Evaluation of a system for sorbent-assisted peritoneal dialysis in a uremic pig model.

A system for sorbent-assisted peritoneal dialysis (SAPD) has been developed that continuously recirculates dialysate via a tidal mode using a single-lumen peritoneal catheter with the regeneration of spent dialysate by means of sorbents. SAPD treatment may improve plasma clearance by the maintenance of a high plasma-to-dialysate concentration gradient and by increasing the mass transfer area coefficient (MTAC) of solutes. The system is designed for daily 8-hr treatment (12 kg, nighttime system). A wearable system (2.3 kg, daytime system) may further enhance the clearance of phosphate and organic waste solutes during the day. Uremic pigs (n = 3) were treated with the day- (n = 3) and nighttime system (n = 15) for 4-8 hr per treatment. Plasma clearance (Cl), MTAC, and total mass transport (MT) of urea, creatinine, phosphate, and potassium were compared with a static dwell (n = 28). Cl, MTAC, and MT of urea, creatinine, phosphate, and potassium were low in the pig as compared to humans due to the pig's low peritoneal transport status and could be enhanced only to a limited extent by SAPD treatment compared with a static dwell (nighttime system: Cl urea: ×1.5 (p = .029), Cl creatinine: ×1.7 (p = .054), Cl phosphate: ×1.5 (p = .158), Cl potassium: ×1.6 (p = .011); daytime system: Cl creatinine: ×2.7 (p = .040), Cl phosphate: ×2.2 (p = .039)). Sorbent-assisted peritoneal dialysis treatment in a uremic pig model is safe and enhances small solute clearance as compared to a static dwell. Future studies in humans or animal species with higher peritoneal transport should elucidate whether our SAPD system enhances clearance to a clinically relevant extent as compared to conventional PD.

Adsorption of humic acid by bi-functional resin JN-10 and the effect of alkali-earth metal ions on the adsorption.

This study investigated the adsorption of humic acid (HA) by bi-functional resin JN-10, which removed the HA more effectively than the commercial resins D-301, D-201, XAD-7, and globe active carbon F-400. The difference between the FT-IR spectroscopy and (13)C NMR analysis of JN-10 before and after it adsorbing the HA revealed that both hydrophobic interaction and electric attraction were the adsorption force for the HA. The related thermodynamic parameters exhibited that the adsorption of the HA by JN-10 was an endothermic process. The occurring of adsorption was due to the increase of entropy, and the electric attraction was also a main adsorption force. In order to investigate the influence of the molecule weight (MW) of the HA on its removal by JN-10, the HA with the MWs ranging from 2000 to 100,000 Da was divided into six fractions by ultra-filtration. The HA with a medium MW (6000-10,000 Da) was preferentially removed by JN-10 due to the synergistic effect of hydrophilicity, molecular size, and aromaticity of the HA. The adsorption capacity of JN-10 for the HA increased in the presence of low concentration of alkali-earth metal ions Ca(2+) and Mg(2+), which neutralized the negative charges of the HA, but it decreased as the concentration of these ions increased because the hydrates formed by the alkali-earth metal ions occupied the adsorption sites of the resin.

Comparison of chitin and Amberlite IRA-938 for alpha-galactosidase immobilization.

Watermelon alpha-galactosidase (EC 3.2.1.22) was immobilized on a natural (chitin) and a synthetic anion-exchange (Amberlite IRA-938) support by covalent coupling methods. The procedure entails the activation of supports with 1,1'-carbonyldiimidazole (CDI), followed by immobilization of the enzyme on to these supports without and with a spacer arm; gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA). Optimization of activation was performed by changing the CDI concentrations and coupling efficiencies. The comparison of two immobilization techniques for both chitin and Amberlite IRA-938 was made by comparing different enzyme concentrations against enzyme activity yield. Furthermore, the storage stability of the immobilized enzymes was also investigated and chitin immobilized alpha-galactosidase was found to be better. Although the activity yield of immobilized enzymes were the same for both supports, the short storage stability of immobilized enzyme on Amberlite IRA-938 is currently a drawback to its applications.

High-performance anion-exchange chromatography of ultraviolet-absorbing constitutents of human urine.

A 100-microliters urine sample was chromatographed on a column packed with a strongly basic macroreticular anion-exchange resin (Diaion CDR-10,5--7 micrometers with a nominal 35% cross linkage). The elution was performed with a linear acetate gradient from 0 to 6.0 M at an average flow-rate of 0.72 ml/min and at an average pressure of 104 kg/cm2. The relative standard deviation of retention times and peak height was +/- 4% or less. The properties of the macroreticular anion-exchange resin, the effect of the particle size, the pH of acetate buffers, and the effect of the flow-rate of the eluent on the separation were investigated. Thirty three components of urine were then resolved and named.