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In various x-ray imaging methods, including scattering correction and phase contrast imaging, intensity modulation in space is introduced into the projection images by the use of masks, gratings, or apertures. The present invention relates to a process to demodulate the modulation. The current demodulation processes are either to remove the modulation pattern through digital processing or to move the modulation pattern on the detector in a series of images that requires mechanical movements of a component and tends to lose some information of the imaged object.

Use of Leucine Rich Repeat Kinase 2 (LRRK2) inhibitors for the treatment of Intestinal Bowel Disorders (IBD) is disclosed. IBD is a broad term that describes conditions with chronic or recurring immune response and inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract. Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, two common forms of idiopathic IBD, are chronic, relapsing inflammatory disorders of the gastrointestinal tract.

Methods of enhancing engraftment of donor hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) by reducing expression or activity of CXCR4 in HSCs is described. HSC are the only cells in the bone marrow that are both pluripotent and long lived. Bone marrow transplantation (BMT) using HSC is an increasingly common medical therapy for severe hematologic cancers and primary hematologic immunodeficiencies. However, for significant HSC engraftment to occur there must usually be pre-transplant conditioning with either irradiation or chemotherapy or both.

Investigators at the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute have designed a novel lentiviral vector as a potential gene therapy for sickle cell anemia and beta-thalassemia. The novel lentiviral vector encodes the beta-globin gene in a forward orientation and can produce 5-10 fold higher viral titer and 4-10 fold higher gene transfer efficiency to hematopoietic stem cells than reverse-oriented lentiviral vectors. In vivo studies conducted in rhesus macaques show beta-globin production after transplantation with this novel lentiviral vector.

SIRT1, a NAD+-dependent protein deacetylase, is the most conserved member of the sirtuins family. Through deacetylation of a number of protein substrates that are important transcription factors or co-factors, SIRT1 regulates many vital biological processes such as metabolism, cellular stress response, stem cell pluripotency, and development.

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.

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.

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.