A diagnostic assay for detecting an occurrence of a stroke event in a mammalian subject. The assay comprises the steps of: (i) separating a plasma fraction from a blood sample collected from the mammalian subject; (ii) quantifying in the plasma fraction a L-glutamine hydroxylamine glutamyl transferase (L-GHGT) activity; (iii) quantifying in the plasma fraction a gamma glutamyl hydroxamate synthetase (GGHS) activity; (iv) adding together or alternatively calculating the combinatorial probability for the quantified L-GHGT activity and the quantified GGHS activity to produce a value for the net glutamine synthetase activity, and (v) correlating the net glutamine synthetase activity value with net glutamine synthetase activity values from healthy subjects to detect an occurrence of a stroke event in the mammalian subject. Also disclosed are kits comprising reagents and instructions for performing a diagnostic assay to detect and quantify L-GHGT activity and/or GGHS activity.

Embodiments herein include a method for detecting a brain condition in a subject. The method can include obtaining a breath sample from the subject and contacting it with a chemical sensor element, where the chemical sensor element includes a plurality of discrete graphene varactors. The method can include sensing and storing capacitance of the discrete graphene varactors to obtain a sample data set and classifying the sample data set into one or more preestablished brain condition classifications. Other embodiments are also included herein.

The present invention relates to a method for aiding in the prediction of stroke and/or dementia in a subject, said method comprising a) determining the amount of the biomarker RET (Rearranged during transfection) in a sample from the subject, b) comparing the amount determined in step a) to a reference, and c) aiding in the prediction of stroke and/or dementia. The present invention further relates to a method for aiding in the assessment of the extent of white matter lesions in a subject, a method for aiding in the assessment whether a subject has experienced one or more silent strokes and to a method for aiding in the diagnosis of atrial fibrillation in a subject. Further encompassed by the present invention are the corresponding uses.

The present invention provides compositions and methods for the diagnosis of the occurrence and cause of stroke.

The present invention provides a highly sensitive in vitro method for diagnosing injury to the central nervous system (CNS), such as a traumatic brain injury (TBI) or stroke. The method involves contacting a sample of blood from a subject suspected of suffering a CNS injury event with at least one antibody capable of detecting a proteolytic fragment of the biomarker Protein Kinase C, gamma isoform (PKCg or PKCγ), which fragment corresponds to a proteolytic fragment of PKCg formed in the excitotoxic environment resulting from neuronal damage. Also disclosed are novel anti-PKCg antibodies useful in the diagnostic methods of the invention to provide diagnosis of CNS injury with essentially 100% accuracy.

Oligodendrocytes (OLs), the predominant cell type found in cerebral white matter, are essential for structural integrity and proper neural signaling. Very little is known concerning stroke-induced OL dysfunction. Infusion of human umbilical cord blood (HUCB) cells protects striatal white matter tracts in vivo and directly protects mature primary OL cultures from oxygen glucose deprivation (OGD). Microarray studies of RNA prepared from OL cultures subjected to OGD and treated with HUCB cells showed an increase in the expression of 33 genes associated with OL proliferation, survival, and repair functions, such as myelination. Immunohistochemistry showed antioxidant protein expression was upregluated in the ipsilateral white matter tracts of rats infused with HUCB cells 48 hrs after middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO). These results show expression of genes induced by HUCB cell therapy that could confer oligoprotection from ischemia.

The present invention relates to endothelial cell biomarkers and diagnostic and prognostic methods for vascular diseases, including cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases. The invention also provides compositions for detecting endothelial cell biomarkers (e.g., endothelial cell-derived exosome biomarkers) as well as compositions and methods useful for treating vascular diseases (e.g., atherosclerotic cerebrovascular disease).

A device utilizing biosensors to enable rapid electrochemical sensing of one or more analytes in a container. The device comprises a holder which incorporates at least one reference electrode and at least one sensing electrode. The sensing electrode comprising an electrically conductive substrate which is coated in a first layer of a suitable electron acceptor and subsequently with a second layer incorporating a biorecognition molecule adsorbed or within a suitable electropolymer matrix or carrier.

Disclosed herein are methods of aiding in a diagnosis of a traumatic brain injury (TBI) in a subject suspected of having sustained or known to have sustained an injury to the head, by detecting at least one biomarker, wherein the at least one biomarker is ubiquitin carboxy terminal hydrolase L1 (UCH-L1).

The present invention relates to the field of biomarkers. More specifically, the present invention relates to biomarkers useful in diagnosing brain injuries. Brain injury can include overt or traumatic brain injury, as well as subclinical brain injury (SCI). In one embodiment, a method for diagnosing SCI in a patient comprises (a) collecting a sample from the patient; (b) measuring the levels of a panel of biomarkers in the sample collected from the patient, wherein the panel of biomarkers comprises ASTN1, BAI3, CNDP1, ERMIN, GFAP, GRM3, KLH32, MAGE2, NRG3, NRGN, OMG, SLC39A12, RTN1, and MT3; and (c) comparing the levels of the panel of biomarkers with predefined levels of the same panel of biomarkers that correlate to a patient having SCI and predefined levels of the same panel of biomarkers that correlate to a patient not having SCI, wherein a correlation to one of the predefined levels provides the diagnosis.