title: Alterations in serum neopterin correlate with thrombolysis in myocardial infarction risk scores in acute coronary syndromes.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Using serum neopterin as a marker of macrophage activation, we sought to examine the relationship between serum neopterin levels, thrombolysis in myocardial infarction (TIMI) risk scores, and how different treatments of acute coronary syndromes affect change in neopterin.
  
  
  METHODS
  We examined serum neopterin concentrations at presentation and 72 h after treatment in 70 patients with acute coronary syndromes (35 with medical therapy, 25 with uncoated coronary stents, and 10 received rapamycin-eluting stents) using a commercially available immunoassay. Serum neopterin levels were determined for 36 patients with stable coronary artery disease. TIMI risk scores were calculated when appropriate (n=58).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Serum neopterin had a strong correlation with the TIMI risk score on admission (P<0.0001). The mean baseline neopterin levels in patients with acute coronary syndromes stratified with TIMI scores between 1 and 7 were the following: patients with TIMI 1 scores had a level of 3.3+/-0.4 nmol/l, TIMI 2 patients 4.6+/-0.6 nmol/l, TIMI 3 patients 5.5+/-1.4 nmol/l, TIMI 4 patients 7.5+/-2.4 nmol/l, TIMI 5 patients 10.8+/-3.3 nmol/l, TIMI 6 patients 17.5+/-4.0 nmol/l, and TIMI 7 patients 23.0+/-7.1 nmol/l. Mean changes in serum neopterin were significantly higher for the uncoated stent group than for each of the other three groups (P<0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Serum neopterin concentrations have a high correlation with TIMI risk scores and may represent a marker useful in stratifying patients with acute coronary syndromes. Our results also suggest that the use of uncoated coronary stents results in macrophage activation not found with other treatment modalities.
authors.affiliation: Winthrop-University Hospital, Mineola, New York 11501, USA.
authors.forename: Douglas T
authors.initials: DT
authors.lastname: Johnston
authors.forename: Marios
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gagos
authors.forename: Nicholas
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Raio
authors.forename: Louis
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Ragolia
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Shenouda
authors.forename: Mark A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Davis-Lorton
authors.forename: Joshua R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: De Leon
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000789:Angina, Unstable / Q000097:blood* / Q000628:therapy; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000097:blood* / Q000628:therapy; D019798:Neopterin / Q000097:blood*; D018570:Risk Assessment; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D015607:Stents; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D019798:Neopterin