title: Urine neural thread protein measurements in Alzheimer disease.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Neural thread protein (NTP), a membrane-associated phosphoprotein, was selectively elevated in the urine of patients with Alzheimer disease (AD). To demonstrate the potential utility of urine NTP assays for the diagnosis of AD, we performed this study.
  
  
  METHODS
  A prospective blinded multicentered study.
  
  
  METHODS
  Individuals diagnosed as having probable AD (n = 49), Parkinson's disease (PD) (n = 20), and healthy controls (n = 22) were enrolled consecutively in 4 neurology centers.
  
  
  METHODS
  A first morning urine sample was obtained from each subject. Urine NTP measurement using competitive ELISA was tested at the central laboratory and compared with AD and PD patients and healthy controls (HC). The testing laboratory was blinded to clinical information.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mean assay value in AD (n = 49, 26.8 ± 9.4 μg/mL) was significantly higher than in HC (n = 22, 18.1 ± 6.7 μg/mL) (P ≤ .001) and than in PD (n = 20, 21.0 ± 8.5 μg/mL) (P ≤ .05). Levels of 21.6 μg/mL or higher were found in 81.6% of all AD cases, in 30.0% of PD cases, and in 13.6% of HC. Urine NTP assay measurements of AD with a Clinical Dementia Rate (CDR) of 0.5 (n = 10, 24.2 ± 5.9 μg/mL, P = .063) or of 1.0 (n = 24, 30.1 ± 10.9 μg/mL, P = .000) were significantly higher than in HC. However, the AD patients with CDR of 2.0 (n = 9, 23.1 ± 7.3 μg/mL, P = .136) were not significant.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Urine NTP could be used as a safe and promising biochemical marker of early AD.
authors: Department of Neurology, Chung-Ang University College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea.
authors: Young Chul
authors: YC
authors: Youn
authors: Kun-Woo
authors: KW
authors: Park
authors: Seol-Heui
authors: SH
authors: Han
authors: SangYun
authors: S
authors: Kim
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000175:diagnosis*; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000652:urine; D042241:Early Diagnosis; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins / Q000652:urine*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D014481:United States
chemical_list: C497612:AD7c-NTP protein, human; D015415:Biomarkers; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins