Compositions that are suitable for use as a disinfectant are disclosed. Methods of making and using compositions that are suitable for use as a disinfectant are also disclosed.

Disclosed herein are compositions to use in biofouling-resistant coatings, biofouling-resistant coatings, methods of making biofouling-resistant coatings, biofouling-resistant devices, and methods of making biofouling-resistant devices.

The present disclosure relates to a drug-eluting suture comprising an elongate strand formed of a polymer matrix. The suture includes an anti-inflammatory agent, such as tacrolimus, dispersed within the polymer matrix at a concentration ranging from 0.1% wt. to 5% wt., based on the total weight of the suture. The suture exhibits a porosity ranging from 1% to 20%. Under physiological conditions, the suture can demonstrate a mean anti-inflammatory agent release rate ranging from 0.1 ng/day to 100 ng/day for a period of at least 10 days.

Novel semi-crystalline, p-dioxanone-rich ABA triblock copolymers of p-dioxanone and epsilon-caprolactone, where B block is a random copolymer of p-dioxanone and epsilon-caprolactone, and absorbable devices for long term medical applications are disclosed. The novel polymer compositions are useful for long term absorbable surgical sutures, and other medical devices.

The present invention relates to surgical sutures and threads for introducing skin-augmenting materials into human tissues, such as the skin.

A device for positioning in the body of an animal, the device comprising a first portion and a second portion that may be positioned in contact with one other, the first portion and the second portion each comprising a biocompatible conductive thermoplastic material, such that when the device is positioned in the body of an animal and electric current flows from the first portion to the second portion, heat is generated by electrical resistance at the point of contact between the first portion and the second portion so as to melt regions of the first portion and the second portion, and when the electric current is thereafter terminated, the melted regions of the first portion and the second portion re-solidify so that a weld is formed between the first portion and the second portion.

Small-diameter suture materials and suture coating materials made from the twisting or braiding of biocompatible polymeric fibers have been developed, which support drug delivery and maintain a high tensile strength. The fibers entrap (e.g., encapsulate) one or more therapeutic, prophylactic or diagnostic agents and provide prolonged release over a period of at least a week, preferably a month. While monofilament fibers lose tensile strength with the inclusion of active agents, twisting the drug-loaded, multifilament fibers allows for an increase in the tensile strength for the overall composites, while still retaining a small diameter. The methods of making these materials and using them for ocular surgery and vasculature repair have also been developed.

An anti-infective composition comprising glycogen or phytoglycogen nanoparticles is provided.

Devices, methods and compositions for treating cardiovascular disorders are configured for sustained-release of leptin antagonist into a blood vessel in order to down-regulate an expression or activity of leptin in a cardiovascular tissue that is affected by a disorder.

The present invention provides peptidic TGF- antagonists capable of inhibiting TGF- signaling and disrupting the biochemical events that promote fibrosis and the epithelial-mesenchymal transition. The peptidic TGF- antagonist may contain from 11 to 28 amino acid residues (for instance, may consist of from 12 to 16 amino acid residues) and may have the following structure (II): NH.sub.2 ETWIWLDTNMG-Xaa.sub.1-YCOOH (II) wherein Xaa1 is any amino acid and Y is a peptide having from 0 to 9 amino acids. The peptidic TGF- antagonists can advantageously be used for the prevention, treatment, and/or alleviation of the symptoms of a condition associated with an increase in TGF- activity, including fibrosis (such as fibrosis of the skin, liver, lungs, and heart, among others) and cancer (including various carcinomas, such as squamous cell carcinoma, sarcomas, and metastatic cancers).