title: Plasma concentrations of transthyretin in older Sardinians including centenarians.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Plasma concentrations of transthyretin (TTR), a negative acute-phase protein, can be influenced by many factors including aging. Under physiological circumstances, TTR concentrations are very low in the fetus, increase slowly after birth up to the fifth decade and, then, decrease slowly. Some studies have shown sex-related differences up to about 70 years, when the differences disappear. The aim of this study was to evaluate the change in TTR concentrations in healthy males and females aged more than sixty, including numerous centenarians living in Sardinia, a large Italian island located in the Mediterranean Sea.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study sample consisted of 211 healthy subjects grouped by age and sex (male/female ratio: 1:1). Plasma TTR was assessed using a non-competitive enzyme immunoassay (ELISA Assaypro LLC, prealbumin AssayMAX Human ELISA Kit).
  
  
  RESULTS
  In subjects aged between 60 and 99 years, plasma TTR concentrations were higher compared to the reference ranges reported by CRM 470. Moreover, unlike other studies, sex-related differences in TTR concentrations were only observed in nonagenarians and centenarians.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We hypothesize that there are TTR-related genetic differences between the Sardinian population and other Caucasian ethnic groups. Further studies and a larger sample are needed to confirm our hypothesis.
authors.affiliation: Clinical Biochemistry and Clinical Molecular Biology, Department of Biomedical Sciences, Sassari University, Sassari, Italy.
authors.forename: Sara
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Pasella
authors.affiliation: Clinical Biochemistry and Clinical Molecular Biology, Department of Biomedical Sciences, Sassari University, Sassari, Italy.
authors.forename: Sara
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Pinna
authors.affiliation: Association "Isola dei Centenari", Sassari, Italy.
authors.forename: Marta
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Deiana
authors.affiliation: Clinical Biochemistry and Clinical Molecular Biology, Department of Biomedical Sciences, Sassari University, Sassari, Italy.
authors.forename: Angela
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Baralla
authors.affiliation: Epidemiology and Medical Statistics Unit, Department of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Sassari University, Sassari, Italy.
authors.forename: Simone
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Dore
authors.affiliation: Clinical Biochemistry and Clinical Molecular Biology, Department of Biomedical Sciences, Sassari University, Sassari, Italy.
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mannu
authors.affiliation: Clinical Biochemistry and Clinical Molecular Biology, Department of Biomedical Sciences, Sassari University, Sassari, Italy.
authors.forename: Elisabetta
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Canu
authors.affiliation: Epidemiology and Medical Statistics Unit, Department of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Sassari University, Sassari, Italy.
authors.forename: Giovanni
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Sotgiu
authors.affiliation: Clinical Biochemistry and Clinical Molecular Biology, Department of Biomedical Sciences, Sassari University, Sassari, Italy.
authors.forename: Angelo
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Zinellu
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Pharmacology, School of Medicine, Flinders University, Adelaide, Australia.
authors.forename: Arduino A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Mangoni
authors.affiliation: Clinical Biochemistry and Clinical Molecular Biology, Department of Biomedical Sciences, Sassari University, Sassari, Italy.
authors.forename: Salvatore
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sotgia
authors.affiliation: Clinical Biochemistry and Clinical Molecular Biology, Department of Biomedical Sciences, Sassari University, Sassari, Italy.
authors.forename: Ciriaco
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Carru
authors.affiliation: Clinical Biochemistry and Clinical Molecular Biology, Department of Biomedical Sciences, Sassari University, Sassari, Italy. proflucadeiana@gmail.com.|Association "Isola dei Centenari", Sassari, Italy. proflucadeiana@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Luca
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Deiana
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging / Q000208:ethnology / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007558:Italy / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011228:Prealbumin / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism; D012737:Sex Factors
chemical_list: D011228:Prealbumin
keywords: Aging; Centenarians; Sardinia; Transthyretin