A device and method for separating and recovering intestinal contents, comprising removing the impurities from the intestinal contents by means of coarse filtration and cross-flow fine filtration, followed by obtaining a concentrate by microporous membrane cross-flow filter, and collecting the target contents. The microporous membrane has a spongy porous structure, and can rapidly and effectively achieve the separation and recovery of flora from the intestinal contents by cooperation with cross-flow filtration. The separated and recovered dry flora comprises at least 10-20% of the initial wet intestinal contents, and comprises at least 10.sup.11/1 g dry flora.

A filtration filter comprises a porous film including a central film portion having a plurality of through holes and an outer edge portion adjacent to the central film portion. The porous film portion lies in a flat plane in the absence of a force being applied to the central portion of the central film portion. A frame holds the outer edge portion of the porous film in such a manner that when a force is applied to the central film portion in a first direction, the central film portion moves in the first direction relative to the flat plane and the outer edge portion moves in a second direction, opposite to the first direction, relative to the flat plane. In this way stresses applied to the porous film during a filtering operation are reduced.

A fluid filter and method for filtering fluid feed using the fluid filter is described. The fluid filter comprises an upper disk plate having a first compartment spaced apart and placed parallel to a lower disk plate having a second compartment. The feed fluid enters the first compartment in a first vortex pattern in a first direction at a first temperature, and a permeate fluid enters the second compartment in a second vortex pattern in a second direction opposite the first direction at a second temperature, wherein the second temperature is lower than the first temperature. A hydrophobic, vapor permeable membrane positioned between the upper disk plate and the lower disk plate allows vapor to pass from the first compartment to the second compartment having the permeate fluid, thus filtering the feed fluid.

A hemofiltration device capable of surely performing highly-efficient hemofiltration. The hemofiltration device of the present invention is adapted to be implanted in a mammalian body for filtering blood, and includes a blood flow path layer having a blood flow path, a filtrate flow path layer having a filtrate flow path disposed along the blood flow path, and a filtration membrane interposed between the blood flow path layer and the filtrate flow path layer, for filtering the blood flowing through the blood flow path. A filtrate outlet of the filtrate flow path is provided at a position closer to a blood outlet than to a blood inlet of the blood flow path. The blood inlet, blood outlet, and filtrate outlet are provided only on one side or separately on opposite sides of a main body portion in the direction in which the layers are stacked.

A biological fluid separation device adapted to receive a biological fluid sample having a first portion and a second portion is disclosed. The device includes a housing having a first chamber having a first chamber inlet for receiving the biological fluid sample therein and a first chamber outlet. The housing has a second chamber having a second chamber inlet and a second chamber outlet, and a separation member separating at least a portion of the first chamber outlet and the second chamber. The separation member is adapted to restrain the first portion of the biological fluid sample within the first chamber and to allow at least a portion of the second portion of the biological fluid sample to pass into the second chamber. An actuator, such as a vacuum source, draws the biological fluid sample into the first chamber and the second portion into the second chamber.

The technology disclosed herein relates to a vent assembly having a vent housing that defines a first airflow pathway, a second airflow pathway, and a third airflow pathway. The first airflow pathway is configured for fluid communication with an interior of an enclosure. The second airflow pathway is configured for fluid communication with the external environment, and the third airflow pathway extends between the first airflow pathway and the second airflow pathway. A membrane is coupled to the vent housing such that the second airflow pathway and the third airflow pathway are in communication through the membrane. Coalescing filter media is disposed within the vent housing such that the third airflow pathway and the first airflow pathway are in communication through the coalescing filter media. The vent assembly defines a spacing region between the coalescing media and the membrane.

A semipermeable membrane includes a holding body with a low water absorption property having a lattice structure and having a semipermeable property in a liquid phase. A cell-culturing device is provided with the semipermeable membrane at least at a portion thereof. A tissue-type chip is provided with the cell-culturing device including one type of cells. An organ-type chip is provided with the cell-culturing device including at least two types of cells. A kit for providing a multicellular structure is provided with an openable and closable sealed container including the tissue-type chip or, and a culture medium. An organ-type chip system is provided with at least two of the tissue-type chips or the organ-type chips, and the tissue-type chips or the organ-type chips are connected while maintaining a sealing property. A cell-culturing method is a method of using the cell-culturing device.

Disclosed herein are membrane device embodiments that can be used for separating blood plasma and/or blood serum from blood samples. The membrane device embodiments comprise built-in features that facilitate blood plasma and/or blood serum separation and also provide the ability to detect, quantify, and qualify analytes present in a blood sample. The membrane device embodiments are portable and just a single membrane can be used for a plethora of detection and analysis techniques. Also disclosed herein are embodiments of methods for making and using the membrane device.

A membrane filter apparatus for splitting a feed into filtrate and retentate is provided. The apparatus comprises a body chamber, a feed inlet disposed on the body chamber, a retentate outlet located in the body chamber, a feed distribution tube connected to the feed inlet, and a filter assembly having a filter. The feed distribution tube has a length sufficient to cause the feed to enter the body chamber at a feed distance from the filter assembly of no greater than 50% of a total length of the body chamber. The feed flows across the filter in a direction parallel to a surface of the filter assembly. The filtrate passes through the filter assembly and the retentate flows through the body chamber in a direction antiparallel to the feed flow through the feed distribution tube and out through the retentate outlet.

A filtering apparatus formed by a plurality of channel systems. Each of the channel systems include an inlet port formed on an inlet side of the plate; no more than one outlet port formed on an outlet side of the plate; and a channel formed in the plate, the channel coupled to the inlet port and to the outlet port, wherein the ratio of the product of the capture area of the inlet ports of a channel system with the first transmissivity associated with the inlet ports to the product of the capture area of the outlet ports of a channel system with the second transmissivity associated with the outlet ports is greater than one. The channel system is configured to interact with objects of interest on a scale which is smaller than a value several orders of magnitude larger than the mean free path of an object of interest. Some plate embodiments are configured to interact with particles, such as air molecules, water molecules, or aerosols. Other plate embodiments are configured to interact with waves or wavelike particles, such as electrons, photons, phonons or acoustic waves.