This invention relates to a method for hiding stains in medical dressings and other textile substrates. The method includes applying a metallic silver coating to a textile substrate via a plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVP) process. The metallic silver coating effectively hides any stain that comes into direct contact with the treated substrate by transferring the liquid beneath the surface of the coating. The invention also relates to textile substrates containing metallic silver coatings.

The present invention relates to a process for sterilizing implantable biomaterials. In particular, the invention relates to a process for sterilizing collagen-containing implantable biomaterials and storage thereafter.

Disclosed herein are platelet-like particles incorporating antimicrobial metallic nanoparticles. The platelet-like particles include an ultra-low crosslinked polymeric microgel and fibrin targeting moiety. The antimicrobial metallic nanoparticles can be covalently or noncovalently incorporated into the platelet-like particles. The particles are useful to stop bleeding and to promote wound healing while at the same time suppressing bacterial infections that can accompany tissue damage.

The present invention relates to a process for sterilizing implantable biomaterials. In particular, the invention relates to a process for sterilizing collagen-containing implantable biomaterials and storage thereafter.

Inventive concepts relate generally to the field of implantable urological devices, and more particularly to compositions that inhibit crystallization of urine components. Described are implantable urological devices including a surface and a crystallization inhibitor composition, the crystallization inhibitor composition including: (a) an inhibitor of urine component crystallization in combination with a biodegradable polymer, or a polyalkene homopolymer or copolymer, or (b) a biodegradable polymer that includes an inhibitor of urine component crystallization, wherein the crystallization inhibitor composition provides controlled release of the inhibitor of urine component crystallization from the surface of the device into a subject. Methods of making the implantable urological devices are also described.

Methods for inhibiting stenosis, obstruction and/or calcification of a heart valve following implantation in a vessel having a wall are disclosed. In one aspect the method includes providing a bioprosthetic heart valve mounted on an elastical stent; treating the bioprosthetic heart valve with a tissue fixative; coating the stent and the bioprosthetic valve with a coating composition including one or more therapeutic agents; implanting the bioprosthetic valve into the vessel in a diseased natural valve site; eluting the coating composition from the bioprosthetic valve; and inhibiting stenosis, obstruction and/or calcification of the bioprosthetic heart valve by preventing the attachment of stem cells to the bioprosthetic heart valve, the stem cells circulating external and proximate to the bioprosthetic heart valve by activating nitric oxide production (i) in the circulating stem cells, (ii) in an endothelial cell lining covering the bioprosthetic heart valve tissue, (iii) or both.

Methods of preparing calcification-resistant bioprosthetic tissue include providing fresh biological tissue, cross-linking the tissue, treating the cross-linked tissue with an alcohol for a time sufficient to allow the alcohol to be diffused into the tissue, and treating the alcohol-treated fixed tissue with a polyol for a time sufficient to allow fluid in the tissue to be replaced by the polyol. The methods may include sterilizing the cross-linked tissue in a solution including propylene oxide or peracetic acid either before or after the alcohol treatment step; or drying the alcohol/polyol-treated, cross-linked tissue, sterilizing the dried tissue by exposure to ethylene oxide or peracetic acid, and storing the sterilized tissue in a dry, ambient environment. The treated tissue may be a tissue component for a bioprosthetic valve, a valve assembly for a bioprosthetic valve or a fully assembled bioprosthetic valve incorporating the tissue.

An antithrombogenic metallic material includes a metallic material whose surface is coated with a coating material, the coating material containing: a phosphonic acid derivative or a catechol derivative; a polymer containing, as a constituent monomer, a compound selected from the group consisting of alkyleneimines, vinylamines, allylamines, lysine, protamine, and diallyldimethylammonium chloride; and an anionic compound containing a sulfur atom and having anticoagulant activity; the polymer being covalently bound to the phosphonic acid derivative or the catechol derivative, the phosphonic acid derivative or the catechol derivative being bound to the metallic material through a phosphonic acid group or a catechol group thereof, wherein the abundance ratio of nitrogen atoms to the abundance of total atoms as measured by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) on the surface is 4.0 to 13.0 atomic percent.

The invention relates to a method for predicting or diagnosing a risk of bioprosthetic valve degeneration. Further, the invention relates to a medical device, in particular a bioprosthetic valve coated with EPCR less prone to degeneration and/or calcification once implanted.

The present disclosure provides a method for crosslinking an artificial biological tissue. The method may include: providing an artificial biological tissue and crosslinking agent solution, wherein the crosslinking agent includes an imide structure; immersing the artificial biological tissue into the crosslinking agent solution to produce a crosslinking reaction. In this way, the anti-calcification capacity of the crosslinked artificial biological tissue may be improved in the present disclosure.