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Parvovirus B19 (B19V) infection causes fifth disease, a disease characterized by rashes to the face and other parts of the body that primarily affects children. However, adults can also develop fifth disease and it can lead to more severe conditions. Patients that are immunocompromised, such as those who are HIV infected, organ transplant recipients, and cancer patients, can be particularly susceptible to more severe outcomes from B19V infection. Infection can also cause anemia and in pregnant women, it can lead to hydrops fetalis.

Five human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC) lines are generated using lentivirus-based reprogramming technology. These lines are pluripotent, meaning they have the potential to differentiate into all cells in the body, and theoretically can proliferate/self-renew indefinitely. The iPSC lines are: NC1 (derived from female's fibroblasts), NC2 (derived from female's fibroblasts ), NC3 (derived from male's HUVECS), NC4 (derived from male's fibroblasts) and NC5 (derived from female's fibroblasts). Further details of these cells are available upon request.

The invention pertains to devices for directly infusing cellular therapeutics into patient bone. The device monitors intra-bone pressure using pressure sensors disposed at its proximal end and adjusts infusion pressures during infusion such that intra-bone pressure does not exceed levels of systemic blood pressure. Such devices, apparatus and methods are particularly suitable for use in performing bone marrow transplants, particularly transplants that utilize cord blood as a stem cell source.

The invention provides a novel delivery system for delivering an encircling suture which includes two separate hollow limbs held together at an articulation by the suture to be delivered. The suture can extend through the hollow limbs, which slide along the suture. The distal ends of the limbs can be compressed into a desired delivery shape that allows the limbs to be advanced through the lumen of a delivery catheter (e.g., a transcutaneous, transvascular or intraluminal catheter) into any body cavity.

This is a non-surgical tricuspid annuloplasty to treat functional tricuspid valve regurgitation, meaning regurgitation with intact valve leaflets. The device is delivered using novel catheter techniques into the pericardial space and positioned along the atrioventricular groove. A compression member is positioned along the tricuspid annular free wall and tension applied through a variably-applied tension element. In the best embodiment, the compression member has an M shaped portion with at least two inflection points between the segments of difference curvatures.

This invention pertains to a bore covering for creating controlled environments and specifically for maintaining temperature within the bore of an MRI scanner. The bore covering includes a covering sheet with fastening means (e.g., weak-tack adhesive, pressure-sensitive adhesive or low-tack adhesive) around its inner surfaces that permits reversible attachment to the scanner. The adhesive ends can be peeled away to expose an edge of the bore opening or the entire sheet may be constructed with peel away gaps so that warm air can be pumped into the bore.

The invention pertains to a device and method for transcatheter correction of cardiovascular abnormalities, such as the delivery of prosthetic valves to the heart. Featured is a device implant for closing a caval-aortic iatrogenic fistula created by the introduction of a transcatheter device from the inferior vena cava into the abdominal aorta. The occlusion device includes an expandable transvascular implant with an elastomeric surface capable of extending between a vein and artery which conforms to the boundaries of an arteriovenous fistula tract between the artery and vein.

The invention is an enhanced vascular dilator that eliminates the vascular injury caused by the size mismatch between vascular introducer sheaths and vascular dilators, as the two are advanced into a blood vessel. The invention provides a “shoulder” to match the diameter of the introducer sheath so that there is a smooth transition, without size mismatch, between the dilator and the introducer sheath. The invention allows the dilator to be withdrawn in segments from the introducer sheath.

A novel low protein culture medium with defined chemical components that allows pluripotent stem cell maintenance and differentiation is disclosed. The present technology also provides for production of high quality cardiac cells from human embryonic and induced pluripotent stem cells in chemically defined medium conditions.

Cells, cell culture methods, and cell culture media compositions useful for producing and maintaining iPSC-derived cell lines that are of higher purity and maintain cell type integrity better than current iPSC-derived cell lines are disclosed. Human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) can be generated by reprogramming somatic cells by the expression of four transcription factors. The hiPSCs exhibit similar properties to human embryonic stem cells, including the ability to self-renew and differentiate into all three embryonic germ layers: ectoderm, endoderm, or mesoderm.