Abstract: Methods of determining a first position at which a dispersed phase droplet wets a surface of a channel are provided herein. The methods include immersing the dispersed phase droplet in a continuous phase fluid, wherein the continuous phase fluid is immiscible with the dispersed phase droplet, subsequently flowing the dispersed phase droplet in the continuous phase through the channel at a dispersed phase droplet velocity, wherein the dispersed phase droplet is separated from the surface by a film of the continuous phase fluid having a film thickness, and reducing the film thickness to rupture the film at the first position, wherein the droplet wets the surface at the first position.

Abstract: Drag derivatives are provided herein which are suitable for loading into liposomal nanoparticle carriers. In some preferred aspects, the derivatives comprise a poorly water-soluble drag derivatized with a weak-base moiety that facilitates active loading of the drag through a LN transmembrane pH or ion gradient into the aqueous interior of the LN. The weak-base moiety can optionally comprise a lipophilic domain that facilitates active loading of the drag to the inner monolayer of the liposomal membrane. Advantageously, LN formulations of the drag derivatives exhibit improved solubility, reduced toxicity, enhanced efficacy, and/or other benefits relative to the corresponding free drags.

Abstract: The invention provides compositions and method for delivering a therapeutic or diagnostic agent to a disease site in a mammal, the method comprising administering to the mammal a therapeutically or diagnostically effective amount of a pharmaceutical composition, wherein the pharmaceutical composition comprises the therapeutic or diagnostic agent coupled to a Procaspase 8 polypeptide and a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier.

Abstract: A transducer is used to send an ultrasound pulse toward a stone and to receive ultrasound reflections from the stone. The recorded time between a pulse that is reflected from the proximal surface and a pulse that is reflected either from the distal surface of the stone or from a surface supporting the stone is used to calculate the stone size. The size of the stone is a function of the time between the two pulses and the speed of sound through the stone (or through the surrounding fluid if the second pulse was reflected by the surface supporting the stone). This technique is equally applicable to measure the size of other in vivo objects, including soft tissue masses, cysts, uterine fibroids, tumors, and polyps.

Abstract: Therapeutic agents which target heat shock protein (hsp) 27 in vivo are used to provide treatment to individuals, particularly human individuals, suffering from prostate cancer and other cancers that overexpress hsp27. A therapeutic agent, for example an antisense oligonucleotide or RNAi nucleotide inhibitor with sequence specificity for hsp27 mRNA, for example human hsp27 mRNA, is administered to an individual suffering from prostate cancer or some other cancer expressing elevated levels of hsp 27 in a therapeutically effective amount. The therapeutic agent is suitably formulated into a pharmaceutical composition which includes a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier, and packaged in dosage unit form. A preferred dosage unit form is an injectable dosage unit form.

Abstract: The present invention includes the use of pelorol, related compounds and pharmaceutical compositions thereof as modulators of SHIP 1 activity. This invention also provides novel terpene compounds capable of modulating SHIP 1 activity and methods of synthesis thereof.

Abstract: RNAi sequences that are useful as therapeutics in the treatment of cancers of various types, including prostate cancer, sarcomas such as osteosarcoma, renal cell carcinoma, breast cancer, bladder cancer, lung cancer, colon cancer, ovarian cancer, anaplastic large cell lymphoma and melanoma; and Alzheimer's disease. These sequences target clusterin, IGFBP-5, IGFBP-2, both IGFBP-2 and -5 simultaneously, Mitf, and B-raf. The invention further provides for the use of these RNAi sequences in the treatment of cancers of various types, including prostate cancer, sarcomas such as osteosarcoma, renal cell carcinoma, breast cancer, bladder cancer, lung cancer, colon cancer, ovarian cancer, anaplastic large cell lymphoma and melanoma; and Alzheimer's disease, and a method of treating such conditions through the administration of the RNA molecules with RNAi activity to an individual, including a human individual in need of such treatment.

Abstract: The invention relates to, in part, secreted proteins of bacterial pathogens and methods for their use. More specifically, the invention provides in part several new common secreted proteins for A/E pathogens. In some embodiments of the invention, these polypeptides and nucleic acid molecules encoding these polypeptides, or portions thereof, are useful as vaccines, diagnostics, or drug screening tools for A/E pathogenic infections, or as reagents.

Abstract: Methods of determining a subject's ototoxicity risk from administration of a pharmacotherapeutic compound having an ototoxicity risk, methods of administering a pharmacotherapeutic compound having an ototoxicity risk and oligonucleotides, peptide nucleic acids, arrays, and addressable collections for performing embodiments of the methods are provided herein.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a novel endoglycoceramidase whose hydrolytic activity has been substantially reduced or eliminated, such that the enzyme is useful for synthesis of glycolipids from a monosaccharide or oligosaccharide and a ceramide. More specifically, the endoglycoceramidase is a mutant version of a naturally occurring endoglycoceramidase, preferably comprising a mutation within the active site or the nucleophilic site of the enzyme and more preferably comprising a substitution mutation of the Glu residue within the active site or the nucleophilic site. Also disclosed are a method for generating the mutant endoglycoceramidase and a method for enzymatically synthesizing glycolipids using this mutant enzyme.

Abstract: In an example of a method for recovering lead from a mixed oxidized lead material, methane sulfonic acid is selected as a leaching acid for the mixed oxidized lead material. The mixed oxidized lead material is exposed to a solution including the methane sulfonic acid, which leaches lead from any of a lead oxide or a lead carbonate in the mixed oxidized lead material, and generates a liquid leachate including a lead-methane sulfonate salt. The liquid leachate is purified, and lead is recovered from the purified liquid leachate using electrolysis.

Abstract: In an example of a method for recovering lead from a lead material including lead sulfide, methane sulfonic acid is selected as a leaching acid for the lead material. The lead material is exposed to a solution including the methane sulfonic acid and i) ferric methane sulfonate or ii) oxygen, which leaches lead from the lead sulfide in the lead material, and generates a liquid leachate including a lead-methane sulfonate salt. The liquid leachate is purified, and lead is recovered from the purified liquid leachate using electrolysis.

Abstract: Therapeutic agents which target heat shock protein (hsp) 27 in vivo are used to provide treatment to individuals, particularly human individuals, suffering from prostate cancer and other cancers that overexpress hsp27. A therapeutic agent, for example an antisense oligonucleotide or RNAi nucleotide inhibitor with sequence specificity for hsp27 mRNA, for example human hsp27 mRNA, is administered to an individual suffering from prostate cancer or some other cancer expressing elevated levels of hsp27 in a therapeutically effective amount. The therapeutic agent is suitably formulated into a pharmaceutical composition which includes a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier, and packaged in dosage unit form. A preferred dosage unit form is an injectable dosage unit form.

Abstract: Embodiments presented herein relate to various polymers. Some of the polymer embodiments are heparin binding polymers. Some embodiments of the heparin binding polymers can be employed to bind to heparin for methods such as separating, purifying, removing, and/or isolating heparin and heparin like molecules.

Abstract: A method for identifying a subject being at risk for or having a chronic inflammatory disease, fibrillinopathy, atherosclerosis, or coronary artery disease is provided. The method may include determining the concentration of GrA and/or GrB in a blood or serum sample from said subject; and comparing the concentrations to the corresponding concentration in a control sample, wherein an elevated concentration of GrA and/or GrB may be indicative of a chronic inflammatory disease, fibrillinopathy, atherosclerosis, or coronary artery disease. The method may further include identifying concentrations of fibrinogen, elastin and/or fibrillin.

Abstract: A method for providing antisense therapy which reduces the expression of clusterin to provide therapeutic benefits in the treatment of cancer comprising administering from 40 to 640 mg anti-clusterin antisense oligonucleotide to a patient in need of treatment for a cancer expressing clusterin is provided. The method may include administering chemotherapeutic agent or agents, radiotherapy, and/or hormone ablation therapy. The invention also encompasses pharmaceutical compositions formulated to provide a dosage of 40 to 640 mg, and use of antisense in formulating a medicament.

Abstract: Composition and method for irrigating a prepared dental root canal. The composition is an aqueous composition of ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid, chlorhexidine or orally acceptable addition salt, and N-cetyl-N,N,N-trimethylammonium bromide, and is effective for simultaneous smear layer removal and disinfection.

Abstract: The invention provides an ultrasound imaging and medical instrument guiding apparatus, a system for acquiring and displaying ultrasound medical images and methods of using the apparatus and system in epidural anesthetic procedure. The apparatus comprises a hand-held ultrasound probe, configured to acquire a volumetric dataset representing a 3-D depiction of a volume; a mount to which the probe is mounted; and a medical instrument guide positionable relative to the ultrasound probe and configured to receive and guide a medical instrument along a propagation axis to a target in a body such that the target and the propagation axis intersect in the volume. The volumetric dataset acquired by the hand-held ultrasound probe comprises information about the medical instrument's position relative to the target in three dimensions and the medical instrument guide has a visible mark from which the depth of the medical instrument insertion along the propagation axis can be referenced.

Abstract: This invention provides compound having a structure of Formula I or Formula II Uses of such compounds for treatment of various indications, including prostate cancer as well as methods of treatment involving such compounds are also provided.

Abstract: Methods and compositions for reducing expression of a mutant huntingtin (mHTT) protein in a cell are provided. Such methods include contacting the cell with an effective amount of a nucleic acid silencing agent targeting a differentiating polymorphism in RNA encoding the mHTT.