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. 2012 Jun;45(9):694-6.
doi: 10.1016/j.clinbiochem.2012.02.027. Epub 2012 Mar 9.

The effects of freeze-thaw on β-trace protein and β2-microglobulin assays after long-term sample storage

Stephen P Juraschek  1 , Josef Coresh, Lesley A Inker, Gregory P Rynders, John H Eckfeldt, Elizabeth Selvin
Affiliations

The effects of freeze-thaw on β-trace protein and β2-microglobulin assays after long-term sample storage

Stephen P Juraschek et al. Clin Biochem. 2012 Jun.

Abstract

Objectives: To evaluate the effect of a freeze-thaw cycle on β-trace protein (βTP) and β2-microglobulin (β2M).

Design and methods: We compared βTP and β2M concentrations before and after a single freeze-thaw cycle in long-term stored samples from 172 participants of the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES III).

Results: Measurements of βTP and β2M before and after freeze-thaw were highly correlated with Spearman's coefficients of 0.90 and 0.99, respectively. Serum concentrations of βTP were slightly lower after freeze-thaw (-0.05 mg/L, P=0.006). Measurements of β2M did not differ before and after freeze-thaw (P=0.35).

Conclusions: βTP and β2M measurements were robust to a single freeze-thaw cycle, although β2M appeared more stable than βTP. These results have implications for future studies of these biomarkers.

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Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
(A and B) Scatterplots comparing concentrations of βTP or β2M before and after a single freeze–thaw cycle. The solid line is the 45° line of identity (y=x). The dashed line is the Deming regression line. (C and D) Bland–Altman plots of the differences in concentrations of βTP or β2M before and after freeze–thaw versus the mean. The solid line is the mean difference, the dashed lines represent ±2 standard deviations.
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