The sterilizing and deodorizing agents target bacteria, odors, toxic substances, etc. and are made from silver as metal particles and titanium dioxide as ceramic particles by (1) thermal bonding or (2) pressure bonding or (3) thermal/pressure bonding and mixing the resultant with hydroxyapatite as an adsorptive material. The agent can be mixed with ink, bonding agents and paints and applied to a variety of substrates.

Absorbable polyester fibers, braids, and surgical meshes with prolonged strength retention have been developed. These devices are preferably derived from biocompatible copolymers or homopolymers of 4-hydroxybutyrate. These devices provide a wider range of in vivo strength retention properties than are currently available, and could offer additional benefits such as anti-adhesion properties, reduced risks of infection or other post-operative problems resulting from absorption and eventual elimination of the device, and competitive cost. The devices may also be particularly suitable for use in pediatric populations where their absorption should not hinder growth, and provide in all patient populations wound healing with long-term mechanical stability. The devices may additionally be combined with autologous, allogenic and/or xenogenic tissues to provide implants with improved mechanical, biological and handling properties.

A wound dressing having anti-microbial activity comprises a first fibre capable of bonding with silver (1) cations. The wound dressing comprises a blend of the first fibre to which silver (1) cations are bonded and a second fibre which is substantially free from silver. The wound dressing comprises from 0.01 to 5.0 percent by weight of silver (1) cations, based on the weight of fibre.

Knit fabrics and military apparel such as T-shirts made therefrom are disclosed. The fabrics are constructed from blended yarns made from an intimate combination of nylon and cotton staple fibers. Such fabrics comprise a weight ratio of cotton to nylon which ranges from about 55:45 to about 85:15, and these fabrics also have a weight ranging from about 3 to about 8 oz/yd.sup.2. Knit fabrics of this type possess a desirable combination of good thermal protective properties, provided the specified high level of staple fiber blend uniformity is achieved, along with very useful abrasion resistance, bursting strength and drying time characteristics.

The sterilizing and deodorizing agents target bacteria, odors, toxic substances, etc. and are made from silver as metal particles and titanium dioxide as ceramic particles by (1) thermal bonding or (2) pressure bonding or (3) thermal/pressure bonding and mixing the resultant with hydroxyapatite as an adsorptive material. The agent can be mixed with ink, bonding agents and paints and applied to a variety of substrates.

Embodiments of the present disclosure, in one aspect, relate to structures having a polymer composition covalently bonded to the surface of the structure, methods of attaching the polymer to the surface of the structure, methods of decreasing the amount of microorganisms formed on a structure, materials, methods of attaching materials, and the like.

A wound dressing having anti-microbial activity comprises a first fiber capable of bonding with silver (1) cations. The wound dressing comprises a blend of the first fiber to which silver (1) cations are bonded and a second fiber which is substantially free from silver. The wound dressing comprises from 0.01 to 5.0 percent by weight of silver (1) cations, based on the weight of fiber.

Composite structures composed of a fibril core and a polymeric coat and designed capable of encapsulating both hydrophobic and hydrophilic bioactive agents while retaining the activity of these agents are disclosed. Further disclosed are processes of preparing such composite structures, and medical devices and disposable articles made therefrom.

An apparel or material which may be placed anywhere or worn about the neck or other parts of the body of a human. The apparel/material has a structure that, when repositioned from about the wearer, will retain a position about a mouth and nose of the human, as by elasticity or taughtness of a wrapping about the face. The apparel is sufficiently porous as to allow a human to breath comfortably through the fabric when placed over the mouth and nose of the human. The fabric has as a coating is created with on at least the outer surface and through at least 25% of the thickness of the fabric a moisture-sensitive antimicrobial composition, wherein the antimicrobial moisture-sensitive composition comprises an antimicrobially active compound and a carrier, the carrier by hydrophilic and able to absorb sufficient moisture from exhaled breath from the human as to maintain a wet surface on the carrier to which viral particles will adhere more strongly than to a dry surface of the same carrier.

Substrates, optionally coated with an undercoating layer, having grafted there from one or more non-fouling materials are described herein. The non-fouling, polymeric material can be grafted from a variety of substrate materials, particularly polymeric substrates and/or polymeric undercoating layers. The graft-from techniques described herein can result in higher surface densities of the non-fouling material relative to graft-to formulations. Graft-from methods can be used to produce covalently tethered polymers. The compositions described herein are highly resistant protein absorption, particularly in complex media and retain a high degree of non-fouling activity over long periods of time. The compositions described herein may also demonstrate antimicrobial and/or anti-thrombogenic activity. The non-fouling material can be grafted from the substrate, or optionally from an undercoating layer on the substrate, preferably without significantly affecting the mechanical and/or physical properties of the substrate material.