Cardiac Biomarker Soluble ST2 Offers Value in the Care of Heart Failure Patients."ST2 has strong clinical and bio-chemical correlates in patients with acute HF. Prognostically, ST2 is powerful in acute HF and is synergistic with natriuretic peptides for this use" says paper's authors, notes Critical Diagnostics NEW YORK New York, state, United States New York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of -- Critical Diagnostics today announces the publication of an important research paper and an accompanying editorial comment further refining the clinical value and risk of mortality prediction power of the cardiac biomarker soluble ST2 (sST2). The research paper, "Characteristics of the Novel Interleukin interleukin Any of a class of naturally occurring proteins important in regulation of lymphocyte function. Several known types are recognized as crucial constituents of the body's immune system (see immunity). Family Biomarker ST2 in Patients with Acute Heart Failure" and editorial comment "Serum Soluble ST2 as a Biochemical Marker of Acute Heart Failure" was published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology The American College of Cardiology (ACC) is a nonprofit medical association established in 1949 to educate, research and influence health care public policy. The president for the 2006–2007 year is Steven E. Nissen. [1] The organization has 39 chapters in the U.S. , (www.jacc.org), on October 28, 2008. The result of this latest study significantly expands understanding of this biomarker in patients with acute destabilized heart failure (ADHF ADHF American Digestive Health Foundation ADHF Acute Decompensated Heart Failure ), further refining the clinical value of sST2 in these patients. The just-published study analyzed a cohort of 346 patients diagnosed with ADHF derived from two previously reported prospective clinical trials of dyspneic dysp·ne·a n. Difficulty in breathing, often associated with lung or heart disease and resulting in shortness of breath. Also called air hunger. emergency department patients. This study confirms previously reported results that sST2 powerfully predicts mortality, independent of established clinical and biochemical predictors in this setting. Senior author on this paper, Dr. James L. Januzzi, Associate Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School Harvard Medical School (HMS) is one of the graduate schools of Harvard University. It is a prestigious American medical school located in the Longwood Medical Area of the Mission Hill neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts. , and Physician in the Division of Cardiology at the Massachusetts General Hospital Massachusetts General Hospital Health care The major teaching hospital for Harvard Medical School, widely regarded as one of the best health care centers in the world where he is also the Chief of the Coronary Care Unit coronary care unit n. Abbr. CCU A hospital unit that is specially equipped to treat and monitor patients with serious heart conditions, such as coronary thrombosis. added, "what is interesting to us are the emerging data linking sST2 to a wide range of cardiovascular diseases, including coronary artery disease coronary artery disease, condition that results when the coronary arteries are narrowed or occluded, most commonly by atherosclerotic deposits of fibrous and fatty tissue. and heart failure. On a biological level ST2 appears to play a pivotal role in the complications stemming from both states, which raises the question of an entirely new avenue of exploration for cardiac therapeutics. Furthermore, the clinical value of sST2 measurement appears established--together with testing for conventional markers such as natriuretic peptides, sST2 adds clear, solid value for assessing risk; with this better ability to recognize risk will follow more opportunity for timely and correct intervention, and the hope to better reduce the potential for complications." Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in the US and the incidence of heart failure, as a form of cardiovascular disease, is increasing. The research described in this paper confirms that sST2 is a powerful and accurate biomarker for prediction of near term mortality in ADHF patients and its clinical use may lead to improvements in patient care. "Determination of disease severity and consequently risk of adverse outcomes, especially mortality, in patients with acute cardiovascular disease, such as acute decompensated heart failure, is particularly challenging for physicians with the tools available to them today," comments Critical Diagnostics President James V. Snider, Ph.D. adding, "The results described in this research paper and the editorial opinion reinforces the previously reported and growing body of evidence establishing clinical value of sST2 as a risk stratification risk stratification Medical decision-making The constellation of activities–eg, lab and clinical testing used to determine a person's risk for suffering a particular condition and need–or lack thereof–for preventive intervention and disease severity determination biomarker for patients with cardiovascular disease, especially those with heart failure." About Critical Diagnostics Critical Diagnostics (www.criticaldiagnostics.com) is the exclusive developer of the Presage[TM] laboratory assays employing ST2 for the diagnosis and prognosis of cardiovascular disease1. Critical Diagnostics was founded in 2004 and is funded by Carrot Capital Healthcare Ventures (CCHV) of New York. CCHV focuses on promising seed- and early-stage investment opportunities across a broad spectrum of the healthcare industry. 1Presage and assays employing ST2 are not currently approved by the FDA FDA abbr. Food and Drug Administration FDA, n.pr See Food and Drug Administration. FDA, n.pr the abbreviation for the Food and Drug Administration. for clinical use and are not available for sale in the US for clinical use. |
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