Abstract: Inflammatory state in a subject is assayed by determining the level of expression of A3 adenosine receptor (A3AR) in white blood cells (WBC), e.g. circulating WBCs, from the subject. A high level of expression of A3AR is indicative of an inflammatory state in the subject. This assay can be used for determining whether a patient known to have an inflammatory state should be treated with an A3AR agonist to reduce the inflammatory state. The patient will be so treated only if the level of A3AR in the WBC of the subject is above a predefined threshold, which is about twice the level of A3AR in WBC of healthy subjects. The inflammatory state may particularly be rheumatoid arthritis or uveitis.

Abstract: Inflammatory state in a subject is assayed by determining the level of expression of A3 adenosine receptor (A3AR) in white blood cells (WBC), e.g. circulating WBCs, from the subject. A high level of expression of A3AR is indicative of an inflammatory state in the subject. This assay can be used for determining the severity of inflammation in a subject and monitoring the efficacy of anti-inflammatory treatment. Also, the level of expression may be used for selecting patients to receive an anti-inflammatory treatment that comprises an A3AR agonist.

Abstract: Provided is a method of identifying a genetically abnormal cell in a sputum sample, the method comprising: (a) staining a sputum sample using a morphological stain so as to identify a lower airway tract cell or lung cell in the sputum sample; and (b) staining the sputum sample using fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) so as to identify in the lower airway tract cell or lung cell a genetic abnormality in at least one of human chromosome 3p22.1 and 10q22-23, thereby identifying the genetically abnormal cell in the sputum sample. Also provided are methods and kits of diagnosing lung cancer by detecting a presence of genetically abnormal cells above a predetermined threshold in a sputum sample.

Abstract: Inflammatory state in a subject is assayed by determining the level of expression of A3 adenosine receptor (A3AR) in white blood cells (WBC), e.g. circulating WBCs, from the subject. A high level of expression of A3AR is indicative of an inflammatory state in the subject. This assay can be used for determining the severity of inflammation in a subject and monitoring the efficacy of anti-inflammatory treatment. Also, the level of expression may be used for selecting patients to receive an anti-inflammatory treatment that comprises an A3AR agonist.

Abstract: Individuals suffering from multiple sclerosis may be treated by administration of an A3 adenosine receptor agonist (A3RAg), such as APNEA, AB-MECA, IB-MECA or Cl-IB-MECA. The A3RAg is preferably administered orally with a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier.

Abstract: Inflammatory state in a subject is assayed by determining the level of expression of A3 adenosine receptor (A3AR) in white blood cells (WBC), e.g. circulating WBCs, from the subject. A high level of expression of A3AR is indicative of an inflammatory state in the subject. This assay can be used for determining the severity of inflammation in a subject and monitoring the efficacy of anti-inflammatory treatment. Also, the level of expression may be used for selecting patients to receive an anti-inflammatory treatment that comprises an A3AR agonist.

Abstract: The present invention concerns the use of an A3 adenosine receptor agonist (A3AR agonist) for treatment of accelerated bone resorption, particularly, inflammation induced bone resorption. Specifically, there is provided by the present invention a method and pharmaceutical composition for treatment of said condition, the A3AR agonist being formulated as a pharmaceutical composition which is administered to a subject having accelerated bone resorption. The invention also provides the use of A3AR agonist in the preparation of said pharmaceutical composition.

Abstract: A short interfering RNA (siRNA) duplex that includes complementary sense and anti-sense sequences corresponding to at least part of the A3 adenosine receptor (A3AR) mRNA sequence, a double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) construct that can be converted within a cell into a siRNA duplex and a transcript system that can induce transcription within cells of either a siRNA duplex or a dsRNA construct Also disclosed are a method and a pharmaceutical composition for treating a hyperproliferative disease.

Abstract: Use of an A3 adenosine receptor agonist in the preparation of a pharmaceutical composition for the treatment of an individual suffering from multiple sclerosis. The composition is preferably orally administered. Also disclosed is a pharmaceutical composition for the treatment of multiple sclerosis that comprises an effective amount of an A3 adenosine receptor agonist and a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier.

Abstract: An anti-inflammatory pharmaceutical composition comprising as active ingredient a compound of general formula (I): wherein W represents oxygen or sulfur atoms; R1 represents lower alkyl or lower cycloalkyl; R2 represents halogen, alkenyl, alkynyl or alkylidenhydrazino; R3 represents a lower alkyl, lower cycloalkyl, aryl, (ar)alkyl or anilide, said cycloalkyl, aryl and (ar)alkyl may be substituted with one or more of the groups selected from halogen, hydroxyl, hydroxyalkyl; and a pharmaceutically acceptable additive. The composition may be used to threat diseases such as multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis and Crohn's disease.

Abstract: A method for monitoring the effectiveness of an administered agent that interacts with the A3 adenosine receptor (A3AR) in treatment of a disease state in an individual is provided. The level of at least one parameter of a biological marker is determined and compared to a control level, the control level being the level of the parameter without treatment, which is determined either as the level of the parameter in the individual prior to treatment or the level of the parameter in untreated control subject having the disease state. Monitoring a change in these parameters versus control, may also be used for screening agents that interact with the A3AR for such that can be used for a treating a disease state.

Abstract: The invention concerns a method of detecting a disease, for example cancer, by determining a change in the expression level of the A3 adenosine receptor as compared to the expression level in a non-diseased control.