Superhydrophobic materials are disclosed and described, along with devices, surfaces, and associated methods. Such materials can be coated onto device surfaces, system surfaces, structures, and the like.

An antibacterial device is disclosed that includes a substrate and an antibacterial coating or antibacterial surface being provided on at least a part of the substrate's surface. The antibacterial coating or surface includes Angstrom scale flakes, where the Angstrom scale flakes are arranged in a standing position on the substrate surface and are attached to the substrate surface via edge sides thereof. The Angstrom scale flakes can, for example, be graphene flakes, or graphite flakes having a thickness of a few atom layers. It has been found that such standing flakes are efficient in killing prokaryotic cells but do not harm eukaryotic cells.

Devices prepared from polyetherimide resins are disclosed. In one aspect, the article can be a medical device configured for use in a body.

A tether cutting system for transcatheter annuloplasty may be provided with a flexible catheter, a handle section coupled to the proximal end of the catheter having a movable actuator, and a cutter assembly coupled to the distal end of the catheter. The cutter assembly may be provided with a blade coupled to a blade holder, a slot configured to slidably receive a tether to be cut, and a backstop configured to contact the blade. The system may further include a pull wire extending through the catheter, spanning between the movable actuator and the blade holder. In one embodiment, the movable actuator, the pull wire and the blade holder are configured to cooperate together to move the blade from a distal position, across the cutter assembly slot and towards a proximal position to cut a tether extending through the slot. Methods of use are also provided.

One aspect of the present disclosure can include an intrafascicular neural electrode. The intrafascicular neural electrode can include a microwire body having a proximal end, a distal anchoring end, and a middle portion extending between the proximal end and the distal anchoring end. The distal anchoring end can substantially match the mechanical and biological properties of the target nerve. The microwire body can have a middle anchoring portion extending between the proximal end and the distal end, wherein at least a portion of the distal end and/or the middle anchoring portion substantially match(es) the mechanical and biological properties of the target nerve. The electrode can be made of graphene. The microwire body, except for the distal anchoring end, can be coated with an insulation material, preferably with a biocompatible agent adsorbed onto the insulation material.

Provided is a dry electrode for detecting a bio-signal, comprising a body part; a protrusion part formed on one surface of the body part; and a coating part formed on an end surface of the protrusion part, wherein the body part and the protrusion part comprise a conductive silicone, and the coating part comprises Ag, AgCl, and, optionally, 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane.

There are disclosed implantable medical devices and apparatus for treating implantable medical devices during production, so as to cause the implantable medical devices to have abluminal surfaces and luminal surfaces with different functional characteristics and in particular surface energies. The luminal surfaces of the medical device are preferably coated with carbon, so as to have a low surface energy, which reduces the risk of thrombi forming when implanted into a patient's vessels. The abluminal surfaces are treated so as to have a high surface energy, such that a therapeutic, preferably bioactive, material, such as a drug, can adhere to the abluminal surfaces and preferably without any need for a containment layer such as polymer or other matrix material. Once the therapeutic material has been delivered into the tissue wall, the stent can remain within the patient's vessel without leaving any delivery artefacts, as occurs with some prior art drug eluting medical devices.

An implantable medical device includes an elongated tubular body having opposed proximal and distal end portions and defining a longitudinal axis. The elongated tubular body includes an interior lumen extending therethrough. A plurality of axially spaced apart electrode rings are operatively associated with the distal end portion of the tubular body. The electrode rings are formed from at least one of bismuth or pyrolytic graphite. A plurality of electrical conductors extend through the interior lumen of the tubular body. Each of the electrical conductors is operatively associated with a respective one of the plurality of electrode rings. The electrical conductors are formed from at least one of bismuth or carbon fiber.

Devices prepared from polyetherimide resins are disclosed. In one aspect, the article can be a medical device configured for use in a body.

Implantable materials having defined patterns of affinity regions for binding endothelial cells and providing for directed endothelial cell migration across the surface of the material. The affinity regions include photochemically altered regions of a material surface and physical members patterned on the material surface that exhibit a greater affinity for endothelial cell binding and migration than the remaining regions of the material surface.