A platelet filtration membrane and its application for preparing platelets rich plasma and separating platelets from blood samples are disclosed. The platelet filtration membrane comprises a coating layer and a porous substrate. The coating layer composition comprises a first copolymer having a plurality of amide groups and a second copolymer having a plurality of carboxylic acid groups, and the porous substrate comprises PE, PP, PS, PET, PTFE, PVDF, ceramic or rayon. The coating layer is on surfaces of the porous substrate to form the platelet filtration membrane.

A device including an ion-selective membrane arranged within an optical path of the device and coupled to a sample cell to interact with a fluid sample and thereby modify an optical response of the ion-selective membrane according to an ion concentration in the fluid sample, is provided. The device also includes an integrated computational element (ICE) arranged within the optical path, so that the illumination light optically interacts with the ICE and with the ion-selective membrane to provide a modified light that has a property indicative of the ion concentration in the fluid sample. A detector that receives the modified light provides an electrical signal proportional to the property of the modified light. A method and a system for using the above device are also provided.

A biological fluid separation device that is adapted to receive a multi-component blood sample is disclosed. After collecting the blood sample, the biological fluid separation device is able to separate a plasma portion from a cellular portion. After separation, the biological fluid separation device is able to transfer the plasma portion of the blood sample to a point-of-care testing device. The biological fluid separation device of the present disclosure also provides a closed separation and transfer system that reduces the exposure of a blood sample and provides fast mixing of a blood sample with a sample stabilizer. The biological fluid separation device is engageable with a blood testing device for closed transfer of a portion of the plasma portion from the biological fluid separation device to the blood testing device. The blood testing device is adapted to receive the plasma portion to analyze the blood sample and obtain test results.

The invention relates to a device (10) for extracting volatile species from a liquid (20) connected to an inlet of an analysis instrument, such as a mass spectrometer (MS). The device has a chamber (4), a membrane (5) forming a barrier for the liquid at zero differential pressure between the inside and the outside of the chamber, and allowing passage of the volatile species at zero differential pressure between the inside and the outside of the chamber. The device has an inlet capillary channel (3) to feed in a carrier gas and prevent back-diffusion from the chamber, and an outlet capillary channel (6) which provides a significant pressure reduction, e.g. from atmospheric pressure in the chamber (4) to near-vacuum suitable for an MS. The invention combines the best of two worlds, i.e. the fast time-response of a DEMS system and the high sensitivity of a MIMS system, since a differential pumping stage is not needed.

This disclosure relates to mesofluidic devices and methods for eluting and concentrating a plurality of nucleic acid molecules. The mesofluidic device includes a device frame having a bottom surface upon which is defined a first reservoir and the second reservoir. The first reservoir includes a first electrode, and the second reservoir includes a second electrode. The first and second electrodes are configured for electrical connection. The mesofluidic device includes an elongated channel extending between the first reservoir and the second reservoir. The mesofluidic device includes a first slot having a first slot width. The first slot is configured to receive an insert. The first slot intersects the elongated channel. The mesofluidic device includes a second slot having a second slot width. The second slot is configured to receive a separation material having a first porosity. The second slot intersects the elongated channel.

Provided are an extraction structure, an extraction module, and a liquid pretreatment device relating to the liquid component testing technical field. The extraction structure comprises a cavity and a first pore passage. The extraction module comprises an extraction module body, successively bottom up, including a first cavity provided therein with a second filter layer, a first pore passage provided therein with a first filter layer, and a second cavity provided therein with an extractant layer and a porous filter disc; the first and second filter layers contain therein an expansive agent; and the diameter of the first filter layer is smaller than that of the second filter disc. The liquid pretreatment device comprises a storage tank, a transfer device and the extraction module. Between the transfer device and the extraction module is provided a filter membrane for filtering and supporting.

The present invention provides a method of recovering viable microbial cells from a complex sample, said method comprising: a) providing a sample having a volume of at least 1 ml; b) contacting said sample with a buffer solution and one or more proteases, wherein said buffer solution has a pH of at least pH 6 and less than pH 11, wherein said buffer solution and said one more proteases do not comprise a detergent or a chaotrope, and wherein the buffer solution/protease/sample mixture is non-hypotonic; c) filtering the mixture obtained in step (b) through a filter suitable for retaining microbial cells; and d) recovering the microbial cells retained by the filter in step (c), wherein the recovered microbial cells are viable, and a microbial recovery device for the same.

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.

An oil removal device for removing oil from a stream (103) of oil-separated sample droplets (104) is disclosed. The oil removal device comprises a sample delivery channel (101) for conducting the stream of sample droplets to an outlet (102). A porous, hydrophobic and oleophilic absorber element (106) is arranged at the outlet of the sample delivery channel so as to absorb the oil phase (105) from the stream of oil-separated sample droplets. The oil removal device can be used in two-dimensional separation techniques such as LC-MS, LC-CE, CE-CE etc.

A water purification system is disclosed which, includes a reverse osmosis (RO) system or component that is connectable to a city or other outside water feed that is capable of responding to and compensating for low or no feed water pressure coming into the RO system to ensure the outgoing supply of purified water is provided consistently and at a minimum water pressure. This can be accomplished without the need for communication with another device or system-wide facility, such as a hospital, or a pharmaceutical or semiconductor manufacturing system, requiring a constant water supply.