AUTOMATED SCRATCH DETECTION SYSTEM AND SIGNAL PROCESSING ALGORITHM FOR THE STUDY OF PRURITUS IN ANIMALS
First Claim
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1. A method for automated assessment of pruritus, comprising:
- (a) detecting movement of a band located on a limb of a subject animal so as to obtain a signal associated with the detection movement;
(b) processing the signal associated with the detected movement through an algorithm configured to establish a scratch movement trigger; and
(c) translating the processed signal into scratch counts.
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Abstract
The invention provides a method for automated assessment of pruritus comprising detecting movement of a band located on a limb of a subject animal so as to obtain a signal associated with the detection movement, processing the signal associated with the detected movement through an algorithm configured to establish a scratch movement trigger, and translating the processed signal into scratch counts.
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Citations
41 Claims
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1. A method for automated assessment of pruritus, comprising:
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(a) detecting movement of a band located on a limb of a subject animal so as to obtain a signal associated with the detection movement; (b) processing the signal associated with the detected movement through an algorithm configured to establish a scratch movement trigger; and (c) translating the processed signal into scratch counts. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 16, 17, 24, 27, 31, 32, 35)
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12. (canceled)
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13. A method for determining whether an agent induces pruritus in a subject comprising:
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(a) applying the agent to the subject at a predetermined area; (b) detecting movement of a band located on a limb of a subject animal so as to obtain a signal associated with the detection movement, wherein the movement is a scratch movement to the predetermined area on the subject; (c) processing the signal associated with the detected movement through an algorithm configured to establish a scratch movement trigger; (d) translating the processed signal into scratch counts; and (e) comparing the generated scratch counts to those generated from a nonpruritic agent, an increase indicating that the agent induces pruritus.
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14-15. -15. (canceled)
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18-23. -23. (canceled)
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25-26. -26. (canceled)
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28-30. -30. (canceled)
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33-34. -34. (canceled)
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36-40. -40. (canceled)
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41. A method for determining whether an agent induces pruritus in a subject comprising:
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(a) attaching a band to a limb of said subject; (b) attaching a signal detection and processing device to the subject, the device being operatively connected to a memory device capable of storing retrieved signals, the device being able to detect motion of the band on the subject; (c) detecting movement of the band on the subject that has been administered with the agent so as to obtain a signal associated with the detection movement, wherein the movement is a scratch movement to a predetermined area to which the agent has been administered on the subject; and (d) comparing the generated scratch counts to those generated from a nonpruritic agent, an increase indicating that the agent induces pruritus; wherein the signal processing device comprises a processor configured to perform the steps of processing the signal associated with the detected movement through an algorithm configured to establish a scratch movement trigger; and
translating the processed signal into scratch counts.
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Specification