An apparatus for crimping a radially expandable stent includes a pressure vessel, shaping balloon, and mandrel. The mandrel is configured to slidingly receive a stent thereon, and to be slidingly advanced into the pressure vessel. The shaping balloon is inflated to radially compress the stent onto the form of the mandrel; such compression need not be uniform. Pressurization of the shaping balloon facilitates the expansion of the balloon to achieve compression of the stent, with depressurization of the shaping balloon causing the balloon to return to an unexpanded state.

A structured artificial construct that allows corneal endothelium to be regenerated from isolated cells outside the human or animal body is provided. The structured artificial construct is formed from a dome-shaped base body with a honeycomb structure formed in a concave side of the base body. Methods for generating the structured artificial construct are also provided.

The present invention provides an artificial hair and a method for producing same. The method for producing an artificial hair according to the present invention comprises: a step of mixing polyamide 6 powder and a master batch at a predetermined weight ratio; a step of drawing an artificial hair from the mixture; a step of forming a loop part by knotting a distal end of the drawn artificial hair; a step of cutting the distal end of the artificial hair, leaving just 1-1.5 mm from the knotted part of the loop part; a step of trimming the artificial hair to a predetermined length after the cutting; and a step of bundling a plurality of the trimmed artificial hair.

Stents generally can include a tubular structure having circumferentially positioned undulating wires that extend over a majority of a length of the stent such that the undulations oscillate circumferentially to define a circumference of the stent. The undulations can wrap over and under adjacent undulations to form an interwoven structure. Additionally, or alternatively, adjacent wires can be joined. Wires forming the stent can be cut from elastic tubing such that each wire has a three-dimensional shape.

There is disclosed a collagen construct comprising a plurality of elongate strips, wherein each strip contains a plurality of collagen fibres that are substantially aligned along the length of the respective strips, and the strips are braided or woven together to produce a collagen construct in the form of a rope that can be used for replacing tendons or ligaments, such as cruciate ligaments. Also disclosed is a method for making or producing the collagen construct from a collagen membrane having a plurality of collagen fibres being substantially aligned parallel to each other in a common direction. The membrane is cut along cut lines that are orientated substantially parallel to that common direction, thereby to separate elongate strips from the membrane. The strips are then braided or woven together to form the collagen construct.

Glaucoma treatment systems are disclosed. In various example, the glaucoma treatment systems include a body and a fluid conduit configured to facilitate an evacuation of fluid, such as aqueous humor, from a fluid-filled body cavity, such as an anterior chamber of an eye. In some examples, the fluid conduit is soft and compliant, and the glaucoma treatment system includes one or more stiffening members coupled with the fluid conduit to temporarily stiffen the fluid conduit and help aid in the delivery of the glaucoma treatment device. In some examples, the stiffening members are removable from the fluid conduit after the glaucoma treatment system has been implanted.

Embodiments herein relate to bioprosthetic heart valves. In an embodiment, a heart valve replacement system is included having a delivery catheter can include a heart valve accommodation region; and a heart valve disposed around the delivery catheter at the heart valve accommodation region of the delivery catheter, the heart valve can include a frame; and a plurality of valve leaflets coupled to the frame; wherein the valve leaflets include an animal tissue, the animal tissue can include from 15% to 50% by weight water; and from 20% to 70% by weight glycerol; a package defining an interior volume, wherein the delivery catheter and the heart valve are disposed within the package. Other embodiments are also included herein.

A computer-implemented method for determining the refractive power of an intraocular lens to be inserted is presented. The method includes generating first training data for a machine learning system on the basis of a first physical model for a refractive power for an intraocular lens and training the machine learning system by means of the first training data generated, for the purposes of forming a first learning model for determining the refractive power. Furthermore, the method includes training the machine learning system, which was trained using the first training data, using clinical ophthalmological training data for forming a second learning model for determining the refractive power and providing ophthalmological data of a patient and an expected position of the intraocular lens to be inserted. Moreover, the method includes predicting the refractive power of the intraocular lens to be inserted by means of the trained machine learning system and the second learning model. In the process, the ophthalmological data provided and the position of the intraocular lens are used as input values for the machine learning system with the second learning model.

Provided is a segmented covered stent (100), which includes a covering membrane (120) and a support frame (110) fixed to the covering membrane (120). The support frame (110) comprises an annular structure (1200) and a spiral structure (1300), wherein the annular structure (1200) is formed by a plurality of first wave-shaped units (1100) connected end to end; and the spiral structure (1300) is a tubular structure formed by a plurality of second wave-shaped units (1400) connected end to end and arranged in a continuous spiral manner, and the overall extension direction of the spiral structure (1300) is parallel to the support frame (110). A method for preparing the segmented covered stent (100) is further provided.

Embodiments disclosed herein relate to systems and methods for securing a drug delivery component to an intraocular lens (IOL) assembly. The systems generally include a support base and a plunger. The support base includes a first portion configured to accommodate a drug delivery component; and a second portion configured to act as a plunger guide. The plunger can be inserted into the plunger guide such that the plunger is positioned to interface with a drug delivery component and an IOL assembly during use. The plunger includes an elongated body and a tip, wherein the tip can include a ramp configured to interface with a fixation loop of a drug delivery component during use and a compartment configured to interface with a haptic of an IOL assembly during use.