Clinica chimica acta; international journal of clinical chemistry
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Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a dynamic process that can involve inflammatory, hypoxic, and structural changes to the kidney. We evaluated a multiplex panel of markers representing different AKI mechanisms as a tool to provide integrated assessment of AKI status in a single assay. ⋯ The multiplex assay is reliable for simultaneous quantitation of CysC, IL-18, KIM-1 and NGAL in human urine, and performs at levels sufficient for clinical application. The observed differences in biological variability and baseline levels suggest that clinical strategies to detect AKI will need to vary depending upon the specific markers used.
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Plasma gelsolin depletion has been associated with poor outcomes of critically ill patients. The present study was undertaken to investigate the plasma gelsolin concentrations in patients with intracerebral hemorrhage and to analyze the correlation of gelsolin with disease outcome. ⋯ Plasma gelsolin level represents a novel biomarker for predicting 6-month clinical outcomes in patients with intracerebral hemorrhage.
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Alcohol ketoacidosis is a frequently missed diagnosis, but is well described in the literature. We present a case of ketoacidosis, likely alcohol ketoacidosis, in a 40 y-old chronic alcoholic patient. The detection of trace serum isopropanol prompted a discussion of alcohol ketoacidosis versus toxic isopropanol ingestion or a combination of both, including comparisons with citations in current literature. ⋯ Ketoacidosis with an increased anion gap in the absence of hyperglycemia or glycosuria in a chronic alcoholic patient should prompt the evaluation for alcohol ketoacidosis. Trace serum isopropanol may be worrisome for a toxic ingestion, but this finding in severe ketoacidosis may be explained by the reversible action of the enzyme alcohol dehydrogenase. Markedly increased serum isopropanol with a low serum acetone:isopropanol ratio would be more indicative of a toxic isopropanol ingestion.
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To determine expression levels of urokinase-type plasminogen activator (uPA), soluble urokinase-type plasminogen activator receptor (suPAR), plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) in plasma and to identify gene polymorphisms specific to patients with pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) and healthy controls. ⋯ Increased plasma suPAR could be a biological marker for the diagnosis of PID and may reflect a new focus in targeted therapy for pelvic inflammatory disease.