The present invention relates to a method for identifying a microorganism in a biological sample by polymerase chain reaction (PCR), comprising the steps of a) providing a biological sample suspected of comprising microbes, and optionally isolating nucleic acid sequences from said biological sample; b) PCR amplifying at least one microbial rRNA internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region comprised in said optionally isolated nucleic acid sequences using a set of broad-taxonomic range amplification primers to thereby generate PCR amplicons from nucleic acid sequences of microbial origin; c) recording a high resolution melting curve for the PCR amplicons, and recording the length of the PCR amplicons; d) comparing the high resolution melting curve with a database comprising high resolution melting curves of reference amplicons of known microbial species or strains, to thereby obtain a first identity indicator; e) comparing the length of each PCR amplicon having a distinct length with a database comprising PCR amplicon lengths of reference amplicons of known microbial species or strains, to thereby obtain a second identity indicator; and f) identifying the microorganism present in said sample to the species or strain level if the first and second identity indicator match.

Disclosed herein are methods for making a transcriptome-wide expression profile of a biological sample and identifying biomarkers that can be used to diagnose, monitor the onset, monitor the progression, and assess the recovery of a disease in a subject. The biomarkers can also be used to establish and evaluate treatment regimens.

A method of distinguishing a subject with pre-clinical Alzheimer's disease from those with similar symptoms but other forms of dementia such as mild cognitive impairment. The blood RNA whole transcriptome profile of a subject with suspected pre-clinical Alzheimer's disease is obtained and analyzed against a reference blood RNA whole transcriptome profile from a subject with another form of dementia such as frontal temporal dementia, CADASIL or mild cognitive impairment (MCI). The blood RNA whole transcriptome profile includes the presence and quantitation of ncRNA. Methods to enhance treatment of epileptic seizures are also discussed.

Methods and kits are described for testing for the presence or absence of any fungus in a sample. Examples of fungi that can be detected include, but are not limited to, those belonging to the genera Candida, Aspergillus and Pneumocystis. The methods include obtaining a sample suspected of containing fungal nucleic acid, including at least one universal region of fungal nucleic acid, and testing for the presence or absence in the sample of the at least one universal region of fungal nucleic acid. Samples may be biological or non-biological.

The present invention relates to novel methods and compositions for increasing AMPK activity and glucose uptake comprising administering a macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) pathway agonist in a subject in need thereof. The invention also relates to methods for selecting a subject for treatment with an agonist of MIF, identifying a subject at risk for developing a condition in which increased AMPK activity is desirable, and for predicting whether a subject is susceptible to a condition in which increased AMPK activity is desirable.

Assays and methods for detecting resistance to beta-lactam antibiotics including detection of multiple β-lactamase family specific gene targets by polymerase chain reaction or microarray. One or more kits including primers and/or probes for identification of β-lactamase genes selected from the group consisting of one or more of the following: MOX-like, FOX-like, ACC-like, ACT/MIR-like, CMY-2-like, DHA-like, CTX-M-14-like, CTX-M-15-like, VIM-like, NDM-like, IMP-like, KPC-like, and OXA-48-like, OXA-51-like, OXA-143-like, OXA-58-like, OXA-23-like, OXA-24/40-like, TEM-like, and SHV-like. A kit may also include one or more primers and/or probes for the identification a non-beta lactamase gene family which confers antibiotic resistance, such as the MCR-1 gene.

There is described herein, a method of capturing and analyzing cell-free methylated DNA in a sample. The method involves subjecting the sample to library preparation to permit subsequent sequencing of the cell-free methylated DNA. A predetermined amount of control synthetic DNA fragments are added to the sample. The control synthetic DNA fragments each have a known nucleic acid sequence that does not align to a target genome sequence, and at least some of the control synthetic DNA fragments are methylated. The sample is denatured, and cell-free methylated DNA and the control synthetic DNA fragments are captured using a binder selective for methylated polynucleotides. The captured DNA is amplified and sequenced.

There is described herein a method for specifically detecting Babesia species nucleic acid in a sample, which in one aspect comprises: (1) contacting a sample, said sample suspected of containing Babesia species nucleic acid, with at least two oligomers for amplifying a target region of a Babesia species target nucleic acid, wherein the at least two amplification oligomers comprise: (a) a first amplification oligomer comprising a first target-hybridizing sequence (i) that is from about 15 to about 33 contiguous nucleotides in length, is contained in the sequence of SEQ ID NO:66 and comprises SEQ ID NO:56 or 57; or (ii) that is from about 15 to about 33 contiguous nucleotides in length, is contained in the sequence of SEQ ID NO:96 and comprises SEQ ID NO:101; or (iii) that is from about 15 to about 33 contiguous nucleotides in length, is contained in the sequence of SEQ ID NO:97 and comprises SEQ ID NO:101; (iv) comprises or consists of SEQ ID NO:8; (v) comprises or consists of SEQ ID NO:83 and (b) a second amplification oligomer comprising a second target-hybridizing sequence that is from about 15 to about 33 contiguous nucleotides in length, and (i) is contained in SEQ ID NO:68 and comprises SEQ ID NO:52, SEQ ID NO:53, SEQ ID NO:54, SEQ ID NO:55, or SEQ ID NO:85; or (ii) is contained in SEQ ID NO:67 and comprises SEQ ID NO:45 or SEQ ID NO:52; or (iii) is contained in SEQ ID NO:70 and comprises SEQ ID NO:46, SEQ ID NO:47, SEQ ID NO:48, SEQ ID NO:49, SEQ ID NO:50, or SEQ ID NO:51; (2) performing an in vitro nucleic acid amplification reaction, wherein any Babesia target nucleic acid present in said sample is used as a template for generating an amplification product; and (3) detecting the presence or absence of the amplification product, thereby indicating the presence or absence of Babesia species target nucleic acid in said sample.

Disclosed herein is a method which includes extracting genomic deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) at locations at or near cancer hotspots from a subject, modifying Tier-1 5hmC on the DNA to a modified 5hmC, detecting and identifying the presence or absence of the modified 5hmC, quantifying the detected and identified modified 5hmC; and providing a report comprising a score, wherein the score is indicative of the presence of cancer.

The present invention discloses a sequencing library comprising a nucleotide sequence. The sequence comprises a linker sequence and two target sequences. Two ends of the linker sequence are respectively linked to the target sequences and the two target sequences are direct repeat sequences. The present invention further discloses preparation and use of the sequencing library. The present invention overcomes the high error rate problem of current DNA sequencing technologies, especially in a way of very low coverage bias, and can be used to detect low frequency mutations in different kinds of samples.