The present disclosure is directed to methods of screening a compound for modulating activity at a TNF-like weak inducer of apoptosis (TWEAK) binding site on a cysteine-rich domain (CRD) of fibroblast growth factor-inducible 14 (Fn14). The present disclosure also provides heterocyclic compounds and pharmaceutically acceptable salts thereof and methods for the prevention, treatment, and amelioration of cell proliferative disorders with these compounds.

The present invention is directed to an agonist of NOD2 for use in therapy for increasing the autonomous capacity of survival of vertebrate adult stem cells, without loss of their capacity to multiply and differentiate, and preferably the capacity of survival of intestinal stem cells, especially in response to a stress. The invention also concerns the use of an agonist of Nod2 for increasing in vitro or ex vivo the autonomous capacity of survival, without loss of multiplication and differentiation capacity of mammalian adult stem cell. The invention also discloses different media and support for mammalian adult stem cells. The invention also concerns an in vitro screening process for identifying molecules capable increasing, in response to a stress, the autonomous capacity of survival, without loss of multiplication and differentiation capacity of mammalian adult stem cells.

Disclosed herein are devices that include a top chamber including at least one port, a bottom chamber including at least one inlet and at least one outlet, wherein the opening of the at least one inlet is smaller than the opening of the at least one outlet, and a membrane located between the top chamber and the bottom chamber, wherein the membrane is fluidly coupled with the top chamber and the bottom chamber. Also disclosed herein are systems including the disclosed devices. The systems include liquid in one or more of the chambers of the device. Methods of using the devices and systems include producing a vacuum by flowing a liquid through the bottom chamber of the system. Due to the difference in size of the inlet and outlet in the bottom chamber, a vacuum is produced in the top chamber.

A method of preventively treating a subject at the risk of developing infections of a respiratory virus is disclosed. The method includes a step of administering to the subject an effective amount of a peptide synthesized through a chemical route or by a genetic engineering process, characterized in that the peptide has a functional domain capable of binding to a surface glycoprotein of a respiratory virus and has an activity of inhibiting infection of the respiratory virus, wherein the peptide has 5 or more basic amino acids, among which 2 or more basic amino acids are in N-terminal region or C-terminal region of the peptide; and wherein the peptide consists of an amino acid sequence that is at least 90% identical to SEQ ID NO: 10. The invention also discloses the mechanism of the peptides in inhibition of said infections, which provides theory support for developing new prophylactic/therapeutic agents with broad-spectrum antiviral activities.

The invention provides methods, compositions, and systems for diagnosis, prognosis, evaluation of status, and/or determination of treatment for pathological conditions.

The invention relates to methods of assessing communication between cells. Methods of the invention use optical reporters of cellular electrical activity to evaluate signal propagation between cells and can be used to study an individual synapse or a complex network of interconnected cells. Aspects of the invention provide a method for characterizing signal propagation between cells. The method includes providing a first cell containing a light-generating reporter and a second cell, in which the first cell and the second cell are in communication. The second cell may contain an optical actuator of cellular electrical activity. The second cell is exposed to a stimulus and an optical signal from the first cell is detected.

Methods of inducing bradycardia (slowing a heart rate) in a subject in need thereof, treating a medical condition in which inducing bradycardia (slowing a heart rate) is desirable or beneficial in a subject in need thereof and/or treating a medical condition associated with cardiac arrhythmia, are provided. The methods are effected by blocking SK4 channel in SAN cell of the subject and/or by administering to the subject a therapeutically effective amount of a blocker of an SK4 channel. A method of identifying candidate compounds for treating an arrhythmic cardiac disorder, by identifying compounds that reduce a pacing rate of the SAN cells is also provided.

The present disclosure relates to the use of a soluble CD52 glycoprotein in treating diseases regulated by effector T-cells, for example sepsis or multiple sclerosis. The present disclosure also relates to diagnostic methods based on the detection of CD52 expression levels in a subject.

The present invention relates to a use of a human small leucine zipper protein in the adipocyte differentiation procedure. More specifically, sLZIP binds with PPARγ2 to induce the formation of a complex of HDAC3 and PPARγ2, thereby functioning as a corepressor to negatively inhibit the transcriptional activity of PPARγ2 and suppress the differentiation to adipocytes, and thus can be used as a marker for treating diabetes and obesity and developing new medicines therefor.

The specification provides compositions and methods to treat neurodegenerative diseases.