title: Clinical significance of serum hepcidin-25 levels in predicting invasive fungal disease in patients after transplantation.
abstract: Currently, it is important to identify a good biomarker to predict treatment-related complications in patients with transplantation. This study aimed to evaluate the significance of serum hepcidin-25 in predicting invasive fungal disease (IFD) after transplantation.
  
  
  
  A total of 57 patients who underwent transplantation were included in this study, and their serum samples were obtained and stored at -80°C for analysis. The serum hepcidin-25 were assayed using enzyme-liked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), and hypersensitive C reactive protein (hsCRP) and 1,3-beta-D glucan were measured using standard laboratory techniques. These indices were monitored weekly, from one week before transplantation to four weeks after transplantation.
  
  
  
  The median pretransplant serum hepcidin-25 level was 37.00 ng/mL which was higher than that of healthy volunteers (p < 0.001). Because the higher hepcidin-25 level of the third tertile among the patients was 39.855 ng/mL, we set a cutoff level of 40 ng/mL to divide them into low- and high-hepcidin-25 groups (n = 38 and 19, respectively). The prevalences of the documented infection in the two groups were 2.6% and 26%, respectively (p = 0.019). The high-hepcidin-25 group was monitored after transplantation. The hepcidin-25 level peaked one week after transplantation, followed by gradual decrease. The plasma (1-3)-beta-D-glucan reached the summit two week. The proven of IFD was delayed 10 days on average after hepcidin-25 had arrived summit and 5 days after (1-3)-beta-D-glucan peaked.
  
  
  
  The pretransplant serum hepcidin-25 level would be a useful indicator for predicting the risk of infection after transplantation; and the dynamic changes of hepcidin-25 in patients with high-hepcidin-25 group would help to predict IFD after transplantation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Hematology, Sichuan Academy of Medical Science, Chengdu, China. flydc0687@hotmail.com
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Zhong
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D023181:Antimicrobial Cationic Peptides / Q000097:blood*; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D002097:C-Reactive Protein / Q000032:analysis; D005260:Female; D064451:Hepcidins; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009181:Mycoses / Q000097:blood* / Q000401:mortality / Q000517:prevention & control; D016377:Organ Transplantation; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000097:blood* / Q000401:mortality / Q000517:prevention & control; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D055815:Young Adult; D047071:beta-Glucans / Q000097:blood
chemical_list: D023181:Antimicrobial Cationic Peptides; D015415:Biomarkers; C578702:HAMP protein, human; D064451:Hepcidins; D047071:beta-Glucans; D002097:C-Reactive Protein