Kuraray Co., Ltd.

Kawasumi Laboratories. Inc.

Ryosuke Nishio

Nishio, Ryosuke

Yasuzo Kirita

Motohiro Fukuda

Yoshimichi Harada

Toshihide Nakashima

Kyoichiro Shibatani

Shiro Nagata

Taiji Nishi

Toshiyuki Zento

Yukihiro Fujieda

Akiyoshi Nakano

Takenori Kitani

Masayasu Ogushi

Masaru Kawahashi

Kimihisa Sunahara

Hidenori Gion

Keiki Kariu

Tadayuki Yamane

Kenji Kubota

Seiichi Kanai

Takashi Sato

Harada: Yoshimichi

Makoto Mukai

Hidemune Naito

Chuck Bates

Takumi Yoda

Kazuhito Zaima

Noriyuki Kurata

Yasunori Ueda

Michiko Ueda

Yoshio Yagiri

Tadashi Miyahara

[PROBLEMS] Relating to a bioassay method with the use of cultured cells and cell culture for a therapeutic purpose in the case of determining the efficacy of a drug or the like or examining the toxicity thereof, it is intended to provide a method of culturing cells under regulation in the extension direction and a cell culture plate. [MEANS FOR SOLVING PROBLEMS] A cell culture plate having a plural number of side walls () and a plural number of space structures () for providing cultured cells which are formed by the side walls (), wherein the side walls () are provided with openings () so that the space structures () are linked together. By using this cell culture plate, a method of culturing cells under regulation in the extension direction can be provided.

Method of culturing cells under regulation in the extension direction

A balloon catheter and its pilot balloon system visually indicate the state of the inflation of a balloon placed in a human body. The small pilot balloon is conveniently manufactured by blow molding utilizing substantially the same material and has substantially the same structure as the main balloon. The pilot balloon is useful for a catheter with balloon or a tube with cuff where the balloon or the cuff is made of a very resilient material. The preferred material is a blend of composition having certain properties comprising styrenic thermoplastic elastomer and polyolefin.

Pilot balloon for balloon catheters

The invention provides an apparatus and method for plasma separation which is designed so that during the process of separating blood into plasma and corpuscular components by means of plasma separation membranes, if the rate of plasma permeation through the membranes is decreased so that the trans-membrane pressure differential exceeds a predetermined value, the number of revolutions of a plasma pump is adjusted downward to permit restoration of a trans-membrane pressure differential lower than the predetermined value. The rate of plasma discharge is gradually decreased according to the varying permeability of the membranes to plasma, whereby a most effective performance of the membranes can be assured. The apparatus and method can be employed in practicing various blood treatment methods wherein blood is separated into plasma and corpuscular fractions to remove the plasma containing pathogenic factors or to remove the pathogenic factors from the plasma.

Apparatus and method for plasma separation

Separation apparatus capable of separating plasma into high molecular weight substances and low molecular weight substances containing albumin, regardless of whether plasma is obtained by separation of corpuscular components in a continuous centrifugal separator or in a batch-type centrifugal separator. The apparatus comprises a filtration membrane module, a plasma feeding circuit connecting the centrifugal separator with the filtration membrane module, a plasma return circuit for returning to a patient purified plasma freed of high molecular weight substances, a supplemental fluid circuit for supplying additional fluid to the plasma return circuit, and a condensed plasma discharge circuit for disposal of high molecular weight substances. The apparatus is controlled independently of the centrifugal separator.

Method and apparatus for plasma treatment

An apparatus for easily drawing blood from arm or leg, which is provided with an inflatable air bag to be wound around the arm or leg and to intermittently squeeze a part of the arm or leg in a fixed length. Control over inflation and contraction of the air bag by means of an electronic circuit permits free and precise change of a length of time for inflating or contracting the air bag as well as pressure in the air bag. An apparatus according to this invention for drawing blood from swollen vein extending within a part between the air bag and the tip of arm of leg can increase a quantity of blood to be drawn. Therefore, this apparatus is generally used together with an extracorporporeal blood circulation and treating apparatus.

Method for easily drawing blood from arm or leg

A method for treating blood uses a tubular body fluid passageway member at least part of which is made of a flexible material, an outer tubular member which is made of a nonflexible material and contains said tubular body fluid passageway member hermetically enclosed therein, a pressure detecting member for monitoring the pressure of the flowing body fluid by means of a fluid filled in the hermetically closed space between the outside surface of said tubular body fluid passageway member and said outer tubular member without substantial contact of the body fluid with air, and a body fluid filtering member comprising a filter. The method is especially useful for non-anticoagulant hemodialysis.

Line for use in body fluid treatment

Body cavity fluids, such as ascitic fluid and pleural fluid, are concentrated and filtered to remove bacteria and cancer cells, and the filtered concentrate is returned to the patient intravenously. The concentration and filtration are performed batch-wise, with the concentration being done before the filtration. The apparatus for concentrating and filtering includes a first container for holding the body fluid, a second container for holding the final filtered concentrate, a filter, a concentrator, a pump and two branched tubes connected to the filter and the concentrator which tubes can be selectively closed for concentrating and filtering the body fluid. The fluid outlet of the first container is designed to help prevent precipitated fibrin from passing out of the container and blocking the concentrator or filter membranes.

Apparatus for concentrating and filtering body cavity fluids

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Toyonaka, Japan

Yasuzo Kirita