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 present invention relates to pyrazine derivatives such as those represented by Formulas I and II. X.sup.1 to X.sup.4 of Formulas I and II may be characterized as electron withdrawing groups, while Y.sup.1 to Y.sup.4 of Formulas I and II may be characterized as electron donating groups. Pyrazine derivatives of the present invention may be utilized in assessing organ (e.g., kidney) function. In a particular example, an effective amount of a pyrazine derivative that is capable of being renally cleared may be administered into a patient's body. The pyrazine derivative may capable of one or both absorbing and emanating spectral energy of at least about 400 nm (e.g., visible and/or infrared light). At least some of the derivative that is in the body may be exposed to spectral energy and, in turn, spectral energy may emanate from the derivative. This emanating spectral energy may be detected and utilized to determine renal function of the patient.

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Herein is reported a method for the production of a polypeptide that is biologically active as n-mer comprising a nucleic acid encoding a fusion polypeptide according to the following formula (B.sub.n-CS.sub.o-I.sub.s-CS.sub.p-FC-CS.sub.q-I.sub.t-CS.sub.r-B.sub.m).sub.u, wherein B denotes a polypeptide that is biologically active as n-mer and forms non-defined aggregates/multimers upon expression in the absence of a fused Fc-region, FC denotes a heavy chain Fc-region polypeptide, CS denotes a cleavage site, and I denotes an intervening amino acid sequence, wherein FC does not substantially bind to an Fc-receptor, recovering the fusion polypeptide from the cell or the cultivation medium, optionally cleaving the fusion polypeptide with a protease, and thereby producing a polypeptide that is biologically active as n-mer and forms non-defined aggregates/multimers upon expression in the absence of a fused Fc-region.

The present invention provides dendrimer conjugates. The present invention provides a composition comprising a dendrimer conjugate and a cell, such as a cell covered with dendrimer conjugates, in which dendrimer conjugates home the cell to a target tissue.

The present invention is directed to antagonistic antibodies and antigen binding fragments thereof having binding specificity for PACAP. These antibodies inhibit, block or neutralize at least one biological effect associated with PACAP, e.g., vasodilation. In exemplary embodiments these antibodies and antigen binding fragments thereof may comprise specific V.sub.H, V.sub.L, and CDR polypeptides described herein. In some embodiments these antibodies and antigen binding fragments thereof bind to and/or compete for binding to specific epitope(s) on human PACAP. The invention is further directed to using these antagonistic anti-PACAP antibodies, and binding fragments thereof, for the diagnosis, assessment, and treatment of diseases and disorders associated with PACAP and conditions where antagonism of PACAP-related activities, such as vasodilation, mast cell degranulation, and/or neuronal activation, are therapeutically beneficial, e.g., headache and migraine indications.

Methods of treatment of progressive supranuclear palsy or its symptoms, with PPARγ agonists, and in particular, the compound of formula (I) known as INT 131: Formula (I). Also provided are methods of treating a subject that include selecting a subject having an elevated level of neurofilament light chain protein in a sample obtained from the subject, as compared to a reference level of neurofilament light chain protein, and administering a pharmaceutical composition including a therapeutically effective amount of a compound of formula (I) to the selected subject. ##STR00001##

Monoclonal neutralizing antibodies are disclosed that specifically bind to the HIV-1 gp41 membrane-proximal external region (MPER). Also disclosed are compositions including the disclosed antibodies that specifically bind gp41, nucleic acids encoding these antibodies, expression vectors including the nucleic acids, and isolated host cells that express the nucleic acids. The antibodies and compositions disclosed herein can be used for detecting the presence of HIV-1 in a biological sample, or detecting an HIV-1 infection or diagnosing AIDS in a subject. In additional, the broad neutralization breadth of the disclosed antibodies makes them ideal for treating a subject with an HIV infection. Thus, disclosed are methods of treating and/or preventing HIV infection.

The invention relates to novel tricarbocyanine-cyclodextrin(s) conjugates useful as markers in the diagnosis of kidney diseases, diagnostic compositions comprising the conjugates, their use, and their production.

Provided herein are synthetic scaffolds engineered to function as a pre-metastatic niche to detect metastasis. In particular, synthetic scaffolds described herein provide detection of the earliest events in metastasis, thereby enabling treatment of metastasis before the disease burden increases.

The present invention provides N-alkyl 2-(disubstituted)alkynyladenosine-5′-uronamides and derivatives thereof and pharmaceutical compositions containing the same that are selective agonists of A.sub.2A adenosine receptors (ARs). These compounds and compositions are useful as pharmaceutical agents.