The type of assay used in this study significantly affected the reference intervals obtained for serum cross-linked C-terminal telopeptide of type I collagen (sCTX) and urinary cross-linked N-terminal telopeptides of type I collagen (uNTX/Cr; both P < 0.001), but not for serum procollagen type I amino-terminal propeptide (PINP; P = 0.28). The Serum Crosslaps庐 ELISA; Microtitre-plate based ELISA; Metra BAP EIA; and UniQ庐 PINP RIA assays yielded higher BTM reference values. The reference intervals for the BTMs, as measured with Serum 尾-Crosslaps, Elecsys庐 2010 Systems; VITROS庐 ECI System; Ostase庐, Access庐 Immunoassay System; and Total PINP, Elecsys庐 2010 Systems assays, were 0.111-0.791 ng/mL for sCTX, 12.3-59.7 nmol BCE/mmol creatinine for uNTX/Cr, 5.8-17.5 ng/mL for bone alkaline phosphatase (ALP), and 17.3-83.4 ng/mL for PINP, respectively.
When measured with Serum Crosslaps庐 ELISA, Microtitre-plate based ELISA, Metra BAP EIA, and UniQ庐 PINP RIA, the reference intervals were 0.177-0.862 ng/mL for sCTX, 22.6-95.7 nmol BCE/mmol creatinine for uNTX/Cr, 14.8-38.8 U/L for bone ALP, and 19.5-75.2 ng/mL for PINP, respectively. The clinical interpretation of the BTMs of a subject should be based on comparison with a BTM reference interval, measured with the same assay method.