A medical implant system is described for inhibiting infection associated with a joint prosthesis implant. An inventive system includes an implant body made of a biocompatible material which has a metal component disposed on an external surface of the implant body. A current is allowed to flow to the metal component, stimulating release of metal ions toxic to microbes, such as bacteria, protozoa, fungi, and viruses. One detailed system is completely surgically implantable in the patient such that no part of the system is external to the patient while the system is in use. In addition, externally controlled devices are provided which allow for modulation of implanted components.

An absorbable iron-based instrument is provided having an iron-based substrate, a zinc-containing protector in contact with the iron-based substrate, and a degradable polyester in contact with the iron-based substrate and/or the zinc-containing protector. The range of the ratio of the mass of the zinc-containing protector to the mass of the iron-based substrate is 1:200 to 1:2. In the degradable polyester, the mass fraction of a low-molecular-weight part with a molecular weight of less than 10,000 is less than or equal to 5%; alternatively, in the degradable polyester, the mass fraction of a residual monomer is less than or equal to 2%.

The invention provides articles of manufacture comprising biocompatible nanostructures comprising nanotubes and nanopores for, e.g., organ, tissue and/or cell growth, e.g., for bone, kidney or liver growth, and uses thereof, e.g., for in vitro testing, in vivo implants, including their use in making and using artificial organs, and related therapeutics. The invention provides lock-in nanostructures comprising a plurality of nanopores or nanotubes, wherein the nanopore or nanotube entrance has a smaller diameter or size than the rest (the interior) of the nanopore or nanotube. The invention also provides dual structured biomaterial comprising micro- or macro-pores and nanopores. The invention provides biomaterials having a surface comprising a plurality of enlarged diameter nanopores and/or nanotubes.

Thin-film mesh for medical devices, including stent and scaffold devices, and related methods are provided. Micropatterned thin-film mesh, such as thin-film Nitinol (TFN) mesh, may be fabricated via sputter deposition on a micropatterned wafer. The thin-film mesh may include slits to be expanded into pores, and the expanded thin-film mesh used as a cover for a stent device. The stent device may include two stent modules that may be implanted at a bifurcated aneurysm such that one module passes through a medial surface of the other module. The thin-film mesh may include pores with complex, fractal, or fractal-like shapes. The thin-film mesh may be used as a scaffold for a scaffold device. The thin-film scaffold may be placed in a solution including structural protein such as fibrin, seeded with cells, and placed in the body to replace or repair tissue.

Stabilized multi-component antimicrobial compositions for treating tissue diseases, infections or conditions include a first and second set of differently sized and/or differently shaped metal nanoparticles, and a stabilizing agent. Compositions and treatment methods may be used for treating tissue diseases, infections or conditions caused by microbial infections, such as bacteria, viral, and/or fungal infections, or for preventing the infection of a wound, such as a cut, abrasion, ulcer, lesion, sore, and the like. The compositions and treatment methods disclosed herein may also be used as a prophylactic, and in some embodiments may be applied to otherwise healthy tissue in order to prevent or reduce the occurrence of a tissue disease, infection or condition.

An implant comprises a substrate and a coating on a surface of the substrate, and the coating comprises silicon nitride and has a thickness of from about 1 to about 15 micrometer. A method of providing the implant comprises coating a surface of the implant substrate with the coating comprising silicon nitride and having a thickness of from about 1 to about 15 micrometer by physical vapour deposition.

The invention relates to biomaterials based on plastics, such as polyaryl polyether ketone (PEK), and to methods for producing and using same. The following describes how a mechanically stable coating made of a porous bone substitute material, e.g. Nano Bone®, is applied to polyaryl polyether ketone (PEK), e.g. polyether ether ketone (PEEK), as a result of which the problem of poor cell adhesion on plastics surfaces of this kind can be solved. The bone substitute material can be applied both dry as a powder and also in a wet spraying method. The coating is a result of briefly melting the polymer surface and the resulting partial penetration of the previously applied layer. In the process, the molten polymer penetrates into nanopores of the bone substitute material and thus establishes a firm connection.

Antimicrobial metal ion coatings. In particular, described herein are coatings including an anodic metal (e.g., silver and/or zinc and/or copper) that is co-deposited with a cathodic metal (e.g., palladium, platinum, gold, molybdenum, titanium, iridium, osmium, niobium or rhenium) on a substrate (including, but not limited to absorbable/resorbable substrates) so that the anodic metal is galvanically released as antimicrobial ions when the apparatus is exposed to a bodily fluid. The anodic metal may be at least about 25 percent by volume of the coating, resulting in a network of anodic metal with less than 20% of the anodic metal in the coating fully encapsulated by cathodic metal.

A biocompatible composite material for controlled release is disclosed, comprising a biocompatible metal oxide structure with a loaded network of pores. The pore network of the biocompatible composite material is filled with a uniformly distributed biologically active micellizing amphiphilic molecule, the size of these pores ranging from about 0.5 to about 100 nanometers. The material is characterized in that when exposed to phosphate-buffered saline (PBS), the controlled release of the active amphiphilic molecule is predominantly diffusion-driven over time.

This application relates to a metal coating method for plastic outer part requiring robustness. In the metal coating method, first, provide a plastic outer part as a motion assistance tool. Thereafter, a cold plasma treatment is performed to introduce a polar functional group to a surface of the plastic outer part by treating the plastic outer part with cold plasma. Next, a metal coating layer is formed on the surface of the plastic outer part treated with the cold plasma by an electroless plating method. Thereafter, an adhesive strength improvement process of improving an adhesive strength between the metal coating layer and the plastic outer part to 1,000 g/cm.sup.2 or more by heat treatment of the plastic outer part with the metal coating layer thereon is performed.