Abstract: The present invention, in some aspects, relates to systems and methods for determining oxidized proteins, including glutathionylated proteins such as S-glutathionylated proteins. The systems and methods of the invention can be used in vitro (e.g., in cell or tissue culture) or in vivo, for example, to diagnose a person having an oxidative stress condition. For instance, in some cases, the invention can be used to spatially determine the location and/or concentration of oxidized proteins within cells and/or tissues (e.g., through visual detection). In one set of embodiments, a glutathionylated or otherwise oxidized moiety on a protein may be reacted with a detection entity, which may be, for example, fluorescent, radioactive, electron-dense, able to bind to a signaling entity or a binding partner in order to produce a signal, etc.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a device for determining the chemical composition of a living eye comprising light emitting means, light guidance means comprising at least one first focussing lense (2) having an entry surface (2a) and an exit surface (2b) to be brought in optical contact with the eye for illuminating at least part of said eye with a light beam emitted by said light emitting means and for receiving and guiding at least a fraction of the light beam leaving the eye as a result of said illumination towards light detecting means for determining the chemical composition of said eye by analysing said fraction of light and wherein said light guidance means are arranged for illuminating said part of the eye with a light beam having an oblique angle of incidence with respect to the visual axis of the eye.

Abstract: Method and arrangement for performing measurements of the topography of a surface (20), such as topography of an eye surface (20), wherein projecting means (1, 12) for projecting an image onto said surface (20) comprises a projection light source (1), and wherein at least a fraction of light leaving the surface (20) as a result of said projection is received using one or more receiving units (31, 32), such as charged coupled device (CCD) based cameras. The topography of the surface (20) is determined by analysis of said fraction of light leaving the surface (20), due to thermal emmission and the image projected onto the surface (20) is projected with light comprising a colour for which the surface (20) is opaque, such as infrared light.

Abstract: The present invention discloses novel smooth muscle cell specific promoters and uses thereof. The promoters are suited for providing nucleic acid of interest with the capability of expressing specifically in a contractile smooth muscle cell, preferably a vascular contractile smooth muscle cell and/or a visceral contractile smooth muscle cell. One example of such a promoter is a smoothelin gene promoter. For gene therapy purposes said smoothelin gene promoter is preferably derived from a human. A promoter of the invention may be incorporated into nucleic acid delivery vehicle. The nucleic acid delivery vehicle preferably comprises a virus-like particle such as an adenovirus particle, an adeno-associated virus particle or a retrovirus particle.

Abstract: In a method of determining heparin content, a known amount of thrombin (FIIa) or activated coagulation factor X (FXa) is added to a mixture which comprises a known concentration of chromogenic substrate (S), a known concentration of antithrombin (AT) and a sample having an unknown heparin concentration. The amount of FIIa or FXa is chosen such that at most 20%, of the S present is reacted during the period which the AT needs to deactivate all the FIIa or FXa present. The final concentration of the reacted chromogenic substrate p-nitroanilide ([pNA].sub.final) is determined after completion of the reactions, and the [pNA].sub.final is used to determine the rate constant (k.sub.dec) of the reaction of FIIa or FXa with AT using the relationship: ##EQU1## The heparin concentration in the sample can then be determined using the value of k.sub.dec from a predetermined calibration curve of k.sub.dec against heparin concentration.