Abstract: The present invention relates to methods for measurement and detection which employ a photosensitive indicator which may be prepared from a composition capable of offering a visual, calibrated reaction to the presence of ultraviolet radiation. The indicator preferably employs a composition comprising a complex of a leuco dye and animal-derived serum albumin. The leuco dye-serum albumin complex is capable of exacting calibration, so that scientifically significant quantitative measurements of radiation falling within the wavelengths of ultraviolet light and lower may be made. Numerous techniques useful in a variety of diagnostic applications are made possible, including the measurement of bioactive materials that are independently capable of absorbing ultraviolet wave energy, as well as bioactive materials that by association with certain ancillary materials capable of modulating their ultraviolet light absorption may similarly be quantitatively measured.

Abstract: A photosensitive composition is disclosed, which is capable of offering a visual, calibrated reaction to the presence of ultraviolet radiation. The composition comprises a complex of a leuco dye and animal-derived serum albumin. The preparation of this complex has been found to stabilize the leuco dyes, to avoid fading after the presentation of a color reaction upon exposure. Also, the leuco dye-serum albumin albumin complex is capable of exacting calibration, so that scientifically significant quantitative measurements of ultraviolet light exposure can be made. Moreover, the present composition eliminates the need for the addition to the leuco dye of various activator compounds, that are chemically unstable, e.g. volatile, or present potential exposure to toxicity, in the instance where personal applications for the photosensitive composition are contemplated.The present invention includes a method of preparing the photosensitive composition, including the preparation of an ultraviolet light indicator.

Abstract: A method and associated agents for the arrest of infections resulting from organism growth in contact with an iron-containing body fluid, comprising administering an agent capable of immobilizing the body fluid so that the iron it contains is nutritionally unavailable for the organism. In the instance where the body fluid is blood, the agent may be administered in amounts effective to bind all of the available red blood cells or hemoglobin, to prevent breakdown of either and consequent release of iron to the organism.The agents preferably include materials capable of binding red blood cells and iron, such as haptoglobin, colloidal silica, anion exchange resins and mixtures thereof. Preferably, colloidal silica is used either alone or in a composite with a polyolefin elastomer such as polyisobutylene.The agents may be coated on carriers or substrates, such as gauze pads, tampons and the like, and may be thus utilized topically, as well as intraperitoneally.

Abstract: A method for the continuous, in vivo measurement of glucose concentration in animal body fluids such as blood, comprises implanting in the body, in registry with the system for the body fluid, a glucose monitor adapted to measure the concentration of glucose as a function of changes in such electrical charge. The glucose monitor includes an electrode with an electrical charge-transfer medium comprising a reversible complex of a binding macromolecular component and a charge-bearing carbohydrate component. The electrode includes a selectively permeable membrane permitting the ingress and egress of the body fluid. In operation, glucose present in the body fluid displaces the charge-bearing carbohydrate, which then participates in the electrical activity of the electrode so that a measurable change in electrical activity can be observed when the electrode is connected to an appropriate current-responsive meter.

Abstract: A method for arresting fulminating infections of traumatized animal tissue comprises administering to the locus of the tissue trauma an agent capable of binding iron made available to infection-promoting organisms by body fluid released by the trauma. The agent is administered in an amount sufficient to bind all of the available iron, to thereby block the adsorption of the iron by the infection-promoting organisms. The agent preferably comprises one or more binding proteins having known specificity for iron-containing fractions of the body fluid. In particular, the protein haptoglobin may be utilized in the agent to complex with the hemoglobin fraction of blood, to deny access to the iron content by bacterial enzymes. The present method is preferably used in conjunction with existing infection-controlling therapy.

Abstract: An agent for reducing the cholesterol level in the blood of a warm blooded animal comprises a plurality of vesicles prepared from a non-toxic, non-biodegradable, semi-permeable material, and a quantity of a bile acid sequestrant provided in liquid form. The liquid sequestrant is disposed within the vesicles in an amount by volume of up to ninety percent of the available internal volume of the vesicle. The vesicles selectively permit the ingress of bile acids, and may preferably possess an electrical charge on their outer surface to assist the passage of the bile acids therethrough.The present invention includes a method for reducing the cholesterol level in the blood, comprising administering the reducing agent. Oral administration is preferred, and, in one embodiment, the reducing agent comprising a plurality of the vesicles may be contained within a capsule or the like.

Abstract: A method for measuring the level of glucose in animal body fluids such as blood and urine, comprises contacting the body fluid with a glucose indicator comprising a reversible complex of a carbohydrate component, a binding macromolecular component, and an indicator element bound to one of the components, and maintaining the body fluid in contact with the indicator for a period of time sufficient to permit any glucose present in the body fluid to displace the carbohydrate component in the complex, and to thereby release the indicator element to signify the presence of glucose. Preferably, the macromolecular component comprises one or more lectins, and the carbohydrate component may be one or more of the sugars for which testing is desired. The indicator element may be a dye or a color-forming radical, associated with either the lectin or the carbohydrate.