Provided are compositions and methods for reducing the reproductive capacity of mammals. The compositions and methods involve the use and administration of (a) a diterpenoid epoxide comprising a triptolide skeleton and which causes ovarian follicle depletion in female mammals and (b) an organic diepoxide which causes ovarian follicle depletion in female mammals.

The present invention includes compositions and methods for treating diseases or disorders associated with pathological calcification or pathological ossification. In certain embodiments, the diseases or disorders are selected from the group consisting of Generalized Arterial Calcification of Infancy (GACI), Idiopathic Infantile Arterial Calcification (IIAC), Ossification of the Posterior Longitudinal Ligament (OPLL), hypophosphatemic rickets, osteoarthritis, calcification of atherosclerotic plaques, PXE, hereditary and non-hereditary forms of osteoarthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, hardening of the arteries occurring with aging, calciphylaxis resulting from end stage renal disease and progeria.

Nonsense-mediated mRNA decay (NMD) polypeptides, nucleic acids encoding NMD polypeptides, and methods of using such polypeptides and nucleic acids in the treatment of ALS and in screening for agents for the treatment of ALS are described.

Provided is an information providing method for diagnosing Parkinson's disease by measuring the amount of any one target selected from the group consisting of a Proteus mirabilis strain, a metabolite produced by the Proteus mirabilis strain, and -synuclein in a biological sample of a subject; a composition comprising a Proteus mirabilis strain as an active ingredient for fabricating a Parkinson's disease animal model; a method for fabricating a Parkinson's disease animal model, the method comprising a step for administering a Proteus mirabilis strain to an animal excluding human; and a method for screening a Parkinson's disease medicine, the method comprising a step for administering a candidate drug of the Parkinson's disease medicine to the Parkinson's disease animal model and a step for observing the degree of mitigation of Parkinson's disease symptoms to determine the treatment effect of the candidate drug on Parkinson's disease.

The present invention relates to a method for the treatment of scleroderma through the delivery of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) to a patient in need thereof, preferably under the control of a gene switch. In this manner, the use of a ligand activator to activate or deactivate the expression of MMP controls the gene switch. In another embodiment, the invention is directed to the delivery of autologous genetically modified cells transfected/transduced with a polynucleotide encoding MMP under the control of a gene switch activatable through the use of an activator ligand for the treatment or scleroderma.

Provided here are certain recombinant HIV compositions and animal models to evaluate prophylactic and therapeutic antiviral compositions.

The present invention relates to a non-human animal model of chronic glaucoma. In addition, the invention refers to a method for the preparation of said animal model, as well as to the use thereof.

The present disclosure as disclosed in various embodiments relates to methods and compositions of treating obesity, inflammation, or obesity-associated metabolic disorders with bacteriophages and processes for preparing the compositions.

The disclosure relates, in some aspects, to compositions and methods for treatment of diseases associated with aberrant lysosomal function, for example Parkinson's disease (PD) and Gaucher disease. In some embodiments, the disclosure provides expression constructs comprising a transgene encoding beta-Glucocerebrosidase (GBA) or a portion thereof alone or in combination with one or more PD-associated genes. In some embodiments, the disclosure provides methods of Parkinson's disease by administering such expression constructs to a subject in need thereof.

The invention provides a method of increasing blood flow or perfusion in an ischemic tissue; inducing angiogenesis, neovascularization or revascularization; increasing skeletal muscle viability; promoting ischemic skin wound healing; treating or preventing gangrene; and/or treating CLI. In various aspects, the method comprises administering to a subject a hybrid adenoassociated virus (AAV) comprising a nucleotide sequence encoding an E-selectin, AAV serotype 2 (AAV2) inverted terminal repeats (ITRs), and a capsid from an AAV other than serotype 2. In various aspects, the method comprises administering to the subject a cell comprising an AAV comprising a nucleotide sequence encoding an E-selectin, AAV2 ITRs, and a AAV2 capsid.