Paper
Monday, November 14, 2005
This presentation is part of : Multi-Site Research: Testing Protocols for Rural Sample Data Collection
Evaluating Protocols for the Measurement of Inflammatory Biomarkers
T. Kim Rodehorst, PhD, RN, College of Nursing, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Scottsbluff, NE, USA and Derek Smith, PhD, Kinesiology & Health, University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY, USA.

Objective: The purposes were to evaluate three transport and storage protocols for the collection of infant urine; and to determine whether these different protocols influenced the concentration of inflammatory cytokines in the infant urine. Design: A descriptive study design was used to compare the concentration of biomarkers from urine transported and stored using multiple transport protocols. Sample & Setting: The study was conducted in two rural communities. Twenty mother-baby pairs were recruited. Methodology: Urine samples from each infant were collected using a U-bag. Urine was collected overnight and samples were subsequently divided into aliquots for transport and storage. Findings: The temperature of the ambient samples was consistently 20.1 degrees Celsius. Samples transported on dry ice ranged in temperature from 2-11 degrees Celsius, and for samples transported by FedEx on dry ice, 0 degrees Celsius. The storage and transport protocols did not appear to influence the concentration of TNF-alpha (N=10), and CRP. There appeared to be significant differences in Rantes (N=5) and IL 5 (N=6) between the protocols, however detection capabilities of the assays and limited complete sample sets prevented appropriate analyses. Conclusions: Collection of infant urine samples for measurement of inflammatory biomarkers can be a challenge. Limited data from this study appear to indicate that temperature and transport technique may not influence concentrations of some (TNF-alpha and CRP) inflammatory biomarkers in infant urine. Implications: Use of infants' urine provides a non-invasive way to measure inflammatory biomarkers. Additionally, identification of the most feasible, valid, and reliable method to transport and store infant urine specimens without compromising the integrity of the specimen is critical, particularly when conducting research in multiple rural sites. ___________________________________________________________NIH/NINR, (1P20NR07790-01), Center for Research on Chronic Health Conditions in Rural Dwellers, Montana State University-Bozeman, College of Nursing.