Semi-Quantitative Evaluation of Asymmetricity of Dialysis Membrane Using Forward and Backward Ultrafiltration.

Performance of the dialysis membrane is strongly dependent upon the physicochemical structure of the membrane. The objective of this study is to devise a new in vitro evaluation technique to quantify the physicochemical structures of the membrane. Three commercial dialyzers with cellulose triacetate (CTA), asymmetric CTA (termed ATA), and polyether sulfone (PES) membranes (Nipro Co.

Effects of Plasma Proteins on the Transport and Surface Characteristics of Polysulfone/Polyethersulfone and Asymmetric Cellulose Triacetate High Flux Dialyzers.

Blood-membrane interactions can have a large impact on the performance of hemodialysis membranes, particularly for high flux membranes in which the membrane itself provides very low resistance to solute transport. The objective of this study was to examine the effects of exposure to serum on the solute clearance and convective sieving characteristics of high flux polysulfone (Optiflux F250NR), polyethersulfone (ELISIO-25H), and asymmetric cellulose triacetate (SOLACEA-25H) hemodialyzers using both vitamin B and a range of polydisperse dextrans. Zeta potential measurements were used to obtain additional insights into the changes in membrane surface properties.

Transport Characteristics of Asymmetric Cellulose Triacetate Hemodialysis Membranes.

Aims: The objective of this study was to compare the transport characteristics of highly asymmetric cellulose triacetate (ATA™) membranes with that of both symmetric cellulose triacetate and asymmetric polysulfone membranes.

Methods: Data were obtained for solute clearance and sieving coefficients of vitamin B12 and a range of polydisperse dextrans using ATA™ SOLACEA-25H and Optiflux F250NR polysulfone dialyzers. Results for these, and the CT190 symmetric cellulose triacetate dialyzer, were analyzed using available membrane transport models.

Evaluation of blood adsorption onto dialysis membranes by time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry and near-field infrared microscopy.

Blood adsorption onto the inside surface of hollow fiber dialysis membranes was investigated by means of time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (TOF-SIMS) and near-field infrared microscopy (NFIR) in order to evaluate the biocompatibility and permeability of dialysis membranes. TOF-SIMS is useful for the imaging of particular molecules with a high spatial resolution of approximately 100 nm. In contrast, infrared spectra provide quantitative information and NFIR enables analysis with a high spatial resolution of less than 1 μm, which is close to the resolution of TOF-SIMS.

Fundamental Characteristics of the Newly Developed ATA™ Membrane Dialyzer.

Background: Dialysis membranes are often made from synthetic polymers, such as polysulfone. However, membranes made from cellulose triacetate have superior biocompatibility and have been used since the 1980s. On-line hemodiafiltration treatment accompanied by massive fluid replacement is increasingly being used in Europe and Japan, but cellulose triacetate is not suitable for this treatment.

Cellulose triacetate as a high-performance membrane.

The cellulose triacetate membrane is one of the typical high-performance membranes. Cellulose triacetate is a plastic material manufactured from cellulose. The hydroxyl group of cellulose is chemically substituted for the carboxyl group.