The present invention relates to uses of a peptide comprising an amino acid sequence selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NO: 1, SEQ ID NO: 2, analogues and derivatives thereof, for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases, such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). The present invention further provides a method for assessing responsiveness to treatment with the peptide of the invention. In addition, the present invention relates to prognosis of ALS progression, using Akt and phosphorylated Akt as biomarkers.

According to a skin ointment for treating labia minora skin according to the present disclosure, the skin ointment includes multi-growth factors as active ingredients, and is periodically applied to the vulva of a user so that the growth factors induce the regeneration of skin cells of the user, thereby increasing the effect of treating vulvar vestibulitis or wounds due to labia minora surgery, and addressing the fundamental causes thereof.

Nanoparticles can be useful for delivering therapeutic agents, such as anticancer agents to diseased cells. The nanoparticles include a carrier polypeptide and a cargo, which can be bind through electrostatic interactions to form a nanoparticle composition. An exemplary composition comprises nanoparticles comprising a carrier polypeptide comprising a penton base segment and a binding segment: and a polypeptide cargo comprising a tag segment that binds to the binding segment of the carrier poly peptide through an electrostatic interaction. An exemplary carrier polypeptide comprises a person base segment and a negatively-charged binding segment, which can bind to a positively charged cargo. The carrier polypeptide can also include a cell-targeting segment which can target the nanoparticle to a cell. Compositions comprising nanoparticles can be administered to a subject for the treatment of disease, such as cancer.

The present application provides methods and processes for making and using a mesenchymal stem cell secretome, as well as methods for treating ocular conditions and/disorders with the mesenchymal stem cell secretome described herein.

The present application provides methods and processes for making and using a mesenchymal stem cell secretome, as well as methods for treating ocular conditions and/disorders with the mesenchymal stem cell secretome described herein.

Methods of treating patients having inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) or primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) are provided herein.

An agent for protecting and/or regenerating pancreatic cells in a mammal with diabetes, containing a recombinant viral vector expressing a hepatocyte growth factor (HGF), wherein the agent is administered at a dose of 10.sup.10-10.sup.12 virus particles (vp)/kg body weight, and the viral vector contains a nucleic acid encoding HGF downstream of a promoter with transcriptional activity capable of affording a therapeutically effective blood HGF level at said dose is provided by the present invention.

The present invention relates to uses of a peptide comprising an amino acid sequence selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NO: 1, SEQ ID NO: 2, analogues and derivatives thereof, for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases, such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). The present invention further provides a method for assessing responsiveness to treatment with the peptide of the invention. In addition, the present invention relates to prognosis of ALS progression, using Akt and phosphorylated Akt as biomarkers.

Embodiments of the disclosure concern compositions and methods of use related to particular c-kit+ mesenchymal cells, including cardiac stem cells, obtained from a pediatric or neonatal individual. In specific embodiments, the cells, or conditioned medium or partial or total secretomes thereof, are provided in an effective amount to an individual in need thereof.

The invention described herein features methods and compositions for modifying thymic function and/or activity in a subject (e.g., a human, e.g., a human patient in need thereof; or a non-human animal, e.g., a companion animal or an agricultural animal).