Some embodiments are directed to a skin treatment system that contains a laser generating device. A hydrogel patch may include a region, at a first side of the hydrogel patch, to be in contact with a person's skin. The region may contain an adsorbing medium (e.g., carbon black or any other substance that would have a similar effect) that, when receiving a laser beam from the laser generating device, results in Extracorporeal Shock Wave Therapy (“ESWT”) being applied to the person's skin to treat a dermatologic condition such as an epidermal or dermal tissue structure irregularity, cellulite, a stretch mark, a scar, scar-tissue, a hypertrophic scar, an acne scar, etc.

Some embodiments are directed to a cellulite treatment system that contains a laser generating device. A hydrogel patch may include a region, at a first side of the hydrogel patch, to be in contact with a person's skin. The region may contain an adsorbing medium (e.g., carbon black or any other substance that would have a similar effect) that, when receiving a laser beam from the laser generating device, results in Extracorporeal Shock Wave Therapy (“ESWT”) being applied to the person's skin to treat cellulite.

The present invention provides a bio-electrode composition including a silicone bonded to a sulfonamide salt, wherein the sulfonamide salt is shown by the following general formula (1): ##STR00001##
wherein R.sup.1 represents a linear, branched, or cyclic alkylene group having 1 to 20 carbon atoms optionally having an aromatic group, an ether group, or an ester group, or an arylene group having 6 to 10 carbon atoms; Rf represents a linear, branched, or cyclic alkyl group having 1 to 4 carbon atoms and containing at least one fluorine atom; M.sup.+ is an ion selected from a lithium ion, a sodium ion, a potassium ion, and a silver ion. This can form a living body contact layer for a bio-electrode that is excellent in electric conductivity and biocompatibility, light-weight, manufacturable at low cost, and free from large lowering of the electric conductivity even though it is wetted with water or dried.

One aspect of the present disclosure can include an intrafascicular neural electrode. The intrafascicular neural electrode can include a microwire body having a proximal end, a distal anchoring end, and a middle portion extending between the proximal end and the distal anchoring end. The distal anchoring end can substantially match the mechanical and biological properties of the target nerve. The microwire body can have a middle anchoring portion extending between the proximal end and the distal end, wherein at least a portion of the distal end and/or the middle anchoring portion substantially match(es) the mechanical and biological properties of the target nerve. The electrode can be made of graphene. The microwire body, except for the distal anchoring end, can be coated with an insulation material, preferably with a biocompatible agent adsorbed onto the insulation material.

Microbially-resistant materials are disclosed and described, along with devices, surfaces, and associated methods. Such materials can be coated onto device surfaces, system surfaces, structures, and the like.

A high-nitrogen nickel-free austenitic stainless steel seamless thin-walled tube, a high-safety nickel-free metal-based drug-eluting vascular stent manufactured therefrom, and manufacturing methods therefor. In the process of manufacturing a stent tube, the nitrogen content of a material is further increased by means of stage-by-stage nitriding, so as to obtain a high-nitrogen nickel-free austenitic stainless steel seamless thin-walled tube having the nitrogen content of 0.8-1.2% as a metal stent platform material. By using rolling line contact type electrochemical polishing, the surface of the stent forms a micron-scale protrusion-recess structure by means of crystal grains having different orientations, thus improving a binding force between a metal stent material and a drug coating. The vascular stent has the characteristics of high fatigue life, high biological safety, and a high binding force between the drug coating and a substrate.

Two-dimensional materials, particularly graphene-based materials, having a plurality of apertures thereon can be formed into enclosures for various substances and introduced to an environment, particularly a biological environment (in vivo or in vitro). One or more selected substances can be released into the environment, one or more selected substances from the environment can enter the enclosure, one or more selected substances from the environment can be prevented from entering the enclosure, one or more selected substances can be retained within the enclosure, or combinations thereof. The enclosure can for example allow a sense-response paradigm to be realized. The enclosure can for example provide immunoisolation for materials, such as living cells, retained therein.

Anatomically accurate brain phantoms are disclosed which may be patient specific and used for experimentally testing neuromodulation and neuroimaging procedures.

Systems and methods for imaging an object that are capable of capturing an image or images of the object using an imaging modality, automatically detecting and analyzing the image or images by way of converting the image or images to at least one binary image, and analyzing the at least one binary image to extract and/or segment regions-of-interest (ROIs) from the at least one binary image. The object can be or include an implantation, occlusion, medical device, body lumen, tissue, organ, duct, and/or vessel. The imaging modality can be or include X-ray, CT, MRI, PET, and/or ultrasound, or any combination thereof. Also included are compositions of soft, implantable materials with one or more carbon-based material, nanomaterial, and/or allotrope present in an amount sufficient as an ultrasound contrast agent effective for days, months, or years and which compositions are useful in the automated imaging methods of the invention.

The present disclosure is generally related to a stent with one more layer of graphene added to a stint that will be inserted into the body of a patient. Such a stint may be inserted into a vein or artery of a patient in order to increase blood flow, to maintain blood flow, or to prevent a vein or artery from collapsing. The graphene added to the stint provides improved biocompatibility of the stint and reduces risks associated with conventional stints. Stints consistent with the present disclosure may also include growth factors that help bind the stint to specific receptors or target cells. Stints of the present disclosure may include a monolayer, a bilayer, or multi-layers of graphene adhered to the surface of the stent. The stint may then coated with a growth factor.