Disclosed herein are methods for treating subjects having rheumatoid arthritis (RA) with a human anti-interleukin 6 (IL-6) antibody, or antigen-binding portion thereof.

Disclosed is a system and method for performing measurements on a biological subject, and in one particular example, to performing measurements of analytes in a biological subject by breaching a functional barrier of the subject using microstructures, wherein the one or more microstructures include an aptamer for binding one or more analytes.

The invention provides methods and systems for detecting a biomarker in a synovial fluid wherein the system also includes a control to ensure that the test sample is indeed synovial fluid. The biomarkers and the control for synovial fluid can be identified using proteomic methods, including but not limited to antibody based methods, such as an enzyme-linked immunosorbant assay (ELISA), a radioimmunoassay (RIA), or a lateral flow immunoassay.

Methods and kits for screening, diagnosing, detecting or predicting a patient outcome/risk in a patient with a respiratory illness, the method comprising: a. obtaining a sample obtained from the patient; b. quantitatively measuring in the sample a polypeptide level of one or more biomarkers selected from: IL-6, CXCL8, IL-10, IL-IRA, IL-2, IL-4, IL-7, IL-9, IL-13, IL-17, IFN-g, IP-10, MCP-1, G-CSF, GM-CSF, FGF-basic, SCGF-β, GRO-α, MIP1-α, MIP1-β, CK-18, PDGF-bb, caspase 3, HMGB-1, TNF α, VEGF, sTNFR1 and sTREM1; and c. i) comparing the level of the one or more biomarkers in the sample with a control or cut-off level, wherein the differential level is indicative of patient outcome risk; or ii) using the polypeptide level of several of the biomarkers in combination, as inputs for an algebraic calculation or machine learning model of patient outcome risk.

The invention generally relates to methods, reagents, and substrates for detecting target analytes, especially spectroscopic techniques such as laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) for use in food authentication and molecular detection (e.g., when combined with later flow immunoassays (LFIA).

Methods and kits for screening, diagnosing, detecting or predicting a patient outcome/risk variable for a lung transplant recipient after transplant or an EVLP outcome by measuring biomarker levels of at least three biomarkers selected from IL-6, IL-8, IL-10 and IL-1β optionally in combination with one or both of sTNFR1 and sTREM1 in EVLP perfusate are described. The methods involve for example, i. obtaining one or more test EVLP perfusate samples of a donor lung; ii. determining in one or more test EVLP perfusate sample of a donor lung, a polypeptide level of the at least three biomarkers selected from IL-8, IL-6, IL-10 and IL-1β and optionally one or both of sTNFR1 and sTREM1 i; and iii. a) comparing the one or more parameter values related to a level of the at least three biomarkers in the perfusate sample with control EVLP data or a cut-off level, wherein the differential level is indicative of outcome/risk of after transplant or of an EVLP outcome; or b) using the one or more parameter values related to a level of the at least three biomarkers in combination, as part of an algebraic calculation or model of outcome/risk.

The present invention provides methods for using surgical drainage waste fluid as a means for diagnosing disease, assessing disease progression, predicting metastatic disease, assessing cancer metastasis, disease staging, molecular staging, and assessing metastatic disease. During surgery, suction is used to drain fluids such as blood, tissue fluids, and other bodily fluids away from the surgery site. The suction drainage fluid waste, also called drain fluid, is removed from the patient during the surgical procedure. Because surgical drain fluid is typically viewed as something that is not useful, it is disregarded and thrown away during the surgery. Instead, the invention provides that drain fluid, which is mostly lymphatic fluid and interstitial fluid, is diagnostically rich and contains important information for assessing, diagnosing, and treating disease. The methods of the invention use this waste fluid for the valuable data it contains. Therefore, while a patient is already undergoing surgery for a medical condition, the waste drain fluid is sampled and analyzed for biomarkers or other molecular indicia of disease.

Provided herein are methods for reducing risk of severe symptoms and outcomes associated with Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection by measuring levels of interleukin 6 (IL-6), IL-8, IL-22, and serum ferritin in a subject. Also provided are methods for treating a subject exposed to or at elevated risk of expose to SARS-CoV-2 based on levels of IL-6, IL-8, IL-22, and ferritin in the serum of the subject.

Methods of identifying an individual as being a slow gingivitis responder or a high gingivitis responder are disclosed. Some methods are based on IL-1β levels in the individual's GCF at the site of inflammation. Some methods are based on MIF and/or CCL-1 levels in the individual's GCF in healthy tissue distant from the site of inflammation. Some disclosed methods are based on temporal differences in IL-8, IL-6 and/or TNFα levels in the individual's GCF in healthy tissue distant from the site of inflammation during the development of plaque induced inflammation. Methods of treating an individual who has gingivitis and methods of preventing gingivitis are also provided. The treatment and prevention methods comprise determining if individual is a slow gingivitis responder or a high gingivitis responder and applying oral care compositions to the individual's oral cavity.

A method of treating pneumonia in a patient is disclosed comprising administering an effective amount of an IL-6 antagonist to a patient identified as having elevated ferritin level. Also disclosed is a method of achieving an improved clinical response in a patient with pneumonia comprising: a. measuring ferritin level in the patient, and b. administering an effective amount of an IL-6 antagonist to the patient identified as having an elevated ferritin level. The improved clinical response achieved includes: no death by Day 28, not mechanically ventilated by Day 28 (wherein the patient was not mechanically ventilated at baseline), better ordinal score at Day 28, and/or reduced time to hospital discharge within 28 days, compared to the clinical response in a patient with pneumonia and ferritin level that is not elevated. Moreover, a method of reducing time to hospital discharge in a patient with pneumonia comprising administering an effective amount of the IL-6 antagonist to the patient is disclosed, wherein the patient prior to treatment: a. is receiving non-invasive ventilation or high flow oxygen, or is intubated and being mechanically ventilated, and b. has been identified as having elevated IL-6 level.