This document provides methods and materials involved in determining whether or not a mammal with diabetic nephropathy or glomerulonephritis is undergoing podocyte injury. For example, methods and materials related to the use of urinary microvesicles to determine whether or not a mammal with diabetic nephropathy or glomerulonephritis is undergoing podocyte injury are provided.

The present invention relates to the prediction of responsiveness to cancer immunotherapy of a subject based on the T-cell composition of the subject, and a therapeutic method using cancer immunotherapy based on the prediction. The present invention also provides a method for improving or maintaining responsiveness to cancer immunotherapy of a subject. Responsiveness to cancer immunotherapy is predicted by determining a relative value of a CD4.sup.+ T-cell subpopulation, dendritic cell subpopulation, and/or CD8.sup.+ T-cell subpopulation correlated with a dendritic cell stimulation in an anti-tumor immune response in a sample derived from a subject. A composition for treating or preventing cancer comprising cells such as CD62L.sup.lowCD4.sup.+ T-cells is also provided.

A system and a method for measuring adhesion of blood cells in microfluidic channels are disclosed. The system includes a device having one or more microfluidic channels configured to adhere a plurality of diseased red blood cells (RBCs) of a blood sample on an interior surface of the one or more microfluidic channels. Further, the system includes at least one imager configured to generate one or more digital holography images or videos of the plurality of diseased RBCs adhered to the interior surface of the one or more microfluidic channels. Further, at least one processor is operationally coupled to the at least one imager and configured to receive the one or more digital holography images or videos and analyze the generated one or more digital holography images or videos to quantify adhesion of the plurality of diseased RBCs to the interior surface of the one or more microfluidic channels.

A method of diagnosing long-COVID in a subject, the method comprising: (a) measuring the level of one or more biomarkers in a test sample obtained from the subject, and (b) comparing the level of the one or more biomarkers in the test sample with a healthy control and/or an acute COVID-19 reference level value of said one or more biomarkers, wherein an increase in the level of the one or more biomarkers in the test sample relative to the healthy control and/or acute COVID-19 reference level value of said one or more biomarkers is indicative of long-COVID diagnosis, and wherein the one or more biomarkers are selected from Table 5. In one embodiment, the one or more biomarkers include ANG-1, P-Sel and MMP-1. A method of treating long-COVID comprising administering to a subject one or more of the biomarkers are selected from Table 5.

Described is a method for identifying pathogenic platelet-activating antibodies in a subject's blood and particularly antibodies implicated in heparin-induced thrombocytopenia (HIT) which comprises the preparation of a platelet releasate from a normal subject's platelets, the combination of the platelet release with a normal subject's platelets, a test subject's blood sample, and analyzing the sample for platelet activation.

Provided is a peripheral blood biomarker for evaluating the antitumor immune effect of radiation therapy. Also provided is a method in which the composition of cell subpopulation in a sample obtained from a subject is used as an index for immune activation in the subject caused by a radiation therapy. By comparing, with a reference, the amount of CD4.sup.+ T cell subpopulation that correlates with dendritic cell stimulation in an antitumor immune response or the amount of dendritic cell subpopulation that correlates with the dendritic cell stimulation in an antitumor immune response, the presence or absence of, and/or the magnitude of, immune activation occurring in the subject as a result of a radiation therapy can be determined.

The present disclosure provides include kits, compositions, and methods related to impaired respiratory health (e.g., diseases and conditions relating to lung injury). In particular, the present disclosure provides include kits, compositions, and methods for quantifying protein biomarkers associated with impaired respiratory health and assessing the risk of, monitoring, treating and/or preventing, interstitial lung diseases (ILDs).

The present disclosure is directed towards methods for evaluating the presence of a cancer within a subject. Such methods include obtaining a stool sample from the subject, identifying a biological component in the stool sample, wherein the identity of the biological component is indicative of the presence or absence of a cancer. The methods disclosed herein may further include quantifying the amount of the biological component in the stool sample, wherein the quantity of the biological component is indicative of the presence or absence of a cancer. The present disclosure is also directed to devices for evaluating the presence of cancer within a subject, such device include a biological sample pre-conditioner configured to prepare a biological sample for quantification of a biological component in the biological sample, and a biological component detector, configured to identify, and optionally quantify the amount of, the biological component in the biological sample.