Abstract: The disclosure provides methods for decreasing mortality risk and/or improving health in a subject. In some aspects, the disclosure provides methods of using one or more biomarkers to determine the risk of mortality, detect an increase or decrease over time in the risk of mortality, or detect an improvement or decline in health of a subject that occurs, for example, over time, in response to therapeutic intervention, or as a result of changes in diet, fitness, or other lifestyle changes. In some other aspects, the disclosure provides methods for treating a subject to reduce the mortality risk of the subject. Additionally, the disclosure provides methods for using changes in the risk of mortality of a subject to monitor the effectiveness of a therapeutic treatment, dietary restrictions, fitness regimen, or other intervention in a subject, and for continuing, discontinuing, or altering the treatment, restrictions, regimen, or intervention accordingly.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a nucleic acid segment having a nucleotide sequence coding for oligodendrocyte-myelin glycoprotein (OMgp) which belongs to the CR-LR family of proteins. These molecular weight of the protein is about 120-kd as determined by gel electrophoresis. The protein is capable of being linked to biological membranes through a glycosylphosphatidylinositol lipid intermediate anchor. OMgp is expressed in the central nervous system and is correlated with myelination. This invention also relates to the purified OMgp, which bands at q11.2 of chromosome 17. OMgp maps in the chromosome within 6-kd of a translocation breakpoint t (1;17), which cosegregates with neurofibromatosis in some families. A recombinant vector incorporating the coding sequence for OMgp and a host cell for the vector are disclosed. Other aspects of the invention include disclosed methods for preparing the OMgp protein; the detection of the glycoprotein; as well as nucleic acid segments.