title: Components of biological variation in serum soluble transferrin receptor: relationships to serum iron, transferrin and ferritin concentrations, and immune and haematological variables.
abstract: We investigated the components of biological variation in serum soluble transferrin receptor (TfR) in relation to serum iron, transferrin (Tf), ferritin, soluble interleukin-2 receptor (sIL-2R), sIL-6R, and number of erythrocytes, haemoglobin (Hb), haematocrit (Ht), mean corpuscular volume (MCV), mean cell haemoglobin (MCH), and erythrocyte distribution width (RDW). We took monthly blood samples during 1 calendar year from 26 healthy subjects for assay of the above variables. The estimated CVs for TfR were interindividual CVg = 20.8%, and intra-individual CVi = 13.6%; for Tf, CVg = 14.4% and CVi = 6.7%; for iron, CVg = 16.8% and CVi = 29.2%; and for ferritin, CVg = 71.1% and CVi = 26.5%. There was a statistically significant seasonal pattern in the four variables with significant annual, biannual and/or trimonthly rhythms, which were expressed as a group phenomenon. The peak-trough differences in the yearly variations, expressed as a percentage of the mean, were: for TfR, 11.7%; for iron, 39.2%; for Tf, 11.7%; and for ferritin, 29.3%. Up to 34.2% of the within-subject variability in TfR (which reflects changes over time) could be explained by the regression on iron, ferritin, Tf, sIL-2R, sIL-6R and MCH values. Up to 67.2% of the between-subject variability in TfR (which reflects differences in the homeostatic setpoint during the study year) could be explained by the regression on gender, iron, Tf, and ferritin values.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio, USA.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Maes
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Bosmans
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Scharpé
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Hendriks
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Cooremans
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Neels
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: De Meyer
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: D'Hondt
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Peeters
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001683:Biological Clocks / Q000276:immunology*; D001772:Blood Cell Count; D003627:Data Interpretation, Statistical; D005260:Female; D005293:Ferritins / Q000097:blood*; D006801:Humans; D007501:Iron / Q000097:blood*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D009391:Nephelometry and Turbidimetry; D011990:Receptors, Transferrin / Q000097:blood*; D012044:Regression Analysis; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012621:Seasons; D012995:Solubility; D014168:Transferrin / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D011990:Receptors, Transferrin; D014168:Transferrin; D005293:Ferritins; D007501:Iron