A braided structure that includes a core and a sheath is provided. The core includes a yarn formed at least in part from an aromatic polymer (e.g., an aromatic polyester/liquid crystalline polymer or an aramid polymer), and the sheath, which includes a plurality of ultra high molecular weight polyolefin yarns, is braided around the core. The sheath has an overall diameter ranging from about 60 micrometers to about 650 micrometers. Despite its small diameter, the braided structure can be creep resistant and abrasion resistant while at the same time exhibiting low elongation, a high load at break, and high stiffness. The braided structure can be used in medical applications such as sutures, load bearing orthopedic applications, artificial tendons/ligaments, fixation devices, actuation cables, components for tissue repair, etc.

The present application discloses a method of forming a hydrogel-coated substrate, wherein the hydrogel has antifouling and antimicrobial properties. The method comprises applying an aqueous pre-hydrogel solution to a substrate, polymerizing the aqueous pre-hydrogel solution, thereby forming a coated substrate having a conformal hydrogel coating and a non-conformal hydrogel coating, contacting the coated substrate with a swelling agent, and removing the non-conformal hydrogel coating from the coated substrate, thereby leaving the conformal hydrogel coating on the substrate to form the hydrogel-coated substrate. The aqueous pre-hydrogel solution comprises a monomer with antimicrobial activity, a monomer with antifouling activity, and either a polymer, oligomer, or macromer which, when polymerized together, form a hydrogel. Also disclosed is a coated substrate and a hydrogel coating.

The present invention provides polypeptides comprising or consisting of an amino acid sequence derived from collagen type VI or a fragment, variant, fusion or derivative thereof, or a fusion of said fragment, variant of derivative thereof, wherein the polypeptide, fragment, variant, fusion or derivative is capable of killing or attenuating the growth of microorganisms. Related aspects of the invention provide corresponding isolated nucleic acid molecules, vectors and host cells for making the same. Additionally provided are pharmaceutical compositions comprising a polypeptide of the invention, as well as methods of use of the same in the treatment and/or prevention of microbial infections and in wound care. Also provided are a method of killing microorganisms in vitro and a medical device associated with the pharmaceutical composition.

A medical device includes a surgical needle, an elongated suture, and an intervening segment. The elongated suture has a first end proximate to the needle and a second end located away from the needle. The elongated suture also includes a plurality of fibers defining a mesh wall between the first and second ends. A plurality of pores extend through the mesh wall, at least some which are in the macroporous size range of greater than 200 microns for facilitating tissue integration when introduced into a body. The intervening segment is disposed between and connected to either or both ends of the elongated suture and the needle. The intervening segment includes one or more fibers of the plurality of fibers and has a cross-sectional dimension smaller than a cross-sectional dimension of the mesh wall such that the intervening segment facilitates indirect attachment of the elongated macroporous mesh suture to the needle.

Described herein is a degradable linking agent of formula Photo.sup.1-LG-Photo.sup.2, wherein Photo.sup.1 and Photo.sup.2 independently represent at least one photoreactive group and LG represents a linking group comprising one or more silicon atoms or one or more phosphorous atoms. The degradable linking agent includes a covalent linkage between at least one photoreactive group and the linking group, wherein the covalent linkage between at least one photoreactive group and the linking group is interrupted by at least one heteroatom. A method for coating a support surface with the degradable linking agent, coated support surfaces and medical devices are also described.

Provided is a use for a peptide in surface-treating a medical device or medical material to be used in contact with blood, with which it is possible to obtain a medical device or medical material that can achieve highly efficient vascular endothelialization through the use of a peptide uniquely binding to vascular endothelial cells. Also provided are: a peptide suitable for use in said surface treatment; a method for producing a medical device or medical material surfaced-treated with said peptide and to be used in contact with blood; and a surface treatment agent including said peptide, said agent to be used in surface-treating a medical device or medical material to be used in contact with blood. In the present invention, a medical device or medical material is surface-treated using a peptide that includes any one of ten specific amino acid sequences and uniquely binds to the surface of endothelial progenitor cells.

Novel, lubricious coatings for medical devices are disclosed. The coatings provide improved lubricity and durability and are readily applied in coating processes a low temperatures that do not deform the device. The present invention is also directed to a novel platinum catalyst for use in such coatings. The catalyst provides for rapid curing, while inhibiting cross-linking at ambient temperatures, thereby improving the production pot life of the coatings.

Proposed are a method of manufacturing a hemostatic medical material that has excellent biosafety and can be applied to various situations by controlling the decomposition rate as necessary, and a medical material manufactured thereby. The method includes pretreating a natural cellulose substrate by adjusting the pH of the substrate, causing the hemostatic agent to be adsorbed on the pretreated substrate, drying the substrate with the hemostatic agent adsorbed thereon, primarily modifying the dried substrate using monochloroacetic acid (MCA), secondarily modifying the primarily modified substrate using an organic acid aqueous solution, washing the secondarily modified substrate, and post treating the substrate by adjusting the pH of the washed substrate.

Proposed are a method of manufacturing a hemostatic medical material that has excellent biosafety and can be applied to various situations by controlling the decomposition rate as necessary, and a medical material manufactured thereby. The method includes pretreating a natural cellulose substrate by adjusting the pH of the substrate, causing the hemostatic agent to be adsorbed on the pretreated substrate, drying the substrate with the hemostatic agent adsorbed thereon, primarily modifying the dried substrate using monochloroacetic acid (MCA), secondarily modifying the primarily modified substrate using an organic acid aqueous solution, washing the secondarily modified substrate, and post treating the substrate by adjusting the pH of the washed substrate.

Provided are a laminated material used for a medical lubricating member, including a base material a, and a layer b which is disposed on the base material a and contains a polymer having a polysiloxane structure, in which the polymer contains an acrylic acid component, an acrylic acid ester component, an acrylamide component, and/or a styrene component as a constituent component, and the polymer contains a hydroxy group, a carboxy group, an amino group, an isocyanate group, an oxazoline ring, an epoxy group, a vinyl group, an ethynyl group, a sulfanyl group, an azide group, a trialkoxysilyl group, and/or an acid anhydride structure in a molecule; a medical lubricating member formed of this laminated material; and a medical device using this medical lubricating member.