Abstract: The present disclosure includes a system for use in the treatment of cancer, the system comprising an extracorporeal circulation device comprising a blood circuit and a blood pump to collect and return blood of a subject, and a light irradiation device to irradiate the blood circuit with light, wherein a photosensitive substance is administered to the subject prior to blood collection, or added to blood collected from the subject prior to light irradiation, the blood collected from the subject and irradiated with light is returned to the subject, and the light has an irradiation energy density of 2.5 to 300 J/cm2.

Abstract: Provided are a stent that has guaranteed high bonding strength between a strut and an opaque member and has high reliability to prevent the opaque member from coming off in a luminal structure; and a method for inspecting such a stent. A stent according to the invention includes: a leg portion provided with protrusions; and an opaque member that is provided along the longitudinal direction of the protrusions to cover the protrusions, the opaque member being highly opaque to radiation, the opaque member having: sparse areas with a spacing ratio higher than a predetermined spacing ratio; and a dense area with a spacing ratio lower than the predetermined spacing ratio, the opaque member being fixed on or to the protrusions with adhesives in the sparse areas.

Abstract: The stent has an expansive force 0.05 N/mm or less per unit length when it has a diameter equal to the lower limit diameter of the target blood vessel and is measured under the following conditions. A radial force testing system manufactured by Blockwise Engineering LLC is used as a tester. The test conditions include a temperature of 37° C.±2° C. in the chamber of the tester; a stent diameter of 0.5 mm for start of test, and a rate of increase of diameter of 0.5 mm/s in the tester. The test method includes radially compressing the stent disposed in the chamber; recording an expansive force while gradually increasing the diameter of the chamber at the rate of increase of diameter; and dividing the expansive force by the effective length of the stent to calculate an expansive force per unit length.

Abstract: Provided is a stent comprising: a stent skeleton; and a deposition layer containing a plurality of layers deposited on the stent skeleton; each layer of the deposition layer comprising crystalline cilostazol, at least one of the plurality of layers comprising a bioabsorbable polymer.

Abstract: Provided is a stent comprising: a stent skeleton; and a deposition layer containing a plurality of layers deposited on the stent skeleton; each layer of the deposition layer comprising crystalline cilostazol, at least one of the plurality of layers comprising a bioabsorbable polymer, wherein elution of not more than 5% by mass of the crystalline cilostazol occurs by 24 hours after the stent is brought into contact in vitro at 37° C. with an elution medium of a phosphate-buffered sodium chloride solution containing 0.25% by mass of sodium lauryl sulfate.

Abstract: A stent includes wavy-line pattern bodies having a wavy-line pattern and arranged side-by-side in an axial direction LD, and coiled elements arranged between the wavy-line pattern bodies adjacent and extending in a spiral manner around an axis. All apices on opposite sides of the wavy-line pattern of the wavy-line pattern bodies that are adjacent are connected by way of the coiled element. When viewing in a radial direction RD, a circular direction CD of the wavy-line pattern bodies is inclined with respect to the radial direction RD, and a winding direction of one of the coiled elements located at one side in the axial direction LD with respect to the wavy-line pattern bodies and a winding direction of one other of the coiled elements located at the other side in the axial direction LD are opposite.

Abstract: Disclosed herein are ultrasound transducers that are selectively insulated to thereby enable the transducers to be exposed to an electrically conductive fluid without causing a short circuit between electrodes of the transducers. Such a transducer includes a piezoelectric transducer body having a first surface and a second surface that are spaced apart from one another and do not intersect with one another. The ultrasound transducer also includes a first electrode disposed on the first surface, a second electrode disposed on the second surface, and an electrical insulator covering only one of first and second electrodes and configured to inhibit electrical conduction between the first electrode and the second electrode when the ultrasound transducer is placed within an electrically conductive fluid. Also disclosed are apparatuses and systems that include such a transducer. Related methods are also disclosed herein.

Abstract: A method to apply a nerve inhibiting cloud surrounding a blood vessel includes creating a treatment plan, wherein the treatment plan prescribes application of the nerve inhibiting cloud towards at least a majority portion of a circumference of a blood vessel wall, and applying the nerve inhibiting cloud towards the majority portion of the circumference of the blood vessel wall for a time sufficient to inhibit a function of a nerve that surrounds the blood vessel wall.

Abstract: Provided is a stent comprising: a stent skeleton; and a deposition layer containing a plurality of layers deposited on the stent skeleton; each layer of the deposition layer comprising crystalline cilostazol, at least one of the plurality of layers comprising a bioabsorbable polymer, wherein elution of not more than 5% by mass of the crystalline cilostazol occurs by 24 hours after the stent is brought into contact in vitro at 37° C. with an elution medium of a phosphate-buffered sodium chloride solution containing 0.25% by mass of sodium lauryl sulfate.

Abstract: A method to apply a nerve inhibiting cloud surrounding a blood vessel includes creating a treatment plan, wherein the treatment plan prescribes application of the nerve inhibiting cloud towards at least a majority portion of a circumference of a blood vessel wall, and applying the nerve inhibiting cloud towards the majority portion of the circumference of the blood vessel wall for a time sufficient to inhibit a function of a nerve that surrounds the blood vessel wall.

Abstract: Described herein are systems and methods for tracking a target tissue during therapy delivery. A system for identifying an anatomical structure and tracking the motion of the anatomical structure using imaging before and during delivery of a therapy to a patient includes an imaging module and a therapy module. In some cases, the imaging module is configured to identify a region of the anatomical structure in an image, and the therapy module is configured to deliver the therapy to a target tissue. A method for imaging during delivery of a therapy includes acquiring an image, identifying a region of an anatomical structure, tracking the region of the anatomical structure, integrating the tracking, generating a unique template library, determining if a pre-existing template matches the results or if the results should be updated as a new template, and delivering the therapy to the target tissue.

Abstract: An ultrasound apparatus is described for externally treating kidney stone in human body. The apparatus has one or more ultrasound imaging transducers, a therapeutic ultrasound transducer, and a processing unit. Optimized delivering of ultrasound energy to the kidney stone from the therapeutic ultrasound transducer is based on real-time tracked state (e.g., position, movement shape, size, or combination thereof) of the kidney stone. The ultrasound imaging transducer(s) is configured to image the stone during the application of the therapy treatment. An optimization algorithm is implemented to control the therapeutic ultrasound transducer to apply different force vectors to the region of the stone. The effect of the vectors in the differing directions with respect to the stone may be detected and input to the optimization algorithm, which optimizes the therapy by adjusting one or more of the vectors.