title: Measurement of vitamin D-binding protein in pleural fluids and sera by means of a turbidimetric immunoassay measuring system.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Vitamin D-binding protein (DBP) has been recognized as a multifunctional plasma protein that can modulate certain immune and inflammatory responses. There may be differences between the DBP concentrations in pleural fluids from various diseases involving a variety of possible responses in the pleural cavity.
  
  
  METHODS
  An anti-DBP polyclonal antibody was prepared using commercially available DBP to establish a quantitative measuring system for DBP. With a rabbit antibody, a turbidimetric immunoassay (TIA) was developed for DBP with an automatic analyzer. Using this measuring system, the concentrations of DBP were compared with the protein concentration in pleural fluid and serum specimens from patients with various diseases.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The fluid DBP concentrations in transudative (n=11) and exudative (n=41) effusions were 71.9+/-21.2 and 180.7+/-43.7 mg/l, respectively. Among the exudative effusions, the fluid DBP concentrations in the bacterial (n=10), tuberculous (n=13), and malignant (n=18) effusions were 218.8+/-37.3, 186.7+/-26.2, and 155.1+/-41.3 mg/l, respectively. The DBP fluid/serum ratio and the fluid DBP/protein ratio in bacterial effusions were significantly higher than those in tuberculous (p<0.005, p<0.05, respectively) and malignant effusions (p<0.0005, p<0.005, respectively), although no statistically significant differences in the serum DBP/protein ratio between those effusions were found.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Using the TIA assay, the DBP concentrations in bacterial pleural effusions were significantly higher than in tuberculous and malignant effusions.
authors.affiliation: Department of Respiratory Medicine, Koshigaya Hospital, Dokkyo University School of Medicine, 2-1-50 Minamikoshigaya, Saitama, 343-8555, Japan. yham@dokkyomed.ac.jp
authors.forename: Yoshio
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Hamashima
authors.forename: Takemasa
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kanazawa
authors.forename: Atsuko
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hirata
authors.forename: Yosuke
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yamai
authors.forename: Hiroki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Fujihara
authors.forename: Kaori
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Sekine
authors.forename: Kosyu
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Nagao
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000818:Animals; D000906:Antibodies / Q000276:immunology; D000918:Antibody Specificity; D015153:Blotting, Western; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009391:Nephelometry and Turbidimetry / Q000379:methods*; D010994:Pleura / Q000737:chemistry*; D010996:Pleural Effusion; D011817:Rabbits; D012015:Reference Standards; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D014809:Vitamin D-Binding Protein / Q000032:analysis* / Q000097:blood* / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D000906:Antibodies; D014809:Vitamin D-Binding Protein