The present invention provides a method for analyzing the non-observed effect concentration (NOEC) of a chemical on an organism. The analysis method includes the following steps: 1) conducting a chronic toxicity test on a test organism with a test chemical at different concentrations, and conducting assays to obtain several sets of endpoint effect data; 2) classifying the several sets of endpoint effect data obtained in step 1); and 3) constructing hypothesis testing models with the data classified in step 2), and according to the statistical significance values from hypothesis testing models, among the same set of endpoint effect data, adopting the highest concentration of the test chemical that do not produce a significant effect as NOEC within the set; and among the different sets of endpoint effect data, adopting NOEC of the set with the smallest NOEC value as NOEC of the test chemical on the test organism.

The invention relates to a system and a method for determining a characteristic of a blood vessel portion, which comprises blood including a contrast agent exhibiting resonant absorption of x-ray photons at a specific energy. The system comprises a tunable monochromatic x-ray source (21) emitting x-ray radiation, an x-ray detector device (22) for detecting the x-ray radiation after it has travelled through the blood vessel portion. A control unit (26) varies a tuning of the x-ray source (21) to vary the energy of the x-ray radiation emitted by the x-ray source (21), and an evaluation unit (27) determines a tuning of the x-ray source (21) at which nuclear resonant absorption of the x-ray radiation incident onto the blood vessel portion occurs and estimates the characteristic on the basis of the determined tuning. The characteristic may particularly be the blood velocity in the blood vessel portion.

This invention relates to methods of screening for anti-PACAP antibodies, or anti-PACAP receptor antibodies, and antigen binding fragments thereof, for potential use in treating or preventing PACAP-associated photophobia or light aversion, and therapeutic compositions containing and methods of using anti-PACAP antibodies, or anti-PACAP receptor antibodies, and antigen binding fragments thereof.

Methods for detecting resistance to sedation caused by antipsychotic drugs including methods for detecting psychotic disorders such as but not limited to schizophrenia or bipolar I disorder featuring administering to a patient a dose of an antipsychotic medication; and subjecting the patient to an evaluation at a time point following administration of the dose of the antipsychotic medication. The evaluation is adapted to determine a level of sedation resulting from the dose of the antipsychotic medication. A resulting level of sedation may be one of the following: completely sedated, significantly sedated, moderately sedated, not significantly sedated and completely alert. If the individual is not completely sedated or significantly sedated, or is completely alert, then the patient may have a likelihood of having a psychotic disorder such as schizophrenia.

In one aspect, methods of generating human monoclonal antibodies that specifically binds to an allergen are provided. In some embodiments, the monoclonal antibodies are generated from sequences identified from isolated single B cells from a human subject who is allergic to the allergen.

In one aspect, methods of generating human monoclonal antibodies that specifically binds to an allergen are provided. In some embodiments, the monoclonal antibodies are generated from sequences identified from isolated single B cells from a human subject who is allergic to the allergen.

The present invention provides new methods for inflammation and infection imaging and related medical applications thereof. In some embodiments, the present invention provides a method for the diagnosis of inflammation and/or infection. In some embodiments, the present invention provides a method for the treatment or prevention of inflammation and/or infection. In some embodiments, the present invention provides methods for monitoring the effect of inflammation and/or infection treatment, and/or methods for monitoring an inflammation and/or infection treatment regimen. In some embodiments, the present invention provides a method for selecting subjects for an inflammation and/or infection treatment. In some embodiments, the present invention provides a method for determining the dosage of a drug for the treatment of inflammation and/or infection.

The invention provides methods for treating primary disorders of mood and affect, including depressive disorders, anxiety and sleep disorders and CNS disorders comprising the administration of a neurotoxin.

A breath test and a breath test method for diagnosing abnormal gastric emptying using a .sup.13C labeled breath test meal by identifying the time of maximum excretion of .sup.13CO.sub.2 in the breath samples. The test and test method include supplying a subject with the breath test meal, collecting a breath sample of the subject at a plurality of time points after the subject consumes the meal, generating measurements of .sup.13CO.sub.2 excretion from the breath samples, identifying a time T.sub.max at which .sup.13CO.sub.2 excretion is maximal, comparing T.sub.max to a cut-off value. The subject may be diagnosed as having delayed gastric emptying if T.sub.max is greater than the T.sub.max cut-off value.

The present invention provides anti-C1q antibodies and methods of using the same.