Prognostic and diagnostic capabilities of a bio-marker are 'two sides of the same coin' in medicine. For instance, serum troponin is very useful in diagnosing acute myocardial infarction and, at the same time, the peak concentrations of serum troponin are also useful in assessing the prognosis of both ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) and non-STEMI. In this issue of the Journal, we have two interesting studies on prognostic significance of serum C-reactive protein (CRP) or lactate concentrations in critically ill patients, and they conclude that these non-specific biomarkers may be useful to predict mortality of critically ill patients.
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