Abstract: Provided is a stent graft that has superior prevention of endoleakage due to being resistant to creasing, and has superior prevention of graft migration as a result of promoting cell infiltration into gaps among microfibers in a dispersed state and forming an integrated structure with the cells in the landing zone of the stent. The stent graft according to the present invention is a stent graft comprising a stent graft fabric that has microfiber bundles consisting essentially of microfilaments having a filament linear density of 0.5 dtex or less, and said microfiber bundles having a total linear density of 10 to 60 dtex/120 to 3000 filaments, for the warp and/or weft, and in which the porosity of the microfiber bundles is 30% to 95%, wherein said stent graft has said stent graft fabric being located in at least 1 cm range from the central end.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method for reducing a ?-amyloid concentration in blood. Specifically, the present invention relates to a method for reducing a ?-amyloid concentration in blood, comprising the steps of; removing blood out of a body, passing the blood that is removed through a hollow fiber membrane, and returning the blood that is passed through into the body, wherein the blood containing a ?-amyloid-albumin complex is passed through the hollow fiber membrane to allow ?-amyloid to adsorb to the hollow fiber membrane so that the ?-amyloid concentration in blood is reduced.

Abstract: The present invention is a method of puncturing a shunt blood vessel, using a incision needle having a pointed extremity that protrudes apically from a hypothetical angled plane formed by cutting straight through the tip of the needle at an angle, wherein the pointed extremity of the incision needle is inserted into a shunt blood vessel, thereby forming a reverse U-shaped incision on the surface of the shunt blood vessel, with the apex of the incision being on the bottom side in the direction of insertion.

Abstract: A plasma purifying device is provided that is capable of recovering blood and plasma remaining within the plasma purifying device easily and without risk of coagulation, following completion of plasma purification therapy. The plasma purifying device has a control unit controls flow rates of the air pump and a plasma pump so that a pressure of the filtration side space of the plasma separator is higher than a pressure of the blood side space while delivering blood to the blood side space of the plasma separator by continuing to operate a blood pump without stopping following completion of plasma purification and then delivers plasma remaining in a filtration side space of a plasma separator to a blood side space of the plasma separator or to a plasma circuit by supplying air from an air pump.

Abstract: It is an object of the present invention to provide a novel method for decreasing the number of clinical cases for which trastuzumab administration is ineffective. The present invention provides a method for treating a living individual with epithelial cancer comprising: step (a) of selectively reducing KLRG1-positive immunocytes in the peripheral blood of a living individual with epithelial cancer ex vivo, which is positive for a cancer-specific membrane antigen expressed in epithelial cancer cells and positive for a KLRG1 ligand; and step (b) of administering, to the living individual, a therapeutic agent for cancer comprising an antibody reacting with the cancer-specific membrane antigen expressed in epithelial cancer cells and having antibody-dependent cell cytotoxicity.

Abstract: It is an object of the present invention to provide a method of calibrating a pressure measurement unit for measuring the pressure inside an extracorporeal circuit while avoiding contact with the air, in which, even when the connection between an air chamber of the pressure measurement unit and a pressure measurement means is disengaged accidentally or intentionally after the operation of changing the pressure inside the extracorporeal circuit from the initial pressure, the pressure measurement unit can be reconnected and the pressure inside the extracorporeal circuit can be measured stably. After closing the extracorporeal circuit in such a way that the pressure measurement unit and a pressure adjusting means are contained in the closed section, the pressure inside the liquid chamber is adjusted to a predetermined pressure using a pressure adjusting pump, and then the pressure measurement means and the air chamber of the pressure measurement unit are connected to each other.

Abstract: It is intended to provide a method whereby a virus and leukocytes can be simultaneously eliminated from virus-containing blood and platelets can be recovered at a high yield, and a material and an apparatus therefor. A water-soluble carrier having surface which is capable of capturing a virus and leukocytes in blood but allows the permeation of platelets therethrough is brought into contact with virus-containing blood. Thus the virus and leukocytes can be simultaneously removed from the blood while platelets can be recovered at a high yield.

Abstract: It is intended to provide a porous hollow fiber membrane for treating blood which suffers from little mechanical damage in the course of production, transfer or handling and shows excellent fractionation properties though it is a thinned polysulfone-based hollow fiber membrane. A porous hollow fiber membrane for treating blood which comprises a polysulfone-based polymer and polyvinylpyrrolidone and has a gradient porous structure with an increase in pore size from the inside to the outside along the membrane thickness direction, characterized in that the porous structure has a membrane thickness of 25 ?m or more but less than 40 ?m, and fibrils having an average diameter of from 100 to 200 ?m are provided in such a manner that the ratio (To/Ti) of the average outside diameter (To) along the membrane thickness direction to the average inside diameter (Ti) is adjusted to not more than 2.

Abstract: [PROBLEMS] To provide an efficient sterilization method for inexpensively sterilizing a medical article having a complex shape such as a body fluid treatment device of a generally-called dry or semi-dry type by so applying an electron beam that the overall absorbed dose distribution is small and to provide its application package form. [MEANS FOR SOLVING PROBLEMS] A method for sterilizing tubular body fluid treatment devices of a dry or semi-dry type contained in an electron beam-transmitting case with an electron beam. The method is characterized in that a stack structure which includes a gap layer having an average density of 0.010 to 0.180 g/cm3 and two body fluid treatment device layers having an average density of 0.050 to 0.200 g/cm3 and sandwiching the gap layer is contained in the electron beam-transmitting case, and the case is irradiated with the electron beam.

Abstract: A pressure sensor for an extracorporeal circulating circuit includes a liquid chamber, a pressure measuring means, and a liquid flow path. The liquid chamber includes a reference surface not deformed by a pressure in the extracorporeal circulating circuit, a deforming surface disposed separated from the reference surface and deformed at least partially by a pressure in the extracorporeal circulating circuit, a first connection surface that joins the deforming surface with the reference surface to form a closed liquid-tight space inside them and is not deformed by a pressure in the extracorporeal circulating circuit, a liquid inflowing port provided in the side surface of the first connection surface, and a liquid outflowing port disposed away by ½ to less than one round from the inflowing port in the flowing direction of liquid introduced along the inner periphery of the side surface of the first connection surface.

Abstract: A polysulfone-based blood treatment membrane that exhibits excellent antioxidant properties, excellent long-term storage stability, and a practical strength, and ensures high productivity, a polysulfone-based blood treatment membrane that exhibits excellent antioxidant properties and long-term storage stability, rarely allows endotoxins to enter a treatment liquid, exhibits a practical strength, and ensures high productivity, and a method of producing the same. A polysulfone-based blood treatment membrane includes a polysulfone-based resin, a hydrophilic polymer, and a lipophilic antioxidant, the membrane containing the lipophilic antioxidant in an amount of 30 to 76 mg per gram of the membrane, and the total amount of the lipophilic antioxidant present on the surface of the membrane being 4 to 25 mg per gram of the membrane.

Abstract: To provide a cell-filled device that is suitable for use in, for example, an implantable or circulation type hybrid artificial organ. In a cell-filled device including hollow fiber membranes whose hollow portions are filled with cells, the hollow fiber membranes have modified cross sections, and a cell aggregate provided in each of the hollow portions has cells formed into two or more layers in arbitrary directions, provided that the distance from an arbitrary point of the cell aggregate to the nearest inner wall of hollow fiber membrane is less than 75 ?m. This cell-filled device enables effective use of cells without the necrosis thereof. Further, according to the present invention, there is provided a method of manufacturing the cell-filled device.

Abstract: Provision of a blood purification system comprising a blood purification tubing and a blood purification apparatus particularly suitable for use in continuous hemofiltration in which in the treatment of a patient with renal disease, multiple organ failure, and the like, the amount of water removed from the patient and the amount of supply to the patient can be more accurately controlled, and in which preparation operation is easy. A blood purification system comprising a blood purification tubing and a blood purification apparatus wherein the soft tubes of flow paths connecting a first planar panel and a second planar panel, and the location of the soft tubes are selected to satisfy a formula of a predetermined condition.

Abstract: The present invention provides a forming method capable of inexpensively forming a bodily fluid purification cassette which is reduced in size as small as possible. A bodily fluid purification cassette is detachably attached to a bodily fluid purification apparatus body. The bodily fluid purification cassette includes a synthetic resin box-like body; a basic element incorporated in the box-like body; a selective element selected from a bodily fluid purification element such as a dialyzer, a plasma exchange module and an immunoadsorbent cylinder; and bodily fluid flow passages which connects the basic element and the selective element with each other. The box-like body and the bodily fluid flow passages are formed by primary molding such that a cross section of a split-type structure has a predetermined shape, and the split-type structure is integrally formed into a cassette by secondary molding.

Abstract: A body fluid treating filter device capable of maintaining its treating pressure within a clinically safe pressure range even if body fluid treatment is performed over a long period and having excellent property for recovering a body fluid after the body fluid treatment is completed. A body fluid treating cylindrical filter layer is stored in a cylindrical container having two body fluid flow ports. The cylindrical filter layer is disposed so that the inner space of a container can be divided into two parts by making its both end parts fluid-tight and fixing at least one of these both end parts to the inner wall surface of the container. One of the inner spaces of the container divided by the cylindrical filter layer is allowed to communicate with the first body fluid flow port and the other of the inner spaces of the container divided by the cylindrical filter layer is allowed to communicate with the second body fluid flow port.

Abstract: A plasma purification membrane and a plasma purification system for treating diseases. The above plasma purification membrane is a hollow fiber plasma purification membrane being made of a hydrophobic polymer and a hydrophilic polymer and having a sponge-like structure wherein the pore size is continuously decreased from the outer surface of the membrane toward the inner surface thereof, characterized in that the break strength of the membrane is 50 kgf/cm2 or more and, in the case of the inner pressure filtration of bovine plasma, the total protein permeability is 50% or more while the immunoglobulin (IgM) permeability is 90% or less.

Abstract: A body fluid treating filter device capable of maintaining its treating pressure within a clinically safe pressure range even if body fluid treatment is performed over a long period and having excellent property for recovering a body fluid after the body fluid treatment is completed. A body fluid treating cylindrical filter layer is stored in a cylindrical container having two body fluid flow ports. The cylindrical filter layer is disposed so that the inner space of a container can be divided into two parts by making its both end parts fluid-tight and fixing at least one of these both end parts to the inner wall surface of the container. One of the inner spaces of the container divided by the cylindrical filter layer is allowed to communicate with the first body fluid flow port and the other of the inner spaces of the container divided by the cylindrical filter layer is allowed to communicate with the second body fluid flow port.

Abstract: A pressure sensor for an extracorporeal circulating circuit includes a liquid chamber, a pressure measuring means, and a liquid flow path. The liquid chamber includes a reference surface not deformed by a pressure in the extracorporeal circulating circuit, a deforming surface disposed separated from the reference surface and deformed at least partially by a pressure in the extracorporeal circulating circuit, a first connection surface that joins the deforming surface with the reference surface to form a closed liquid-tight space inside them and is not deformed by a pressure in the extracorporeal circulating circuit, a liquid inflowing port provided in the side surface of the first connection surface, and a liquid outflowing port disposed away by ½ to less than one round from the inflowing port in the flowing direction of liquid introduced along the inner periphery of the side surface of the first connection surface.

Abstract: It is intended to provide asymmetric porous films which are usable in blood dialysis, plasma separation, etc. and particularly excellent in the performance of selectively separating (fractionating) plasma protein, show little endogenous coagulation, complement or quinine activily and have an extremely high biocompatibility. Porous films made mainly of a synthetic polymer and having an asymmetric structure wherein, in the sectional structure, a dense layer substantially not charged at least on the outermost surface is provided in the side on which a liquid to be treated is loaded and at least part of the film other than the outermost surface is negatively charged. In the above films, the dense layer non-charged at least on the outermost surface serves as a size barrier while the part of the film other than the outermost surface serves as a charge barrier.

Abstract: It is intended to provide a polymer which is scarcely eluted, has a high biocompatibility and is useful in a filter for selectively eliminating leucocytes. It is also intended to provide a filter for selectively eliminating leucocytes, a filtration apparatus for selectively eliminating leucocytes and a system for selectively eliminating leucocytes, each having the above-described polymer. The above objects can be achieved by providing a polymer which comprises from 8% by mol to 45% by mol of a unit originating in a polymerizable monomer having a polyalkylene oxide chain, from 30% by mol to 90% by mol of a unit originating in a polymerizable monomer having a hydrophobic group, and from 2% by mol to 50% by mol of a unit originating in polymerizable monomer having a hydroxyl group.