A method of diagnosing a patient showing symptoms of acute myocardial infarction includes obtaining a plasma sample from a patient, performing a differential scanning calorimetry test on the sample to produce a thermogram, comparing the thermogram to reference thermograms, and determining if the patient has thrombotic myocardial infarction, non-thrombotic myocardial injury, or stable coronary artery disease.

Provided herein are biomarkers useful for determining frailty, a biomarker signature for frailty, and methods of using the biomarkers to identify, classify, and treat a subject having frailty. Provided herein are also biomarkers useful for determining, identifying, classifying, and treating conditions associated with altered physical reserve, physical fitness, and exercise capacity.

The present invention pertains to a BNP measuring method with which it is possible to measure the concentration of BNP in a specimen with higher sensitivity and higher reproducibility. A protease inhibitor is added to a specimen that contains brain natriuretic peptide to obtain a pretreatment specimen. The pretreatment specimen is provided on a metal film to which a binding substance capable of binding specifically. Either prior to or following the binding to the binding substance, the brain natriuretic peptide is labeled with a fluorescent substance. In a state where the brain natriuretic peptide labeled with the fluorescent substance is bound to the binding substance immobilized to the metal film, the metal film is irradiated with excitation light so as to cause surface plasmon resonance to occur in the metal film, and then fluorescence released from the fluorescent substance is detected.

This disclosure describes portable bio-nano-chip assays, methods and compositions for diagnosing and assessing pathogen-mediated diseases or infections at point-of-care using biological samples. The assays, methods and compositions provide in a more convenient, less expensive, and less time-consuming sampling and analysis.

Disclosed is a composition that synergistically prevents proteolysis or modification of peptides in sampled biological fluids using sulfonyl fluoride family protease inhibitors at high concentrations combined with at least one additional protease inhibitor of a different type, preferably a broad spectrum protease inhibitor, and a chelator. A preferred embodiment uses AEBSF at 10 mM, Benzamidine at 20 mM and EDTA as the chelator. The disclosed composition may be combined with other protease inhibitors to further modulate its specificity, for instance to additionally target acidic proteases. Additional protease inhibitors, reducing agents, stabilizers and buffering agents may be combined with the disclosed compositions in devices for sampling or testing biological fluids for levels of peptides of interest, or methods therefore. The disclosed devices, compositions and methods are of particular use in sampling and testing for the level of natriuretic peptides.

The current methods and compositions relate to treatment of atrial fibrillation with bucindolol in patients, including patients with heart failure, after being determined to be homozygous Arg389 in the β.sub.1 adrenergic receptor gene.

The present invention relates to a method for assessing the risk of stroke in a subject, said method comprising the steps of determining the amount of CES-2 in a sample from the subject, and comparing the amount of CES-2 to a reference amount, whereby the risk of stroke is to be assessed. Moreover, the present invention relates to a method for assessing the efficacy of an anticoagulation therapy and a method for identifying a subject being eligible to the administration of at least one anticoagulation medicament or being eligible for increasing the dosage of at least one anticoagulation medicament.

A reference standard set for BNP measurement, including a plurality of reference standards including BNP-32 and proBNP, wherein the ratio BNP-32/proBNP (mole ratio) differs between the reference standards, and when a reference standard having a high mole ratio and a reference standard having a low mole ratio are compared, the BNP concentration, which is the sum total of the BNP-32 concentration and the proBNP concentration, is lower in the reference standard having a high mole ratio than in the reference standard having a low mole ratio. The present invention makes it possible to provide: a reference standard set for BNP measurement, whereby, when the BNP concentration value of a specimen measured by a certain BNP measurement method and the BNP concentration value of the specimen measured by another BNP measurement method are corrected using the reference standard set for BNP measurement, the corrected measurement values can be made to more closely coincide in comparison with a case in which the measurement values are corrected using a conventional reference standard; and a method for correcting, using the reference standard set for BNP measurement, the measured BNP concentration value of a specimen.

A specific and sensitive in vitro ELISA assay and diagnostic test kit is disclosed for determining levels of NT-proBNP protein in a variety of bodily fluids, non-limiting examples of which are blood, serum, plasma, urine and the like. The NT-proBNP ELISA assay test employs the sandwich ELISA technique to measure circulating NT-proBNP in human plasma. In order to obtain antibodies with specific binding properties for targeted amino acid sequences within human proBNP, recombinant human proBNP (or rhproBNP) was expressed and purified for use as an immunogen. Polyclonal antibodies (PAb) to specific amino acid sequences were subsequently purified from goat serum by sequential affinity purification. Monoclonal antibodies were raised against specific polypeptides. Recombinant human NT-proBNP (or rhNT-proBNP) was expressed and purified in order to obtain material for use in calibration of a quantitative method for measurement of human NT-proBNP.

Methods and systems for diagnosing functional and/or structural abnormalities of the heart preceding heart failure, and for predicting the risk of developing heart failure, in a subject comprising measuring a cardiac troponin in a sample and comparing the measurement to a reference value. Other markers, including GDF15 and IGFBP7 are also measured in some embodiments.