ABSTRACT Background Calprotectin is a protein found in the cytoplasm of neutrophile granulocytes. In the course of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), calprotectin is released during chronic inflammation in the gut. Activation of neutrophils during the inflammation is followed by activation and secretion of pro-inflammatory molecules such as calprotectin. Calprotectin is stable in stool up to 7 days and can therefore be used as a non-invasive marker for diagnosis, treatment and measurement of the disease activity in patients with IBD. The most common method for analysis of calprotectin concentration is ELISA. This method is time-consuming and many manufactures have therefore developed rapid tests as a faster alternative for quantification of calprotectin in stool. Aim The aim of the study was to evaluate one ELISA and one rapid test from the same manufacture compare the data with the existing ELISA-method used in the laboratory for routine analysis. Methods A rapid test (CalFast) and an ELISA method (CalPrest) from Eurospital, were used for analysis of calprotectin in stool. These two methods were compared with known concentrations of calprotectin obtained by the ELISA method from Bühlmann used in the routine work.  Results The results showed poor correlation between the rapid test and the ELISA method. Furthermore, the comparison between the two ELISA-methods showed a poor correlation. Conclusion Evaluation of the two new methods showed poor correlation with the existing ELISA method from Bühlmann. Evaluation of the rapid test did not show any correlation with the two ELISA methods and the data cannot be trusted. It is difficult to conclude which of the two ELISA methods gives accurate results due to the absence of an international standard.

The two studies follow free nucleic acids in urine in search for biomarkers to distinguish urinary bladder cancer patients from controls. Bladder cancer forms 4 % of newly diagnosed oncological diseases in the Czech Republic. Nowadays, there is no accredited non-invasive method for its diagnosis, which is sufficiently accurate. Urine supernatant, which is washing the bladder mucosa and which does not contain cell debris, seems to be an appropriate source of biomarkers for non-invasive diagnosis. miRNAs, as a non-invasive biomarker of urinary bladder cancer, were studied in one of the studies. miRNAs are short noncoding RNA, which block the process of translation. miRNAs occur in all body fluids and are relatively stable. A study with three phases was assessed to find a suitable miRNA marker. 109 individuals were examined in total (36 controls and 73 bladder cancer patients). The analysis of miRNAs was based on RT-PCR (Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction). In the first phase, the urine of 59 individuals was analyzed on TaqMan array card with 381 miRNAs. In the second phase, the results of the first phase were confirmed on the same cohort by a single miRNA assay. In the third phase, a new cohort was used (23 controls and 27 bladder cancer patients), analyzed by a single miRNA assay again....