Abstract: A process is provided for selectively separating a polypeptide of interest from components of differing hydrophobicity in a mixture comprising the steps of:(a) passing the mixture through underivatized silica particles such that the polypeptide adheres to the silica particles;(b) washing the silica particles to remove impurities; and(c) eluting the polypeptide from the silica particles with a buffer comprising an alcoholic or polar aprotic solvent and an alkaline earth, an alkali metal, or an inorganic ammonium salt.

Abstract: An improved blood substitute comprises purified hemoglobin, preferably bovine, cross-linked intramolecularly with periodate-oxidized ATP (o-ATP) and intermolecularly with periodate-oxidized adenosine (o-adenosine), combined with reduced glutathione (GSH), and optionally enriched with mannitol, non-electrolytes, and/or electrolytes. The blood substitute has prolonged intravascular persistence, can sustain plasma volume, has low oxygen affinity, can work as a physiological oxygen carrier, has vasodilator activity and can reduce the vasoconstriction that follows hemorrhage. A method of treating a human afflicted with acute blood loss and/or a sickling crisis of sickle cell anemia comprises intravenously administrating to the human an effective volume of the blood substitute.

Abstract: A method for isolating and enriching rare cells, including fetal nucleated erythrocytes from a peripheral blood sample is described. The method includes two centrifugation steps, the first a bulk separation step to enrich erythrocytes from other blood components. The second centrifugation comprises a colloidal density gradient medium dispersed in a hypertonic meltable gel. In one aspect of the invention, maternal erythrocytes may be hemolyzed prior to the second density gradient centrifugation to provide additional enrichment for fetal nucleated erythrocytes.

Abstract: The continuous removal of solid products from a high-pressure system is achieved by operating a high-pressure pump in reverse to gradually reduce pressure at the exit line to atmospheric pressure. This process allows solid products to exit the system while at the same time maintaining high pressure in the reactor.

Abstract: The present invention measures serum iron by liberating iron from transferrin under acid conditions, and contacting a test sample with a reaction system which utilizes at least aconitase, a reducing reagent, citric acid, isocitrate dehydrogenase and (thio)NAD(P). According to the present invention, an accurate and efficient measurement of iron in the serum is possible, even for minute levels of iron. In addition, the present invention assays unsaturated iron binding capacity by adding excess iron to a test sample to bind iron to transferrin, binding the remaining unbound iron to aconitase, and measuring the activated aconitase. According to the present invention, a quick and easy assay of unsaturated iron binding capacity of body fluids, etc. is possible without the need for expert skill.

Abstract: A rapid method of determining the efficacy of a sterilization cycle, and an indicator adapted to perform such method, comprising subjecting to the sterilization cycle a source of active enzyme having activity which correlates with the viability of a microorganism commonly used to monitor sterilization, and incubating the enzyme source, following the completion of the sterilization cycle, with an effective amount of a substrate system capable of reacting with any residual active enzyme to produce a detectable enzyme-modified product.

Abstract: The present invention relates to single and multiple layer collagen films that are useful for improved sustained release delivery of pharmaceuticals.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a crosslinkable modified collagen which is soluble in water and/or in aprotic polar organic solvents and which contains free or substituted thiol groups carried by residues of cysteine or derivatives thereof, at least some of the residues being fixed to the collagen via spacer compounds. It further relates to processes for the production of the collagen. Applications are adhesives, biomaterials for prostheses, implants, or other medical articles.

Abstract: Disclosed is a method and a pharmaceutical composition for killing mammalian tumor cells by subjecting the cells to light in the presence of a light-activatable tetrapyrrole, in which the improvement comprises treating the cells with a compound which inhibits the enzymatic conversion of protoporphyrinogen to protoporphyrin IX by protoporphyrinogen oxidase in the cells thereby causing a buildup of protoporphyrin IX in the cells. Also disclosed is a method for the production of protoporphyrin IX which comprises growing eukaryotic microalgae in the presence of a protoporphyrinogen oxidase inhibitor.

Abstract: For the quantitative selective removal or/and preparative isolation of tumour necrosis factor (TNF) or/and lipopolysaccharides from aqueous liquids, in particular blood, plasma or serum, the aqueous liquid is passed over an adsorption material which consists of a porous supporting material to which functional groups made of synthetic or/and semisynthetic or/and natural polyanion chains and namely in a linear or branched form, are covalently bound and if desired, the molecules chromatographically separated in this way are eluted from the adsorption material using a saline solution.

Abstract: Therapeutic and diagnostic methods of use for the growth factor transforming growth factor .beta., are provided by this invention. In accordance with preferred embodiments, methods of determining and improving competence of a conceptus toward uterine implantation are provided as are methods for determining female infertility in mammals.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a process of making a concentrate of coagulation proteins starting with whole human or animal plasma. This concentrate is used as a biological adhesive when extemporaneously mixed to thrombin. The concentrated proteins include mostly fibrinogen, fibrin stabilizing factor (factor XIII) and fibronectin. The claimed process has the advantage of being short of execution while providing an excellent yield of coagulable proteins. No protease inhibitor has to be added during the process. The process involves steps of separation by "salting-out" in presence of amino-6 hexanoic acid which prevents co-precipitation of plasminogen with the desired coagulable proteins. The proteins so obtained are very stable after reconstitution in water for at least 24 hours at room or body temperature. After mixing with thrombin and calcium, the adhesive shows excellent strength and biocompatibility.

Abstract: A reagent for determining a-amylase activity, comprising a maltooligosaccharide derivative of the following formula ##STR1## (wherein either one of R.sub.1 and R.sub.2 is .beta.-galactopyranosil and the other is hydrogen, R.sub.3 is a group bonded to the reducing terminal glucose via a bond cleavable by .alpha.-amylase, which becomes a measurable substance upon cleavage of the bond, and n is an integer of 0-2), which does not comprise adjuvant enzymes; and a method for determining .alpha.-amylase activity which comprises use of the reagent. The reagent of the present invention does not require use of any adjuvant enzyme and is stable since the substrate is not exposed to the decomposition by an adjuvant enzyme. The substrate used in the present invention has high affinity for .alpha.-amylase. Thus, the reagent and the determination method of the present invention make it possible to determine .alpha.-amylase activity with high sensitivity.

Abstract: A composition is disclosed comprising a pharmaceutically acceptable admixture of an osteogenic protein; a porous particulate polymer matrix; an osteogenic protein-sequestering amount of blood clot; and a calcium sulfate hemihydrate-containing substance. Also disclosed are formulations of bone morphogenetic proteins with improved solubility and/or stability characteristics.

Abstract: A microbial cleaner comprising at least one hydrocarbon-ingesting microbe strain and a biocatalyst transforms hydrocarbons into nontoxic substances. The biocatalyst includes a nonionic surfactant, a chlorine-absorbing salt, at least one microbe nutrient, and water. The cleaner can be used in virtually any situation requiring the removal of hydrocarbon, including cleaning contaminated soil and treating oil spills on soil and water.

Abstract: Oxidation of C--H bonds in organic chemical compounds to C--OH bonds is accomplished by utilizing, as a monooxygenase, a heme protein such as methemoglobin or metmyoglobin in the presence of sulfate ion, in an aqueous medium.

Abstract: By allowing the mast cell enriched population of human conjunctival tissue cells to incubate for a minimum of about forty (40) hours post enzymatic digestion, the treatment window between spontaneous histamine release and anti-human IgE stimulated histamine release is increased. Culturing the human conjunctival tissue mast cells decreases the spontaneous release of histamine and increases the anti-IgE stimulated histamine release, greater than ten fold over spontaneous, at time points over forty (40) hours. This treatment window is sufficient to detect a compound's stabilizing or anti-allergic activity.

Abstract: A stabilized conjugated peptide complex comprising a peptide conjugatively coupled to a polymer including lipophilic and hydrophilic moieties, wherein the peptide may for example be selected from the group consisting of insulin, calcitonin, ACTH, glucagon, somatostatin, somatotropin, somatomedin, parathyroid hormone, erythropoietin, hypothalamic releasing factors, prolactin, thyroid stimulating hormones, endorphins, enkephalins, vasopressin, non-naturally occurring opioids, superoxide dismutase, interferon, asparaginase, arginase, arginine deaminease, adenosine deaminase, ribonuclease, trypsin, chymotrypsin, and papain.

Abstract: The invention provides a method for determining whether a compound inhibits acetohydroxyacid synthase. The invention further provides a method for determining whether a plant is resistant to an acetohydroxyacid synthase inhibiting compound.

Abstract: Essentially pure human interleukin-6 having a purity of at least 98 % as determined by single peak migration using capillary electrophoresis is obtained by a 3-step purification method which includes a cation-exchange chromatography step, a hydrophobic chromatography step and a reverse-phase chromatography step in the presence of a charge modifier.