Patents Examined by Jane Williams
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Patent number: 5401656Abstract: This invention provides a purified immortalized human endothelial cell infected with Ehrlichia chaffeensis or Ehrlichia canis. Also provided is a method of simultaneously screening a sample from a human subject for the presence of E. chaffeensis and Rickettsia rickettsii comprising contacting the sample with immortalized human endothelial cells under conditions which allow infection of the cells and detecting the presence of infection, the presence of infection indicating the presence of E. chaffeensis and/or R. rickettsii. The invention also provides a method of screening a sample from a human subject for the presence of E. chaffeensis comprising contacting the sample with endothelial cells under conditions which allow infection of the cells by E. chaffeensis and detecting the presence of infection by E. chaffeensis the presence of infection by E. chaffeensis indicating the presence of E. chaffeensis in the sample. Finally, the invention provides a method of culturing E. chaffeensis or E.Type: GrantFiled: October 30, 1992Date of Patent: March 28, 1995Assignee: United States of AmericaInventor: Jacqueline E. Dawson
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Patent number: 5389544Abstract: A method for counting living cells of microbes in a fluid sample continuously while flowing the sample using an apparatus which comprises a system for supplying at a predetermined rate to the flow line of the sample a reagent, such as, a derivative of fluorescein, capable of reacting with one or more substances intrinsic of the living cell, such as enzyme, to form an accumulative fluorescent product within the living cells; a reactor inserted in the flow line of the sample and being provided for the reaction of the reagent with the cell-intrinsic substance in the living cells; a photometric detection system arranged subsequent to the reactor for detecting fluorescence emitted as individual luminous point from the fluorescent product in each of the living cells floating in the flowing sample upon irradiation of the fluorescent product by an exciting ray; and an electronic unit including a pulse counter for counting electric pulses produced from each fluorescence from the luminous point.Type: GrantFiled: February 21, 1991Date of Patent: February 14, 1995Assignee: Mitsubishi Jukogyo Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Kiyoshi Sugata, Ryohei Ueda, Takashi Doi, Takashi Onishi, Kazunori Matsumoto
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Patent number: 5387508Abstract: Cytotoxic agents, and particularly DNA-damaging agents, can be detected in a sample by a method comprising the steps of(a) adding the sample to a living culture of Tetramitus rostratus in flagellate form,(b) determining the growth rate of the T. rostratus culture in the presence of the sample, and(c) comparing the growth rate of the T. rostratus culture in the presence of the sample to a standard growth rate. A decrease in growth rate is indicative of the presence of cytotoxic agents in the sample. The use of the flagellate T. rostratus allows this assay to be used on solid as well as liquid or gaseous samples because T. rostratus ingests particulate materials via a gullet.Type: GrantFiled: May 14, 1992Date of Patent: February 7, 1995Inventor: Robert L. Jaffe
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Patent number: 5385830Abstract: The present invention provides a method for measuring the amount of free sulfurous acid and bound sulfurous acid in a sample using a bacterium belonging to Thiobacillus thiooxidans or Thiobacillus ferrooxidans of in which the sample is treated with acid and/or alkali to give free sulfurous acid alone in the sample. Then, the total amount of free sulfurous acid in the sample is measured by an oxidation reaction of free sulfurous acid to sulfuric acid using a bacterium belonging to Thiobacillus thiooxidans or Thiobacillus ferrooxidans.Type: GrantFiled: October 4, 1991Date of Patent: January 31, 1995Assignee: Nakano Vinegar Co., Ltd.Inventors: Yoshifumi Amano, Kazuo Nakamura, Hiroshi Kurosawa, Takeshi Sato, Hirofumi Akano, Yoshiya Kawamura
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Patent number: 5385826Abstract: A method of performing an assay to determine whether a patient has been exposed to or infected by Borrelia burgdorferi is disclosed which comprises collecting serum from the patient; preparing a sample mixture comprising a portion of the patient's serum and an inoculum of viable Borrelia burgdorferi organisms; incubating the sample mixture; determining the number of viable organisms remaining in the sample mixture after incubation; and comparing the number with the quantity of viable organisms remaining in a control. An assay kit is also disclosed which is useful for determining whether a patient has been exposed to or infected by Borrelia burgdorferi. The kit contains reagents necessary to practice the assay method disclosed herein. In its broadest form, the kit comprises an inoculum of viable Borrelia burgdorferi organisms. The kit can also contain an aliquot of normal serum, an aliquot of BSK medium and/or an aliquot of complement. Other reagents, tubes and other materials can also be included in the kits.Type: GrantFiled: August 9, 1993Date of Patent: January 31, 1995Assignee: Gundersen Medical Foundation, Ltd.Inventors: Ronald F. Schell, Steven M. Callister
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Patent number: 5380650Abstract: In an assay in which a ligand is labelled by conjugation to a dihydrophthalazinedione (DPD), e.g. luminol or isoluminol, and the conjugated DPD is reacted with an oxidant, e.g. hydrogen peroxide, and an active heme group catalyst, e.g. microperoxidase, the light intensity is enhanced by certain sterically hindered amines defined as saturated bicyclic compounds having a nitrogen atom at one or both bridgehead positions or a piperidine ring compound having four C.sub.1-4 alkyl groups at the 2- and 6- positions. 1,4-Diazabicyclo[2.2.2]-octane, known as "DABCO" is preferred.Type: GrantFiled: March 23, 1989Date of Patent: January 10, 1995Assignee: British Technology Group Ltd.Inventors: Geoffrey J. R. Barnard, Dean Goodwin, Robert S. Davidson
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Patent number: 5380652Abstract: Pathogenic microorganisms such as Staphylococcus aureus are differentiated and identified by observing the selective inhibition of the microorganism which occurs when it is contacted with Alphazurine A dye.Type: GrantFiled: August 3, 1993Date of Patent: January 10, 1995Inventors: William W. Ayres, John Duda
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Patent number: 5374551Abstract: The present invention relates generally to differential carbon source metabolism in the genus Listeria, metabolic, biochemical, immunological and genetic procedures to measure said differential carbon source metabolism and the use of these products to detect, isolate and/or distinguish species of the genus Listeria as well as detect, isolate and/or distinguish strains of species of Listeria. The present invention also contemplates test kits and enrichment media to facilitate these procedures.Type: GrantFiled: July 24, 1992Date of Patent: December 20, 1994Assignee: Biolog, Inc.Inventor: Barry R. Bochner
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Patent number: 5371004Abstract: The present invention relates to a method and a device for the biological detection of radiation by microorganisms in form of a microorganism coating provided on a sheet substrate, which microorganism coating is exposed, optionally after calibration by exposure to a defined radiation dose, to the radiation to be detected. The principle of evaluating the biologically weighted quantification of the radiation dose consists of photometrically determining the decrease in response to the radiation dose of the amount of synthetically formed products upon selectively staining the biosynthesis products.Type: GrantFiled: September 2, 1993Date of Patent: December 6, 1994Assignee: Deutsch Forschungsanstalt fur Luft- und Raumfahrt E.V.Inventor: Lothar Quintern
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Patent number: 5369021Abstract: A microorganism for selective production of a specific compound of avermectin having one or more of the following properties:specific accumulation of avermectin compound "a",effective incorporation of isoleucine or its keto acid (3-methyl-2-oxovaleric acid) into avermectin molecule, andmarkedly suppressed incorporation of valine or its keto acid (2-oxoisovaleric acid) into avermectin molecule.Type: GrantFiled: December 30, 1992Date of Patent: November 29, 1994Assignee: The Kitasato InstituteInventors: Omura Satoshi, Ikeda Haruo
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Patent number: 5356793Abstract: The present invention relates to a method of testing the sensitivity of cancer drugs with cancer cells cultured in vitro. Cancer cells are cultured in a collagen gel substrate. A wide variety of human cancer cell types readily proliferate in the collagen gel substrate, however, fibroblast cells proliferate as well. The measurement of the growth of the cancer cells is hindered by the presence of the fibroblast cells. The present invention solves this problem by counting the number of colonies with an image processor which selectively extracts the image signals of cancer cells and their colonies. In a second embodiment, the growth of cancer cells is determined by measuring the volume of colonies with the image signals of cancer cells and their colonies selectively extracted. The results can be obtained effectively within a short period of time.Type: GrantFiled: February 1, 1991Date of Patent: October 18, 1994Assignee: Nitta Gelatin Inc.Inventors: Masahiro Koezuka, Naohito Kondo, Sachiko Oda, Hisayuki Kobayashi, Masayuki Yasutomi
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Patent number: 5354663Abstract: A test kit and method for the detection of antimicrobial drugs at low concentrations in a sample in a test container, such as milk, which includes a Bacillus stearothermophilus (BST) tablet and a medium tablet with nutrients to stress the BST and, optionally, a pH indicator. The method comprises preheating a test sample to destroy natural inhibitors, cooling the sample, adding a BST tablet, rapidly heating to effect synchronization of BST germination, adding a medium tablet, incubating and detecting the presence or absence of the antimicrobial drug. The test apparatus includes optionally a test apparatus for the controlled, sequenced heating and cooling of the test sample.Type: GrantFiled: November 12, 1991Date of Patent: October 11, 1994Assignee: Charm Sciences, Inc.Inventors: Stanley E. Charm, Eliezer Zomer, Thomas Lieu, Max Gandman, Lea Gandman
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Patent number: 5350679Abstract: A repeat insult microbial test method in which an antimicrobial agent is applied to a porous permeable substrate. The porous permeable substrate is inoculated with microorganisms, and the porous permeable substrate is incubated for a predetermined period of time, at a temperature which is conducive to the flourishment of the microorganisms. The porous permeable substrate is reinoculated and reincubated a predetermined plurality of times and the inoculated porous permeable substrate is incubated for a final period of time between 18-24 hours at the temperature used previously. The porous permeable substrate is then examined, and the growth of microorganisms is determined.Type: GrantFiled: June 14, 1993Date of Patent: September 27, 1994Assignee: Dow Corning CorporationInventor: Carol A. Hess
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Device and method for the detection of microorganisms which produce low-molecular-weight metabolites
Patent number: 5348884Abstract: Selective detection of microorganisms is achieved by a screening technique in which radioactively labeled, low-molecular-weight metabolites produced by microorganisms to be detected reach an adsorption medium through a semipermeable medium which passes the labeled metabolites but blocks the labeled incubation medium. The adsorption medium is then subject to analysis, such as autoradiography, to detect the presence of the labeled metabolites.Type: GrantFiled: August 4, 1993Date of Patent: September 20, 1994Assignee: Lonza Ltd.Inventor: Hans Kulla -
Device and method for the detection of microorganisms which produce low-molecular-weight metabolites
Patent number: 5348861Abstract: Selective detection of microorganisms is achieved by a screening technique in which radioactively labeled, low-molecular-weight metabolites produced by microorganisms to be detected reach an adsorption medium through a semipermeable medium which passes the labeled metabolites but blocks the labeled incubation medium. The adsorption medium is then subject to analysis, such as antoradiography, to detect the presence of the labeled metabolites.Type: GrantFiled: October 18, 1991Date of Patent: September 20, 1994Assignee: Lonza Ltd.Inventor: Hans Kulla -
Patent number: 5340724Abstract: The present invention relates to the use of taxol dependent cells, e.g. Tax 2-4 CHO cell line, as the basis of a screen for taxol or taxol-like compounds.Type: GrantFiled: April 25, 1991Date of Patent: August 23, 1994Assignee: The Upjohn CompanyInventor: Irene Abraham
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Patent number: 5340723Abstract: The present invention pertains to a method for diagnosing for an aneurysm in a patient which comprises the steps of (a) explanting a skin section containing dermal fibroblast from the patient; (b) culturing the fibroblast to confluence in a culture medium; (c) incubating the cultured fibroblast with labeled proline to provide labeled procollagen in the culture medium; (d) separating the culture medium from the labeled procollagen and treating the labeled procollagen with a solution of protease inhibitor; (e) separating and purifying the labeled procollagen from the solution of protease inhibitor; (f) subjecting the labeled procollagen to protease digestion specific for non-collagenous proteins to form a collagenous mixture; (g) analyzing the collagenous mixture for the ratio of type I collagen to type III collagen; (h) analyzing a control collagenous mixture for the ratio of type I collagen to type III collagen; and (i) comparing the ratio of type I collagen to type III collagen in the collagenous mixture ofType: GrantFiled: April 16, 1992Date of Patent: August 23, 1994Assignee: University of Medicine & Dentistry of New JerseyInventors: Charles D. Boyd, Susan B. Deak
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Patent number: 5334384Abstract: A process for the separation of streptokinase from contaminating proteins in a streptokinase-containing mixture, which comprises treating the mixture with a reducing agent to reduce disulphide bridges in the contaminating proteins to free thiol groups, contacting the mixture with a reagent R-X wherein R is a group capable of reacting with a free thiol group and X is a group R.sup.1 capable of reacting with a free thiol group or is a thiol-containing matrix, and thereafter separating the resulting chemically modified contaminating proteins from the mixture to provide streptokinase in a form substantially free of contaminating proteins.Type: GrantFiled: October 17, 1989Date of Patent: August 2, 1994Assignee: Beecham Group p.l.c.Inventors: Christopher J. Mannix, Richard A. G. Smith, Ceri J. Lewis, Julian S. Harber
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Patent number: 5330898Abstract: A method for the detection of at least one polyamine associated with bacterial infection, which comprises contacting a sample suspected of containing polyamine-associated bacteria in aqueous medium at alkaline pH with indigo carmine and dimethyl sulfoxia and observing whether a blue color develops in five minutes indicating the presence of polyamine.Type: GrantFiled: October 3, 1991Date of Patent: July 19, 1994Assignee: Diagnostic Markers, Inc.Inventors: David Bar-Or, Clive Solomons
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Patent number: 5328844Abstract: The present invention provides a culture medium designated COF 1769 useful for establishing, growing and maintaining mammalian cells in culture, in particular for the establishment and culture of human normal and malignant cells. Also provided by the invention is an improved method for obtaining growth of mammalian cells.Type: GrantFiled: June 24, 1992Date of Patent: July 12, 1994Assignee: University of Colorado Foundation, Inc.Inventor: George E. Moore