An apparatus, system, and method for contacting blood with ozone to kill microorganisms in the blood are described. The method involves injecting microbubbles of ozone containing gas into a flow of blood, preferably at a temperature of less than 12° C. The apparatus includes a blood flow conduit including a blood ozone contacting portion including a porous ozone injector.

The present disclosure provides a method of removing a target substance from blood of a patient, the method comprising steps of: providing a complexing agent, especially a supra-molecular compound or core particle, adapted for selectively binding a target molecule or target entity in the blood of the patient in a complex, e.g. a supra-molecular complex; administering the complexing agent into the patient's blood, preferably into an extracorporeal blood flow pathway, for binding with the target molecule or the target entity; conveying the blood having the complexing agent through a treatment zone of an extracorporeal blood flow pathway for a predetermined period of time to bind or incorporate the target molecule or target entity within the blood in a complex, such as a supra-molecular complex; and removing the complex (e.g. supra-molecular complex) from the blood by haemodialysis, which preferably includes one or more of filtration, ultrafiltration, convection, or adsorption. The disclosure thus also provides a system (1) for removing a target substance from blood of a patient, the system (1) comprising: an extracorporeal blood flow pathway (2) for connection to a patient and for guiding or conveying a flow of blood from the patient along the pathway; a treatment zone (5) arranged in the extracorporeal blood flow pathway (2) for mixing a complexing agent (C) with the blood adapted to bind a target molecule (M) in a complex (X), especially a supra-molecular complex or core particle complex, as the blood flows through the treatment zone (5); and a haemodialysis unit (4) for separating the complex (X) from the blood via one or more of filtration, ultra-filtration, convection, and membrane adsorption, with or without magnetic assistance.

An apparatus for the extracorporeal treatment of blood comprising an extracorporeal blood circuit (2), a pump (6) configured to provide fluid displacement within the extracorporeal blood circuit, and a reaction chamber (8) connected to the extracorporeal blood circuit and configured to receive blood or plasma from the circuit and treat the blood or plasma. The reaction chamber comprises a protease enzyme immobilized to a support, in which the protease enzyme is specific for, and capable of irreversibly cleaving, a human C5a present in the blood or plasma, wherein the abundance of the human C5a in the treated blood or plasma is less than that in the untreated blood or plasma. The apparatus finds utility in the extracorporeal treatment of blood from patients with inflammatory conditions, especially auto-immune disease and sepsis.

A method comprising obtaining a bodily fluid from a subject; contacting the bodily fluid with an adsorbent material comprising a synthetic carbon particle (SCP) to produce a first filtrate having a level of disease mediators (y); contacting the first filtrate with an adsorbent material comprising the SCP and an anion exchange resin where the ratio of SCP to anion exchange resin is from about 0.1:100 to 100:0.1 to produce a second filtrate; contacting the second filtrate with an adsorbent material comprising the SCP and a cation exchange resin where the ratio of SCP to cation exchange resin is from about 1:100 to produce a third filtrate; and administering the third filtrate to the subject.

A blood treatment method is described that is adapted to at least partially eliminate the carbon dioxide content of the type comprising a step of drawing a blood flow. Advantageously according to the invention, the method further comprises the steps of: acidifying the blood flow with transformation of the related blood bicarbonate content into gaseous carbon dioxide; and eliminating the gaseous carbon dioxide content by means of a pressure gradient.

Disclosed is a water-insoluble polymeric iron chelating agent having a polymer backbone and an aromatic ring attached to the polymer backbone through an —NH—CH.sub.2— bond, wherein the aromatic ring has one or two first functional groups in the form of hydroxyl group and one or two second functional groups located at the ortho position with respect to the first functional group; and wherein the second functional group is —OH, —COOH, or a group represented by formula (I) wherein A represents —CH.sub.3, —CH.sub.2—CH.sub.3, —CH.sub.2—C.sub.6H.sub.5, —CH.sub.2—C.sub.5H.sub.4N or —CH.sub.2—COOH and B represents —CH.sub.2—COOH. The water-insoluble polymeric iron chelating agent of the present invention offers the advantages of being capable of selectively chelating iron ions, particularly biologically unstable iron, and being insoluble in water, and moreover not being incorporated in metabolic processes in vivo.

The present invention generally relates to systems and methods for receiving blood (or other bodily fluids) from a subject, e.g., from or beneath the skin of a subject. In some cases, the blood (or other bodily fluids) may be deposited on a membrane or other substrate. For example, blood may be absorbed in a substrate, and dried in some cases to produce a dried blood spot. In one aspect, the present invention is generally directed to devices and methods for receiving blood from a subject, e.g., from the skin, using devices including a substance transfer component (which may contain, for example, one or more microneedles), and directing the blood on a substrate, e.g., for absorbing blood. The substrate, in some embodiments, may comprise filter paper or cotton-based paper. After absorption of some blood onto the substrate, the substrate may be removed from the device and shipped or analyzed. In some cases, the device itself may be shipped or analyzed. For example, in some embodiments, a portion of the device may be sealed such that the substrate is contained within an airtight portion of the device, optionally containing desiccant. Other aspects are generally directed at other devices for receiving blood (or other bodily fluids), kits involving such devices, methods of making such devices, methods of using such devices, and the like.

Oxalate decarboxylase crystals, including stabilized crystals, such as cross-linked crystals of oxalate decarboxylase, are disclosed. Methods to treat a disorder associated with elevated oxalate concentration using oxalate decarboxylase crystals are also disclosed. Additionally disclosed are methods of producing protein crystals.

an apparatus, system, and method for contacting blood with ozone to kill microorganisms in the blood are described. The method involves injecting microbubbles of ozone containing gas into a flow of blood, preferably at a temperature of less than 12° C. The apparatus includes a blood flow conduit including a blood ozone contacting portion including a porous ozone injector. Figure to be published with the abstract:

The present invention relates to systems and devices to treat and/or prevent inflammatory conditions within a subject and to related methods. More particularly, the invention relates to systems, devices, and related methods that sequester leukocytes and/or platelets and then inhibit their inflammatory action.