The subject invention provides materials methods for reducing infections in subjects. The materials methods utilize chlorhexidine, which has been found to be surprisingly non-toxic. The lack of toxicity facilitates the use of chlorhexidine in contexts that were not previously thought to be possible.

A medical device includes a surgical needle, an elongated suture, and an intervening segment. The elongated suture has a first end proximate to the needle and a second end located away from the needle. The elongated suture also includes a plurality of fibers defining a mesh wall between the first and second ends. A plurality of pores extend through the mesh wall, at least some which are in the macroporous size range of greater than 200 microns for facilitating tissue integration when introduced into a body. The intervening segment is disposed between and connected to either or both ends of the elongated suture and the needle. The intervening segment includes one or more fibers of the plurality of fibers and has a cross-sectional dimension smaller than a cross-sectional dimension of the mesh wall such that the intervening segment facilitates indirect attachment of the elongated macroporous mesh suture to the needle.

A medical device includes a surgical needle, an elongated suture, and an intervening segment. The elongated suture has a first end proximate to the needle and a second end located away from the needle. The elongated suture also includes a plurality of fibers defining a mesh wall between the first and second ends. A plurality of pores extend through the mesh wall, at least some which are in the macroporous size range of greater than 200 microns for facilitating tissue integration when introduced into a body. The intervening segment is disposed between and connected to either or both ends of the elongated suture and the needle. The intervening segment includes one or more fibers of the plurality of fibers and has a cross-sectional dimension smaller than a cross-sectional dimension of the mesh wall such that the intervening segment facilitates indirect attachment of the elongated macroporous mesh suture to the needle.

An implantable mesh device includes a surface layer on at least a portion thereof. The surface layer includes a plurality of extending members that mechanically interact with microbiota to disable the microbiota.

The subject invention provides materials methods for reducing infections in subjects. The materials methods utilize chlorhexidine, which has been found to be surprisingly non-toxic. The lack of toxicity facilitates the use of chlorhexidine in contexts that were not previously thought to be possible.

The present invention provides peptidic TGF-β antagonists capable of inhibiting TGF-β signaling and disrupting the biochemical events that promote fibrosis and the epithelial-mesenchymal transition. The peptidic TGF-β antagonist may contain from 11 to 28 amino acid residues (for instance, may consist of from 12 to 16 amino acid residues) and may have the following structure (II):

NH.sub.2′ETWIWLDTNMG-Xaa.sub.1-Y′COON  (II)

wherein Xaa.sub.1 is any amino acid and Y is a peptide having from 0 to 9 amino acids.

The peptidic TGF-β antagonists can advantageously be used for the prevention, treatment, and/or alleviation of the symptoms of a condition associated with an increase in TGF-β activity, including fibrosis (such as fibrosis of the skin, liver, lungs, and heart, among others) and cancer (including various carcinomas, such as squamous cell carcinoma, sarcomas, and metastatic cancers).

A medical polymer device comprising a biodegradable polymer is provided, wherein the biodegradable polymer has a crystallinity of about 10% to about 80%, and preferably from about 20% to about 60%, wherein the medical polymer device comprises a small molecule organic compound which diffuses into the biodegradable polymer, the small molecule organic compound has a molecular weight of from about 100 to about 1000 Daltons, preferably from about 150 to about 500 Daltons, and more preferably from about 150 to about 250 Daltons, and the small molecule organic compound is non-evaporating or low-evaporating. The present invention also provides a method for preparing a medical polymer device according to the present invention as well as a method for modifying a medical polymer device made from a biodegradable polymer.

The disclosure provides a hemostatic fabric containing trypsin, wherein the hemostatic fabric comprises molecular sieve/fiber composite and trypsin; molecular sieve/fiber composite comprises molecular sieves and a fiber; the molecular sieves are independently dispersed on a fiber surface of the fiber without agglomeration and directly contact the fiber surface; a surface of the molecular sieve contacted with the fiber is an inner surface, and a surface of the molecular sieve uncontacted with the fiber is an outer surface; growth-matched coupling is formed between the molecular sieves and the fiber on the inner surface of the molecular sieves; the inner surface and outer surface are composed of molecular sieve nanoparticles. In the present disclosure, trypsin is specifically combined with the molecular sieve/fiber composite, which maintains a high procoagulant activity, thereby obtaining a hemostatic fabric with excellent coagulation effect.

An orthopedic anchor assembly may include an elongate, relatively soft orthopedic anchor; and a suture strand extending from a first end of the orthopedic anchor through a sidewall of the orthopedic anchor and internally through the orthopedic anchor to a second end of the orthopedic anchor. The suture strand may further extend through the sidewall of the orthopedic anchor at the second end of the orthopedic anchor and extend back to the first end of the orthopedic anchor externally to the orthopedic anchor.

Absorbable composite medical devices such as surgical meshes and braided sutures, which display two or more absorption/biodegradation and breaking strength retention profiles and exhibit unique properties in different clinical settings, are made using combinations of at least two types of yarns having distinctly different physicochemical and biological properties and incorporate in the subject construct special designs to provide a range of unique properties as clinically useful implants.