Abstract: A method of detecting an amount of a cholinesterase inhibitor in a sample comprising steps of: (a) contacting the sample with an agent capable of recovering the cholinesterase inhibitor from the sample so that the cholinesterase inhibitor is recovered, wherein the agent comprises a reactivity towards phosphyl moieties; (b) isolating the recovered cholinesterase inhibitor from the sample; (c) contacting the isolated cholinesterase inhibitor from step (b) with a test cholinesterase wherein the cholinesterase activity of the test cholinesterase before step (a) is known; and (d) measuring the cholinesterase activity to determine the amount of cholinesterase inhibitor in the sample based on the inhibition of the test cholinesterase activity from the known activity of the test cholinesterase before step (a).

Abstract: The present invention relates to a rapid, high-throughput detection method for screening of potential casualties exposed to a cholinesterase inhibitor. A kit is provided for conducting the method that requires only a small volume of sample such as blood for detection and has a rapid screening throughput for multiple casualties. The kit is able to detect both free and protein-bound-cholinesterase inhibitors. The method should be able to differentiate asymptomatic exposure from the mass psychogenic illness cases.

Abstract: Biological materials are treated with an organic chemical agent, dimethyl sulfoxide, to delay the onset of in vivo calcification. The biological materials so treated become resistant to calcification over a prolonged period with no known deleterious effects to the host. The procedure involves the incubation of the natural biological materials in the chemical agent, prior to or after glutaraldehyde fixation, at room temperature or at temperatures up to 60.degree. C. Materials that can be treated with this process include biological materials intended for bioprostheses use, such as porcine aortic valves, porcine aortic valve leaflets, bovine, equine and porcine pericardium, aortic homografts, reconstituted collagen, and the like suitable for invasive, or in-dwelling use in a human or animal body.