The present invention describes a pharmaceutical, veterinary or alimentary composition comprising one or more bacterial strains capable of lowering the concentration of intestinal pathogenic peptides by means of peptidases of probiotic strains. The invention also relates to the use of such compositions, and a method for selection of probiotic strains. Also, the invention relates to novel bacterial strains.

Provided herein are peptides from the N-terminal of endostatin proteins, including the first histidine of the protein, nucleic acids encoding the peptides, pharmaceutical compositions comprising the nucleic acids and proteins and methods for using the pharmaceutical compositions to treat or prevent endometriosis in a subject.

Peptides (I) (of six sequences (GPR7 ligands A through F) of human, mouse, rat and bovine origin, given in the specification) which bind to the GPR7 opioid-somatostatin-like receptor protein, and the amides, esters and salts of these peptides, and their derivatives brominated at the N-terminal amino acid, are new. Independent claims are also included for (1) peptides containing partial sequences of (I); (2) precursor peptides of (I); (3) polynucleotides encoding all or part of (I); (4) expression vectors containing these polynucleotides; (5) hosts transformed by the expression vectors; (6) preparation of (I) or their partial peptides or precursors, by culture of host cells transformed by the expression vectors; (7) antibodies to all or part of (I); (8) drug compositions containing peptides (I), their partial peptides, polynucleotides encoding them, or antibodies recognizing them; (9) diagnostic reagents containing polynucleotides encoding all or part of (I), or antibodies recognizing all or part of (I); (10) screening compounds modifying the binding of (I) to GPR7 or modifying the degree of expression of (I); (11) compounds identified by the screening method; (12) drug compositions containing these compounds; (13) kits for carrying out the screening method; (14) bovine GPR7 receptor protein and its partial peptides; (15) polynucleotides encoding all or part of bovine GPR7; (16) expression vectors containing these polynucleotides; (17) hosts transformed by the expression vectors; (18) preparation of bovine GPR7 and its partial peptides by culture of the transformed host cells; (19) antibodies to bovine GPR7; (20) drug compositions containing bovine GPR7, its partial peptides, polynucleotides encoding it or antibodies recognizing it; (21) diagnostic reagents containing antibodies to bovine GPR7 or polynucleotides encoding all or part of bovine GPR7; (22) bovine GPR8 receptor protein and its partial peptides; (23) polynucleotides encoding all or part of bovine GPR8; expression vectors containing these polynucleotides; (24) hosts transformed by the expression vectors; (25) preparation of bovine GPR8 and its partial peptides by culture of the transformed host cells; (26) antibodies to bovine GPR8; (27) drug compositions containing bovine GPR8, its partial peptides, polynucleotides encoding it or antibodies recognizing it; (28) diagnostic reagents containing antibodies to bovine GPR8 or polynucleotides encoding all or part of bovine GPR8; (29) non-human mammals which are transgenic animals containing foreign DNA encoding (I), bovine GPR7 or bovine GPR8, or are knockout animals for the genes encoding (I), bovine GPR7 or bovine GPR8; (30) non-human mammal embryonic stem cells (ES cells) having the gene for (I), bovine GPR7 or bovine GPR8 in an inactivated form; (31) expression vectors for (I) in mammals; and (32) screening compounds for their ability to modify the promoter activity of the gene for (I), bovine GPR7 or bovine GPR8, using non-human mammals transformed by a reporter gene under the control of the promoter region of the gene for (I), bovine GPR7 or bovine GPR8. ACTIVITY : Anorectic; Cytostatic. No biological data is given. MECHANISM OF ACTION : Modifying the binding of the opioid-somatostatin-like receptor GPR7 to its ligands; (I) and N-terminal brominated derivatives have an agonist effect on GPR7 expression.

There is provided a tolerogenic human peptide, capable of binding to an MHC class I or II molecule without further antigen processing, for use in the treatment and/or prevention of multiple sclerosis, which peptide is selected from the following myelin basic protein (MBP) peptides: 83-99 and 131- 145.

The present invention relates to pharmaceutical compositions based on antiinflammatory active ingredients and to the use thereof for the treatment of rheumatoid diseases. The compositions comprise lactalbumin hydrolysate or a fraction thereof. Substantially lower doses of the antiinflammatory drugs are thus possible than is conventionally necessary to achieve a particular antiinflammatory effect.

The present invention relates to pharmaceutical compositions based on antiinflammatory active ingredients and to the use thereof for the treatment of rheumatoid diseases. The compositions comprise lactalbumin hydrolysate or a fraction thereof. Substantially lower doses of the antiinflammatory drugs are thus possible than is conventionally necessary to achieve a particular antiinflammatory effect.

The present invention relates to processes for the treatment of dairy products and dairy process streams to produce lipids and substantially defatted protein streams. More specifically it relates to the use of near critical fluid extraction techniques to extract lipids from liquid dairy products and dairy process streams. Preferred solvents for use in the described near critical extraction techniques are ether based solvents that are partially miscible with water. A particularly preferred solvent for use in the invention is dimethyl ether.

The present invention provides methods and compositions for the efficient and enhanced secretion of a protein of interest from a host cell. In specific, proteins are secreted through the Sec-dependent pathway, involving the spoIIIJ and/or yqjG gene product(s). In some embodiments, expression of the spoIIIJ and/or yqjG gene product(s) is modulated by a promoter operably linked to the gene.

The invention relates to novel citrulline peptides derived from fibrin α and β chains which are recognizable by specific citrulline antiprotein autoantibodies (AAPC) of a rheumatoid arthritis (PR) and to the use thereof for detecting the presence of said specific PR AAPC in a biological sample.

A novel peptide sequence having the general formula AB wherein each of A and B represent a chain of amino acid residues and wherein said A chain is capable of binding with a mojor histocompatibility comples on an antigen presenting cell, and wherein said B chain is capable of binding wiht a Signal-2 receptor on an antigen presenting cell. Preferred forms of the peptide sequence further include and Y chain positioned intermediate the A chain and the B chain. Moreover, preferred forms include and A chain which has at least about 10% sequence homology with a Signal-1 moiety, or is a peptidomimetic of a Signal-1 moiety, said B chain has at least 10% sequence homology with a Signal-2 receptor moiety, said B chain has at least 10% sequence homology with a Signal-2 receptor moiety, or is a peptidomimetic of a Signal-2 receptpr moiety, and wherein the X chain has at least one amino acid residue, or is a peptidomimetic of that amino acid residue. Advantageously, the movel peptide sequence is capable of shifting a type-1 immune response to a type-2 immune response or from a type-2 immune response to a type-1 immune response.