Disclosed is a method of measuring the prostaglandin E main urinary metabolite (PGE-MUM), in which a mixture solution of a urine sample treated with alkali can directly be subjected to an antigen-antibody reaction system in an immunoassay of PGE-MUM, without neutralization and dilution followed by dispensation. The method of measuring PGE-MUM includes the steps of: a) mixing a urine sample with an alkaline aqueous solution, and b) subjecting the mixture solution resulting from a) to an immunoassay using a bicyclo PGE-MUM-immobilized or anti-bicyclo PGE-MUM antibody-immobilized solid phase to measure PGE-MUM in the urine sample, wherein the immunoassay is performed in a weakly-acidic basal buffer solution in the presence of a second pH buffering agent which exerts a buffering effect in the basic range and is different from the pH buffering agent contained in the basal buffer solution, and in the presence of a cationic surfactant.

A method is described for using live mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) in a way which allows for identification of patients likely to respond to immunosuppressive treatment using MSCs. The method involves contacting a sample from said patient with live MSCs in vitro, and determining whether the sample is able to induce at least some apoptosis to occur in live MSCs in vitro, or detection of elevated levels of prostaglandin E2 (PGE2). The ability of the sample to induce said apoptosis and/or elevated levels of PGE2 is indicative of responsiveness of said patient to said immunosuppressive treatment and/or indicative of fitness to recover. Also provided are apoptotic MSCs for use in the treatment of immune-mediated disease or conditions, such as allo-immune or autoimmune disease, or for the prevention or treatment of rejection of a transplanted organ; or in regenerative medicine to stimulate tissue repair. Methods for preparing pharmaceutical compositions comprising the apoptotic MSCs are also described and claimed.

A method is described for using live mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) in a way which allows for identification of patients likely to respond to immunosuppressive treatment using MSCs. The method involves contacting a sample from said patient with live MSCs in vitro, and determining whether the sample is able to induce at least some apoptosis to occur in live MSCs in vitro, or detection of elevated levels of prostaglandin E2 (PGE2). The ability of the sample to induce said apoptosis and/or elevated levels of PGE2 is indicative of responsiveness of said patient to said immunosuppressive treatment and/or indicative of fitness to recover. Also provided are apoptotic MSCs for use in the treatment of immune-mediated disease or conditions, such as allo-immune or autoimmune disease, or for the prevention or treatment of rejection of a transplanted organ; or in regenerative medicine to stimulate tissue repair. Methods for preparing pharmaceutical compositions comprising the apoptotic MSCs are also described and claimed.

Provided are a biomarker for diagnosing of the level of senescence, a composition and kit for diagnosing of the level of senescence to detect the biomarker, and a method of diagnosing the same. According to the composition and kit for the diagnosis of the level of senescence and the method of diagnosing senescence, the level of senescence of a subject is easily diagnosed, the health conditions of the subject are monitored, and a senescence-associated disease is prevented or diagnosed.

Managing and treating elevated OS biomarkers in mammals such as companion animals with at least one of the supplements alpha-lipoic acid, carnitine, co-enzyme Q-10, ginger, green tea, licorice, milk thistle, garlic, honey. resveratrol, soybeans, tomatoes, turmeric, vitamin D, vitamin E or selenium. Diagnosing an oxidative stress (OS) in a mammal comprises collecting a sample; screening the sample to detect the presence of an OS biomarker, selectively isoprostane and other antioxidants such as HODE microRNAs. TAC: GSH, MDA, and TNF-alpha. The sample can be saliva.

Immunoglobulin light chain proteins are used to generate synthetic fibrils in vitro. The fibrils are mixed with immunoglobulin light chain proteins from a biological sample. In either a direct binding assay, competition assay, or dilution-based competition assay, a signal is detected from the mixture. The intensity of the detectable signal relates to the level of binding between the immunoglobulin light chain proteins to the fibrils and can thus be used to identify amyloidogenic immunoglobulin light chain proteins in a biological sample of the subject and to assess amyloidogenic risk to a subject. For example, the signal intensities from the assays can be used in a comparison to one or more threshold (control) values derived from samples of known light chain types or in the absence of light chains. The comparisons permit identification of amyloidogenic proteins, assessment of amyloidogenic risk, and categorization of the subject into an appropriate “at risk” group.

Disclosed are methods, systems, and computer program products for using liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) for the analysis of endogenous biomarkers, such as PGD.sub.2, in a biological sample. More specifically, the methods, systems, and computer program products are described for detecting and quantifying the amount of an PGD.sub.2 in a sample. The quantitative analysis may be helpful in making clinical diagnoses.

The disclosure provides methods for differentiating between non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and non-alcoholic steatohepatitis. The method includes measuring eicosanoids and fatty acid levels in a biological sample.

The disclosure provides methods for differentiating between non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and non-alcoholic steatohepatitis. The method includes measuring eicosanoids and fatty acid levels in a biological sample.

The disclosure relates to the substantially non-invasive diagnosis of liver disease, especially to enable intervention in the progression of such disease at an early stage. This invention further relates to the use of plasma biomarkers to differentiate nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) from nonalcoholic fatty liver (NAFL) and non-nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), and normal controls. Specifically, the invention relates to the use of free eicosanoids and other polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) metabolite levels in plasma to differentiate NASH from NAFL and non-NAFLD normal controls.