Clinica chimica acta; international journal of clinical chemistry
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Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC) are inflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs) which are characterized by dysfunctional regulation of the immune system. A number of immune modifying drugs are used to treat CD and UC. Therapy is adjusted largely on the bases of subjective reports of disease activity and non-specific laboratory tests. Identification of a single or combination of immune markers of disease activity could be useful to select and monitor therapeutic responses. However, to date no reliable quantitative associations between IBD activity and laboratory measures of immune function have been identified. This study was designed to evaluate the usefulness of a commercially available laboratory measure of CD4(+) immune function, the Cylex® ImmuKnow®, as a surrogate marker of IBD activity. ⋯ CD4(+) immune responses were significantly elevated in IBD patients whether or not they were in clinical remission but were influenced by treatment. There were some significant correlations between the clinical scores and CRP or Alb but not with the CD4(+) results. Both other clinical scoring systems, other measures of immune function, and CD4(+) immune response changes over time should be examined to see if this or other laboratory measures of immune response are predictive of actual disease activity or symptoms in CD or UC patients.
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Bacteremia is a severe bacterial infection with significant mortality. Clinical parameters that reliably predict it are less elucidated. We assessed the potential of serum adhesion molecules for predicting bacteremia and compare it with current available infection biomarkers to determine a more timely predictor of adult severe sepsis patients on admission to the emergency department (ED). ⋯ Although serum cell adhesion markers are not specific for predicting bacteremia in septic patients, higher mean serum cell adhesion molecules levels on admission may imply both more severe infection and presence of bacteremia. Assay of serum adhesion molecules may be added as an infectious marker among the panel of bacteremic parameters in clinical practice, especially since early diagnosis and prompt antimicrobial therapy are essentially for survival.