A method for producing a dialysis membrane in hollow-fiber membrane or flat membrane geometry includes: a) making a casting or spinning solution for production of a base membrane for the dialysis membrane out of at least one polysulfone and at least one pore-forming hydrophilic additive in at least one organic solvent, b) bringing the casting or spinning solution into contact with a precipitating agent to form the base membrane, and c) rinsing out the at least one organic solvent after precipitation of the casting or spinning solution in flat or hollow-fiber form.

Provided are: an economically superior protein crystallization method capable of efficiently finding conditions for crystallization by using a small amount of protein; and a crystallization device used for the method. According to the present invention, a transparent sealed container 1 is filled with a solution of protein, a part of the transparent sealed container 1 being formed of a semipermeable membrane 2 with a molecular weight cut-off that inhibits passage of the protein while allowing passage of a precipitant, and then, a precipitant solution with changed concentration and/or pH of the precipitant is continuously supplied to the semipermeable membrane 2, to crystallize the protein with the precipitant that infiltrates from the semipermeable membrane 2 into the sealed container 1.

An apparatus for ultrafiltration of a patient being overhydrated due to congestive heart failure, comprising a tube set including a connector for connection to a patient line for access to the peritoneal cavity of the patient. A flow pump is arranged for addition and removal outflow and inflow (recirculation) of fluid from/to the peritoneal cavity. An osmotic agent peristaltic pump is arranged for replenishment of glucose solution to the fluid added to the peritoneal cavity for promoting ultrafiltration. The glucose is replenished intermittently for keeping a concentration of glucose substantially constant in the peritoneal cavity. The flow pump comprises a pressure chamber with rigid walls and a flexible pump bag arranged therein. An air pump pressurizes the chamber for outflow of fluid from the peritoneal cavity by a sub pressure and inflow of fluid to the peritoneal cavity by an overpressure, which pressures are maintained within safe limits.

Provided are UHMW polymers having a molecular weight of 500 kg/mol or greater. The UHMW polymers can be block copolymers, homopolymers, and random/statistical copolymers. The UHMW polymers can be used to form porous layers, which may be used in filtration membranes, such as, for example, ultrafiltration membranes. The filtration membranes can be used in various separation methods.

A connector for connecting a dialyzer to a hole in a side wall of a water pipe, the connector including a connector body including a cavity crossing the connector body from a first end of the connector body to a second end, for enabling water flow from the first end to the second end, wherein the cavity at the first end is shaped and sized for pressing onto a port of a dialyzer, and the cavity at the second end is shaped and sized for pressing into a hole in a side wall of a water pipe. In a water filtration system including dialyzers for water filtration, a method of cleaning a dialyzer including providing clean water from a clean water output of one first dialyzer to a clean water output of one second dialyzer, to backwash the second dialyzer. Related apparatus and methods are also described.

The invention relates to an undulated thermostable hollow fiber membrane of reduced wall thickness, wherein the wall thickness amounts to 20 m or greater and 30 m or less and the waveform of the hollow fiber membrane exhibits a wavelength in the range of from more than 1 mm and less than 5 mm. In particular, the invention relates to a method for producing an undulated thermostable hollow fiber membrane of lower wall thickness.

The invention discloses a freeze-dried powder of high molecular weight silk fibroin, preparation process and use thereof. The freeze-dried powder is obtained from silk by degumming, dissolution, dialysis, centrifugation, high temperature and high pressure treatment and freeze-drying. A method of preparing silk fibroin microspheres with polyethylene glycol comprises mixing a silk fibroin solution of 1-30 wt % with a PEG solution of 10-60 w % and incubating the resulting solution. A controlled-release or sustained-release silk fibroin gel formulation includes a gel-state carrier and a drug dispersed/adsorbed therein, the carrier is a silk fibroin gel formed by blending with LMW-PEG. The freeze-dried powder will not change the native molecular weight and random coil structure of silk fibroin, and can be rapidly dissolved into a solution, and can be stored and transported for a long time, and this reduces waste of silk fibroin materials and promotes R & D and biomedical applications of silk fibroin biomaterials.

Dialysis devices include a frame defined by a plurality of sidewalls that are impermeable to a sample being dialyzed, a pair of dialysis membranes that are each associated with an opposing face of the plurality of sidewalls such that the plurality of sidewalls and the pair of dialysis membranes define a sample chamber, an outer shell surrounding at least a portion of the pair of dialysis membranes, and a cap selectively associated with the sample chamber. The cap can be selectively associated with the sample chamber via an attachment mechanism that is configured to provide aural and/or haptic feedback when the cap forms a tight association with the sample chamber. The cap can be a sensor cap having one or more probes for measuring at least one property of fluid inside and/or outside the sample chamber and a transmitter for transmitting data captured at the probe(s) to a destination device.

A method is disclosed for forming a microporous membrane that incorporates an additive having low water solubility at the membrane's active surface from a precipitation fluid. The incorporated additive at the membrane's active surface can improve one or more of the membrane's hydrophilicity, wettability, anti-fouling behavior, blood compatibility, and stability over long periods of use or repetitive use. The microporous membrane with this modified active surface can be a hollow fiber, flat sheet, or other self-supporting shape. The microporous membranes can be used for membrane filtering or a solute and/or solvent exchange process, which involve contacting aqueous-based fluid or blood with the microporous membrane, such processes for dialysis, blood oxygenation, or blood separation filtering, or other processes.

A medical monitoring device for monitoring electrical signals from the body of a subject is described. The medical monitoring device monitors electrical signals originating from a cardiac cycle of the subject and associates each cardiac cycle with a time index. The medical monitoring device applies a forward computational procedure to generate a risk score indicative of hyperkalemia, hypokalemia or arrhythmia of the subject. The medical monitoring device can adjust the forward computational procedure based upon clinical data obtained from the subject.