Biomaterial Database

Acid glycosaminoglycans (mucopolysaccharides) in the differential diagnosis of pleural effusion. 1977

C Friman, and P E Hellström, and M Juvani, and H Riska

Pleural fluid glycosaminoglycans (GAG) in 64 patients with various diseases were isolated by anion-exchange chromatography after proteolysis, and characterised by spectrophotometric, electrophoretic and enzymatic techniques. GAG concentrations ranged from 7 to 1178 microng hexuronate/ml pleural fluid. The highest values (1178, 161 and 160 micron/ml) were found in patients with diffuse mesothelioma. Over 90% of the pleural fluid GAG consisted of hyaluronic acid (HA) in these patients. In other types of pleural effusion the relative HA content varied from 42 to 70% of the total GAG. Determination of pleural fluid HA consequently appears extremely valuable in the diagnosis of the form of mesothelioma producing HA. The mean GAG concentration of pleural fluid was significantly higher in tuberculous pleurisy than in hydrothorax (P less than 0.01), secondary malignant pleural effusion (P less than 0.0005) and idiopathic pleurisy (Pless than 0.03). It was impossible to demonstrate definite correlations between GAG and protein, and GAG and glucose concentrations of pleural fluid.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D008171	Lung Diseases	Pathological processes involving any part of the LUNG.	Pulmonary Diseases,Disease, Pulmonary,Diseases, Pulmonary,Pulmonary Disease,Disease, Lung,Diseases, Lung,Lung Disease
D010996	Pleural Effusion	Presence of fluid in the pleural cavity resulting from excessive transudation or exudation from the pleural surfaces. It is a sign of disease and not a diagnosis in itself.	Effusion, Pleural,Effusions, Pleural,Pleural Effusions
D003937	Diagnosis, Differential	Determination of which one of two or more diseases or conditions a patient is suffering from by systematically comparing and contrasting results of diagnostic measures.	Diagnoses, Differential,Differential Diagnoses,Differential Diagnosis
D006025	Glycosaminoglycans	Heteropolysaccharides which contain an N-acetylated hexosamine in a characteristic repeating disaccharide unit. The repeating structure of each disaccharide involves alternate 1,4- and 1,3-linkages consisting of either N-acetylglucosamine (see ACETYLGLUCOSAMINE) or N-acetylgalactosamine (see ACETYLGALACTOSAMINE).	Glycosaminoglycan,Mucopolysaccharides
D006801	Humans	Members of the species Homo sapiens.	Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man