Abstract: A trans-anal irrigation (TAI) device has a pump base unit, an irrigation fluid reservoir, a wireless electronic controller, fluid tubing, and a disposable rectal catheter in fluid communication with the tubing. The rectal catheter has a retention balloon and a waste control valve. The fluid tubing contains two or three separate lumens for irrigation fluid and retention balloon inflation/deflation and optionally for waste control valve actuation. None of the lumens ever communicates with any other lumen. A hydraulic control circuit has a pump that pumps in one direction only but, with suitable control valves, is able to pump water to and from the retention balloon and to and from an optional waste control valve. A water temperature sensor is mounted in the pump base unit at a thin-wall section. The temperature sensor sends a signal to a controller which provides an indication of whether the water temperature is suitable for use.

Abstract: The inventive subject matter relates to a competitive method measuring stress biomarkers in bodily fluids including serum, urine and oral fluids including saliva. The inventive method measures biomarkers including cortisol, melatonin and secretory IgA by fluorescence polarization fluorescence lifetime analysis or fluorescence resonance energy transfer.

Abstract: A small, portable, hand-sized apparatus for detecting microorganisms or chemicals in liquid samples by fluorescence polarization. The apparatus operates using a low power excitation light source, such as an LED, in order to irradiate a sample with polarized light. Detection of emitted polarized light from the sample is detected in multiple planes simultaneously using low power detectors resulting in an elimination of error caused by drifts in intensity in sequential measurements and in reducing assay time.

Abstract: The inventive subject matter relates to a competitive method for the diagnosis of latent infectious disease, such as Mycobacterium tuberculosis, by estimating, the concentration of cytokine, such as interferon-gamma produced by stimulated immune cells, collected from whole blood, by Fluorescence Polarization (FP), Fluorescence Resonance Energy Transfer (FRET) or Fluorescence Lifetime (FLT) due to antibody-cytokine interaction or by dimerization of the cytokine.

Abstract: The inventive subject matter relates to a method for detecting the presence of a biological substance of interest in a test sample of saliva or oral fluid, comprising combining said test sample with a fluorescence-labeled ligand to said biological substance and detecting a change in the fluorescence polarization of said test sample produced by binding of said fluorescence-labeled ligand to said biological substance. In one aspect of the inventive subject matter, said method comprises additional steps for comparing the fluorescence polarization of said test sample with the fluorescence polarization of a control solution. Also provided is a miniaturized, portable apparatus for measuring the fluorescence polarization of a liquid sample.