Which statement regarding serum total protein and albumin levels is true?

The statement regarding serum total protein and albumin levels that is accurate highlights the differences observed in protein levels in different patient settings. Ambulatory patients tend to have slightly higher total protein and albumin levels, likely due to factors such as hydration status, nutritional status, and activity level that can influence protein synthesis and degradation.

In contrast, plasma levels of total protein are generally higher compared to serum levels due to the presence of clotting factors in plasma that are absent in serum. Additionally, the contribution of albumin to cerebrospinal fluid total protein is significantly less than one-third, and transudative serous fluid typically has much lower protein content relative to serum total protein, not approaching two-thirds. Therefore, the assertion made about ambulatory patients accurately reflects the physiological variations in protein levels based on differing conditions.