title: [Plasma levels of mannan-binding lectin-associated serine protease 2 in children with upper respiratory tract infection].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To explore the significance of plasma levels of mannan-binding lectin (MBL)-associated serine protease 2 (MASP2) in children with upper respiratory tract infection (URTI).
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 103 children with URTI and 35 healthy children were examined for plasma levels of MASP2 and C-reactive protein (CRP). According to CRP levels, white blood cell count (WBC), stage of infection, and administration of treatments, the children with URTI were divided into the elevated CRP group (n=48) and the normal CRP group (n=54), elevated WBC group (n=61) and normal WBC group (n=40), the early stage of infection without treatment group (n=68) and mid-late stage of infection with treatment group (n=35).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Plasma MASP2 levels was significantly higher in URTI group than in the healthy control group (P<0.001) and showed a close correlation with age (r=0.302, P<0.01). Plasma MASP2 level was significantly correlated with CRP level in elevated CRP group (r=0.310, P<0.05) but not in normal CRP group (P>0.05), correlated with WBC in elevated WBC group (r=0.392, P<0.01) but not in normal WBC group (P>0.05), and was significantly higher in early stage infection without treatment group than in mid-late stage of infection with treatment group (P<0.01). MASP2, MBL2 and CRP genes had a common binding site for the transcription factor HNF-4α.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  MASP2 may be an acute-phase protein, and its plasma level might serve as a new reference index in the diagnosis of URTI in children.
authors.affiliation: Department of Immunology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, China. E-mail: xsm200890@126.com.
authors.forename: Simin
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Xiong
authors.forename: Na
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.forename: Yurong
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Qiu
authors.forename: Liyun
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Daming
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Zuo
authors.forename: Zhengliang
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Chen
mesh_terms: D002097:C-Reactive Protein / Q000378:metabolism; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002648:Child; D006801:Humans; D007958:Leukocyte Count; D050606:Mannose-Binding Protein-Associated Serine Proteases / Q000378:metabolism*; D012141:Respiratory Tract Infections / Q000097:blood*
chemical_list: D002097:C-Reactive Protein; C105296:MASP2 protein, human; D050606:Mannose-Binding Protein-Associated Serine Proteases