title: Reference values of galectin-3 and cardiac troponins derived from a single cohort of healthy blood donors.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Here we describe the determination of upper reference limits (URL) for galectin-3, high-sensitivity cardiac troponin I (hs-cTnI) and high-sensitivity cardiac troponin T (hs-cTnT) in a single cohort of healthy blood donors using routine assays.
  
  
  METHODS
  For this reference value study, we used a cohort of 402 consecutive blood donors (64% were male and 36% were female). The median individuals' age was 35.0 years (range, 18.0-64.4). Individuals of this reference population were free of cardiovascular disease, diabetes mellitus, renal disease, cancer, current infection and chronic inflammatory disease. Plasma concentrations of galectin-3 were measured with the "routine Galectin-3" assay (Abbott Diagnostics), of hs-cTnI with the "STAT High Sensitive Troponin-I" assay (Abbott Diagnostics), and of hs-cTnT with the "Troponin T hs" assay (Roche Diagnostics). URLs were calculated by using a non-parametric percentile method.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The 97.5th percentile URL for galectin-3 was 16 ng/mL in males and 17 ng/mL in females; the 99 th percentile URL for hs-cTnI was 39 ng/L in males and 24 ng/L in females; and the 99 th percentile URL for hs-cTnT was 14 ng/L in males and 11 ng/L in females. Those individuals with hs-cTnI values ≥ 15 ng/L (n=8) were different from those individuals with hs-cTnT values ≥ 10 ng/L (n=7). Of the 402 individuals, none had galectin-3 values below the limit of detection (LOD, <1.0 ng/mL), 290 (72%) had hs-cTnI values below the LOD (i.e., 1.9 ng/L), and 359 (89%) had hs-cTnT values below the LOD (i.e., 5.0 ng/L).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Plasma concentrations of galectin-3, hs-cTnI and hs-cTnT and corresponding 99 th percentile URLs were rather low in our cohort of healthy blood donors compared with previously published data. In our reference population, analyte plasma concentrations above the LOD were detectable in 100% of the individuals with the Abbott galectin-3 assay, but only in less than 50% for both the Abbott hs-cTnI assay and the Roche hs-cTnT assay.
authors.affiliation: Department of Laboratory Medicine, Konventhospital Barmherzige Brueder Linz, Linz, Austria. Electronic address: thomas.mueller@bs-lab.at.
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Mueller
authors.affiliation: Department of Laboratory Medicine, Konventhospital Barmherzige Brueder Linz, Linz, Austria.
authors.forename: Margot
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Egger
authors.affiliation: Department of Laboratory Medicine, Konventhospital Barmherzige Brueder Linz, Linz, Austria.
authors.forename: Isabella
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Leitner
authors.affiliation: Red Cross Transfusion Service of Upper Austria, Linz, Austria.
authors.forename: Christian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Gabriel
authors.affiliation: Department of Laboratory Medicine, Konventhospital Barmherzige Brueder Linz, Linz, Austria.
authors.forename: Meinhard
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Haltmayer
authors.affiliation: Department of Laboratory Medicine, Konventhospital Barmherzige Brueder Linz, Linz, Austria.
authors.forename: Benjamin
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Dieplinger
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001774:Blood Chemical Analysis / Q000592:standards*; D001782:Blood Donors; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D037502:Galectin 3 / Q000097:blood*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012016:Reference Values; D019210:Troponin I / Q000097:blood*; D020107:Troponin T / Q000097:blood*; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D037502:Galectin 3; D019210:Troponin I; D020107:Troponin T
keywords: Cardiac troponin; Evaluation study; Galectins; Natriuretic peptides; Reference values; Upper reference limits