| abstract |
The present invention in one embodiment is an early detection marker for chronic inflammatory-associated diseases, including atherosclerosis, Alzheimer's disease, asthma, rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, and inflammatory diseases of the bowel such as Crohn's disease, Ulcerative colitis, Irritable bowel syndrome and Inflammatory bowel disease. The method, for example may comprise (1) obtaining a fluid sample from the subject, wherein the subject does not have an acute bacterial or viral infection when the fluid sample is obtained, (2) testing the fluid sample for a circulating or secreted CAP37 protein, and (3) concluding that the subject has a chronic inflammatory-associated disease when the CAP37 protein is detected in the fluid sample. The fluid sample may comprise serum, plasma, or cerebrospinal fluid, for example, or any other body fluid exposed to endothelial, vascular, or neuronal secretions. |