Peptides and conjugates are described herein, including peptides having antimicrobial and/or anticancer properties, as are compositions, articles, and kits comprising such peptides and conjugates, and methods for using the peptides and conjugates.

The invention relates to a method for preparation of a sample (10) of a formulation (11) for subsequent endotoxin determination, the formulation (11) suspected of comprising an endotoxin, the formulation (11) preferentially being a pharmaceutical formulation. The method comprises the following steps: application of the sample (10) to an endotoxin-free centrifugation column (2) containing a size exclusion chromatography matrix (5) that has been equilibrated with a suitable equilibration buffer (6) and elution of a flow through (15) of the sample by centrifugation, which flow through (15) can then be used for endotoxin determination. The equilibration buffer (6) is selected according to a subsequently used method of endotoxin determination, the equilibration buffer (6) only containing components not interfering with subsequently used method of endotoxin determination. Furthermore, the invention relates to a kit (20) for preparation of a sample (10).

The invention relates to in vitro methods for detecting bacteremia, for selecting a therapy for a subject with cystic fibrosis or for a subject with systemic inflammatory response syndrome and for selecting a subject with cystic fibrosis or with systemic inflammatory syndrome for a particular therapy based on the expression levels of a gene selected from tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFα), IL-1b, IL-10, CCL2, interferon beta (IFN-β), IL-17, IL-2, IL-4 and VEGF in a blood sample from the subject. The invention also relates to a kit comprising a TLR-4 agonist and a reagent specific for determining the level of at least one cytokine selected from the group consisting of tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFα), IL-1b, IL-10, CCL2, interferon beta (IFN-β), IL-17, IL-2, IL-4 and VEGF and to the uses of this kit.

A process of using a fish plasma component in a nutrient medium for cell culture includes obtaining a fish that is a progeny of domesticated broodstock that are reared under consistent and reproducible conditions. Blood is obtained from the fish, and plasma is separated from the blood. One or more specific components of the plasma are then extracted, and cells are cultured in a nutrient medium using the one or more extracted plasma components, and none of any remainder of the plasma. The plasma and/or the plasma components is/are tested for presence and/or level of endotoxin. Extracting the one or more specific components of the plasma, and/or culturing the cells is only performed if the testing indicates an endotoxin level below a predetermined threshold. The cells cultured using the extracted one or more plasma components are other than fish cells.

The present invention relates to TCP peptides for use in methods of treatment of S protein viruses. Notably, said TCP peptides are useful for treatment of inflammation associated with infection by S protein virus. The invention also provides methods for predicting the severity of infection by S protein virus.

A method for predicting the pathogenicity and virulence of a strain of Gram-negative bacteria of the Enterobacteriaceae family, wherein the amount of 2-hydroxymyristate and/or 2-hydroxymyristic acid present in the lipopolysaccharides of the bacteria is identified and measured, the amount of 2-hydroxymyristate and/or 2-hydroxymyristic acid is compared with a reference value, and wherein it is concluded that the strain is virulent if the amount of 2-hydroxymyristate is greater than the reference value. Also, the use of the 2-hydroxymyristic acid ester as a marker of pathogenicity and virulence of a Gram-negative bacterial strain and an in vitro diagnosis kit implementing this marker.

Described herein are methods for quantifying IAIP levels in a sample.

Provided is a technology related to a horseshoe crab factor B variant, and also provided is means for performing endotoxin measurement with high sensitivity. A polypeptide having an amino acid sequence in which the amino acid residue at the 193-position in an amino acid sequence of a polypeptide of horseshoe crab factor B is substituted with a cysteine (Cys) residue, is produced. Endotoxin measurement can be carried out with high sensitivity by configuring a Limulus reagent by combining this polypeptide with horseshoe crab factor C.

A point-of-use kit is designed for optically detecting and quantifying bacterial endotoxin by employing specific formulations of Limulus amebocyte lysate (LAL), each formulation designed to optimize results with different sample classes. Kits are pre-certified for use with a variety of environmental, industrial, and clinical samples, each sample category having a unique kit design and containing a unique lysate reagent formulation. Pre-certification transfers time and reagent consuming tasks, such as assessment of sample compatibility and sample effect on reagent sensitivity to endotoxin from the user to the kit producer. A fixed dilution/sample treatment is employed, eliminating the need for a comparative water standard and for a sample positive control. The kit has LAL reagent prepackaged in dry polyethylene capped tubes, which retains reagent shelf life and optical clarity for accurate and reproducible results using a portable spectrophotometer/optical reader.

The present invention refers to an in vitro method for obtaining clinical data in patients suffering from an inflammatory disease, preferably, for predicting mortality risk among patients suffering from sepsis or for deciding whether to administer a medical treatment to a patient suffering from an autoinflammatory syndrome.