Technical aspects and 30-day outcomes of the prospective early feasibility study of the GORE EXCLUDER Thoracoabdominal Branched Endoprosthesis (TAMBE) to treat pararenal and extent IV thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysms.

Objective: This study reports the technical aspects and 30-day outcomes of the prospective, multicenter early feasibility study designed to evaluate the GORE EXCLUDER Thoracoabdominal Branch Endoprosthesis (TAMBE; W. L. Gore & Associates, Flagstaff, Ariz).

Frictional Behavior of Individual Vascular Smooth Muscle Cells Assessed By Lateral Force Microscopy.

With the advancement of the field of biotribology, considerable interest has arisen in the study of cell and tissue frictional properties. From the perspective of medical device development, the frictional properties between a rigid surface and underlying cells and tissues are of a particular clinical interest. As with many bearing surfaces, it is likely that contact asperities exist at the size scale of single cells and below.

Role of cytoskeletal components in stress-relaxation behavior of adherent vascular smooth muscle cells.

A number of recent studies have demonstrated the effectiveness of atomic force microscopy (AFM) for characterization of cellular stress-relaxation behavior. However, this technique's recent development creates considerable need for exploration of appropriate mechanical models for analysis of the resultant data and of the roles of various cytoskeletal components responsible for governing stress-relaxation behavior. The viscoelastic properties of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) are of particular interest due to their role in the development of vascular diseases, including atherosclerosis and restenosis.

Sterilization of bacterial spores by using supercritical carbon dioxide and hydrogen peroxide.

It was hypothesized that supercritical carbon dioxide (SC-CO(2)) treatment could serve as an alternative sterilization method at various temperatures (40-105 degrees C), CO(2) pressures (200-680 atm), and treatment times (25 min to 6 h), and with or without the use of a passive additive (distilled water, dH(2)O) or an active additive (hydrogen peroxide, H(2)O(2)). While previous researchers have shown that SC-CO(2) possesses antimicrobial properties, sterilization effectiveness has not been shown at sufficiently low treatment temperatures and cycle times, using resistant bacterial spores. Experiments were conducted using Geobacillus stearothermophilus and Bacillus atrophaeus spores.