Abstract: The present invention suppresses the formation of a pocket in a wall of a puncture route when a dull needle is moved forward along the puncture route. In order to achieve such aim, the invention provides a needle to be inserted into a puncture route extending from skin to a blood vessel under the skin to puncture the blood vessel, wherein: the needle is formed in a tubular shape and has an inclined end face at a tip of the needle, the inclined end face being inclined relative to an axis of the needle, a tip end of the inclined end face defining an unsharp edge; the needle has a flexibility of needle elastic modulus nE=1-900 Nmm as defined by an equation to be set forth below; a material of the needle is a resin; and the needle is manufactured by injection molding using a ring-shaped gate.

Abstract: A hemodialysis system includes a body fluid volume calculating unit, a dialysis condition input unit with which blood flow velocity and dialysis fluid flow velocity in hemodialysis treatment performed after specific hemodialysis treatment can be input and input values of the blood flow velocity and the dialysis fluid flow velocity can be adjusted, a dialysis dose calculating unit configured to calculate, when the blood flow velocity and the dialysis fluid flow velocity are input to the dialysis condition input unit, by analyzing a mathematical model concerning urea kinetics, a dialysis dose of the hemodialysis treatment from the input blood flow velocity and the input dialysis fluid flow velocity, a body fluid volume calculated by the body fluid volume calculating unit, and the like, and a dialysis dose display unit configured to display the hemodialysis dose calculated by the dialysis dose calculating unit.

Abstract: The success rate of the insertion of a dull needle into a puncture hole is improved. A puncture needle is provided which is inserted into a puncture route that is formed to cover from a skin surface to a shunt vessel surface so as to expand an incision of a puncture hole formed in the shunt vessel surface. The puncture needle has an inclined end face that is inclined toward a front end of the needle, and a front end part of the inclined end face has an edge having no sharpness. Right and left side parts of the inclined end face which are contiguous with the front end part are respectively inclined outward, and side edges of the side parts are provided with cutting lines.

Abstract: A hemodialysis system includes a body fluid volume calculating unit, a dialysis condition input unit with which blood flow velocity and dialysis fluid flow velocity in hemodialysis treatment performed after specific hemodialysis treatment can be input and input values of the blood flow velocity and the dialysis fluid flow velocity can be adjusted, a dialysis dose calculating unit configured to calculate, when the blood flow velocity and the dialysis fluid flow velocity are input to the dialysis condition input unit, by analyzing a mathematical model concerning urea kinetics, a dialysis dose of the hemodialysis treatment from the input blood flow velocity and the input dialysis fluid flow velocity, a body fluid volume calculated by the body fluid volume calculating unit, and the like, and a dialysis dose display unit configured to display the hemodialysis dose calculated by the dialysis dose calculating unit.

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 manufacturing method of an artificial organ formed of a material having a solubility parameter &dgr; of not more than 13 (cal/cm3)½ involves filling micropores of the body fluid treatment membrane with a filling solution having no or little solubility with respect to a fat-soluble modifier solution, and coating a portion of the body fluid treatment membrane with the fat-soluble modifier by contacting the fat-soluble modifier solution. With this method substantially only the necessary portions need to be coated with the fat-soluble modifier so that a smaller amount of the fat-soluble modifier may be employed. A microporous membrane is formed of a synthetic polymer substrate having a solubility parameter &dgr; of not more than 13 (cal/cm3)½, with not less than 50 wt % of fat-soluble modifier included in the hollow fiber membrane being held on a surface which may contact body fluid. The membrane possesses the following sieve coefficients measured by dextrans: no more than 0.

Abstract: A process for producing a hollow fiber membrane, a hollow fiber membrane, and a dialyzer of hollow fiber membrane type is provided. The hollow fiber membrane is highly biocompatible, and the production process is quite simple and inexpensive. In the process of the invention, the hollow fiber membrane is produced in a system wherein a polymer-containing spinning solution is extruded from a tube-in-tube type orifice of a spinner in a coagulation solution to form the hollow fiber membrane. The polymer-containing spinning solution is extruded from the outer tube of the orifice to form a cylindrical filament having an inner bore and a core solution is ejected from the inner tube of the orifice into the inner bore of the filament for coagulation of the filament. The filament is directly extruded into the coagulation solution or extruded into air and then drawn to the coagulation solution.

Abstract: An information processing apparatus having a work suspend/resume function which allows operator to use a main memory shared by different processings even when work suspension information is saved therein. A system for allowing a same operational environment as that set up in one information processing apparatus to be easily implemented in another information processing apparatus. A main memory used by a CPU for execution of processings has a function for storing information concerning the state of the information processing apparatus prevailing at a time point when execution of a given processing is suspended by a CPU for allowing the suspended processing to be performed in continuation later on. When the suspension state information has already been stored in the main memory by a former user, the suspension state information is transferred to a removable nonvolatile storage device so that the CPU can perform other processing than the suspended one by using the main memory.

Abstract: A dialyzer provided in a cylindrical housing with a bundle of hollow fiber membranes and first flow paths and second flow paths separated from each other by said hollow fiber membranes and allowed to effect dialysis and ultrafiltration through the medium of said hollow fiber membranes between a body liquid flowing through said first flow paths and a dialyzing liquid flowing through said second flow paths, characterized in that a constricted part is formed halfway in the length of said second flow paths with a material capable of being swelled by said dialyzing liquid so as to confer a difference of pressure on said dialyzing liquid on the upstream side and the downstream side of said dialyzing liquid relative to said constricted part.

Abstract: A medical material which comprises an oil-soluble vitamin hydrophobically bound to a hydrophobic moiety containing macromer which is bound to the surface of a polymeric substrate via a copolymer is described. Suitable macromers include for example glycidyl methacrylate-linoleic acid. Suitable polymeric substrate materials include, in particular, cellulose. Methods for producing said medical material are also provided.

Abstract: The invention provides a medical material in which biocompatibility is provided to a substrate stably for over an extended period of time because of the ability of the material to reduce or prevent undesirable physiological properties inherent in the substrate, such as blood clotting, activation of complement system, platelet adhesion and the like. Such abilities are effected by the bonding of a fatty acid and/or its derivative to the substrate through a polymer.

Abstract: Medical materials comprising a reaction product of a copolymer comprising an epoxy group-containing hydrophilic polymeric moiety and a florinated side chain-containing hydrophobic polymeric moiety and a macromolecular compound having a large number of hydroxy groups, amino groups and/or carboxyl groups.The copolymer is preferably composed of 45-55% by weight of the epoxy group-containing hydrophilic polymeric moiety and the rest of the fluorinated side chain-containing hydrophobic polymeric moiety. The copolymer and the macromolecular compound are bound between the above-mentioned epoxy group and the above-mentioned hydroxyl, amino and/or carboxyl groups.

Abstract: A medical material comprising a high-molecular weight material and a heparin derivative is provided, which high-molecular weight material comprises a high-molecular weight compound having functional groups capable of binding with epoxy groups, a compound having at least two amino groups and a polymer having a number of epoxy groups, said functional groups and some of said amino groups being bound to said epoxy groups, and which heparin derivative comprises heparin and an epoxy compound having at least two epoxy groups part of which is bound to amino groups in the heparin, the amino groups not bound to the epoxy groups in said high-molecular weight material being bound to the epoxy groups not bound to the amino groups in the heparin derivative. Also provided are an intermediate (high-molecular weight material) to be used for said medical material, as well as processes for producing said medical material and said intermediate.

Abstract: A method for the production of a hollow fiber membrane by the steps of discharging a spinning dope through an annular spinning nozzle and, at the same time, introducing a non-coagulating liquid for the spinning dope into the central cavity in a hollow fiber of the spinning dope being discharged, and then introducing the discharged fiber of the spinning dope into a coagulating liquid thereby solidifying the discharged fiber into a hollow fiber membrane, which method is characterized by incorporating a surface modifying agent in said non-coagulating liquid thereby modifying the inner surface behavior of the produced hollow fiber membrane.

Abstract: The cellulosic hollow-fiber membranes of the invention are useful in fluid processing apparatus typically for artificial dialysis. Each fiber has a tubular microporous wall having micropores and defining a lumen. The micropores have an average pore diameter of about 55 to about 300 .ANG.. The cellulosic hollow fibers exhibit a percent removal of .beta..sub.2 -microglobulin through adsorption of up to 10% after a solution of 20 mg/l of .beta..sub.2 -microglobulin in water is circulated through the fiber lumen for 3 hours. They also exhibit a sufficient filtration fraction of .beta..sub.2 -microglobulin and a ultrafiltration rate to remove .beta..sub.2 -microglobulin from blood predominantly through filtration while preventing contamination of the membranes with .beta..sub.2 -microglobulin due to adsorption and controlling the amount of water removed from the blood.

Abstract: A hollow fiber membrane fluid processing apparatus comprising a housing, a fluid processing hollow fiber membrane bundle in the housing, partitions fluid tightly securing the opposed ends of the fiber bundle to the housing ends, a space being defined by the hollow fiber membrane outer surface, the housing inner surface, and the partitions, inlet and outlet ports for a first fluid disposed in the housing adjacent the opposed ends thereof in fluid communication with the space, and inlet and outlet ports for a second fluid disposed at the housing ends in fluid communication with the interior of the hollow fiber membranes is characterized in that the portion of the hollow fiber membranes in contact with each partition swells little upon contact with water-containing fluid.