Scientists at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics in Iowa City, report that fetal fibronectin is present in vaginal fluids early in pregnancy, and then it disappears and doesn't return until about 34 weeks of gestation. Its reappearance is thought to signal the body's preparations for labor. Thus, testing pregnant women for fetal fibronectin may be useful for ruling out a preterm delivery,
Source: American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, February 2004.
Interleukin Genetics, Inc. has found that pro-inflammatory variants of the interleukin-1 (IL-1) gene cluster are associated with increased risk for early coronary heart disease. These variants have also previously been shown to be associated with elevated levels of C-reactive protein (CRP), an inflammatory biomarker. A study conducted by Interleukin Genetics using a subset of the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) database concluded that certain IL-1 gene variants impart an increased risk for early CHD that is independent of other traditional risk factors such as diabetes and smoking. Moreover, individuals with normal cholesterol levels (less than 200 mg/dL) who had a specific IL-1 gene variation had about four times the risk of early heart disease than those who did not have the gene variation.
Researchers at Baylor College of Medicine, Houston report that measurement of survivin in urine is a sensitive marker for the detection of bladder cancer. Survivin, a negative regulator of cell death, is undetectable in normal adult tissue but is found in several cancers."
Source: Journal of Urology, February 2004