A novel means that can suppress development of arteriosclerotic lesions and treat arteriosclerosis is disclosed. An antiarteriosclerotic agent according to the present invention comprises, as an active ingredient, a substance which selectively suppresses B2 cells. The substance which selectively suppresses B2 cells is, for example, an anti-CD23 antibody. A first aspect of the method of assisting in determining a condition of arteriosclerosis according to the present invention comprises measuring expression of at least one gene selected from particular gene groups using a sample isolated from a subject. A second aspect of the method comprises measuring the level of IgG3 and/or the level of total IgG in a serum sample isolated from a subject.

A defined peak region residing between about 3.2 and 3.4 ppm of a proton NMR spectrum of an in vitro biosample is electronically evaluated to determine a level of trimethylamine-N-oxide (TMAO). The biosample may be any suitable biosamples including human serum with a normal biologic range of between about 1-50 ?M or urine with a normal biologic range of between about 0-1000 ?M.

An object of the invention is to provide a comprehensive biomarker for artery lesions, and diabetes mellitus, heart disease, cerebrovascular disorder, cancer, kidney disease, etc., whose onset and progress can be suppressed by health care such as early diagnosis. The inventors have found that the object can be attained by determining the level of an antibody to protein KIAA0513 or a portion of the protein, the antibody being potentially present in a body fluid sample collected from a living body; and acquiring data showing a rise in the antibody level as data showing the presence of an artery lesion or the potential or actual presence of cerebrovascular or cardiovascular disorder, diabetes mellitus, chronic kidney disease, or a solid cancer.

The methods described herein enable the evaluation of compounds on subjects to assess their therapeutic efficacy or toxic effects. The target of analysis is the underlying biochemical process or processes (i.e., metabolic process) thought to be involved in disease pathogenesis. Molecular flux rates within the one or more biochemical processes serve as biomarkers and are quantitated and compared with the molecular flux rates (i.e., biomarker) from control subjects (i.e., subjects not exposed to the compounds). Any change in the biomarker in the subject relative to the biomarker in the control subject provides the necessary information to evaluate therapeutic efficacy of an administered drug or a toxic effect and to develop the compound further if desired. In one aspect of the invention, stable isotope-labeled substrate molecules are administered to a subject and the label is incorporated into targeted molecules in a manner that reveals molecular flux rates through one or more metabolic pathways of interest. By this method, a comparison between subjects and control subjects reveals the effects of the chemical entity or entities on the biomarkers. This, in turn, allows for the identification of potential therapeutic uses or toxicities of the compound. Combinations of compounds can also be systematically evaluated for complementary, synergistic, or antagonistic actions on the metabolic pathways of interest, using the methods of the present invention as a strategy for identifying and confirming novel therapeutic or toxic combinations of compounds.

The present invention relates to the use of a CD24 protein for lowering low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels, treating and preventing atherosclerosis, and for reducing risk of cardiovascular disease.

Objects of the present invention are to find a marker by which progression of arteriosclerosis can be directly grasped, to thereby provide motivation for prevention or treatment of arteriosclerosis itself, and to provide means for accurately grasping condition of arteriosclerosis-related disease including arteriosclerotic disease. The invention provides a method for acquiring data on progression of arteriosclerosis, the method including determining a level of an antibody against SH3BP5 protein or a part thereof in a body fluid sample collected from a biological body, and a data acquisition kit for performing the data acquisition method.

The present invention relates to a method for diagnosis of a cardiovascular disease or condition or atherosclerosis and for a method for evaluating the risk of a subject of developing the same. Methods are further provided for evaluating a subject's risk of mortality, for evaluating whether a subject will benefit from a certain treatment or whether a subject needs to be hospitalized or whether a subject may be discharged. The present invention provides sCD14 or a fragment or derivative thereof (including in particular sCD14-ST) as a novel marker for cardiovascular risk in general, more specifically as a marker for cardiovascular disease or condition, or atherosclerosis.

The present invention provides methods for quantifying an amount of plasmalogens in samples with high accuracy in an easy, convenient and inexpensive manner by using a hydrolysis processing to samples and a lipid extraction followed by the measurement using High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) with Evaporative Light Scattering Detector (ELSD) or Mass Spectrometer (MS), a fluorescence plate reader or a plate reader. The present invention also relates to a method for examining a subject by using the above method, a biomarker for disease detection, a method for using the biomarker for the disease detection, as well as a kit for the disease detection.

The present invention provides markers and methods for determining whether a subject, particularly a human subject, has or is at risk of developing, a disease such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes mellitus, insulin resistance, metabolic syndrome, NAFLD (Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease) or NASH (Nonalcoholic Steatohepatitis) (e.g., within the ensuing year, two years, and/or three years). The present application also relates to the use of such markers and methods for monitoring the status of such diseases in a subject or the effects of therapeutic agents on subjects with such diseases.

The present invention provides methods for quantifying an amount of plasmalogens in samples with high accuracy in an easy, convenient and inexpensive manner by using a hydrolysis processing to samples and a lipid extraction followed by the measurement using High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) with Evaporative Light Scattering Detector (ELSD) or Mass Spectrometer (MS), a fluorescence plate reader or a plate reader. The present invention also relates to a method for examining a subject by using the above method, a biomarker for disease detection, a method for using the biomarker for the disease detection, as well as a kit for the disease detection.