The present invention is related to novel methods for detecting and reducing cancer cell central nervous system colonization and methods of treating subjects having cancers that colonize in the central nervous system.

The present application provides for the use of S100A8 or S100A9 homodimer or S100A8/A9 heterodimer in the prevention or treatment of a NF-κB-associated postnatal inflammatory disorder in a newborn subject. Moreover, the present invention relates to a pharmaceutical composition comprising S100A8 or S100A9 homodimer or S100A8/A9 heterodimer and an in vitro method for evaluating the risk of a newborn subject for developing a NF-κB-associated postnatal inflammatory disorder.

Genetically encoded calcium indicator (GECI) polypeptides and the nucleic acid molecules encoding such polypeptides are provided. In addition, methods of using such nucleic acids and polypeptides in methods of screening for agonists or antagonists of G-protein coupled receptor (GPCR) or ion channels and methods of monitoring neural activity also are provided.

The present invention provides methods and systems to accurately detect and measure levels of endogenous antibodies, for examples endogenous IgA, to particular antigens in a biological sample from a companion animal, which is useful to diagnose inflammatory conditions, including bowel disease (IBD), gastrointestinal infections, and food sensitivities in companion animals, e.g., dogs or cats, and to distinguish among such gastrointestinal disorders. Such methods and systems identify whether a sample from the patient is associated with an inflammatory condition, infection, and/or food sensitivity condition, by using non-invasive means, thus conveniently providing information useful for guiding treatment decisions.

Life-threatening traumas such as terrorist attacks, war, disasters, mental or physical assault, severe accidents and violence frequently provoke emotional and behavioral disturbances known as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and suicide related thereto. Accurate diagnosis and treatment planning for PTSD and suicide remain difficult. The discovery of specific markers creates new opportunities for more accurate clinical assessments identifying groups that may experience better outcomes when exposed to an intervention. The present invention provides a process of detection of P-11, UBE3A, STY1, EMAP-II, SIP1, ORC5L, DCX, SCYE protein in a biological sample of a subject suspected of suffering from PTSD and/or having suicidal tendencies, and provides additional PTSD markers which are specific to gender.

Applications of a serum S100A8/A9 complex level in the prognosis assessment of acute myocardial infarction (AMI) are disclosed. The prognosis assessment refers to predicting short-term and long-term prognosis of an AMI patient undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) and determining whether the patient falls into a high-risk group of postoperative adverse events (AEs) or a low-risk group of the postoperative AEs. The AEs include but are not limited to death, cardiogenic shock (CS), and acute heart failure (AHF). The S100A8/A9 complex is a heterodimer complex formed by S100A8 protein (Calgranulin A, MRP8) and S100A9 protein (Calgranulin B, MRP14) in a calcium ion-dependent manner. The S100A8/A9 complex refers to the S100A8/A9 complex in serum of the patient within 24 h after the PCI. An antibody pair for detecting the serum S100A8/A9 complex is also disclosed.

The current disclosure provides for specific peptides from the Secreted Protein Acidic and Rich in Cysteine (SPARC) protein and the derived ionization characteristics of those peptides that are advantageous for quantifying the SPARC directly in formalin fixed biological samples by the method of Selected Reaction Monitoring (SRM) mass spectrometry. Such fixed biological samples include: formalin-fixed tissue/cells, formalin-fixed/paraffin embedded (FFPE) tissue/cells, FFPE tissue blocks and cells from those blocks, and formalin fixed and paraffin embedded tissue culture cells. SPARC protein is quantitated in biological samples by the method of SRM/MRM mass spectrometry by quantitating one or more of the peptides described herein. The peptides can be quantitated if they reside in a modified or an unmodified form. Examples of potentially modified forms of an SPARC peptides include those bearing phosphorylation of a tyrosine, threonine, serine, and/or other amino acid residues within the peptide sequence.

A biosensor comprises first and second molecular components and is capable of displaying protease activity in response to a binding event mediated by first and second binding partners of the biosensor. The first and second binding partners may bind each other directly or may both bind a target molecule. At least the first molecular component comprises an autoinhibited protease, whereby the binding event switches the protease frora an autoinhibited inactive state to a protease active state. The second molecular component may activate the protease of the first molecular component by binding a cross-binder which releases the autoinhibitor or by cleaving a linker which releases the autoinhibitor. The first and second molecular components may both have autoinhibited proteases which reciprocally activate each other.

The present invention relates to novel DNA aptamers capable of binding gelsolin tightly and specifically. The invention further relates to the use of these aptamers to estimate the gelsolin levels in a given sample and purify bulk quantities of tagless gelsolin and its variants. The present invention thus eliminates the use of different animals/their tissues to produce gelsolin binding proteins, which are much more expensive and socially unacceptable methods as opposed to the synthesis of a DNA molecule by in vitro PCR. Using this strategy, bulk production of the gelsolin binding matrix can be carried out at much lower cost. Also, the aptamers can be used to block binding of gelsolin to its binding partners for diagnostic and/or therapeutic applications.

The invention relates to compounds and methods for restoring or preserving cholesterol efflux in a cell infected with Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) by preventing or decreasing an interaction between Negative Regulatory Factor (Nef) protein and Calnexin protein, and methods for screening for such compounds.