The present invention relates a method for detecting a target in a sample, which can acquire a concentration of the target in a sample by detecting the reaction between a complex and a substrate. The complex comprises a first composition, a target, and a second composition, and the second composition comprises a plurality of enzyme to catalyze the reaction of the substrate.

A subtractive corrective assay device and methodology, whereby ail required binding and label detection reagents are initially located within the detection zone. Application of a magnetic field is used to selectively remove bound label from the detection zone by means of paramagnetic particles. The relationship between measured label concentration before and after the application of a magnetic field within the detection zone is used to accurately measure analyte concentration within the sample.

A therapeutic composition for the treatment of lung diseases or disorders and diseases or disorders of the airway passages including pneumonia, acute respiratory failure, and acute respiratory distress syndrome is based on the generation of a biocidal anion by an enzymatic reaction catalyzed by a peroxidase. The peroxide utilized by the peroxidase enzyme can be endogenous or can be generalized by the action of an oxidase enzyme on a suitable substrate.

A chromogenic absorbent material for an animal litter includes an oxidizing agent responsive to peroxidatic/pseudoperoxidatic activity in an animal excretion or a first catalytic compound generating the oxidizing agent in situ. The material also includes a chromogenic indicator being chromogenically responsive to the oxidizing activity of the oxidizing agent, and an absorptive material which is porous, for absorbing the animal excretion. The absorptive material includes a water-absorbing polysaccharide providing absorptive properties to the chromogenic absorbent material; and may also include a second polysaccharide and a superabsorbent polymer. The material may be obtained in the form of particles having a low density and a high porosity, and is usable in conjunction with an animal litter for detecting various diseases in animals.

A glucose oxidase having improved thermostability is disclosed. The amino acid sequence of the glucose oxidase is a modified amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 2, wherein the modification is a substitution of glutamate at position 129 with proline, and/or a substitution of glutamine at position 243 with valine.

Described herein is a composition for delivery of an active agent. The composition includes a peptide coacervate, wherein the peptide coacervate includes one or more peptides derived from histidine-rich proteins, and an active agent encapsulated in the peptide coacervate. Further provided are a method for encapsulation of an active agent in a peptide coacervate, a method for delivery of an active agent, and a method for treating or diagnosing a condition or disease in a subject in need thereof.

The present invention relates to compositions comprising a polymeric matrix or a gel containing functional enzymes capable of re-creating under culture conditions the cell microenvironment existing in vivo. The present invention also relates to devices for cell cultures comprising such compositions, in particular hydrogel and the use thereof to control the chemical microenvironment of a cell culture or mimic physiological or pathological conditions of the in vivo cells. The compositions and the devices described herein could be also used in vitro for evaluating the therapeutic effect of a compound on a determined cell line or on primary cells.

A protein having a novel saccharide oxidase activity capable of being subjected to various uses is provided. The present invention provides a protein having the following physicochemical characteristics: (1) effect: oxidizing a saccharide to produce a saccharic acid; (2) substrate specificity: acting on glucose, maltotriose, maltose, galactose, maltotetraose, lactose, and cellobiose; and, (3) [Km value of glucose]/[Km value of maltose]1.

Neonatal seizure is different from adult seizure, and many antiepileptic drugs that are effective in adults often fail to treat neonatal seizure. Gluconic acid, a natural organic acid enriched in fruits and honey, and the glucose oxidase enzyme, is shown herein to potently inhibit neonatal epilepsy both in vitro and in vivo. Sodium gluconate is shown to inhibit epileptiform burst activity in cell cultures and protect neurons from kainic acid-induced cell death. Sodium gluconate also inhibited epileptiform burst activity in brain slices in a manner that was much more potent in neonatal animals than in older animals. Consistently, in vivo EEG recordings also revealed that sodium gluconate inhibited the epileptic seizure activity in a manner that was much more potent in neonates than in adult animals. Mechanistically, sodium gluconate inhibits voltage-dependent CLC-3 Cl.sup. channels both in neuronal cultures and in hippocampal slices. Together, these data suggest a novel antiepileptic drug gluconate that potently inhibits neonatal seizures through blocking CLC-3 Cl.sup. channels.

Embodiments of the present invention are directed to a semiconductor device. A non-limiting example of the semiconductor device includes a semiconductor substrate. The semiconductor device also includes a plurality of metal nanopillars formed on the substrate. The semiconductor device also includes an amperometric sensor associated with one of the plurality of nanopillars, wherein the amperometric sensor is selective to an enzyme-active neurotransmitter. The semiconductor device also includes a resistivity sensor associated with a pair of nanopillars, wherein the resistivity sensor is selective to an analyte.