Abstract: Nutritional compositions for maximizing muscle protein synthesis while minimizing the catabolism of muscle proteins and methods of using same are provided. In this manner, the nutritional compositions may provide for retention of lean body mass, which helps to avoid loss of independence and functionality, as well as to improve quality of life especially in the elderly at risk of sarcopenia and frailty. The nutritional compositions include ?-hydroxyisocaproic acid and citrulline. The composition may include other functional ingredients such as, but not limited to whey protein including whey protein micelles, prebiotic fibers, ?-keto-glutarate, eicosapentaenoic acid, L-carnitine, nucleotides, and amino acids. Methods of administering such nutritional products to individuals in need of same are also provided.

Abstract: To provide a bacterium-based microrobot which can be specifically targeted to cancer in vivo, the present invention provides a drug delivery system for cancer tissue, comprising a bacterium, and a microbead encapsulated with at least one drug, wherein biotin is bound to a surface of the bacterium and a surface of the microbead is coated with streptavidin.

Abstract: Nutritional compositions for maximizing muscle protein synthesis while minimizing the catabolism of muscle proteins and methods of using same are provided. In this manner, the nutritional compositions may provide for retention of lean body mass, which helps to avoid loss of independence and functionality, as well as to improve quality of life especially in the elderly at risk of sarcopenia and frailty. The nutritional compositions include ?-hydroxyisocaproic acid and may include other functional ingredients such as, but not limited to whey protein including whey protein micelles, prebiotic fibers, L-carnitine, nucleotides, and amino acids. Methods of administering such nutritional products to individuals in need of same are also provided.

Abstract: Nutritional compositions for improving, treating and/or preventing various medical conditions and methods of using same are provided. Such medical conditions include infection, sepsis, malabsorption, allergy, inflammatory bowel disease, and diarrhea among others. The nutritional compositions include branched chain fatty acids and may include other functional ingredients such as, but not limited to probiotics, nucleotides and amino acids. Methods of administering such nutritional products to individuals in need of same are also provided.

Abstract: Nutritional compositions for improving, treating and/or preventing various medical conditions and methods of using same are provided. The medical conditions may include wounds, mucositis among others. The nutritional compositions include branched chain fatty acids and may include other functional ingredients such as, but not limited to probiotics, nucleotides and amino acids. Methods of administering such nutritional products to individuals in need of same are also provided.

Abstract: Nutritional compositions for improving, treating and/or preventing various medical conditions and methods of using same are provided. The medical conditions may include allergies, autoimmune diseases, among others. The nutritional compositions include branched chain fatty acids and may include other functional ingredients such as, but not limited to probiotics, nucleotides and amino acids. Methods of administering such nutritional products to individuals in need of same are also provided.

Abstract: Nutritional compositions having dietary nucleotides, ?-3 fatty acids and citrulline are provided. The nutritional compositions may be formulated to improve T cell function, increase arginine availability in vivo, regulate myeloid-derived suppressor cells (“MDSC”), and decrease the risk and/or severity of infection after surgery or trauma. Methods of making, using and administering such nutritional compositions to individuals in need of same are also provided. Methods for modulating the affects of MDSC's are also provided.

Abstract: Current approaches for treating cancer are limited, in part, by the inability of drugs to affect the poorly vascularized regions of tumors. We have found that spores of anaerobic bacteria in combination with agents which interact with microtubules can cause the destruction of both the vascular and avascular compartments of tumors. Two classes of microtubule inhibitors were found to exert markedly different effects. Some agents that inhibited microtubule synthesis, such as vinorelbine, caused rapid, massive hemorrhagic necrosis when used in combination with spores. In contrast, agents that stabilized microtubules, such as the taxane, docetaxel, resulted in slow tumor regressions that killed most neoplastic cells. Remaining cells in the poorly perfused regions of tumors could be eradicated by sporulated bacteria.

Abstract: Plant propagation material expressing soybean cyst nematode resistance can be treated with a nematode-antagonistic biocontrol agent. Use of the nematode-antagonistic biocontrol agent can reduce the rate at which soybean cyst nematode (SCN) pests acquire tolerances to pesticidal activity of soybean plants expressing SCN resistance and pesticides, and can also increase yield and pesticidal activity.

Abstract: A feed additive composition comprising a direct fed microbial in combination with a protease, and a phytase, and a method for improving the performance of a subject or for improving digestibility of a raw material in a feed (e.g. nutrient digestibility, such as amino acid digestibility), or for improving nitrogen retention, or for improving the subject's resistance to necrotic enteritis or for improving feed conversion ratio (FCR) or for improving weight gain in a subject or for improving feed efficiency in a subject or for modulating (e.g. improving) the immune response of the subject or for promoting the growth of beneficial bacteria in the gastrointestinal tract of a subject, which method comprising administering to a subject a direct fed microbial in combination with a protease and a phytase.

Abstract: A feed additive composition comprising a direct fed microbial (DFM) in combination with a phytase derivable from Citrobacter spp. and a method for improving the performance of a subject or for improving digestibility of a raw material in a feed (e.g. nutrient digestibility, such as amino acid digestibility), or for improving nitrogen retention, or for avoiding the negative effects of necrotic enteritis or for improving feed conversion ratio (FCR) or for improving weight gain in a subject or for improving feed efficiency in a subject or for modulating (e.g. improving) the immune response of the subject, or for promoting the growth of beneficial bacteria in the gastrointestinal tract of a subject or for reducing populations of pathogenic bacteria in the gastrointestinal tract of a subject, or for reducing nutrient excretion in manure, which method comprising administering to a subject a direct fed microbial (DFM) in combination with a phytase derivable from Citrobacter spp.

Abstract: The present invention provides an adjunctive agent and a method for lavaging the alimentary canal, which is able to reduce a dose of oral cleaning agent for lavaging the alimentary canal and is capable of realizing an excellent cleaning effect at the time of use of the oral cleaning agent. The adjunctive agent comprises butyric acid bacterium (for example, Clostridium butyricum and the like) and/or lactic acid bacterium (for example, species belonging to the genus Lactobacillus and the genus Bifidobacterium).

Abstract: Clostridium novyi is an obligate anaerobe that can infect hypoxic regions within experimental tumors. We found that mice bearing large, established tumors were often cured when treated with C. novyi plus a single dose of liposomal doxorubicin. The secreted factor responsible for this phenomenon was identified and, surprisingly, proved to be a member of the lipase family. The gene encoding this protein, called liposomase, has the potential to be incorporated into diverse therapeutic methods to deliver specifically a variety of chemotherapeutic agents to tumors.

Abstract: The present invention relates to pharmaceutical compositions suitable for the treatment of chronic diseases associated with the presence of abnormal or an abnormal distribution of microflora in the gastrointestinal tract of a mammalian host, which compositions comprise viable non-pathogenic or attenuated pathogenic Clostridia. The compositions further comprise one or more additional viable non-pathogenic or attenuated pathogenic microorganisms selected from the group consisting of Bacteroides, Eubacteria, Fusobacteria, Propionibacteria, Lactobacilli, anaerobic cocci, Ruminococcus, E. Coli, Gemmiger, Desulfamonas, Peptostreptococcus, and fungi. The present invention also provides pharmaceutical compositions suitable for the treatment of the same chronic diseases comprising viable non-pathogenic or attenuated pathogenic Escherichia coli, at least one strain of viable non-pathogenic or attenuated pathoenic Bacteroides and at least one strain of viable non-pathogenic or attenuated pathogenic microorganism.

Abstract: The present invention provides for microbial compositions and methods for reducing the concentration of short-chain fatty acids in the gut as a way to reduce energy uptake and manage obesity. More specifically, the invention provides for decreasing short-chain fatty acids available for absorption in the human gut, such as acetate, using one or more of: a probiotic including a homo-acetogenic, acetate oxidizing bacterium that converts acetate to H2; a probiotic including an acetoclastic methanogen; a microbial electrolysis cell comprising a homo-acetogenic bacterium and/or an acetoclastic methanogen; a prebiotic that enhances the growth or function of acetate-scavenging microbiota; or a highly selective antibiotic that targets H2-oxidizing methanogens.

Abstract: Methods and compositions are generally provided for treating metabolic disorders, e.g., obesity. One aspect discloses methods and compositions for obtaining a biological sample from the subject, evaluating the sample for the presence or absence of a genetic indicator, wherein the genetic indicator is selected from a single nucleotide polymorphism and a level of gene expression, and performing a first metabolic procedure if the genetic indicator is present, or performing an alternative second metabolic procedure if the genetic indicator is absent. One aspect discloses methods and compositions for obtaining a sample including deoxyribonucleic acids (DNA) from the subject, evaluating the DNA for an absence or presence of one or more genetic indicators and performing a first metabolic procedure or an alternative second metabolic procedure based on the absence or presence of the genetic indicator(s). Other aspects are also disclosed.

Abstract: Compositions and methods for inhibiting Clostridium associated diseases are disclosed.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a microbial composition which is tailored based on the spectrum of microbes found more frequently from the intestine of non-secretor individuals than from the intestine of secretor individuals. The present invention further relates to a method of tailoring a microbial composition based on the spectrum of microbes found more frequently from the intestine of non-secretor individuals than from that of secretor blood group status. The present invention relates to use of the secretor status of an individual as a criterion for microbial supplementation tailored based on the differences in the spectra of microbes found between secretor and non-secretor individuals.

Abstract: The present invention relates to pharmaceutical compositions suitable for the treatment of chronic diseases associated with the presence of abnormal or an abnormal distribution of microflora in the gastrointestinal tract of a mammalian host, which compositions comprise viable non-pathogenic or attenuated pathogenic Clostridia. The compositions further comprise one or more additional viable non-pathogenic or attenuated pathogenic microorganisms selected from the group consisting of Bacteroides, Eubacteria, Fusobacteria, Propionibacteria, Lactobacilli, anaerobic cocci, Ruminococcus, E.Coli, Gemmiger, Desullomonas, Peptostreptococcus, and fungi. The present invention also provides pharmaceutical compositions suitable for the treatment of the same chronic diseases comprising viable non-pathogenic or attenuated pathogenic Escherichia coli, at least one strain of viable non-pathogenic or attenuated pathoenic Bacteroides and at least one strain of viable non-pathogenic or attenuated pathogenic microorganism.

Abstract: Clostridium novyi is an obligate anaerobe that can infect hypoxic regions within experimental tumors. We found that mice bearing large, established tumors were often cured when treated with C. novyi plus a single dose of liposomal doxorubicin. The secreted factor responsible for this phenomenon was identified and, surprisingly, proved to be a member of the lipase family. The gene encoding this protein, called liposomase, has the potential to be incorporated into diverse therapeutic methods to deliver specifically a variety of chemotherapeutic agents to tumors.

Abstract: The invention comprises methods for diagnosing the risk of onset of type 1 diabetes and for preventing the onset of type 1 diabetes. The genetic background, metabolomes, antibodies and diversity of gut microbiota of an individual can be used for diagnosis.

Abstract: The invention relates to compositions for treating parasitic worm infections in a mammal. The composition includes an amount of intracellular components of lysed, beneficial, soil-inhabiting yeast cells sufficient to treat parasitic worm infections in a mammal; and/or an amount of whole or lysed soil-inhabiting bacteria cells, wherein the amount is sufficient to treat parasitic worm infections in a mammal, and optionally a pharmaceutically suitable carrier.

Abstract: To provide a mixture, a dissolving solution and a pharmaceutical agent, which contain a thermophilic microorganism to make it possible to regulate a mucous membrane immune system gene cluster and metabolism-related gene clusters of the intestines and the liver. Each of them is prepared by fermentation of an organic material containing a thermophilic microorganism at a temperature of 50° C. or more and 90° C. or less. By being administered to the animal, it regulates at least one of a mucous membrane immune system gene cluster, a metabolism-related gene cluster in the intestines, and a metabolism-related gene cluster in the liver of the animal. The microorganism includes at least one species of the genus Bacillus, Oceanobacillus, Paenibacillus, Anoxybacillus, Lysinibacillus, Methanopyrus, Geogemma, Pyrolobus, Pyrodictium, Hyperthermus, Pyrococcus, Pyrobaculum, Thermococcus, Aeropyrum, Aquifex, Thermotoga, Thermodesulfobacterium, Thermus, Geobacillus, and Thermomyces.

Abstract: The invention is relates to drugs on the basis of antibodies against non-cellular bone matrix proteins, especially BSP, for use in the prevention and treatment of bone metastases. According to the invention, the antibodies are induced in the patient by recombinantly expressing antigenic determinants of bone matrix proteins in Listeria and anchoring them on the surfaces thereof. The antigenic determinants are selected according to whether they are characteristic of antigens that are expressed by the tumor cells themselves.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method of coating a spore with one or more therapeutic agents. The present invention also relates to a coated spore obtained by the method of the present invention and the use of the coated spore as a vaccine.

Abstract: The invention discloses biomarkers for human autism. The invention provides methods for treating, preventing, and diagnosing human autism and autism-related disorders.

Abstract: The present invention provides improved media for the cultivation of Clostridium histolyticum and culture supernatants for the biotechnological production of collagenase enzymes. The nutrient media according to the invention comprise one or more peptones from a non-mammalian source, preferably plant-derived peptones. The media can additionally comprise fish gelatin. The invention provides media, culture supernatants comprising Clostridium histolyticum collagenase, and methods to produce said collagenase.

Abstract: The present invention relates to characterizing changes in mammalian intestinal microbiota associated with associated with high-fat and low-fat diets and with diets containing hydroxypropylmethylcellulose (HPMC) and related methods for diagnosing, preventing and treating obesity and related conditions such as metabolic syndrome and diabetes mellitus. Therapeutic methods of the invention involve the use of probiotics, and/or prebiotics, and/or narrow spectrum antibiotics/anti-bacterial agents that are capable of restoring healthy mammalian bacterial intestinal microbiota.

Abstract: The present invention provides an adjunctive agent and a method for lavaging the alimentary canal, which is able to reduce a dose of oral cleaning agent for lavaging the alimentary canal and is capable of realizing an excellent cleaning effect at the time of use of the oral cleaning agent. The adjunctive agent comprises butyric acid bacterium (for example, Clostridium butyricum and the like) and/or lactic acid bacterium (for example, species belonging to the genus Lactobacillus and the genus Bifidobacterium).

Abstract: Provided is a microbial composition which is tailored based on the spectrum of microbes found more frequently from the intestine of non-secretor individuals than from the intestine of secretor individuals. Further provided is a method of tailoring a microbial composition based on the spectrum of microbes found more frequently from the intestine of non-secretor individuals than from that of secretor blood group status. Further provided is a use of the secretor status of an individual as a criterion for microbial supplementation tailored based on the differences in the spectra of microbes found between secretor and non-secretor individuals.

Abstract: The present disclosure relates to spore surface display compositions comprising a spore having at least one nucleic acid sequence encoding for at least one polypeptide and operable to express the polypeptide on a surface of the spore. In some embodiments, the displayed polypeptide is displayed with a spore carrier protein. In some embodiments, the spore may be derived from a Clostriduim sp. such as Clostriduim taeniosporum. Spore display compositions of the disclosure may include vaccines, fusion proteins, drug delivery devices, systems for generating an antibody to an antigen/peptide expressed on a spore surface, an anticancer drug, an immobilized enzyme system, a system for serological reagent preparation, a contaminant removal system, a biocatalysis system, a screening platform, a nanotechnology platform, a bioanalytical sensor, a molecular electronic system and/or a signal processing system. Methods for making and using these compositions are described.

Abstract: This invention relates to using live beneficial bacteria for treating inflammatory bowel disease, such as ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease.

Abstract: Current approaches for treating cancer are limited, in part, by the inability of drugs to affect the poorly vascularized regions of tumors. We have found that spores of anaerobic bacteria in combination with agents which interact with microtubules can cause the destruction of both the vascular and avascular compartments of tumors. Two classes of microtubule inhibitors were found to exert markedly different effects. Some agents that inhibited microtubule synthesis, such as vinorelbine, caused rapid, massive hemorrhagic necrosis when used in combination with spores. In contrast, agents that stabilized microtubules, such as the taxane, docetaxel, resulted in slow tumor regressions that killed most neoplastic cells. Remaining cells in the poorly perfused regions of tumors could be eradicated by sporulated bacteria.

Abstract: Certain bile acids, including novel bile acids, and derivatives thereof can be used to inhibit the germination of C. difficile spores and/or the growth of C. difficile cells. The methods and compositions of the invention are useful for preventing and treating C. difficile-associated diseases, including but not limited to C. difficile colitis.

Abstract: Methods for treating skin disorders by local administration of a Clostridial toxin, such as a botulinum toxin, to a patient with a skin disorder.

Abstract: The present invention is a grain product. The grain product includes a first fraction including bran. The first fraction is milled to a first particle size of less than 500 micrometers. The grain product also includes a second fraction including germ. The second fraction is milled to a second particle size of less than 500 micrometers. The grain product is at least one of: a food product, a nutritional supplement, a dietary supplement, a fiber supplement, a digestive supplement, a functional food, and a medical food.

Abstract: Clostridium novyi is an obligate anaerobe that can infect hypoxic regions within experimental tumors. We found that mice bearing large, established tumors were often cured when treated with C. novyi plus a single dose of liposomal doxorubicin. The secreted factor responsible for this phenomenon was identified and, surprisingly, proved to be a member of the lipase family. The gene encoding this protein, called liposomase, has the potential to be incorporated into diverse therapeutic methods to deliver specifically a variety of chemotherapeutic agents to tumors.

Abstract: The present invention relates to compositions for use in low-birth weight infants. In particular, the compositions are probiotic compositions which are used for achieving full enteral feeding in low birth weight infants. The invention is also concerned with the use of specific probiotics in the manufacture of low-birth weight infant formulations.

Abstract: Disclosed are a composition and a method for treating skin disorders, including rosacea, pityriasis rosea, erythema, rhinophyma, and rosacea-associated disorders including pimples, papules, pustules, and telangiectasia.

Abstract: Current approaches for treating cancer are limited, in part, by the inability of drugs to affect the poorly vascularized regions of tumors. We have found that spores of anaerobic bacteria in combination with agents which interact with microtubules can cause the destruction of both the vascular and avascular compartments of tumors. Two classes of microtubule inhibitors were found to exert markedly different effects. Some agents that inhibited microtubule synthesis, such as vinorelbine, caused rapid, massive hemorrhagic necrosis when used in combination with spores. In contrast, agents that stabilized microtubules, such as the taxane docetaxel, resulted in slow tumor regressions that killed most neoplastic cells. Remaining cells in the poorly perfused regions of tumors could be eradicated by sponzlated bacteria.

Abstract: The present invention is a method for preventing or treating an immune-relevant disease by modulating commensal microbiota populations via antibiotics, exogenous microbiota and/or probiotics.

Abstract: This invention pertains to a method of promoting gastrointestinal health by ingesting a composition comprising one or more probiotic microorganisms, one or more carbohydrate sources, and one or more resistant protein products. Large intestinal health is benefited by one or more of the following: increased fecal weight, lower fecal pH, increased carbohydrate fermentation, and amelioration of protein fermentation.

Abstract: A pharmaceutical preparation for use in a patient who has a neutralizing antibody to a botulinum toxin from type A1 Clostridium botulinum (type A1 botulinum toxin), said preparation comprising as an active ingredient 150 kDa type A neurotoxin from type A2 Clostridium botulinum (A2 NTX); a medicament for treating a disease with muscle overactivity for use in a patient who has a neutralizing antibody to a type A1 botulinum toxin, said medicament comprising as an active ingredient said A2 NTX; a method for treating a patient who has a neutralizing antibody to a type A1 botulinum toxin, said method comprising administering said A2 NTX to the patient; and a method for use of A2 NTX in a patient who has said neutralizing antibody. In accordance with the present invention, a problem can be solved of decrease in clinical response caused by a neutralizing antibody to a type A1 botulinum toxin produced when a patient is treated with a pharmaceutical preparation comprising a type A1 botulinum toxin.

Abstract: The non-toxic proteolytic C fragment of tetanus toxin (TTC peptide) has the same ability to bind nerve cells and be retrogradely transported through a synapse as the native toxin. A hybrid protein encoded by the LacZ-TTC gene fusion retains the biological functions of both proteins in vivo, i.e. retrograde transynaptic transport of the TTC fragment and ?gal enzymatic activity. After intramuscular injection, enzymatic activity can be detected in motoneurons and connected neurons of brainstem areas. This strategy is useful for the delivery of a biological activity to neurons from the periphery to the central nervous system. Such a hybrid protein can also be used to map synaptic connections between neural cells.

Abstract: A method of modulating the microbial balance of the digestive ecosystem in a mammal comprising administering to a mammal in need thereof a composition comprising at least one nonpathogenic, hydrogenotrophic, acetogenic bacterial strain, along with a pharmaceutical and related methods, are described.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a composition comprising one or more minerals selected from the group consisting of selenium, molybdenum or tungsten, which is carried out galenically or chemically in a way that the mineral or minerals are released completely or in part, just before, during or shortly after arrival at the large intestine, and their use in the manufacture of a medicament for administering to a mammal for the prevention or reduction of gas formation in the colon thus conditioned abdominal complaints, particularly bloatings, meteorism or abdominal cramps. Furthermore, the invention relates to a procedure for the isolation of acetogenic and butyrogenic bacterial strains that are suitable for therapeutic purposes outlined above.

Abstract: The present disclosure provides embodiments of a method for characterizing microbial populations. Exemplified by methods for characterizing microbiota in vaginal samples, the methods provided herein are widely applicable to the characterization of microbial communities. Also provided are probiotic regimens and methods for selecting appropriate probiotic regimens based on the normal vaginal microbiota of a subject. Reagents and kits for detecting normal vaginal microbiota and diagnosing pathogenic microorganisms in the vagina are also provided.

Abstract: This invention relates to a method of lowering feces toxin levels and treating digestive disorders (e.g., Irritable Bowel Syndrome or diarrhea) with a composition containing a live beneficial bacterium, a prebiotic, or both. This method includes first identifying a subject in need thereof and then administering to the subject an effective amount of the composition. Also within the scope of this invention is a composition including both a live beneficial bacterium and a prebiotic.

Abstract: Disclosed are compositions and methods for skincare, e.g., reducing skin wrinkles and for treating skin disorders.

Abstract: The invention relates to inhibitors of FtsZ polymerization and uses thereof.