Expandable elements having drug-delivery features and associated systems and methods are disclosed herein. In one embodiment, a drug-eluting stent includes a radially expandable cylindrical frame having a plurality of struts. The frame is transformable between a low-profile delivery state and an expanded deployed state. A plurality of drug-delivery features are carried by one of the struts and configured to deliver a drug to a treatment site within the patient or piercing through the tissue wall to break the constricting of the vessel wall inwardly. When the frame is in the expanded state within a body lumen of the patient, the drug-delivery features extend radially outwardly away from the strut and are configured to engage and, in some arrangements, pass through a wall of the body lumen.

Liquid embolic preparations and medical treatment methods of using those preparations are described. In some embodiments, the preparations or solutions can transition from a liquid to a solid for use in the embolization. The preparations can include biocompatible polymers with covalently bound radioactive iodine isotopes.

The present invention provides radioactive glass microspheres for embolization and a preparation method and an application thereof. A nuclide oxide and a foaming agent are added into a glass matrix, blended and uniformly mixed for making the foaming agent decomposed and vaporized at a high temperature to generate bubbles, so as to prepare the radioactive glass microspheres for embolization with cavities. The radioactive glass microspheres for embolization have a density of 1.4-2.3 g/cm.sup.3, a nuclide loading rate of 15-40 wt % and a higher and more stable radiation dose, can achieve better distribution and deposition effects in liver blood vessels after injection, and can achieve a better therapeutic effect for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).

Antimicrobial and antithrombogenic polymer or polymeric blend, compounds, coatings, and materials containing the same, as well as articles made with, or coated with the same, and methods of making the same exhibiting improved antimicrobial properties and reduced platelet adhesion. Embodiments include polymers with antimicrobial and antithrombogenic groups bound to a single polymer backbone, an antimicrobial polymer blended with an antithrombogenic polymer, and medical devices coated with the antimicrobial and antithrombogenic polymer or polymeric blend.

Expandable elements having drug-delivery features and associated systems and methods are disclosed herein. In one embodiment, a drug-eluting stent includes a radially expandable cylindrical frame having a plurality of struts. The frame is transformable between a low-profile delivery state and an expanded deployed state. A plurality of drug-delivery features are carried by one of the struts and configured to deliver a drug to a treatment site within the patient or piercing through the tissue wall to break the constricting of the vessel wall inwardly. When the frame is in the expanded state within a body lumen of the patient, the drug-delivery features extend radially outwardly away from the strut and are configured to engage and, in some arrangements, pass through a wall of the body lumen.

In some embodiments, the present invention provides compositions that comprise: (1) a biodegradable polymer matrix; and (2) at least one biodegradable reinforcing particle that is dispersed in the matrix. In some embodiments, the biodegradable reinforcing particle is selected from the group consisting of porous oxide particles and porous semiconductor particles. In additional embodiments, the compositions of the present invention further comprise a (3) porogen particle that is also dispersed in the matrix. In further embodiments, the compositions of the present invention are also associated with one or more active agents. In various embodiments, the active agents are associated with the biodegradable polymer matrix, the biodegradable reinforcing particle, and/or the porogen particle. In various embodiments, the compositions of the present invention may be utilized as scaffolds, such as scaffolds for treating bone defects. Further embodiments of the present invention pertain to methods of making the compositions of the present invention.

In some embodiments, the present invention provides compositions that comprise: (1) a biodegradable polymer matrix; and (2) at least one biodegradable reinforcing particle that is dispersed in the matrix. In some embodiments, the biodegradable reinforcing particle is selected from the group consisting of porous oxide particles and porous semiconductor particles. In additional embodiments, the compositions of the present invention further comprise a (3) porogen particle that is also dispersed in the matrix. In further embodiments, the compositions of the present invention are also associated with one or more active agents. In various embodiments, the active agents are associated with the biodegradable polymer matrix, the biodegradable reinforcing particle, and/or the porogen particle. In various embodiments, the compositions of the present invention may be utilized as scaffolds, such as scaffolds for treating bone defects. Further embodiments of the present invention pertain to methods of making the compositions of the present invention.

Methods have been discovered that make it possible to continuously extrude tubes of P4HB and copolymers thereof. These methods allow tubes of P4HB and copolymers thereof to be produced without radial deformation of the tubes despite the slow crystallization of the polymer and copolymers. The methods can produce tubes of P4HB and copolymers thereof with tightly defined outside and inside diameters which are required for medical application. These tubes are produced by radial expansion at temperatures above the melting temperature of P4HB and copolymers thereof, and using low tube cooling temperatures and prolonged cooling times. The tubes made from P4HB and copolymers thereof are flexible, and can be prepared with high elongation to break values.

Disclosed are compositions including a film enriched with a radioisotope relative to its natural abundance, wherein the film has a thickness of one to ten atomic or molecular layers, decay of the radioisotope comprises emission of electrons, and a majority of the emitted electrons have an energy less than or equal to 700 electron volts (ev). Also disclosed are methods for making the compositions. The compositions can be used in microarrays, nanoarrays, microparticles, nanoparticles, power sources, sensing devices, and medical devices; they may also be used in a method of delivering low-energy electrons to a liquid, solid, molecular layer, or cell.

The present invention relates to a method of obtaining antifungal, anticandidal and antibacterial textile products. The objective of the present invention is to obtain an antimicrobial product, which enables to reduce the infectious diseases that are transmitted or spread by textile products, reduces extra cost and energy spent for ensuring hygiene, and increases hygienity of disposable textile products. A solution of triclosan, chlorhexidine and disodium octaborate pentahydrate is used in the method of the present invention. The said solution enables the hydrophobic textile products to be transformed into hydrophilic products and thereby enables the antimicrobial agents in the solution to be coded into the textile products.