implanted under the skin, near the collarbone, and a wire is fed to the problematic twelfth cranial nerve. A sensor detects when the sufferer takes a breath and instructs the implant to stimulate the nerve.

The system is adjusted so that the tongue receives just enough current to keep it from blocking the airway but not enough to disturb sleep (or result in any rude mid-snooze gestures) and a remote allows the patient to activate and deactivate the system. A timer can also be set so that the zapping is delayed until after the user is asleep.

Inspire Medical Systems' hypoglossal nerve stimulation technology has just recently been given the all-clear for Stimulation Therapy for Apnea Reduction pivotal clinical trials by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and will soon be heading to key sites throughout the U.S. and Europe.

However, sufferers reading this might like to note that only those who tick all of the right boxes will be accepted into the trial, so cases where some other tissue causes the problem will not make it through. The results of the study will form the basis of a pre-market approval application to the FDA.

Source courtesy: Gizmag

Haptic exciters simulate mechanical key movement and act as audio drivers

HiWave Technologies PLC (formerly known as NXT), a provider of electronics solutions for audio and haptics, has announced combined haptic touch and audio exciters for touch panels and screens used in industrial, home automation, automotive and consumer electronic products.

Applications include pad computers, hand-held and integrated displays and controllers.

When used with HiWave driver modules, a pair of NXHX14C exciters disperses bending waves evenly over the surface of touch panels so that users experience the sensation of depressing mechanical keys when they touch the panel surface.

The simulated mechanical movement enhances the human interface, enabling faster and more accurate keystrokes.

The same transducers also convert the touch screen into a flat panel loudspeaker with nominally flat response from 200 Hz to 15 kHz.

This eliminates the need for separate loudspeakers and amplifiers, enabling more compact products with fewer components. It also reduces bill of materials and manufacturing costs.

The exciters are designed for use with touch screens up to 19” and are available in 1-W and 2-W (RMS) versions with nominal drive impedances of 4, 8, 16 or 32 ohms.

Each exciter consists of a 14-mm diameter voice coil mounted on plastic suspension. Overall height is just 11 mm.

Image courtesy: HiWave

More info at: HiWave website

It's a dog's life indeed

You walk through the tall weeds, stooping down. Your hind legs propel you smoothly, your fore-legs balance you correctly. Your fur rustles in anticipation as you examine your prey from a distance. It moves slowly and sluggishly but it can be fast as needed.

You edge toward it as your father taught you, making little noise.

It doesn’t notice you.

You circle to the left, gliding out of the tall weeds and into the tall grass. The green, unshorn grass crackles and bristles beneath you as you motion forward as your keen sense of hearing alerts you to the presence of something behind you.

You glance backward; your slanted eyes take in a human visage. You pay no attention to the witless thing and move on, blinking as you readjust to the light of the field in front of you.

You circle back into the weeds, traversing slowly back and forth toward the creature.

Now you’re within ten yards of it.

You can almost taste its warm blood in your mouth as you near it. A few more yards and you’ll be ready to pounce.

You move ever forward, keeping as prostrate as possible. As you move into the next yard a manicured lawn appears beneath your feet. You dodge it because it offers you no cover and dash behind the nearest tree.

You circle around the diminutive grass and traverse into the weeds.

Now you’re behind it.

Approaching cautiously, you wait. It turns, nearly seeing you rustling behind it.
You get a slight chill as you move into the thicker weeds, just in case you aroused his suspicion.

Hunting was strenuous when you were smaller, but now you’re skilled. Your eyes absorb the light outside the dim shadows, getting a better fix on your kill.

It looks straight into your eyes and you into its. Now is the time. Your powerful hind legs thrust you forward.

Being a feline has its advantages. Your front claws now extended, you grind them into the birds body on contact.

It certainly was the time.

The bird pecks at your face as you claw and bite your dinner. It pecks you with all of it’s might, but you swat it as though it was nothing. Finally the bird gives up the fight, allowing itself to be won as a meal.

You tear at it with your teeth. The warm blood trickles down your mouth and throat.

You savor the occasion.

You gnaw at it for a few minutes and then decide to show your trophy to your owners.

As you walk into your house, you notice one of the smaller humans making grotesque noises and flees at the sight of you. You continue to the eating hall and scratch at your masters leg, dropping the bird at her feet.

You’ll never understand why they shoo you out of the house with a broom whenever this happens.

LED array delivers record 1050 lumens at 11 watts

Cree’s new XLamp® CXA20 LED array is the first lighting-class array aimed at accelerating the LED lighting revolution and can enable a 60-watt A-lamp equivalent while consuming just 11 watts.

With a single, uniform optical source, compact 22-mm x 22-mm footprint, and simple two-screw attachment, the CXA20 array can simplify the manufacturing process for customers who require a single component in their light-engine design.

When used in a traditional downlight application, luminaires based on the CXA20 are delivering 38-percent more illumination than a 26-watt CFL or a 100-watt incandescent bulb, while consuming a mere 14 watts.

The CXA20 LED array delivers 1050 lumens at 11 watts, or 2000 lumens at 27 watts, with a 3000-K warm-white color temperature. Samples are available now with standard lead times with production volumes targeted for late Q1 calendar 2011.

For more info look at : http://www.creeledrevolution.com/

Someone asked me what kinda music I listen to when I'm stressed.

While the list is big, here's one that may help you, my blog readers, nix away some stress.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h3S4dBk4E1g&ob=av3e

Enjoy!

So I began to wonder yesterday about what could be the loudest possible noise on earth; so I googled my question and this is what I came up with.



Top Ten Loudest Noises (Increasing order)

10. Rock Concert/Speakers:

A 400,000 Watt rock concert or a similar set of speakers mounted in a vehicle can reach ear-splitting decibel levels. Is it any reason most promoters recommend you wear ear protection to stave off the 135-145 decibel sound waves?


9. Fireworks

Though not typically heard up close, fireworks are still explosions and are very loud. The sound heard from the sky is pretty loud, though not damaging, but at the bursting point the decibel levels reach a staggering 145-150. Even tests are performed under strict sound proofing to avoid any ear injury.



8. Gunfire

Gunfire for anyone unfortunate enough to be standing near it can be quite damaging to the ears registering at a quite loud 145-155 decibels. This is the very reason why you should always wear ear protection when on a firing range.





7. NHRA Dragsters

Sitting next to a dragster as it fires up its engines and screams down the raceway can be more than just loud; it can be damaging to your entire body. At the 155-160 Decibel range not only will it severely to permanently damage your hearing, but it also vibrates your vision and makes it temporarily difficult to swallow. That’s why no one stands next to them.







6. Space Shuttle Launch (And my favorite)

When the rockets fire, it is wise and, in fact, fully enforced, that you stand at least a half-mile away lest you get inundated by 165-170 decibels of painful sound. Unlike many other loud noises, the shuttle rocket sound is constant as it creates the thrust necessary to lift it from the ground.





5. The Blue Whale

Blue whales mostly emit very loud, highly structured, repetitive low-frequency rumbling sounds that can travel for many miles underwater. These songs may be used for communicating with other blue whales, especially in order to attract and find mates. The call of the blue whale reaches levels up to 188 decibels. This extraordinarily loud whistle can be heard for hundreds of miles underwater. The whale is the loudest, and, the largest animal on earth.

4. Volcano – Krakatoa

The 1883 the Krakatoa eruption ejected more than 25 cubic kilometres of rock, ash, and pumice and generated the loudest sound historically reported at 180 Decibels: the cataclysmic explosion was distinctly heard as far away as Perth in Australia approx. 1,930 miles (3,110 km), and the island of Rodrigues near Mauritius approx. 3,000 miles (5,000 km).

3. 1-Ton TNT Bomb

Standing as close as 250 feet away from the impact, the resulting explosion from a 1 ton bomb creates a decibel count of 210. Without sufficient hearing protection, not to mention a complete sound-resistant bunker surrounding you, you could quite literally die from the intense vibrations that would literally shake you apart. Unless, of course, you were under the bomb.

2. 5.0 Richter Earth Quake

A sufficient enough quake to rend the ground in twain and destroy buildings, whole rock, and human life reaches a decibel level of 235. If you are caught in the epicenter and are unlucky enough to not be above the ground in a plane or helicopter, the intense noise and vibrations could kill you long before death by any falling object.

1. Tunguska Meteor

The Tunguska event was a massive explosion that occurred near the Podkamennaya (Under Rock) Tunguska River in what is now Krasnoyarsk Krai of Russia, at 7:40 AM on June 30, 1908. The explosion was most likely caused by the air burst of a large meteoroid or comet fragment at an altitude of 5 to 10 kilometers (3–6 mi) above Earth’s surface. It was measured with the similar impact of a 1000-Mega-ton bomb with a decibel rating 300-315. This is often considered to be the loudest single-event in history.

Bonus: Lake Taupo Eruption

Lake Taupo is a large lake in the middle of the North Island of New Zealand. The lake is the caldera that resulted from a massive volcanic erruption in 180 AD. It is New Zealand’s largest eruption in 20,000 years. It ejected around 120 cubic kilometers of material, of which 30 cubic kilometers were ejected in the space of a few minutes. It is believed that the eruption column was 50 kilometres high, twice as high as the eruption column from Mount St. Helens in 1980. The resulting ash turned the sky red over Rome and China. This eruption was reportedly heard in China. Lake Taupo today, is one of New Zealand’s popular tourist attractions for its beauty and swimming. The fact that the lake is the largest fresh water lake in Australasia, and approximately the same size as Singapore, ensures it is a huge ‘must do’ component to many tourists.

>Look there, ohonekanobione, what is that?
>That looks like a small cone.
>But it's swaying in the wind!
>You're right, it is!
>There seems to be so many of them, where are we?
>This is all alien to me; I have no idea whatsoever.
>Let's move faster, press the booster switch and increase throttle.
> I am, I am, but the apparent laws of motion seem to be different here.
>Let me handle it, you look out and make sure we're not being tracked or followed.
>Okay, krastymoki, but it does seem harder to exit than enter.
>I know, just make sure we don't lose altitude, who ever is down there will not like us snooping on them.
>Look, I can see some lights down below, what are they?
>They seem to be moving like us, but only they are lower in altitude than us.
>Yes, weird things going on down there!
>Hey, what is that?
>What is what, Ohonekanobione?
>Seems to me like a giant object flying far away from us.
>Ho boy, is this a weird place or what!
>You bet! I have never seen anything like this before.
>Me neither, but we have been given orders and we have to execute them.
>I wonder why Mastekyuman assigned us this task?
>I wonder too, I feel safer at home than wandering so far.
>I'm just glad, Mastekyuman didn't tell us to explore this place by walking.
>Me too, I don't feel safe even up here.
>This place looks so primitive, nothing like our place huh?!
>Oh yeah, we are miles ahead, this is just one big disappointment.
>What say we leave some mark on that ground there and vamoose?
>Good idea, what kinda mark should we leave?
>Hmm, try concentric circles with smaller circles around it.
>Okay, done.
>Let's scoot!

<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

>What was that, Rick?
>Alert the control tower!
>I saw them beaming at some trees earlier and then shine rays on a field nearby.
>Alert the chief, I think we have a UFO situation here.
>Okay, keep your eyes on the radar and keep me posted.
>Sure thing.

<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>


>Hey, they are beaming on us.
>Forget these primates, let's get out of here.
>Sure, weird planet huh, Ohonekanobione?
>Yes, our planet is a lot safer, and I don't think these people like us very much.
>Yeah, weird, and all we came to do was extend a hand of friendship.
>Guess that's outta the window.
>Yeah, let's tell the chief that this Blue planet is the least intelligent planet and that we found nothing significant except beings with 2 legs, 2 hands, 1 head; unlike us with 1 leg, 3 hands and 2 heads.
>Haha, Blue planet people sure are weird.