Disclosed are a PIVKA-II measurement method that achieves better serum-plasma correlation than conventional methods, and a reagent and a kit therefor. The PIVKA-II measurement method according to the present invention comprises measuring PIVKA-II in a sample by an immunoassay using a mixture of an anti-F1 antibody that specifically binds to prothrombin fragment F1 or an antigen-binding fragment thereof and an anti-F2 antibody that specifically binds to prothrombin fragment F2 or an antigen-binding fragment thereof; and an anti-PIVKA-II antibody that specifically binds to PIVKA-II or an antigen-binding fragment thereof.

The present invention is directed to methods for the production of thrombin from a source of prothrombin using a given BaSO.sub.4 reagent as an adsorbent of prothrombin as well as methods for evaluating the suitability of a given BaSO.sub.4 reagent for use in preparation of thrombin. In at least one embodiment, the method includes contacting a sample of the given BaSO.sub.4 reagent with a source of prothrombin to obtain BaSO.sub.4-adsorbed prothrombin, and subsequently evaluating the pro-coagulant activity of the BaSO.sub.4-adsorbed prothrombin. In another embodiment, the method includes the step of evaluating relative to the pro-coagulant activity of normal mammalian plasma.

An ex vivo method analyzes coagulation function of a subject's blood sample. The method includes providing a whole-blood sample taken from a subject and added with an anti-coagulant substance, treating the blood sample with fluorescent probes, introducing the recalcified blood sample in an analytical device having at least one perfusion chamber, and alternately acquiring at least two series of fluorescence images. The pixels of the acquired images are binarized, followed by generating first and seconds curves of fluorescence intensity vs. time for the formation of the platelet aggregate and of fibrin. Then performing one or more of: generating a first integrated density curve, generating a curve of particle number vs. time, generating a curve of particle size vs. time, generating values of maximum slope and of maximum acceleration, generating values of F/P ratio, generating a lag time value representing the fibrin formation time, and generating area under the curve values.

The present invention relates to a method for in vitro determining generation of a haemostasis factor such as thrombin and/or plasmin in a test sample using a chemiluminescent substrate specific for said blood clotting factor. Upon cleavage of the substrate, a luminescent signal is generated with the aid of a luciferase. The invention also relates to a kit for in vitro determining generation of a haemostasis factor in a test sample, and to novel chemiluminescent substrates for the determination of thrombin and plasmin.

The present invention is directed to a novel method of determining inhibitors of proteolytically active coagulation factors, referred to herein as anticoagulants, in a sample, in particular the qualitative detection of direct thrombin and factor Xa inhibitors in a sample. The method of the present invention allows a qualitative determination of the nature anticoagulants present in a sample. This can be achieved with only one coagulation-based test. The method can be used in a test kit, including a point-of-care (POC) system.

The present invention includes methods for detecting neurodegeneration and treating a subject that is of Mexican American or non-Hispanic white origin, the method comprising: obtaining a blood, plasma or serum sample; determining ethnicity of the subject; measuring one or more biochemical biomarkers; or measuring one or more protein biomarkers, or measuring both biochemical biomarkers and protein biomarkers; comparing the level of expression from the sample with a statistical sample representative of the subject of Mexican American or of non-Hispanic white origin, suspected of having neurodegeneration; and treating the subject with a treatment that targets neurodegeneration or neuronal injury, wherein the neurodegeneration or neuronal injury is measured by [18F]-fluorodeoxyglucose-PET, structural MRI, or CSF total tau.

The present invention is in the field of coagulation diagnostics and relates to methods for detecting modulators of GPIb-thrombin interaction in a sample. To this end, the sample is contacted with isolated mutated GPIb protein and thrombin, and the formation of a complex between mutated GPIb protein and thrombin is determined.

The instant invention relates to a qualitative predictive method, to a method, use and kit applied to the early differential diagnosis of the most prevalent forms of bacterial and viral meningitis, enabling to detect and distinguish the different forms of meningitis. The invention uses a qualitative predictive method based on combined detection and sequential analysis of the presence/absence of at least three out of four specific biomarkers.

The invention provides peptides that bind Tissue Factor Pathway Inhibitor (TFPI), including TFPI-inhibitory peptides, and compositions thereof. The peptides may be used to inhibit a TFPI, enhance thrombin formation in a clotting factor-deficient subject, increase blood clot formation in a subject, treat a blood coagulation disorder in a subject, purify TFPI, an identify a TFPI-binding compound.

The present invention is in the field of coagulation diagnostics and relates to methods for detecting modulators of GPIb-thrombin interaction in a sample. To this end, the sample is contacted with isolated mutated GPIb protein and thrombin, and the formation of a complex between mutated GPIb protein and thrombin is determined.