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s100 (Brain Injury Marker) in Mild Traumatic Brain Injury
s100 (Brain Injury Marker) in Mild Traumatic Brain Injury
C A T H A R I N A N Y G R E N D E B O U S S A R D y,
P A M F R E D M A N z, A N D E R S L U N D I N y,
K E R S T I N A N D E R S S O N z,
GUNNAR EDMAN} and JO RGEN BORG
y Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Danderyd Hospital,
Stockholm, Sweden
z Institute of Clinical Neuroscience, Section of Experimental Neuroscience,
The Sahlgrenska Academy at Goteborg University, SU/Molndal, Sweden
} R&D unit, Department of Psychiatry, Karolinska Institutet, Danderyd Hospital,
Stockholm, Sweden
Department of Neuroscience, Rehabilitation Medicine, Uppsala University,
Uppsala, Sweden
(Received 17 June 2003; accepted 31 October 2003)
Primary objectives: To examine the diagnostic value of S100 in mild traumatic brain injury (MTBI).
Research design: Prospective cohort study.
Methods and procedures: S100B, S100A1B and S100BB concentrations were examined in sera from
patients with MTBI with an arrival Glasgow Coma Scale score of 15 or 14, patients with orthopaedic
injuries and non-injured subjects.
Main outcome and results: Mean values and proportions of subjects above cut-off limits for S100B and
S100A1B were significantly higher in each trauma group than in non-injured controls, but only for
S100A1B when patients with MTBI were compared with controls with orthopaedic injuries. Using
a 97.5 percentile cut-off limit, the sensitivity of S100A1B for MTBI vs orthopaedic injury was 61%
(95% confidence interval (CI) 4973%), specificity 77% (95% CI 6293%). The area under the ROC
curve did not approach 0.9 for any cut off limit.
Conclusions: Diagnostic validity of S100 in acute MTBI was not demonstrated. S100A1B has merits
for long-term prognostic studies.
Introduction
Most traumatic brain injuries are mild. The reported incidence of patients attending
hospital with mild traumatic brain injury (MTBI) ranges from 100300 or more
per 100 000 population [14]. MTBI includes a history of altered or lost conscious-
ness, post-traumatic amnesia and an emergency room (ER) Glasgow Coma Scale
(GCS) score of 1315 [5]. Several studies during the last decade [610] have
demonstrated that intra-cranial lesions detectable with computerized tomography
(CT) examination are present in 5% of the patients with MTBI presenting with a
GCS score of 15 and in more than 30% in those patients presenting with a GCS
Brain Injury ISSN 02699052 print/ISSN 1362301X online # 2004 Taylor & Francis Ltd
http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals
DOI: 10.1080/02699050310001646215
672 C. N. de Boussard
score of 13. Recent studies indicate that clinical variables, such as GCS scores, any
sign of basal scull fracture, vomiting 2 episodes, can be used to predict CT scan
abnormalities [6, 7] and short-term clinical outcome [6] in MTBI.
The presence of other than radiologically visible brain tissue damage and its
impact on long-term outcome in MTBI is still poorly understood. Other brain
injury markers have been considered both for diagnostic and prognostic purposes.
One of these is the S100 protein (Soluble in 100% ammonium sulphate) [11, 12].
The S100-proteins comprise 19 members that are differentially expressed in a
large number of cell-types [13]. These proteins have amino acid sequence homo-
logy and similar structural properties. S100 proteins are metabolized in the kidney
and excreted via the urinary tract [14]. They are mainly present intra-cellularly
and are involved in the calcium homeostasis. However, the exact functions of
S100 proteins are not known [13, 15].
Brain S100 protein is a mixture of two closely related protein species, S100A1
and S100B (formerly known as S100 and S100, respectively). S100A1 and S100B
form the homodimers S100A1A1 and S100BB as well as the heterodimer S100A1B
[13]. Immunohistochemical and biochemical studies have shown that S100A1 and
S100B are present in neurones as well as in glial cells, including astrocytes, microglial
cells, ependymal cells and oligodendrocytes [13, 1618]. S100B monomer is pre-
dominantly represented in the brain [19]. The expression of S100A1 and S100B
is not restricted to the nervous system but has also been described in bone marrow,
adipose tissue and the kidney [13, 19, 20].
The S100B immuno-reactivity most commonly described in the literature refers
to the summed concentrations of the S100B monomers in S100A1B and S100BB.
Abnormal S100B concentrations in serum have been reported in patients with head
trauma [2124], subarachnoidal haemorrhages [25], cerebral infarcts [26] and after
cardiac surgery [27]. In patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI), higher serum
levels of S100B have been observed in patients with severe TBI as compared
to those with moderate and mild TBI [28]. S100B has been suggested to predict
both acute and long-term outcome after TBI [21, 22, 2934]. Only a few previous
studies on S100 in sera have measured S100A1B and S100BB separately [35, 36].
S100BB is suggested to be most specific for brain associated diseases, since the
S100B monomer is considered the dominating isoform in CNS [19]. A recent
study by Anderson et al. [35] reported increased levels of S100B as well as
S100A1B and S100BB in sera from patients with body trauma and without signs
of head injury. Thus, the specificity of S100 as a marker for brain trauma has been
questioned [3538].
The aim of the present study was to elucidate the diagnostic validity of S100
for MTBI by examining (1) the levels and time course of S100A1B, S100BB and
S100B in the acute and post-acute phase in patients with MTBI, using patients with
mild orthopaedic injuries and non-injured subjects as controls, and (2) the relation
between the different S100 forms and clinical as well as radiographic findings
in patients with MTBI.
trauma were admitted to a regional level 1 trauma centre and, thus, not eligible for
the study. One hundred and twenty-two patients volunteered to participate in a
follow-up study, including assessment sessions and Magnetic Resonance Imaging
scan (MRI) of the brain. The source population of the study comprises 800 000
inhabitants in northern and central parts of Stockholm County at an age of 1565
(mean 38 years), women being 51%. The local research ethics committee
approved the study.
Controls
Inclusion criteria for patients with mild orthopaedic injuries were a distortion
or fracture of the upper or lower limb within the past 24 hours, no signs or history
of head trauma, no other major injuries, an age of 1565 years, living in northern
or central parts of Stockholm County. Patients with major neurological disorders
were excluded.
Non-injured controls were recruited by local advertisement. Inclusion criteria
were an age of 1565 years, living in the northern and central parts of Stockholm
County, a self-reported good health and no history of recent head trauma.
674 C. N. de Boussard
Procedures
The emergency ward staff documented GCS score, amnesia, loss of consciousness,
alcohol level according to a research protocol. Blood samples for S100 analyses were
collected in the ED, the following day and 14 days post-injury. All samples were
centrifuged and serum was separated and stored at 20 C until analyses.
A CT scan was performed within 24 hours post-injury. MRI was performed
within 7 days post injury.
Symptoms were assessed by use of a Swedish version of Rivermead post-
concussion questionnaire (RPQ) [39] and the patients filled in the inventory 1, 7
and 14 days post-injury.
In the patients with orthopaedic injuries, blood-samples were collected at
the ED and no other follow-up was performed. In the non-injured controls,
blood samples were collected at three different occasions, a first visit and 14 days
and 3 months after the first visit.
S100 analyses
S100B was measured using a commercially available immunoluminometric assay
(LIA-mat Sangtec S100 Sangtec Medical, Bromma, Sweden) described elsewhere
[40, 41]. The functional detection limit of this assay is 0.02 mg/L.
S100A1B and S100BB were analysed by an enzyme-labelled immunosorbent
assay (ELISA) method (CanAg Diagnostics AB, Gothenburg, Sweden). Antibodies
reacting with S100BB and S100A1B but not with S100A1 or S100A1A1 dimer
were used in combination with antibodies specific for S100B for development
of the respective immunoassays. The antibodies were established by immunization
of mice with S100BB and S100A1B and the specificity determined in ELISAs
against S100A1A1, S100A1B, S100B and S100BB [42]. The immunoassays for
S100BB and S100A1B were designed as two-step sandwich immunoassays using
biotinylated catching monoclonal antibody (Mab) and HRP labelled detecting
MAb. The different antibodies were conjugated with biotin and horseradish
peroxidase according to standard procedures.
The assay protocols were as follows: 50 mL of sample or standard was incubated
together with 100 mL biotinylated catching MAb ( 1.5 mg/ml in Assay buffer)
in streptavidin coated microtiter plates for 2 hours with constant shaking. After
washing three times with 0.05 M Tris, 0.05% Tween 20, pH 7.5 the wells were
incubated with 100 mL of HRP labelled detecting MAb ( 1.5 mg/ml in Assay
Buffer) for another 1 hour during constant shaking. After washing six times as
above, the bound HRP labelled MAb was detected by incubation with 100 mL
TMB substrate for 30 minutes (Neogen Corp. US). The OD of the wells was
determined in a microtiter plate spectrophotometer at 405 nm after addition of
100 mL Stop solution (0.12 M HCl). The OD was proportional to the amount of
S100 antigen present in the samples and quantified from the standard curve con-
structed from the OD of the S100 standards included in the assay. In the S100BB
assay, biotinylated S10 MAb specific for S100BB dimer was used for catching and
detection was made using HRP labelled S23 MAb specific for the S100B sub-unit.
In the S100A1B assay, biotinylated S23 MAb specific for the S100B sub-unit was
used for catching the S100 antigen and the HRP labelled S35 MAb specific for the
S100A1B dimer was used.
S100 in mild TBI 675
Statistics
All variables were summarized with standard descriptive statistics (e.g. mean standard
deviation and frequency). As the distribution of the S100 variables were severely
and positively skewed, differences between groups were analysed with non-
parametric methods, Kruskal-Wallis for the three-group comparisons and Mann-
Whitney for the two group and post-hoc comparisons. Differences between groups
in categorized variables were analysed with the 2 -method, unless an expected
cell frequency was less than six when Fisher exact test was applied. Relationships
were calculated as Kendalls value order coefficients. The significance level was 5%
and all statistical analyses were two-tailed. For all S100 measurements, cut off limits
were defined as above the 97.5 percentile in the non-injured controls. Receiver
operator characteristic (ROC) curves were calculated with cut-off limits of 97.5
percentile as well as 75, 90 and 99 percentile.
Results
Characteristics of the study samples are presented in table 1. No significant
differences were found between patients with MTBI and the two control groups
concerning age or gender.
Table 1. Sociodemographic and clinical characteristics of patients with MTBI, patients with mild orthopaedic
injuries and non-injured-controls
S100B 0.145 0.1259 41 0.142 0.1089 32 0.065 0.0334 3 MTBI > NC, OC > NC
S100A1B 0.104 0.0614 64 0.056 0.0453 23 0.023 0.0188 3 MTBI > OC, MTBI > NC, OC > NC
S100BB 0.018 0.0236 3 0.026 0.0316 10 0.023 0.0428 3 NS
* 97.5 percentile of non-injured controls: S100B 0.15, S100A1B 0.085, S100BB 0.08.
677
678
S 100B S 100A 1B
0,140 0,14 0
0,120 0,12 0
50% 50%
0,100
Concentration ug/L
0,10 0
Concentration ug/L
40% 40%
0,080 0,08 0
30% 30%
0,060 0,06 0
20% 20%
0,040 0,04 0
0,000 0%
0,00 0 0%
Acute Day 1 Day 1 4
Acute Day 1 Day 14
Tim e
Tim e
C. N. de Boussard
Figure 1. Time course of S100B, S100A1B in patients with MTBI.
S100 in mild TBI 679
S100B
Acute 0.125 0.0907 38 0.252 0.2214 60 < 0.05
Day 1 0.089 0.0900 10 0.173 0.2125 23 < 0.01
Day 14 0.058 0.0679 5 0.056 0.0482 6 > 0.1
S100A1B
Acute 0.102 0.0632 62 0.118 0.0505 80 > 0.1
Day 1 0.070 0.0602 40 0.068 0.0464 38 > 0.1
Day 14 0.063 0.0575 30 0.063 0.0578 31 > 0.1
S100BB
Acute 0.014 0.0157 0 0.043 0.0416 2 < 0.05
Day 1 0.008 0.0108 0 0.036 0.0761 2 < 0.1
Day 14 0.006 0.0080 0 0.08 0.0808 0 > 0.1
* 97.5 percentile of non-injured controls: S100B 0.15, S100A1B 0.085, S100BB 0.08.
p < 0.01; day 1 0.08 ns; and day 14 0.15 ns). Thus, each of the S100
variables has a high proportion of unique variance.
Discussion
The most conspicuous finding was that S100A1B seems to be more specific for
brain injury than S100B in patients within the milder part of the MTBI spectrum.
It should be pointed out that the majority of patients with MTBI included
in the study had an arrival GCS score of 15, only few had an intra-cranial lesion
680 C. N. de Boussard
S100B has been suggested to identify patients with TBI at risk for long-term
cognitive dysfunction [29]. The study suggests that S100A1B might be a more
brain injury specific marker in patients within the mild TBI spectrum and, thus,
a candidate for long-term prognostic studies of cognitive complaints in these
patients.
Acknowledgements
This research was founded by grants from the AFA insurance company.
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