The Netherlands-based research company Stichting imec Nederland filed for protection of a smart toilet seat for the non-invasive measurement of physiological parameters, and especially for detecting a bowel movement and/or urination, and for characterizing excrement or feces in terms of a firmness level.

Cross talk between macrophages and tumor cells could modulate cachexia in pancreatic cancer patients. A group of scientists from the University of Oklahoma has discovered a new pathway that promoted muscle wasting after the recruitment of this immune cell in the tumor microenvironment, activating cachexia-inducing factors.

Researchers from the U.K. reported seeking protection for a device and method that combines electromyography (EMG) and Raman spectroscopy to improve the diagnostic pathway for patients with neuromuscular disorders, and that may be used as a minimally invasive bedside test of muscle health.