Abstract: The present invention is directed to a process for determining the level of agmatine in biological samples, especially that of human subjects. In one embodiment, the present invention comprises an assay and a method for quantitatively detecting agmatine in blood serum and other body fluids.

Abstract: The present invention is a method for assaying enzyme activity in a red blood sample. The method comprises these steps: (a) placing the following in a sample well: (1) a red blood sample containing an enzyme, (2) a substrate or substrates for the enzyme, (3) water, and (4) a buffer; (b) incubating the contents of the sample well for sufficient time and at sufficient temperature to allow for the formation of a fluorescent enzyme product should the enzyme be present in said red blood sample; (c) precipitating the hemoglobin; and (d) measuring the fluorescence of any fluorescent enzyme product formed in the sample well, directly from that sample well. The method of the invention may be used for assaying the activity of an enzyme, such as galactose-1-phosphate uridyl transferase (GALT) or biotinidase, in a red blood sample.

Abstract: The present invention is a method for assaying enzyme activity in a red blood sample. The method comprises these steps: (a) placing the following in a sample well: (1) a red blood sample containing an enzyme, (2) a substrate or substrates for the enzyme, (3) water, and (4) a buffer; (b) incubating the contents of the sample well for sufficient time and at sufficient temperature to allow for the formation of a fluorescent enzyme product should the enzyme be present in the red blood sample; (c) precipitating the hemoglobin; and (d) measuring the fluorescence of any fluorescent enzyme product formed in the sample well, directly from that sample well. The method of the invention may be used for assaying the activity of an enzyme, such as galactose-1-phosphate uridyl transferase (GALT) or biotinidase, in a red blood sample.

Abstract: The present invention is an absorbent paper piece having a plurality of samples zones adapted to receive a liquid sample. The paper comprises an absorbent paper piece having a plurality of sample zones, each sample zone having a perforation extending substantially around its perimeter, so as to substantially obstruct the capillary flow of the liquid sample from one of the sample zones having an there sample zone adjacent thereto, to the other sample zone. It is preferred that the absorbent paper piece be provided with barrier perforations interposed between adjacent sample zones, so as to provide a gap between the sample zones as an additional capillary flow barrier. The absorbent paper piece may be adapted to hold any desired sample in liquid form such as laboratory reagents, and biological samples, such as blood samples (here used to include blood, products or components of blood, and blood hemolysate).

Abstract: A method and kit for the isolation and quantitation of glycated hemoglobin and other glycated proteins, specifically albumin, from a single sample of whole blood. Glycated hemoglobin is calculated from an eluate resulting from the contact of the whole blood hemolysate with a boronated resin. Glycated albumin and other plasma proteins are calculated using immunoturbidimetry, resulting from reaction between a buffered antibody solution and the albumin or other protein in the previous eluate.

Abstract: This invention provides a primary standard and/or secondary standards for assay for glycated proteins in samples such as blood. The primary standard is composed of a polymer or copolymer of an amino acid, such as lysine, serine or those listed on table 37 (pages 100-110 of the second edition of Organic Chemistry by Robert Morris and Robert Nielson-Boyd) glycated with a known amount of glucose, preferably .sup.14 C glucose or .sup.3 H glucose, and free of unbound glucose. The preferred secondary standards are composed of glycated native protein per se, or a mixture of a glycated native protein and native protein that has been standardized against a primary standard to give the actual glycated protein value. These primary standards and secondary standards may be packaged and sold as a kit that contains a primary standard and/or a secondary standard and the reagents needed to perform the glycated protein assay.

Abstract: A single color determination method of quantization of the amount of fructosamine in a sample such as serum by removing other interfering reducing agents and developing a color with a coloring agent such as tetrazolium salt.

Abstract: Methods and microcolumns to determine a numerical percentage value as a diagnostic indicator of the blood sugar condition of a specific person. A whole blood sample is lysed and a test sample thereof is placed on a microchromatographic column bed of ion exchange material particles. The column bed is characterized by having no cyanide therein. The column bed comprises an equilibrated suspension of particles selected from the class consisting of CarXH and CarYOH, where "Car" represents an inert substrate for carrying ionizable groups X.sup.- providing dissociated cations H.sup.+ and ionizable groups Y.sup.+ providing anions OH.sup.-. Fractions of various hemoglobin species in the test sample are preferentially eluted or desorbed from the column bed by buffer and wash solutions characterized by having no cyanide therein. Amounts of hemoglobin species in the eluate fractions are detected and measured by spectrometric (color) analysis.