The prsent invention relates to a method for manufacturing an analysis device including torpdo membrane fragments immobilized at the surface thereof, to the resulting analysis device, and to the use of said device for detecting, purifying, and characterizing molcules acting on nicotinic acetylcholine receptors. The prsent invention is useful in the field of monitoring seafood, monitoring neurotoxic phytoplankton for the shellfish industry, monitoring the quality of bathing waters along tourist beaches, the field of monitoring fresh water reserves, the field of mdical research, the field of the biological analysis and characterization of molcules, e.g., non-radioactive assays of the movement of the ligand-receptor bond on an ELISA-type microplate, thereby enabling comptitive agonists and antagonists of targets to be detected, e.g., of highly sensitive receptors.

Disclosed herein are methods for reducing or arresting an increase in a Neuropathy Impairment Score (NIS) or a modified NIS (mNIS+7) in a human subject by administering an effective amount of a transthyretin (TTR)-inhibiting composition.

Disclosed herein are methods for reducing or arresting an increase in a Neuropathy Impairment Score (NIS) or a modified NIS (mNIS+7) in a human subject by administering an effective amount of a transthyretin (TTR)-inhibiting composition.

An analysis device includes a turntable, an optical pickup, and a controller. The turntable holds a disc for specimen analysis having a reaction region on which fine particles binding to substances to be detected are captured per track. The optical pickup emits laser light to the reaction region, receives a reflected light from the reaction region, and generates a reception level signal of the light. The controller sequentially generates a plurality of measurement gate signals per track for counting the number of the fine particles captured on the reaction region, counts the number of the fine particles per measurement gate signal from the reception level signal, compares measurement results obtained in positions having a symmetric relation with each other in the reaction region, and defines a measurement-result-correction target region for correcting the number of the fine particles.

The present invention provides methods for culturing neuronal cells for transplantation into a subject. The methods include culturing neuronal cells with microparticles to provide a microparticle and neuronal cell culture composition, wherein the microparticles are coated with a compound that provides for attachment of neuronal cells. The present invention also provides methods of screening the cultured neuronal cells as well as kits and systems for use in the same.

The purpose of the present invention is to provide: a biomarker for psychiatric and neurological disorders, in particular, a biomarker for diagnosing psychiatric and neurological disorders; and a test kit and test method for psychiatric and neurological disorders. The inventors discovered that there is a significant increase in the concentration of free immunoglobulin chains and free immunoglobulin chains in the blood samples from patients with psychiatric and neurological disorders. Consequently, the present invention provides a biomarker for psychiatric and neurological disorders that includes at least one selected from the group consisting of free immunoglobulin chains, free immunoglobulin chains, and fragments thereof. Using this biomarker for psychiatric and neurological disorders enables the psychiatric and neurological disorders to be easily tested and diagnosed with the blood samples from the subjects. The biomarker enables more effective tests and diagnoses to be conducted combining inflammatory cytokines in the blood of patients with psychiatric and neurological disorders.

The present invention relates to a retinal pigment epithelial stem cell isolated from a posterior region of the retinal pigment epithelium of an adult mammal. The invention also relates to a method of inducing differentiation of retinal epithelial stem and progenitor cells in vitro, wherein the cells of the invention are highly plastic, multipotential stem cells. The invention also includes methods for the treatment of retinal diseases and vision loss involving the transplantation of retinal pigment epithelial stem cells or cells differentiated from retinal pigment epithelial stem cells to the retina of a patient in need of treatment.

The invention relates to methods for diagnosing Parkinson's Disease PAD) with miRNA markers. Towards the identification of biomarkers for diagnosis of PD, a comprehensive analysis of miRNA expression patterns was obtained. Significantly deregulated miRNAs were identified.

The present invention relates to a mitochondrial UQCRB mutant cell line expressing the UQCRB mutant protein. The present invention is directed to a novel research method for UQCRB activity evaluation using a novel mitochondrial UQCRB mutant cell line, and provides a method for anticancer activity evaluation, a method for angiogenesis inhibitory activity evaluation, and a method for screening a UQCRB activity inhibitor. In particular, the cell line of the present invention is a novel cell line having cell proliferative and angiogenesis inducing activities, and provides a method for screening an angiogenesis inhibitor or an anticancer material through the UQCRB activity inhibitory mechanism, and thus can be applied in the development of therapeutic agents against angiogenesis or mitochondria-mediated diseases and various cancers.

Provided is a method for detecting injury to the brain comprising: a) determining the level of a tight junction (TJ) protein in exosomes isolated from a test sample from a subject, wherein the TJ protein is occludin, claudin-3, claudin-5, claudin-12, ZO-1, ZO-2, ZO-3, JAM-A, JAM-B or JAM-C, or any combination thereof; b) comparing the level of the TJ protein in the test sample to the level of the TJ protein in a control sample, wherein an elevated level of the TJ protein in the test sample relative to the level of the TJ protein in the control sample indicates that the subject has an injury to the brain.