The informative and practical aspects as well as technical considerations of a group of novel inflammatory biomarkers were assessed in a review concerning their clinical use as prognostic markers in patients with heart failure which revealed that none of the biomarkers evaluated including tumor necrosis factor (TNF) α, the TNF family receptors sTNFR1 and osteoprotegerin, IL-6 and its receptor gp130, the chemokines MCP-1, IL-8, CXCL16 and CCL21 and the pentraxin PTX-3 did fulfill criteria for gold-standard prognostication.15 The gene discussed is CXCL8; the disease is heart failure.