Monoclonal and polyclonal antibodies that bind hamster phospholipase B-like 2 are provided. Also provided are methods for detecting and quantifying hamster phospholipase B-like 2, for example, in recombinant polypeptide preparations, as well as kits for carrying out such methods. Methods of screening or selecting host cell lines or recombinant polypeptide-expressing cell lines that express low levels of hamster phospholipase B-like 2 are also provided.

The present invention relates to the field of ophthalmology. More specifically, the present invention provides compositions and methods useful for screening for drugs to treat age-related macular degeneration (AMD) including geographic atrophy (GA). In one embodiment, a method comprises the steps of (a) administering a drug to a mammal, wherein the mammal comprises a rat or a mouse; (b) enucleating the eyes of the mammal; (c) removing the anterior eye and excising the retina from the eye, wherein the eye comprises an eyecup that comprises choroidal mast cells (MCs); and (d) measuring mast cell degranulation. In an alternative embodiment, a method of the present invention can comprise the steps of (a) contacting an eyecup of a mammal with a drug, wherein the eyecup comprises choroidal mast cells; and (b) measuring MC degranulation.

Methods of detecting the presence of toxins in a sample using electrophoretic separations and of performing electrophoretic separation of complex samples are provided. The method of detecting the presence of toxins includes reacting a sample and a substrate with a signaling enzyme which converts the substrate to the product in a reaction medium, introducing a run buffer into a separation channel having an inlet end, selectively introducing at least one of the substrate and the product of the reaction medium into the inlet end of the separation channel, electrophoretically separating the substrate and the product, and determining the rate of conversion of the substrate to the product, wherein a change in the rate of conversion is indicative of the presence of toxins. The method of performing electrophoretic separations of complex samples having charged particulates and oppositely charged analytes comprising introducing a run buffer into a separation channel having an inlet end, selectively introducing the oppositely charged analytes in the complex sample into the separation channel, and electrophoretically separating the charged particulates and the oppositely charged analytes. Additionally, a device for varying with respect to time the bulk flow of a fluid in a separation channel of an electrophoretic device having a buffer reservoir in fluid contact with the separation channel is provided. The device includes a pressure sensor in fluid contact with a buffer reservoir, a high pressure reservoir in selective fluidic communication with the buffer reservoir, a low pressure reservoir in selective fluidic communication with the buffer reservoir and in fluidic communication with the high pressure reservoir, and a pumping device for pumping a gas from the low pressure reservoir to the high pressure reservoir.

Provided are methods of diagnosis and treatment of atopic dermatitis.

Provided is a compound having the structure: (SIG)-(SI-MOD).sub.m
where SIG is a signaling molecule, SI is a self-immolative structure bound to SIG such that SIG has a reduced signal relative to the signal of SIG without SI, MOD is a moiety bound to SI that is subject to modification by an activator, and m is an integer from 1 to about 10. When MOD is modified by an activator, SI is destabilized and self-cleaved from SIG such that SIG generates an increased signal. Also provided are methods of determining whether a sample, such as a cell, comprises an activator, such as a nitroreducase, using the compound. Further provided are methods of determining whether a mammalian cell is hypoxic using the compound where nitroreductase is the activator. A method of detecting a microorganism that comprises a nitroreductase using the compound where nitroreductase is the activator is also provided.

A method for predicting sepsis or diagnosing systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) and/or sepsis in a subject comprises determining levels of at least three markers selected from CCL23, A1AT, CRP, sICAM, PLA2, IL-6, procalcitonin, MMP8, TNFalpha, AcPGP, enzymatic MMP activity, TIMP1, sRAGE and desmosine in a sample taken from the subject. The combined levels of the at least three markers are used to predict or diagnose SIRS and/or sepsis. The methods may be performed on a subject with SIRS and which is used to identify an infection in the subject. A preferred panel of markers includes CCL23, A1AT, sICAM, sICAM/VCAM-1 and CRP. Corresponding products, methods of treatment and medical uses are provided.

A reagent kit used for detecting lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A2, and a preparation method for the reagent kit. The reagent kit comprises one or a plurality of first anti-lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A2 antibodies used for binding lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A2 to be measured, and one or a plurality of second anti-lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A2 antibodies marked with a trace marker and binding with the lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A2 to be measured at another site, different from the binding site of the lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A2 to be measured and the first anti-lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A2 antibodies. The reagent kit also comprises a displacing agent, so as to further increase the detection accuracy of the reagent kit. A method using the reagent kit for the detection of lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A2 may take serum as a detection sample, has high repeatability and high accuracy, and measures the concentration of lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A2 in the sample in a highly sensitive manner.

The invention relates to an optical resonator biosensor for the detection of butyrylcholinesterase comprising two optical resonator biosensor systems in which in the first optical resonator biosensor system a probe is attached to the resonator wherein said probe is able to bind butyrylcholinesterase. Preferably said probe is able to bind uninhibited butyrylcholinesterase. In the second optical resonator biosensor system preferably an antibody is attached to the resonator, wherein said antibody is able to bind butyrylcholinesterase, preferably wherein said antibody is able to bind both inhibited and uninhibited butyrylcholinesterase.

The present invention relates to methods of conducting cholinesterase inhibition assays. In one instance, the assays can be configured to determine the presence of inactivated and activated cholinesterases. Also described herein are microfluidic devices and systems for conducting such assays.

A method of detecting a virus having a hemagglutinin-esterase activity in a sample is disclosed, the method includes: contacting the sample with a substrate for an enzyme of hemagglutinin-esterase (HE) of coronavirus or hemagglutinin-esterase fusion protein (HEF) of influenza C virus; and detecting activity of the enzyme, the detection of the activity indicates that the sample contains coronavirus or influenza C virus.