Abstract: An embryo replacement catheter has a flexible extruded shaft of a transparent polyurethane with a bore extending along its length. Gas bubbles of a diameter in the range 5 &mgr; to 10 &mgr; are incorporated into the thickness of the wall of the shaft by adding gas during extrusion. The bubbles are selected to increase the visibility of the catheter under ultrasound imaging whilst still enabling material flowing along the catheter to be seen.

Abstract: The invention provides methods and kits to form water swellable gel coatings, preferably lubricious coatings, on substrates, and coated substrates thus formed. The coatings contain one or more antimicrobial metals formed with atomic disorder, together with one or more antimicrobial metals formed with atomic disorder such that the coatings provide an antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory effect when wet. The invention also provides a method to produce metal powders by sputtering a coating onto a moving surface, and then scraping the coating with one or more scrapers to produce the metal powder. The method is particularly useful for producing large amounts of nanocrystalline antimicrobial metal powders formed with atomic disorder, useful in the water swellable gel coatings of this invention.

Abstract: An introducer, such as for an endotracheal tube, comprises a solid rod made of an aliphatic polyurethane containing about 20% barium sulphate. The hardness of the material is about 60 Shore D so that the introducer is resilient within a range of deformation and beyond this range it is bendable into a set shape that only resumes its original shape at a slower rate.

Abstract: The present invention is related to a process for refining raw sugar comprising the steps of: (a) dissolving either washed raw sugar or raw sugar directly to produce a melter liquor; (b) clarifying the melter liquor; (c) crystallising the melter liquor to produce a mixture of a very low colour intermediate sugar and a syrup; (d) separating the very low colour intermediate sugar from the syrup; (e) redissolving the separated very low colour intermediate sugar to produce a fine liquor; (f) filtering the fine liquor to remove any foreign particles which may have contaminated the sugar produced in step (d); and (g) crystallising refined sugar from the fine liquor. The invention is also related to a process for producing very low colour (VLC) intermediate sugar by the steps of (a) to (d) defined above.

Abstract: A tracheal tube has an extruded suction lumen extending along its length on the outside of the curvature of the tube. The suction lumen opens internally to the main lumen through a series of holes, which increase in size towards the patient end of the tube. Towards the machine end of the tube, the suction lumen is connected to a suction source by which suction is applied to the suction lumen to remove secretions that collect inside the tube.

Abstract: A process for treating waste water containing both phenolic compounds being toxic for methanogenic organisms and degradable non-phenolic compounds prior to its anaerobic purification as well as a process for detoxifying waste water containing phenolic compounds being toxic for aquatic organisms by subjecting said waste water to an oxidative treatment in such a way that no or virtually no precipitation is formed of the polyphenol compounds produced and virtually no influence is executed on the biochemical oxygen demand and the chemical oxygen demand of the waste water.