Increased circulating soluble CD14 is associated with high mortality in gram-negative XXXX .

@entity1 @entity295 @entity326
The soluble glycoprotein sCD14 binds lipopolysaccharide, a complex that activates endothelial cells and that may be crucial in gram-negative @entity295 . Therefore, serum sCD14 was analyzed in 54 @entity1 with gram-negative @entity326 and in 26 healthy controls. sCD14 was tested by ELISA and Western blotting. @entity1 had higher sCD14 concentrations than controls (median, 3.23 vs. 2.48 micrograms/mL, P = .002). Increased levels were associated with high mortality (median, 4.2 micrograms/mL in nonsurvivors vs. 2.8 micrograms/mL in survivors, P = .001). sCD14 was found in two isoforms (49 and 55 kDa) in monocyte cultures. In sera only one of either form was detectable. Controls had the 49-kDa form, and @entity1 had either the 49- or 55-kDa form, but @entity1 with high levels of sCD14 had only the 55-kDa form. Twenty-one (53%) of 39 with the 55-kDa form and 8 (57%) of 14 with the 49-kDa form died. Thus, the level of sCD14 but not its biochemical form had a prognostic value in @entity1 with gram-negative @entity326 .
