Causes of hair loss have not been completely clarified and still remain unknown in many points. However, it appears that hair loss is partly caused by a mechanism wherein androgenic hormones in the scalp become active via the activation of DHT hormone by 5-reductase and thus the activity of cells in hair roots is lost. In the present invention, an antibody, said antibody being obtained by inoculating a female bird with 5-reductase or DHT as an antigen, is administered to the scalp so that the activity of DHT is suppressed and the activity of cells in hair roots is elevated. This antibody can be used in the form of a composition together with other component(s), for example, as a hair tonic together with another hair growth promoter.

A method of manufacturing polyclonal antibodies may include immunizing ostriches with an immunogen including Staphylococcus aureus and Propionibacterium acne, obtaining eggs from the immunized ostriches, and purifying polyclonal antibodies from the eggs.

The present invention relates to the biomarkers for predicting the clinical response to anti-LPS immunoglobulin treatments in patients in need thereof. In particular, the invention provides methods for predicting the clinical response to an anti-LPS immunoglobulin treatment in a patient in need thereof, said method comprising the steps of evaluating the expression of a predictive biomarker selected from the group consisting of CD14, CD68, TLR4, TLR7, IL6, IL8, IL10, IFN-alpha, IGF1, CXCL1, CXCL9, CXCL10, RAGE, GDNF, BCHE, and combination thereof, in said patient.

The present invention relates to the use of a composition selected from the group consisting of antibodies, antibody fragments, insulin-like growth factor antagonists, Toll-like receptor antagonists and mixtures thereof for the treatment or the prophylaxis of certain diseases.

For many diseases due to microbes or the like, proliferation of microbes themselves is a cause of a symptom. However, there were cases where a substance released by the microbes is a cause of a symptom. In such cases, when attempting to treat a disease with an antibody, it was necessary to obtain an antibody against an antigen that is a substance causing the disease. However, it was difficult to find the underlying substance causing the disease among substances released by the microbes. An antibody (polyclonal) binding to not only an antigen but also to a substance, which is secreted by the antigen and accelerates the deterioration of a symptom, is obtained by immunizing birds with a lysis solution produced from lysing microbial cells as an antigen. Further, an antibody obtained with a surface protein of a virus as an antigen is expected to inhibit an infection by a virus.

A polyclonal antibody composition prepared from eggs of immunized hens is used to treat C. difficile infections. Respective groups of hens are immunized with Toxin A or Toxin B of Clostridium difficile or a Clostridium difficile spore preparation. The polyclonal antibodies are recovered from eggs pooled from the immunized hens and the resulting powder is administered in a therapeutically effective amount to individuals infected with or suspected of being infected with C. difficile.

The disclosure provides improved compositions and methods for passive immunization. In embodiments, a composition comprising a synergistic combination of specific polyclonal antibodies in a carrier matrix is provided. The disclosure provides effective, economical compositions and methods for the treatment of diarrhea and enteric infections in broad-spectrum, undifferentiated, or mixed clinical applications.

The present invention relates to the use of a composition selected from the group consisting of antibodies, antibody fragments, insulin-like growth factor antagonists, Toll-like receptor antagonists and mixtures thereof for the treatment or the prophylaxis of certain diseases.

Described herein are peptides from secretory phospholipase A.sub.2-IB and antibodies that can be used to reduce the contribution of the gastrointestinal tract to inflammatory processes including systemic inflammatory responses. Specifically, antibodies that bind specifically a peptide from secretory phospholipase A.sub.2-IB prevent death in a mouse model of LPS-induced endotoxemia. The antibodies described herein are particularly useful to treat systemic inflammatory response syndromes, including sepsis.

The disclosure provides improved compositions and methods for passive immunization. In embodiments, a composition comprising a synergistic combination of specific polyclonal antibodies in a carrier matrix is provided. The disclosure provides effective, economical compositions and methods for the treatment of diarrhea and enteric infections in broad-spectrum, undifferentiated, or mixed clinical applications.