Researchers led by Christian Mueller from University Hospital Basel in Switzerland report in Clinical Chemistry on growth differentiation factor-15's potential as a diagnostic and risk-stratification marker for acute myocardial infarction as GDF-15 is a stress-responsive marker. In their prospective, mulitcenter study, the researchers measured GDF-15, high-sensitivity cardiac troponin T, and B-type natriuretic peptide levels in 646 patients with acute chest pain. "GDF-15 predicts all-cause mortality in unselected patients with acute chest pain independently of and more accurately than hs-cTnT and BNP," the researchers report. "However, GDF-15 does not seem to help in the early diagnosis of AMI."

Cornell University's Michael King and his colleagues describe their device to capture circulating tumor cells in an online early Clinical Chemistry article. "We designed a microscale flow device with a functionalized surface of E-selectin and antibody molecules against epithelial markers. The device was additionally enhanced with a halloysite nanotube coating," the researchers say. In their test, the device captured about half of the circulating tumor cells with purities greater than 50 percent. "[This] demonstrates the functionality of this device in a clinical setting and opens the door for personalized cancer therapies," the researchers add.