The disclosure provides porous scaffold that include a plurality of microspheres, where the microspheres include a biodegradable polymer blended with a graphene family material (GFM), micro spheres, and methods for making and using such scaffolds and microspheres.

The disclosure provides porous scaffold that include a plurality of microspheres, where the microspheres include a biodegradable polymer blended with a graphene family material (GFM), micro spheres, and methods for making and using such scaffolds and microspheres.

A system for the therapeutic treatment of joints comprising a composite material comprising a biodegradable polymer matrix and a plurality of piezoelectric particles adapted to generate local electric charges in response to an external stimulation made by means of ultrasound, said plurality of piezoelectric particles being dispersed in the matrix. The composite material also comprises a plurality of stamina cells dispersed in the biodegradable polymer matrix and a plurality of carbon-based particles. The system also comprises a releasing device, arranged to deposit the composite material in a joint cavity at predetermined areas of the cartilage, and a stimulator device arranged to emit ultrasound at a predetermined frequency, a predetermined intensity and for a predetermined time of application, in such a way that, when the device is located near a joint wherein the composite material has been deposited, said ultrasound stimulate the plurality of piezoelectric particles.

Disclosed are adjustable accommodating intraocular lenses and methods of adjusting accommodating intraocular lenses post-operatively. In one embodiment, an adjustable accommodating intraocular lens comprises an optic portion and a peripheral portion. At least one of the optic portion and the peripheral portion can be made in part of a composite material comprising an energy absorbing constituent and a plurality of expandable components. At least one of a base power and a cylindricity of the optic portion can be configured to change in response to an external energy directed at the composite material.

The present invention relates to a process for the surface treatment of poly(aryl ether ketone)s (PAEKs) comprising the following steps: Providing an article comprising one or more poly(aryl ether ketone)s (PAEKs); contacting at least one portion of the surface of the article containing one or more poly(aryl ether ketone)s (PAEKs) with an aldehyde,
wherein the aldehyde reacts with the poly(aryl ether ketone)(s) (PAEKs) on the at least one portion of the surface of the article to form a hydroxyalkyl and/or hydroxyaryl group,
a process for functionalizing surface-treated poly(aryl ether ketone)s (PAEKs) comprising the steps of: a) Treating at least one portion of the surface of an article containing one or more poly(aryl ether ketone)s (PAEKs) with the surface treatment process for poly(aryl ether ketone)s (PAEKs) described herein; b) Coating the treated at least one portion of the surface of the article with a composition comprising a chemical compound having chemical groups capable of forming a covalent bond with hydroxyalkyl and/or hydroxyaryl groups formed on the surface of the article,
an article comprising one or more poly(aryl ether ketone)s (PAEKs) and a coating on at least one surface of the article, wherein on the coated at least one portion of the surface of the article the poly(aryl ether ketone)(s) (PAEKs) contains hydroxyalkyl and/or hydroxyaryl groups; and at least one portion of the hydroxyalkyl and/or hydroxyaryl groups of the poly(aryl ether ketone)(s) (PAEKs) has formed covalent bonds with chemical groups of at least one chemical compound in the coating, and
the use of the article of the invention as described herein as a medical device and/or biotechnological applications, preferably as an implant, scaffold structure for in vitro applications and/or scaffold structure for cell culture applications.

The present disclosure relates to the development of hydrogels with extreme stiffness and high-strength. In particular, an hydrogel comprising poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate) and graphene material with a specific oxidation degree. The hydrogels of the present disclosure may be used in medicine, veterinary or cosmetic, namely as scaffold, cartilage, intervertebral disc and blood contact device such as: catheters, vascular grafts, heart valves, stents, artificial kidneys, artificial lungs, ventricular assist devices or drug delivery system. Uses in other areas can be envisaged, like in soft robotics, packaging, sealing and sensors.

A method for preparing a conductive biomimetic skin scaffold material with self-repairing function includes the following steps: adding 1-(3-dimethylaminopropyl)-3-ethylcarbodiimide hydrochloride to a homogeneous dispersion of acidified carbon nanotubes, poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) polystyrene sulfonate (PEDOT:PSS), and gelatin to cross-link to obtain a conductive composite colloid; and injecting the conductive composite colloid into a mold, aging at −4-4° C. for 12-24 hours, and then soaking in a phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) solution with a pH of 7.0-7.4 for 12-24 hours to obtain the conductive biomimetic skin scaffold material.

A method for preparing a conductive biomimetic skin scaffold material with self-repairing function includes the following steps: adding 1-(3-dimethylaminopropyl)-3-ethylcarbodiimide hydrochloride to a homogeneous dispersion of acidified carbon nanotubes, poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) polystyrene sulfonate (PEDOT:PSS), and gelatin to cross-link to obtain a conductive composite colloid; and injecting the conductive composite colloid into a mold, aging at −4-4° C. for 12-24 hours, and then soaking in a phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) solution with a pH of 7.0-7.4 for 12-24 hours to obtain the conductive biomimetic skin scaffold material.

Provided herein is a composite material for use in orthopaedic applications, and an orthopaedic implant made from such material, the composite material comprising a polymeric matrix material and further comprising a filler material comprising TiO.sub.2 and reduced graphene oxide. Also provided herein is a cranial prosthesis comprising a peripheral frame portion defining an aperture, and a removable insert portion for closing the aperture. Further provided is a cranial prosthesis comprising a core layer and a first skin layer, the first skin layer having a lower porosity than the core layer. The medical materials and devices disclosed herein may provide improved materials for use in orthopaedic applications, prostheses which offer improved access for revision surgery, and prostheses which offer improved bone integration and mechanical properties.

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.