Clinica chimica acta; international journal of clinical chemistry
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Statins reportedly have anti-inflammatory effects aside from their cholesterol-lowering effect. We investigated the effects of statins on serum hs-CRP level and clinical outcome of acute ischemic stroke (IS) patients. ⋯ Statin therapy reduces serum hs-CRP level and may be associated with favorable 3-month outcome in patients after acute IS.
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Breath analysis provides a convenient and simple alternative to traditional specimen testing in clinical laboratory diagnosis. As such, substantial research has been devoted to the analysis and identification of breath biomarkers. ⋯ This review describes the use of breath biomarkers in diagnosis of asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), cystic fibrosis (CF), lung cancer, as well as other pulmonary diseases. A number of breath biomarkers in lung pathophysiology will be described including nitric oxide (NO), carbon monoxide (CO), hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) and other hydrocarbons.
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High-mobility group box 1 (HMGB1), a marker of inflammation, has been associated with poor outcome of critical illness. The present study was undertaken to investigate the plasma HMGB1 concentrations in patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI) and to analyze the correlation of HMGB1 with TBI outcome. ⋯ Plasma HMGB1 concentration emerges as a novel biomarker for predicting 1-y clinical outcomes of TBI.
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We compared the diagnostic utilities of procalcitonin (PCT) and C-reactive protein (CRP) for predicting bacteremia diagnosed by blood cultures. PCT was also evaluated as a parameter for differentiating true bacteremia from culture contamination. ⋯ PCT concentration by single testing was more useful for predicting bacteremia than CRP. PCT also exhibited diagnostic utility for ruling out blood culture contamination. Thus, PCT could be helpful in the accurate diagnosis of bacteremia.