title: Utility of Plasma Osteopontin Levels in Management of Community-Acquired Pneumonia.
abstract: Osteopontin (OPN) is an essential cytokine involved in immune cell recruitment and an important regulator of inflammation. The purpose of this study was to examine differences in OPN plasma levels between before and after antibiotic treatment in hospitalized adult patients with community-acquired pneumonia (CAP). OPN levels were measured in 93 patients with CAP and 54 healthy controls using a commercial enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The CURB-65, Pneumonia Severity Index (PSI), and Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II (APACHE II) scores were used to determine the CAP severity in patients upon initial hospitalization. A decline in the number of white blood cells (WBCs) and neutrophils, and decreases in the levels of OPN and C-reactive protein (CRP) were observed after antibiotic treatment. Only the plasma level of OPN, but not CRP, was correlated with the severity of CAP based on the PSI (r = 0.514, p < 0.001), CURB-65 (r = 0.396, p < 0.001), and APACHE II scores (r = 0.473, p < 0.001). The OPN level also showed a significant correlation with the length of hospital stay (r = 0.210, p = 0.044). In conclusion, plasma level of OPN may act as diagnostic adjuvant biomarkers for CAP and further play a role in clinical assessment of the severity of CAP, which could potentially guide the development of treatment strategies.
authors.affiliation: Division of Pulmonary Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Wan Fang Hospital, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan;; School of Respiratory Therapy, College of Medicine, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan;
authors.forename: Jer-Hwa
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Chang
authors.affiliation: Division of Pulmonary Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Taipei Medical University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan;
authors.forename: Wen-Yueh
authors.initials: WY
authors.lastname: Hung
authors.affiliation: Division of Pulmonary Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Wan Fang Hospital, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan;; School of Respiratory Therapy, College of Medicine, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan;
authors.forename: Kuan-Jen
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: Bai
authors.affiliation: Institute of Medicine, Chung Shan Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan;; Department of Medical Research, Chung Shan Medical University Hospital, Taichung, Taiwan;
authors.forename: Shun-Fa
authors.initials: SF
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: Graduate Institute of Clinical Medicine, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan;; Department of Medical Education and Research, Wan Fang Hospital, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Ming-Hsien
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Chien
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D017714:Community-Acquired Infections / Q000097:blood* / Q000473:pathology; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007249:Inflammation / Q000097:blood*; D007902:Length of Stay; D007958:Leukocyte Count; D007962:Leukocytes / Q000166:cytology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009504:Neutrophils / Q000166:cytology; D053495:Osteopontin / Q000097:blood*; D012720:Severity of Illness Index
chemical_list: D053495:Osteopontin
keywords: Biochemical marker; Community-acquired pneumonia; Osteopontin; Pneumonia Severity Index.