title: Significantly increased concentration of soluble urokinase-type plasminogen activator receptor in the blood of patients with pelvic inflammatory disease.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  To determine expression levels of urokinase-type plasminogen activator (uPA), soluble urokinase-type plasminogen activator receptor (suPAR), plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) in plasma and to identify gene polymorphisms specific to patients with pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) and healthy controls.
  
  
  METHODS
  Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism were used to measure plasma levels and polymorphisms in uPA, suPAR, and PAI-1 among seventy healthy controls and 64 PID patients before and after they received routine treatment protocols.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The levels of plasma uPA (ng/ml) and soluble suPAR (pg/ml) were significantly increased in PID patients (uPA: 0.57±0.03; suPAR: 1372.04±68.20) when compared to that in normal controls (uPA: 0.55±0.06, p=0.002; suPAR: 1192.46±51.98, p=0.04); moreover, suPAR decreased significantly after treatment when compared to levels noted in the same patients (1220.06±58.14; p=0.003) after they received treatment. The increased expression of suPAR was significantly correlated with WBC counts (r=0.382, p=0.002, n=64) in blood as well as the plasma levels of CRP (r=0.441, p<0.0001, n=64) and uPA (r=0.426, p<0.0001, n=64) of PID patients prior to receiving treatment.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Increased plasma suPAR could be a biological marker for the diagnosis of PID and may reflect a new focus in targeted therapy for pelvic inflammatory disease.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Medicine, Chung Shan Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan, ROC.
authors.forename: Yuan-Hung
authors.initials: YH
authors.lastname: Yeh
authors.forename: Po-Hui
authors.initials: PH
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Long-Yau
authors.initials: LY
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.forename: Yi-Torng
authors.initials: YT
authors.lastname: Tee
authors.forename: Ming-Chih
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Chou
authors.forename: Shun-Fa
authors.initials: SF
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Hsiu-Ting
authors.initials: HT
authors.lastname: Tsai
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002511:Cephalosporins / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use; D004318:Doxycycline / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D005839:Gentamicins / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D000292:Pelvic Inflammatory Disease / Q000097:blood* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy; D017395:Plasminogen Activator Inhibitor 1 / Q000097:blood*; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012150:Polymorphism, Restriction Fragment Length; D055293:Receptors, Urokinase Plasminogen Activator / Q000097:blood*; D014568:Urokinase-Type Plasminogen Activator / Q000097:blood*
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D015415:Biomarkers; D002511:Cephalosporins; D005839:Gentamicins; D017395:Plasminogen Activator Inhibitor 1; D055293:Receptors, Urokinase Plasminogen Activator; C051321:SERPINE1 protein, human; D014568:Urokinase-Type Plasminogen Activator; D004318:Doxycycline