An improved process is disclosed for photodynamically inactivating viruses in red blood cell containing compositions by adding vitamin E or a derivative thereof, such as Trolox, to the red blood cell and photosensitizer containing composition prior to irradiation. Addition of vitamin E or derivative thereof is protective of the red blood cells but not the viruses to be inactivated. Cells irradiated in this manner exhibit reduced leakage of potassium ion, and reduced loss of negative charges from the cell membrane compared to cells treated in the absence of vitamin E or derivative. Red blood cells sterilized by this method are better preserved during storage and their life-time in the circulation in vivo is enhanced.

A red blood cell containing composition is presented which has reduced potassium ion leakage after irradiation in a virus photoinactivation process. The irradiated red blood cell containing composition comprises red blood cells, a photosensitizer, and sufficient vitamin E or derivatives thereof to prevent potassium leakage. Preferred photosensitizers are aluminum phthalocyanines, AlPcS.sub.4 or Pc5. A preferred vitamin E derivative is Trolox.

A method of stabilization of a melt viscosity of aliphatic- and/or aromatic homo- and/or co-polyesters containing catalysts and/or initiators, involves adding a masking agent which is tropon, .alpha.-tropolon, thujaplicin, pupurogallin or mixtures thereof to a melt resulting during synthesis of polyesters or during regeneration of polyesters.

Adverse inflammatory reactions can be treated by administrating to an organism a composition having diglucosylamine as the active ingredient. The preferred compound is di-Beta-D-glucopyranosylamine. A simple method for making diglucosylamine in high purity is obtained by reacting glucose, a nitrogen containing base, and either methanol or ethanol to form the diglucosylamine and then recovering the diglucosylamine preferably with the use of charcoal. The preferred diglucosylamine, di-Beta-D-glucopyranosylamine, has extraordinary anti-inflammatory activity. It can be formulated with a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier to make pharmaceutical compositions which are effective in treating inflammations. This pharmaceutical composition can also be used to treat adverse inflammatory reactions that are the result of the disruptions of a dynamic network of cellular mechanisms in organisms. In addition, application of this composition also serves to reestablish the balance of the cellular defense network in an organism which has its cellular defense network out of balance. In this unbalanced case, the composition serves to treat the pathology of inflammation and activates the inflammatory control system in vivo.

Adverse inflammatory reactions can be treated by administrating to an organism a composition having diglucosylamine as the active ingredient. The preferred compound is di-Beta-D-glucopyranosylamine. A simple method for making diglucosylamine in high purity is obtained by reacting glucose, a nitrogen containing base, and either methanol or ethanol to form the diglucosylamine and then recovering the diglucosylamine preferably with the use of charcoal. The preferred diglucosylamine, di-Beta-D-glucopyranosylamine, has extraordinary anti-inflammatory activity. It can be formulated with a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier to make pharmaceutical compositions which are effective in treating inflammations. This pharmaceutical composition can also be used to treat adverse inflammatory reactions that are the result of the disruptions of a dynamic network of cellular mechanisms in organisms. In addition, application of this composition also serves to reestablish the balance of the cellular defense network in an organism which has its cellular defense network out of balance. In this unbalanced case, the composition serves to treat the pathology of inflammation and activates the inflammatory control system in vivo. These adverse inflammatory reactions can also be treated by administrating to the organism glucose in the presence of NH.sub.3.sup.+ ions and at a pH of about 7.0 or greater. The glucose can preferably be applied by orally administrating an enteric-coated form of glucose, alone or in combination with other medicaments.