Abstract: The present invention relates to a bioassay element and its producing method. The bioassay element includes a carrier, a testing material, and a coating film, in which the testing material is dispersed in the coating film which covers on the surface of the carrier and comprises a casein and calcium ions. The bioassay element is produced by applying a bioassay solution which includes a testing material, a casein and calcium ions to the carrier, and then drying the bioassay solution.

Abstract: Disclosed are screening methods for determining a human subject's propensity to develop a vascular disorder and/or age-related macular degeneration (AMD), therapeutic or prophylactic compounds for treating disease or inhibiting its development, and methods of treating patients to alleviate symptoms of the disease, prevent or delay its onset, or inhibit its progression. The inventions are based on the discovery that persons with a genome having a deletion of the CFHR-1 and/or CFHR-3 gene, which normally lie on human chromosome 1 between DNA encoding CFH and CFHR-4, are at reduced risk of developing AMD, and elevated risk of developing vascular disease such as aneurysm.

Abstract: The invention provides an activation method of ?-amylase. ?-Amylase or particles containing the same are contacted with an oxidizing agent or particles containing the same. After contacting, the activated ?-amylase can be separated from the oxidizing agent. After contacting, ?-amylase and the oxidizing agent can be incorporated in the form of a mixture into a detergent base to give a detergent composition.

Abstract: A method for quantitatively determining cholesterol in high-density lipoprotein in a sample, which comprises: reacting a sample with i) cholesterol esterase and cholesterol oxidase or ii) cholesterol esterase, an oxidized coenzyme and cholesterol dehydrogenase in an aqueous medium comprising i) nonionic surfactant, polyanion and albumin or ii) a combination of a surfactant selected from the group consisting of polyoxyethylene alkylamine or polyoxyethylene alkenylamine and a surfactant selected from the group consisting of polyoxyethylene polycyclic phenyl ether sulfate and an anionic bile acid derivative, and measuring the formed hydrogen peroxide or a reduced coenzyme; and a reagent used therefor.

Abstract: Methods and kits for assessing proteolytic enzyme activity and a modulator's effect thereof employ a Ubiquitin or Ubiquitin-like Protein and a signal producing structure. The corresponding fusion polynucleotide is employed for production of transgenic cells, plants and animals that may be produced by stably transfection, optionally transforming the cell, plant or animal with a Ubiquitin-, UBL- or their C-terminal binding functional fragment-Reporter fusion polynucleotide. A method of diagnosing a disease or condition, comprises contacting or administering a sample obtained from a subject suspected of being afflicted with the disease or condition with the cell, plant or animal, detecting any signal produced by the reporter in the presence of the sample and comparing the signal to controls for 0% and 100% signals.

Abstract: A wound dressing composition comprising a human recombinant collagen and an oxidized cellulose. For example, the composition may be in the form of a sponge formed by freeze drying an aqueous dispersion of human recombinant collagen and oxidized regenerated cellulose (ORC). The composition is especially suitable for the treatment of chronic wounds.

Abstract: The invention provides a novel method of dissociating anchorage independent and dependent cell aggregates. The invention also includes the cells resulting from the methods of the invention and the use of the cells in various applications requiring the generation of a single cell suspension.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method for stabilizing reduced coenzyme Q10, which is useful as a food, nutritional product, nutritional supplement, animal drug, drink, feed, cosmetic, pharmaceutical product, therapeutic drug, prophylactic drug and the like. The present invention also provides a method of producing a reduced coenzyme Q10-containing composition which includes the co-presence of reduced coenzyme Q10 and reduced coenzyme Q9 and/or reduced coenzyme Q11.

Abstract: Provided is a test system, a test method and a test kit for the determination of the presence of an antibiotic in a fluid based on a test medium comprising a test organism, at least one substance that provides a solid state, nutrients and an indicator, wherein the end-pH of said test medium at or after the time required for said determination is equal to or higher than 7.2 Said pH value can be realized by adding oligosaccharides, preferably a disaccharide or trisaccharide (eg. Lactose, gentobiose, maltotriose). Most preferably, said oligosaccharide is a non-reducing oligosaccharide (eg. Raffinose, sucrose or trehalose).

Abstract: There is provided a lipase composition comprising (a) a powdered lipase which is a lipase derived from Rhizomucor sp. or a powdered lipase which is a lipase derived from Penicillium sp. and (b) a powdered lipase selected from the group consisting of a powdered lipase which is a lipase derived from Alcaligenes sp., a powdered lipase which is a lipase derived from Rhizopus sp. and a powdered lipase which is a lipase derived from Thermomyces sp. When using this lipase composition, a compound(s) having at least one alcoholic hydroxyl group in the molecule can be effectively esterified with a carboxylic acid(s).

Abstract: This invention relates to a highly efficient artificial low-density lipoprotein (LDL) carrier system for the targeted delivery therapeutic agents across the blood-brain barrier (BBB). In particular, this invention relates to artificial LDL particles comprised of three lipid elements: phosphatidyl choline, fatty-acyl-cholesterol esters, and at least one apolipoprotein. The present invention further relates to compositions, methods and kits comprising artificial LDL particles for targeting drugs to and across the BBB for the prevention and treatment of brain diseases.

Abstract: The present invention aims to enable highly reliable measurement of a glycated amine. A fructosyl amino acid oxidase (FAOD) is added to a sample to remove a non-analyte glycated amine that is present in the sample and different from an analyte glycated amine. Thereafter, a protease is added to the sample to degrade the analyte glycated amine, and the degradation product of the analyte glycated amine reacts with the FAOD that has already been added to the sample. By measuring this redox reaction, the amount of the analyte glycated amine can be measured.

Abstract: A standardized, lyophilized edible food containing a biologically safe stable marker for use in the measurement of gastric emptying by the quantification of marker excreted in the breath of the patient.

Abstract: Families of compositions are provided as labels, referred to as eTag reporters for attaching to polymeric compounds and assaying based on release of the eTag reporters from the polymeric compound and separation and detection. For oligonucleotides, the eTag reporters are synthesized at the end of the oligonucleotide by using phosphite or phosphate chemistry, whereby mass-modifying regions, charge-modifying regions and detectable regions are added sequentially to produce the eTag labeled reporters. By using small building blocks and varying their combination large numbers of different eTag reporters can be readily produced attached to a binding compound specific for the target compound of interest for identification. Protocols are used that release the eTag reporter when the target compound is present in the sample.

Abstract: A method of easily detecting a slight percentage of seeds contaminated with a seed-transmissible pathogen as mixed in among a large number of seeds is provided. The method comprises placing a substratum for germination with seeds disposed thereon in a hermetic container, adding an extractant to the hermetic container after germination of the seeds, mixing up the seedlings resulting from germination of the seeds, the germination substratum and the extractant with stirring and/or pressing, and using the mixed liquid derived therefrom as a test material for detecting pathogenic bacteria possibly occurring therein.

Abstract: A method and system for rapidly detecting Candida on the skin of a host, such as an infant with diaper rash, is provided. The method includes contacting a dermal sample with a colorant that exhibits a certain spectral response (e.g., color change) in the presence of Candida. For example, the colorant may change from a first color to a second color, from colorless to a color, or from a color to colorless. The colorant is typically capable of differentiating between Candida (e.g., Candida albicans) and other microorganisms commonly associated with diaper rash, such as S. aureus and E. coli. Thus, when a dermal sample is placed into contact with the colorant, the color change may simply be observed to determine whether the infection is caused by Candida. If the color change occurs to a certain extent (e.g., from yellow to bright red), it may be determined that the test sample contains Candida. Likewise, if a color change occurs to a lesser extent (e.g.

Abstract: A method for rapidly detecting infectious conjunctivitis in a host is provided. The method includes contacting an ocular test sample with a chromogen (e.g., Reichardt's dye) that exhibits a color change in the presence of a microbe. The present inventors have discovered that the extent of the color change may vary depending on whether the microbe is a bacteria or virus. Without intending to be limited by theory, the present inventors believe that the chromogen interacts with the peptidoglycan-based cell wall structure of bacteria to induce a color change that is even more apparent at infectious levels. It is believed that this interaction occurs to a much greater extent in bacteria than in viruses. Accordingly, although the chromogen may still undergo a color change in the presence of the viruses, it is typically to a much lesser extent.

Abstract: To provide a polymer actuator which is light in weight and capable of linear expansion and contraction with a low voltage. The polymer actuator 1 is composed of a plurality of gel/electrode complexes arranged in an electrolytic aqueous solution 6, said gel/electrode complex being composed of a polymer gel (2a, 2b) containing at least either of acidic or basic functional groups and electrodes (3a, 3b) placed in the polymer gel, said electrodes being made of a material capable of occluding and releasing hydrogen electrochemically, such that the polymer gel (2a, 2b) in the gel/electrode complex changes in pH upon application of voltage across the electrodes (3a, 3b) of the gel/electrode complexes (4a, 4b) and each of the gel/complexes changes in volume in response to the pH change.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method for detecting and/or identifying bacteria present in a liquid or solid sample, characterized in that: a. the sample that may contain said bacteria is placed in a liquid culture medium, in a first container, b. a second container comprising at least one system for detecting said bacteria is provided, c. a means of transfer between the first container and the second container is provided, d. a temperature T1 is applied inside the second container, then e. a temperature T2 is applied inside the second container, f. the temperature T1 is higher than the temperature T2 such that a defined volume of culture medium is transferred from the first container to the second container, g. the presence or absence of bacteria is determined and/or the bacteria are identified within the detection system.

Abstract: The invention relates to a medium for detecting and/or identifying microorganisms present in a sample, comprising a culture medium and at least one substrate that can be hydrolysed to a labelled product by at least a first enzyme not free in the sample, and specific for the microorganisms, characterized in that it also comprises at least one inhibitor of at least a second enzyme, different from the first enzyme or identical to it, but free in said sample and not originating from a microorganism. The present invention also finds a preferred application in the field of biomedical diagnosis or in food microbiology, and more particularly in bacteriology and mycology.