Magnetic resonance spectroscopy of serum and acute-phase proteins revisited: a multiparametric statistical analysis of metabolite variations in inflammatory, infectious and miscellaneous diseases

Proton MR spectra and biochemical assays have been recorded on the sera of 40 patients and ten controls in order to document the correlation between s pectroscopic and biochemical variations in selected pathologies (cancer, in flammatory and infectious diseases, diabetes). N-acetyl proton resonances a re essentially generated by the N-acetyl residues of the glucidic moieties borne by the most abundant acute-phase proteins (alpha 1-acid glycoprotein, alpha 1-antitrypsin and haptoglobin). These resonances are not correlated to immunoglobulins A, G and M levels. Principal component analysis shows th at variations in spectroscopic and biochemical data are independent markers of the inflammatory status of patients but no additional sensitivity or sp ecificity is obtained when the two sets of data are combined. (C) 1999 Else vier Science B.V. All rights reserved.