The present disclosure concerns aptamers of formula (I) capable of specifically binding to Factor XIa. The aptamers can be used to prevent, treat or alleviate the symptoms of thrombosis. The aptamers can also be used to detect Factor XIa in a sample and/or purify Factor XIa from a sample. The aptamers can further be used to identity putative therapeutic agents for the prevention, treatment or alleviation of symptoms associated with thrombosis.

The present invention relates to a method for detecting heart damage in a patient. The invention also relates to methods for treatment of patients identified as having heart damage. The invention further pertains to methods for evaluating the efficacy of an ongoing therapeutic regimen designated to treat a damaged heart in a patient.

Provided herein are new compositions and methods to target and deliver agents to pathological areas by utilizing multifunctional compounds. These compounds include three or more domains: (i) a vimentin-binding peptide, (ii) a linker, and (iii) a drug binding, a capturing reagent, or a detectable moiety. These compounds can be used to detect, isolate, and/or treat cancerous cells such as circulating tumor cells.

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.

Disclosed are compounds having formula (I):

##STR00001##

or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt, ester, amide, solvate, or stereoisomer thereof, wherein L, Y.sup.1, Y.sup.2, Y.sup.3, Y.sup.4, Y.sup.5, Z.sup.1, Z.sup.2, Z.sup.3, Z.sup.4, Z.sup.5, Z.sup.6, and Effector are each as defined in the specification; compositions thereof; uses thereof; and methods of use thereof.

The present disclosure relates to a method for calculating a tolerated dose of a human body to sugar alcohol and functional sugar. Taking xylitol as an example, the method includes the following steps: selecting 200 g rats as experimental animal objects, and dividing the 200 g rats into six experimental groups and one control group, with each including ten numbered rats; gavaging different doses of xylitol to the rats in the six experimental groups each day; gavaging the same dose of sucrose to the rats in the control group each day; providing enough drinking water and common feed to all the experimental rats each day; checking and making statistics on the quantity of the rats with diarrhea every night; continuing for 14 days; by combining the diarrhea situations of rats on the last day with results of intestinal segment slice maps and diamine oxidase contents of the rats in each group, obtaining a maximum tolerated dose N of the rats in the group to xylitol; and obtaining the tolerated dose of the human body to the xylitol by converting the maximum tolerated dose of the rat based on the conversion formula of drug doses of experimental animal and human body. A more accurate tolerated dose range of the human body to sugar alcohol and functional sugar is obtained through animal experiments.

Methods for using an anti-CD19 antibody to treat autoimmune disease are disclosed herein. In particular the use of VIB551, a humanised, affinity-optimised, afucosylated IgG1 kappa monoclonal antibody to treat Neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder.

Provided is reproducible means that enables the production of an active nucleus pulposus cell phenotype from desired cells such as terminally differentiated cells or pluripotent or multipotent stem cells. Provided is a differentiation inducer containing an effective amount of a gene of at least two transcription factors selected from the group consisting of Brachyury (T), SRY-box6 (SOX6), C and Forkhead Box Q1 (FOXQ1), or homologs thereof (nucleus pulposus cell master regulator transcription factor), or a product thereof.

There is provided a method of evaluating risk of severe outcome of an infectious disease and/or an inflammatory disease in a patient, the method comprising: determining/measuring the number of one or more immune cells selected from the group consisting of VD2 T cells, CD8 T cells, and immature neutrophils in a sample obtained from the patient, wherein the patient has an enhanced risk of severe infectious disease and/or inflammatory disease outcome when: (i) the ratio of immature neutrophils to VD2 T cell is at least 2:1, and/or (ii) the ratio of immature neutrophils to CD8 T cell is at least 0.5:1. Also disclosed are method of treating a patient with a severe infectious disease and/or inflammatory disease and kit for use in methods thereof.

The present invention is directed to a method for differentiating between ASD phenotype 1, phenotype 2 and other ASD patients, wherein the method comprises: administering an Nrf2-activator to a subject, and identifying the subject as an ASD phenotype 1 patient if the subject shows a negative response, as a phenotype 2 patient if he shows a positive response and as another ASD patient if he does not show a positive nor a negative response, wherein the subject is a patient previously diagnosed with idiopathic ASD or a subject displaying clinical signs of ASD. Likewise, the present invention is directed to an Nrf2-activator for use in differentiating between autism spectrum disorder (ASD) phenotype 1 patients, phenotype 2 patients and other ASD patients, wherein the Nrf2-activator is administered to a subject, wherein a phenotype 1 patient is identified by a negative response, a phenotype 2 patient is identified by a positive response and other ASD patients are identified by the absence of a positive and a negative wherein the subject is a patient previously diagnosed with idiopathic ASD or a subject displaying clinical signs of ASD.