Using NMR/MS based metabonomics and targeted lipidomics approaches the inventors have explored the metabolic phenotypes of aging and longevity in a cohort including centenarians, elderly and young adults. The inventors have identified biomarkers for a reduced risk of developing ageing related chronic inflammatory disorders and propose a method of diagnosing a lifestyle that allows delaying and/or avoiding ageing related chronic inflammatory disorders using 9-oxo-HODE as biomarker.

The present invention relates to the screening, diagnosis, prognostic evaluation, and treatment or prevention of age associated inflammation, chronic inflammation, and inflammatory diseases. In particular, the present invention relates to treating or preventing inflammatory diseases (e.g. rheumatoid arthritis or spondyloarthritis) or patients with inflammatory peripheral GnRH with GnRH antagonists or drugs that lower the effects of GnRH.

Diagnostic screening tests that can be used to identify if a patient is a good candidates for an implantable vagus nerve stimulation device. One or more analyte, such as a cytokine or inflammatory molecule, can be measured from a blood sample taken prior to implantation of a vagus nerve stimulator to determine the patient's responsiveness to VNS for treatment of an inflammatory disorder.

Compositions and methods of treating an inflammatory disease in a subject are provided. Accordingly there is provided a method comprising administering to the subject a therapeutically effective amount of an agent which selectively inhibits activity and/or expression of iron regulatory protein (IRP) 1 and not IRP2, thereby treating the inflammatory disease in the subject. Also provided is a pharmaceutical composition comprising, as an active ingredient, an agent which selectively inhibits activity and/or expression of IRP1 and not IRP2, and a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier or excipient. Also provided are methods of identifying an agent that selectively modulates an activity of an IRP member of an IRP family of polypeptides and not of an additional IRP member of said IRP family of polypeptides.

Described is an assay for diagnosing an infection such as peritonitis in a subject. The assay includes a binding molecule, such as an antibody that specifically binds to an inflammatory marker in a sample from the subject, and a second binding molecule that binds to a marker indicative of a pathogen in the sample. For diagnosing peritonitis in a subject, the pathogen will be at least one bacterium and/or fungus. Typically, the assay will be incorporated into a lateral flow device and may include a binding molecule that specifically binds to an antigen indicative of the presence of a specific pathogen species. The described assay(s) may further include filter(s), enriching antigen(s), and buffer(s). Also described are methods of diagnosing and treating peritonitis in a subject who is a peritoneal dialysis patient that include utilizing the herein described assay(s) or assay kit(s) to analyze the subject's peritoneal dialysis effluent.

An antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof, which binds with a high pM-level affinity to a human IL-4 receptor alpha chain that is a human IL-4 receptor, is provided. The antibody or antigen-binding fragment has a different epitope and a different antigen dissociation rate than existing antibodies. A nucleic acid encoding the antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof, a vector including the nucleic acid, a cell transformed with the vector, a method for producing the antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof, a conjugate comprising the antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof, a composition for preventing or treating inflammatory diseases, and a composition for diagnosing inflammatory diseases are disclosed.

The present invention is directed toward novel methods to identify as well as to treat a subject having an inflammatory disease resistant to corticosteroids.

A Schwann cell differentiation promoting agent, a peripheral nerve regeneration promoting agent, or the like contain an extract from inflamed tissues inoculated with vaccinia virus. The extract from inflamed tissues inoculated with vaccinia virus promotes differentiation of Schwann cells and regeneration of a peripheral nerve. Therefore, a preparation containing the extract from inflamed tissues inoculated with vaccinia virus is useful as a Schwann cell differentiation promoting agent, a peripheral nerve regeneration promoting agent, or the like.

Featured are a foodstuff containing an inter-alpha inhibitor protein (lαlp) (e.g., lαl, Pαl, a heavy chain (e.g., H1, H2, H3, H4, and/or H5), a light chain (e.g., bikunin), or a combination thereof), methods of preparing a food-stuff containing an lαlp, and methods of treating and/or reducing the likelihood of developing a disease or condition (e.g., a disease or condition characterized by inflammation and/or low levels of an lαlp) in a subject in need thereof by administering a composition or a foodstuff containing an lαlp. Also featured are methods of purifying an lλlp (e.g., lαl, Pαl, a heavy chain (e.g., H1, H2, H3, H4, and/or H5), a light chain (e.g., bikunin), or a combination thereof) from milk.

The invention relates to method of diagnosis a subject suffering from Adult-onset Still's disease and further to determine the disease course of the subject suffering from Adult-onset Still's disease.