Scientists at the Heidelberg University Hospital, Germany have developed a test to identify kidney transplant patients most at risk of rejection. It works by measuring blood levels of soluble CD30, a protein found on the surface of certain white blood cells. In a study involving nearly 4,000 patients, published last year, they found that the higher the sCD30 level, the more likely a rejection reaction. Pre-transplant tests could help doctors decide what regimen of immunosuppressant drugs should be prescribed for a particular patient.
Data from the Center for Cardiovascular Disease Prevention at Baylor College of Medicine and the Methodist DeBakey Heart Center, Houston show that both lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A2 (Lp-PLA2) and high-sensitivity C-Reactive Protein (hs-CRP) are independently associated with the incidence of coronary heart disease (CHD). The data also determined that individuals with normal low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL), but with high levels of Lp-PLA2 or hs-CRP, may be at risk for a CHD event. This data supports the growing body of evidence that Lp-PLA2 is an important predictor of coronary events, especially in patients not traditionally considered at risk. Lp-PLA2 was previously described as a novel risk factor for cardiac events in the October 19, 2000 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.