Provided is a stent pusher assembly for positioning a ureteral stent, the stent pusher assembly having an inner and outer stent pusher. The stent pusher assembly positions the ureteral stent in a patient's kidney and bladder without a bladder fixing portion of the stent entering a ureteral passage-way, thereby minimizing irritation to the patient.

An intervertebral spacer implant (80) is provided with a retention mechanism (86) to help alleviate expulsion and movement of the implant when placed in the spine while providing an implant that is easier to insert in the spine. In one embodiment the retention mechanism comprises a keel on at least one of the inferior or superior faces of the spacer implant preferably extending in an anterior-posterior direction. In another embodiment the implant comprises a spacer (84) and a plate (82), the plate comprising a supplemental or alternative retention mechanism. In one embodiment the retention mechanism comprises one or more holes (88) in the anterior end of the plate. In yet another embodiment, the retention mechanism comprises one or more blades that are in a first position when inserted and are preferably rotated to a second position that engages the superior and inferior vertebrae.

A method of treating prolapse of a vagina includes supporting the vagina by implanting a sacrocolpopexy support and locating an exterior surface of the vagina between leg portions of a vaginal cuff section of the support, and securing a head section of the support to a ligament or a sacrum while isolating the head section from contact with tissue of the vagina.

This invention provides a method for determining breast implant geometric properties, engineering stresses, engineering strains and engineering moduli; directly and quickly, using a load frame apparatus. More generally the invention provides a method for determining geometric properties and engineering mechanical properties of any elastomeric device, using a load frame apparatus. Engineering stress and engineering strain properties of breast implants are critical to their safety and durability. The geometric properties of breast implants undergoing compression also relates to the shape stability of breast implants, which may also be related to clinical outcomes such as capsular contracture and other untoward outcomes involving a breast capsule, such as Anaplastic Large Cell Lymphoma (ALCL), double capsule formation, seroma formation and associated breast implant illness (BII).

Described embodiments are directed toward prosthetic valves having leaflets that move asymmetrically in that in the fully open position, the leaflet first side region opens less than the leaflet second side region. Asymmetric opening and final open position, in synchrony with the other leaflets having similar motion and final open position creates spiral flow exiting the open valve that may, among other things, increases blood flow on the downstream side of the leaflet and thus reduces stagnation of the blood that might lead to thrombus formation. Controlled asymmetric movement of the leaflet reduces closing volume by initiating closure on the leaflet first side region and finishing closures on the leaflet second side region.

A Y-shaped support has a head section having a first free end and a second end secured to a leg section, with the leg section having a first leg extending from the second end of the head section and a second leg extending from the second end of the head section. A first connector is provided as a first interlocking stitch, with the first interlocking stitch passed through open leg spaces of the first leg and open head spaces in the head section. A second connector is provided as a second interlocking stitch, with the second interlocking stitch passed through the aligned open leg spaces of the first leg and the second leg to connect the first leg to the second leg. The second end of the head section is located outside a space where the first leg is connected to the second leg.

Diversified grafts suitable for use in repair and reconstruction procedures are provided. Some diversified grafts comprise two or more heterogenous features which form regions having different preferred properties. A diversified graft useful for pre-pectoral breast reconstruction, meshing is provided on an upper pole of the diversified graft and a plurality of slits arranged in particular patterns is provided on a lower pole of the graft, whereby the upper pole has a greater expansion ability and the lower pole has lesser degree of expansion ability but maintains greater load bearing capacity which is necessary to support the lower pole of the breast undergoing reconstruction, while allowing for fluid egress. In other embodiments, the diversified graft comprises two or more components which are combined by attaching them to each other to form a larger graft of the required size. The components may be smaller pieces of the same material or different materials.

A device and method for forming an adaptive optic in the capsule of a human eye is disclosed, comprising a capsular interface enclosing an optically acceptable medium. The device establishes a physiologic range of optical power in response to a range of ciliary contractile states.

Methods, compositions, and systems are provided for characterization of modified nucleic acids. In certain preferred embodiments, single molecule sequencing methods are provided for identification of modified nucleotides within nucleic acid sequences. Modifications detectable by the methods provided herein include chemically modified bases, enzymatically modified bases, abasic sites, non-natural bases, secondary structures, and agents bound to a template nucleic acid.

In a method of making a breast prosthesis for use by a wearer having a body temperature, a plurality of dissolvable beads is placed into an open back of a breast-shaped mold. The open back of the mold is sealed. A suspension of an uncured silicone rubber liquid and a plurality of phase change material pellets is injected into the mold around the beads. The uncured silicone rubber is allowed to cure, thereby forming a breast shape. The phase change material has a latent heat of fusion at a melting point so as to remove heat from the wearer when the body temperature is at least at the melting point. The breast shape is removed from the mold and the dissolvable beads are dissolved from the breast shape.