The present invention provides a method of digitizing nutritional status, muscle turnover, and risk assessment using the formulas containing four amino acids, which are Histidine, Leucine, Ornithine and Phenylalanine. The method of present invention can provide information regarding personalized nutritional status, muscle turnover and risk assessment, understand the effect of nutrition intervention, assist muscle growth and the effect of rehabilitation training, and improve patients' quality of life and bodily function.

The present disclosure provides methods of obtaining, recovering and culturing pulmonary arterial endothelial cells from an individual patient subjected to a right heart catheterization in regard to diagnosis of pulmonary hypertension. These isolated pulmonary arterial endothelial cells from an individual patient may be utilized to generate cellular phenotyping profile for the cell population, allowing generation of a personalized pharmacotherapy regime to assist the clinician in treatment and prognosis of the disorder for an individual patient.

Some embodiments relate to nanoparticle probes for the detection of disease states in a patient or for tissue engineering. In some embodiments, the nanoparticle probe comprises one or more slip bonds that bind to a cell surface structure. In some embodiments, the binding of the nanoparticle probe is selective. In some embodiments, the nanoparticle probe binds to cells having a certain maximum glycocalyx thickness.

A nucleic acid aptamer specifically recognizing soluble ST2 protein and its application, belonging to the field of variation or genetic engineering, are described. The technical problem addressed includes how to specifically detect sST2 protein. In order to address this technical problem, nucleic acid aptamers of single-stranded DNA with nucleotide sequences are shown in SEQ ID No. 1-10, respectively. SELEX technology, combined with high-throughput sequencing technology and bioinformatics analysis, reduces the rounds of screening and obtains candidate nucleic acid aptamers, and further analyzes its affinity and specificity to obtain a nucleic acid aptamer that specifically recognizes sST2 protein. The nucleic acid aptamer has the characteristics of high specificity, high stability, convenient synthesis, and easy labeling of functional groups, and the like, and may be used for the detection of sST2 protein and the preparation of biosensors, diagnosis and prognosis of cardiovascular diseases and other products.

Disclosed are compositions and methods for triggering disease selective macropinocytosis. The compositions can serve as a marker of disease activity and as a trigger of enhanced macropinocytosis in tissues undergoing disease remodeling such as wound healing, cancer, PAH, inflammation, diabetes, Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis, ankylosing spondylitis, diseases of the endometrium, psoriasis, irritable bowel syndrome, arthritis, fibrotic disorders, interstitial cystitis, autoimmune diseases, asthma, acute lung injury, and adult respiratory distress syndrome. The compositions can also serve as a receptor for disease selective cell penetrating peptides in the cells and extracellular matrix of diseased tissues.

It was determined whether SNPs in SLC4A5 are associated with salt sensitivity of blood pressure (BP). Subjects consumed an isocaloric constant diet with a randomized order of 7 days low Na.sup.+ (10 mmol/d) and 7 days high Na.sup.+ (300 mmol/d) intake. Salt sensitivity was defined as a 7 mm Hg increase in mean arterial pressure (MAP). 35 polymorphisms in 17 candidate genes were assayed. Association analyses with salt sensitivity revealed three variants that associated with salt sensitivity, two in SLC4A5 (rs7571842, rs10177833; P<0.001), and one in GRK4 (rs1801058; P=0.020). Paradoxical changes in blood pressure in response to changes in salt intake were also found associated with a SNP for DRD2 (rs6276). In conclusion, SLC4A5 variants are strongly associated with salt sensitivity of BP in Caucasian and a DRD2 SNP is a marker for paradoxical response to salt intake.

This disclosure provides compositions, including antibodies or fragments or derivatives thereof, and related devices and methods effective for detecting and quantifying olmesartan in a sample. The compositions, devices, and methods can be applied to improve the effectiveness of hypertension therapy by monitoring a subject's compliance by determining one or more pharmacokinetic parameters of the subject with a point-of-care device after antihypertensive drug administration. In one embodiment, the antihypertensive drug is olmesartan and the pharmacokinetic parameter is AUC.

The invention relates to improved methods, devices, and kits for identifying and implementing an appropriate treatment regimen for subjects suffering from hypertension.

The present disclosure describes a method of quantifying amounts of phosphopeptides using isotopically-enriched peptides as internal standards. A kit comprising at least one isotopically-enriched phosphorylated peptide can be used to quantify changes in amounts of phosphopeptides using parallel reaction monitoring mass spectrometry techniques. The invention can be used to indicate the pathologic mechanism, severity of the disease, and treatment response of a subject. The invention can also be used to identify subjects who require more aggressive therapeutic interventions or alternative treatments.

Pulmonary hypertension is a progressive disease of various origins that is associated with vascular remodelling and results in right heart dysfunction. Accumulating evidence indicates important roles of immune cells and inflammatory chemokines in the pathogenesis and progression of pulmonary hypertension. We have identified CCL21 as anti-remodelling efficacy biomarker for pulmonary hypertension. CCL21 was found to be highly sensitive and specific in discriminating pulmonary hypertension patients from matched controls. CCL21 was upregulated in pulmonary hypertension and down-regulated with treatment with an anti-remodelling agent.