Methods for diagnosing inflammatory and/or cardiovascular diseases by assaying for Fibroblast Activation Protein (FAP) expression in a body fluid is provided as well as therapeutic means based thereon.

The invention relates to method for identifying and selecting a subject with increased risk of developing a cardiometabolic disease and optionally, providing a personalized medicine method, which may involve sequencing at least part of a genome of one or more cells in a blood sample of the subject and identifying from said sequencing one or more mutations in one or more somatic mutations.

In various embodiments, the application relates to methods for assessment of cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk in a patient comprising comparing pre-heparin LPL (lipoprotein lipase) levels which are associated with protection from CVD to remnant lipoprotein cholesterol (RLP-C) and/or remnant lipoprotein triglyceride content (RLP-Tg).

Compounds and compositions comprising a gap junction channel or hemichannel blocker or inhibitor, and methods of use thereof, are provided for the treatment or prevention of vascular and other diseases, disorders, and conditions.

The present invention is based on the discovery of genetic polymorphisms that are associated with cardiovascular disorders, particularly acute coronary events such as myocardial infarction and stroke, and genetic polymorphisms that are associated with responsiveness of an individual to treatment of cardiovascular disorders with statin. In particular, the present invention relates to nucleic acid molecules containing the polymorphisms, variant proteins encoded by such nucleic acid molecules, reagents for detecting the polymorphic nucleic acid molecules and proteins, and methods of using the nucleic acid and proteins as well as methods of using reagents for their detection.

Disclosed are compositions and methods for determining aberrant cardiac function or a predisposition to aberrant cardiac function, said method comprising detecting a fragment of βII spectrin associated with aberrant cardiac function or a predisposition to aberrant cardiac function in a sample derived from a subject, wherein the detection is indicative of aberrant cardiac function in the subject.

This invention provides gene expression profiles useful for diagnosing atrial fibrillation in ischemic stroke and for distinguishing atrial fibrillation in ischemic stroke from arterial (large vessel) stroke or embolic stroke of undetermined source (ESUS). In another aspect, the present invention is the provision of an improved method for prognosis of an outcome or assessing the risk of a patient having suffered a stroke or a transient ischemic attack, comprising determining the level of expression of at least one biomarker in a sample of the patient.

The disclosure provides biomarkers for diagnosis and monitoring of transthyretin (TTR) amyloidosis. The disclosure further provides methods for selection of agents for treatment of TTR amyloidosis using the biomarkers. The disclosure further provides kits for practicing the methods provided herein.

Disclosed are subpopulations of mammalian stem cell- or mammalian progenitor cell-derived cardiomyocytes. The subpopulations of cardiomyocytes contain a portion of a population of mammalian stem cell- or mammalian progenitor cell-derived cardiomyocytes. The subpopulations of cardiomyocytes can be CD36.sup.+ subpopulations or CD36.sup.− subpopulations. Disclosed are methods of isolating and of using the subpopulations of cardiomyocytes, particularly in cardiac disease modeling, drug screening, cardiotoxicity testing, and cardiac regeneration/repair.

This invention relates to nucleotide polymorphisms in the human Apo(a) gene and to the use of Apo(a) nucleotide polymorphisms in identifying whether a human subject will respond or not to treatment with acetylsalicylic acid.