Disclosed are kits for at least partly liquefying tissue. The kit may include a liquefaction promoting medium (LPM). The LPM may include a non-ionic surfactant; a zwitterionic surfactant; and an abrasive material. The kit may include instructions. The instructions may direct a user to treat a tissue of a living subject by: applying the LPM together with the abrasive material to the tissue of the living subject; and transmitting energy to the tissue of the living subject through the abrasive material in the presence of the LPM effective to cause at least partial dissolution of one or more components of the tissue of the living subject.

An apparatus for preparing samples for chemical analysis includes a container receptacle for receiving a sample container having a crucible portion and an expansion portion. The container receptacle includes a heating compartment and a cooling compartment spaced apart from the heating compartment. The heating compartment is shaped to receive the crucible portion of the sample container, and the cooling compartment is shaped to receive the expansion portion of the sample container. The apparatus also includes a heating mechanism for heating the sample within the crucible portion of the sample container, a first cooling mechanism for cooling the expansion portion of the sample container, and a second cooling mechanism for cooling the crucible portion of the sample container.

A method for differentially lysing a liquid sample or target material using an augmented oxidizing agent (AOA), which includes a quantity of electronically modified oxygen derivatives (EMODs). The method reduces or eliminates total dissolved solids (IDS), total suspended solids (TSS), Biologic Oxygen Demand (BOD), microbial concentration, biofilms and other content in the liquid target material known or suspected to contain animal fluids, blood and blood cells and suspected or known to contain eukaryotic cells, microbial cells, bacteria, viruses, spores, fungi, prions, organic matter, minerals, proteins or associated structures. The BOD, TDS and TSS can be lowered or eliminated as desired. This action is directly proportional to the quantity of EMODs in the AOS applied to the liquid target material.

A method for preparing a protein-containing sample for analysis by mass spectrometry includes introducing the sample into a reaction vessel. The reaction vessel contains a reagent mixture including pre-measured quantities of an immobilized proteolytic enzyme, a reducing agent and an alkylating agent. The contents of the reaction vessel are activated by heating or by sonication.

Methods, devices, and systems are disclosed for releasing a sample from a carrier medium. A method of releasing a sample from a carrier medium comprises treating a sample on a carrier medium with a first organic reagent, wherein when the sample contains at least one inorganic salt, the first organic reagent binds to a cation of the inorganic salt to produce both a first volatile compound and an isolated anion of the inorganic salt; treating the sample on the carrier medium with a second organic reagent, wherein the second organic reagent reacts with the isolated anion to produce a second volatile compound; and releasing the treated sample from the carrier medium, wherein when the first and the second volatile compounds are produced, the releasing step releases at least one of the first and second volatile compounds from the carrier medium.

The present disclosure relates to a dissociation reagent for tumor tissues. The dissociation reagent does not contain collagenase or trypsin but further contains hyaluronidase or a mixture of hyaluronidase and DNase I. The present disclosure also relates to use of the dissociation reagent in dispersing tumor tissues and detecting expression level of molecular markers on cell surface by flow cytometry. The dissociation reagent of the present disclosure does not cause degradation of molecular markers on cell surface such as CD8, PD-1, Tim-3, Lag-3 and the like, thus does not affect downstream assays.

Provided is a cell trapping method for selectively trapping a specific cell included in a cell-containing solution at a filter surface by filtering a liquid, and the method includes a step of draining a liquid for n (n is a natural number) times, in which from the first step of draining the liquid to the n-th step of draining the liquid, a liquid surface of the liquid in the introduction region on the filter is maintained at a predetermined liquid surface height, and when the n-th step of draining the liquid is completed, the discharging of the liquid from the cell trapping device is stopped in a state where the liquid surface is at a predetermined height in the filter.

The disclosed embodiments may be used, among others, to extract particles from blood. The particles may include pathogens, viruses, bacteria and other microorganisms present in mammalian blood. An embodiment of the disclosure relates to a system to detect one or more blood-borne pathogens. The exemplary system includes: a transfer assembly having a tube and a hallow needle, the hallow needle centrally located within the transfer assembly tube and configured to communicate a sample material therethrough; a lysing syringe to couple to the transfer assembly, the lysing syringe comprising one or more lysing reagent and a plunger activatable to receive the sample material through the transfer assembly; and a large volume concentrator (LVC) to sealingly couple to the lysing syringe and to separate at least one pathogen from the sample material, the LVC further comprising: a filter support, a membrane, a retainer and a threaded portion.

There is provided a method for preparing an analytical sample by fusion. A mixture of a sample and flux material is heated and stirred, in a crucible, at a temperature sufficient to fuse the mixture and obtain a substantially homogeneous fused mixture; a first portion of heat radiation radiating from the crucible is reflected back to the crucible so as to provide additional heat to fuse the mixture, while heating and stirring the mixture; and the homogeneous fused mixture, is subsequently cooled, thereby forming the analytical sample.

A duct can be configured to receive a denuding gas flow. A solid denuding surface that is connected to a drive system can be configured to move the solid denuding surface within the duct while the solid denuding surface is continuously concentrating one or more gas-phase species from the denuding gas flow on the denuding surface. Also, a denuding gas flow can be passed along a denuding surface to concentrate one or more gas phase species from the denuding gas flow onto the denuding surface with a diffusion denuding action. The denuding surface can be moved while continuing to concentrate the one or more gas phase species from the denuding gas flow onto the denuding surface.