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Diabetic nephropathy (DN) is the leading cause of renal failure and is characterized by proteinuria that progresses to renal inflammation and decline in the glornerular filtration barrier (GFB). Podocytes are specialized epithelia cells in the glomerular capsule that have a role in filtration of blood and maintaining the integrity of the GFB; dysfunction of these cells plays a significant role in the pathogenesis of DN. Soluble epoxide hydrolase (sEH) is a cytosolic enzyme whose inhibition has beneficial effects in inflammatory diseases.

Software is has been developed and available for licensing that fully automates image processing for the quantification of myocardial blood flow (MBF) pixel maps from firstpass contrast-enhanced cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) perfusion images. The system removes the need for laborious manual quantitative CMR perfusion pixel map processing and can process prospective and retrospective studies acquired from various imaging protocols. In full automation, arterial input function (AIF) images are processed for motion correction and myocardial perfusion images are corrected for intensity bias.

This invention is a platform technology that pertains to the advantages of conjugating therapeutics to Evans Blue thus providing long lasting pharmacokinetic profiles by complexing with albumin. Notably, albumin bound therapeutic- or prodrug-Evans Blue conjugates provide a complex with a total molecular size above 60 kDa thus eliminating the risk for renal clearance. Interestingly, since albumin also crosses the blood-brain barrier and since all circulating Evans Blue is bound to albumin, Evans Blue bound therapeutics or prodrugs can also cross the blood-brain barrier.

How much does a mouse eat per day? If a researcher is conducting dietary studies, the answer is very important. For instance, obesity studies require accurate measures of feeding. Existing automated methods for taking feeding measurements are expensive and use specialized caging that is not compatible with typical vivarium colony racks. As a result, many researchers simply weigh food each day or two to determine how much food the mice ate. This is time-consuming, can be error prone, and provides a low temporal resolution view of feeding.

The invention concerns novel capsid-free AAV vectors that can be used for gene delivery and gene therapy applications. The invention provides for a linear nucleic acid molecule comprising in this order: a first adeno-associated virus (AAV) inverted terminal repeat (ITR), a nucleotide sequence of interest, and a second AAV ITR, wherein said nucleic acid molecule is devoid of AAV capsid protein coding sequences. The said nucleic acid molecule can be applied to a host at repetition without eliciting an immune response.

Left ventricular outflow tract obstruction is a life-threatening complication of transcatheter mitral valve replacement caused by septal displacement of the anterior mitral leaflet (AML). The AML is a mobile structure that physically separates inflow and outflow zones of the left ventricle. Preserving the AML during surgical mitral valve replacement can cause left ventricular outflow tract obstruction, either when the prosthesis struts protrude into the left ventricular outflow tract or when along redundant anterior leaflet prolapses into the left ventrical outflow tract.

The molecular imaging technique of positron emission tomography (PET) is an increasingly important tool in biomedical research and in drug discovery and development. Many small molecule drugs and potential PET radiotracers carry trifluoromethyl (CF₃) groups. Because CF₃ groups are generally considered to be metabolically stable, there is a strong interest in developing drugs with these groups.

During lung infection, bloodstream neutrophils (PMNs) responding to infection travel to the airspace lumen. Although successful arrival of microbicidal PMNs to the airspace is essential for host defense against inhaled pathogens, excessive accumulation of PMNs in the lung contributes to the pathogenesis of several prevalent lung disorders, including acute lung injury, bronchiectasis, and COPD. Unfortunately, there is no treatment for controlling PMN accumulation in the lung.

This technology includes the development and use of small molecule activators of pyruvate kinase (PK) for the treatment of inherited nonspherocytic hemolytic anemia, including PK deficiency. PK deficiency is caused by an inherited deficiency in an enzyme that reduces the lifespan of red blood cells. More than 150 unique mutations have been identified in the PK gene that lead to decreased activity in this essential enzyme in the glycolytic pathway. The prematurely lysed red blood cells can lead to jaundice, splenomegaly, and a hemolytic anemia.