Abstract: The disclosure generally describes methods of preventing or treating ophthalmic diseases or conditions in a mammalian subject, such as diabetic retinopathy, cataracts, retinitis pigmentosa, glaucoma, macular degeneration, choroidal neovascularization, retinal degeneration, and oxygen-induced retinopathy. The methods comprise administering an effective amount of an aromatic-cationic peptide to subjects in need thereof.

Abstract: The present invention discloses an apparatus for separating and removing dust from exhaust gas, and specifically relates to the field of exhaust gas handling technologies. The apparatus includes a rack, where a dust removal cylinder is disposed on an upper portion of an inner side of the rack, a filter cylinder is detachably connected to a middle portion of a bottom end of the dust removal cylinder, a dust removal mechanism is disposed inside the dust removal cylinder, the dust removal mechanism includes a guide column, an upper end of the guide column is fixedly mounted in a middle portion of an upper end of the rack, several grooves are disposed on an outer side of the guide column, and the groove includes a lower portion.

Abstract: An information-seeking dialogue system can be trained using a pipeline process having stages, or components, of passage retrieval (selecting passages relevant to a query from a corpus or knowledge base), re-ranking, and generating a response to the query based on one or more of the re-ranked passages. Each stage, or component, of the pipeline can be individually optimized based on ground truth data.

Abstract: A system for analyzing a wound fluid. The system includes a transparent layer, a membrane layer, and an indicator layer that contains a colorimetric or fluorescent indicator reagent for detecting pH, a nitrite, an enzyme, a reactive oxygen species, a reactive nitrogen species, a nucleic acid, or a combination thereof. The membrane layer is impermeable to blood clots and cellular debris and is permeable to wound fluid. Also provided are methods for analyzing a wound fluid and for detecting biological fluid on biomedical instruments and waste materials using the system.

Abstract: The present invention is directed to cancer cell traps and methods of using cancer cell traps to treat and detect metastatic cancer in subjects. The cancer cell traps are administered to subjects and induce the migration and accumulation of metastatic cancer cells in the cancer cell traps.

Abstract: A measuring instrument and a method of remote quantity value transfer/traceability are provided. The measuring instrument includes a central processing component, a local quantity value transfer/traceability component connected to the central processing component, a remote quantity value transfer/traceability component connected to the central processing component and a remote communication component connected to the central processing component; a metrological grade of the remote quantity value transfer/traceability component is greater than or equal to that of the local quantity value transfer/traceability component; the remote quantity value transfer/traceability component is configured to perform quantity value transfer/traceability to the local quantity value transfer/traceability component by using one of the in-machine metrological standard and the remote high-grade metrological standard provided from the remote quantity value transfer/traceability component.

Abstract: A system for analyzing a wound fluid. The system includes a transparent layer, a membrane layer, and an indicator layer that contains a colorimetric or fluorescent indicator reagent for detecting pH, a nitrite, an enzyme, a reactive oxygen species, a reactive nitrogen species, a nucleic acid, or a combination thereof. The membrane layer is impermeable to blood clots and cellular debris and is permeable to wound fluid. Also provided are methods for analyzing a wound fluid and for detecting biological fluid on biomedical instruments and waste materials using the system.

Abstract: The present invention provides targeting probe, imaging probes, and probes for use as a medicament to treat damaged cartilage, where the probe targets injured tissue and can then be imaged and/or release agents to trigger the migration of surrounding chondrocytes from healthy tissue to injured tissue and/or recruit synovial stem cells.

Abstract: In one aspect, methods of growing autologous biological tissue are described herein. In some embodiments, a method described herein comprises disposing a porous scaffold in a body cavity of a patient, wherein the scaffold comprises one or more biofactors comprising one or more chemokines that promote migration of autologous multipotent cells into the body cavity and/or one or more differentiation agents that promote differentiation of autologous multipotent cells into the autologous biological tissue. The body cavity can comprise a soft tissue cavity such as the peritoneal cavity. A method described herein can also comprise depositing the multipotent cells onto a surface of the scaffold and inducing differentiation of the multipotent cells on the surface of the scaffold to provide differentiated autologous tissue. Additionally, a method can further comprise growing the autologous biological tissue from the differentiated autologous tissue. Further, the autologous tissue may not be native to the body cavity.

Abstract: Ratiometric techniques can be used to determine activity levels of reactive oxidation species (“ROS”) in a target area (in vitro or in vivo) to indicate inflammatory responses and/or infection. Target areas may be a tissue surface, a wound, and/or a body cavity. A ROS-sensitive bioluminescent agent and ROS-insensitive fluorescent reference dye are conjugated to surfaces, biocompatible particles, or polymer carriers. The compounds may be constituted as a spray, solution for injection, a wound dressing, medical implants, and/or medical device. The bioluminescent compound and reference fluorescent intensity ratios can be calculated to reflect the extent of localized ROS activities.

Abstract: The present invention is directed to cancer cell traps and methods of using cancer cell traps to treat and detect metastatic cancer in subjects. The cancer cell traps are administered to subjects and induce the migration and accumulation of metastatic cancer cells in the cancer cell traps.

Abstract: A pH detectable coating. The pH detectable coating includes a pH insensitive fluorescent dye and a pH sensitive fluorescent dye. The pH insensitive fluorescent dye and the pH sensitive fluorescent dye are attached to a surface. The ratio of the fluorescent intensity of the pH insensitive fluorescent dye to the fluorescent intensity of the pH sensitive fluorescent dye varies according to the pH of an environment into which the surface is placed.

Abstract: A method for synthesizing uniformly sized hyaluronic acid (“HA”) particles that are substantially free from oil and surfactant contaminants. The method comprises crosslinking HA chains with 1-ethyl-3-(3-dimethlyaminopropyl) carbodiimide hydrochloride (“EDAC”) and adipic acid dihydrazide in a water/acetone mixture.

Abstract: The present invention provides for compositions and methods for recognizing toxins in a host. The composition comprising a particle of less than 100 micrometers in diameter having a tag in direct contact with a portion of the particle, the particle comprising a biodegradable polymer and the portion of the particle in contact with the tag selected from the group consisting of acrylic acid, 2-hydroxyethyl acrylate, 2-acrylamido-2-methyl-1-propanesulfonic acid, allylamine, carboxyl group, hydroxyl group, sulfonic group, aldehyde group, and amine group, wherein the tag is selected from the group consisting of drug, antibody, ligand, antigen, protein, peptide, counter-ligand moiety, fatty acid moiety, and carbohydrate moiety, and wherein one or more particles are introduced into the host having toxins and the one or more particle recognize the toxins.

Abstract: A method for synthesizing uniformly sized hyaluronic acid (“HA”) particles that are substantially free from oil and surfactant contaminants. The method comprises crosslinking HA chains with 1-ethyl-3-(3-dimethlyaminopropyl) carbodiimide hydrochloride (“EDAC”) and adipic acid dihydrazide in a water/acetone mixture.

Abstract: The present invention provides functionalized particles and methods for delivering said particles capable of crossing a physiologic barrier and exerting an effect. In one embodiment, the present invention provides a method of delivering a particle to a mammal comprising the steps of contacting a functionalized particle with a tag and introducing the functionalized and tagged particle to a mammal, wherein the functionalized portion of the particle is selected from the group consisting of acrylic acid, 2-hydroxyethyl acrylate, 2-acrylamido-2-methyl-1-propanesulfonic acid, allylamine, carboxyl group, hydroxyl group, sulfonic group, aldehyde and amine group. The particle is a biodegradable or nodegradable polymer and less than 1.0 mm in diameter.

Abstract: A coating for an implant surface comprising one or more nanoparticles of less than or equal to 500 nanometers and an implant surface capable of receiving the nanoparticles, the implant selected from the group consisting of metal, carbon, graphite, polymer, protein, nucleic acid, microorganisms, hydrogel, liquid, porous and polymer blend particles, and combinations thereof. The coating promotes characteristics on the implant surface such as reducing protein unfolding, preventing inflammatory and fibrotic cell accumulation, reducing the number of such cell attachment sites and preventing other adverse biological reactions. The coating may be applied on any material via physical and/or chemical binding. The coating may further comprise a surfactant and may include a tag, adsorbed, absorbed or incorporated onto the nanoparticle. The coating on an implant surface is used for purposes that may be cosmetic, therapeutic, preventative, reconstructive, monitoring and replacement.

Abstract: Methods for accumulating, recruiting and retrieving stem cells from a body cavity space of an adult mammal are disclosed, in addition to compositions and cells in accordance with the present invention. In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, a method of obtaining a new source of stem cells is provided by implanting a foreign object in a body cavity space of a mammal and collecting those stem cells resulting from implantation. Further in accordance with the present invention, a method for providing to a subject in need thereof one or more stem cells of the present invention is identified by retrieving stem cells for a body cavity space of a mammal after implanting a foreign object, manipulating the stem cells and introducing the stem cells into the subject in need thereof.