Clinica chimica acta; international journal of clinical chemistry
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Comparative Study
Comparison of novel pro-BNP(1-108) and standard BNP assays in heart failure patients.
Heart failure (HF) progression and outcomes reflect activation of multiple neurohormonal systems. Which biomarkers reflecting these systems contribute incremental information remains unclear. The aim of this study was to determine if serial measurements of pro-BNP(1-108) separately, in combination with standard assay BNP, or with troponin T (cTnT) would enhance risk stratification in ambulatory HF patients. ⋯ Circulating levels of pro-BNP(1-108) appear to be comparable to mature BNP in ambulatory HF out-patients. Elevated levels of pro-BNP(1-108) or BNP identified by serial monitoring similarly predict events. A strategy of serial monitoring of either pro-BNP(1-108) or BNP alone or particularly in combination with cTnT can serve a valuable role in detecting higher-risk HF patients.
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Sepsis, a common deadly systemic infection caused by a variety of pathogens, has some clinical symptoms similar to the systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS), a whole-body non-infectious inflammatory reaction to severe insults, such as burn, trauma, hypotensive shock and so on. Treatment of sepsis depends mainly on anti-microbial, while remedy for SIRS might require steroids that could possibly enhance the spread of microbes. Unfortunately, it is very difficult to distinguish these two completely different serious conditions without blood culture, which takes days to grow and identify causative pathogens. We examined a biomarker, serum decoy receptor 3 (DcR3), was evaluated for its utility in the differential diagnosis between sepsis and SIRS. ⋯ The serum DcR3 has a potential to serve as a new biomarker for sepsis with its high specificity and sensitivity.
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The objective of this study was to determine maternal and placental concentrations of follistatin-like 3 (FSTL3), and, maternal concentrations of myostatin in gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). ⋯ Maternal and placental FSTL3 concentrations were reduced in GDM women compared with normally pregnant women, suggesting FSTL3 may play an important role in the pathogenesis of gestational diabetes.
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The need for reducing unnecessary antibiotic treatment is being emphasized in the management of urinary tract infections (UTI), a disease frequent in childhood. An ideal test should provide early diagnosis without the waiting times of urine culture, but even a simple test of exclusion could significantly improve patient management. ⋯ This routine method could improve the management of UTI in children by early identifying patients with low probability of infection, for whom antibiotic treatment can be withheld until the results of urine culture become available.
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Leukocyte recruitment and inflammatory response play an important role in the pathophysiology after aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH). We determined whether leukocyte adhesion molecules after aneurysmal SAH can predict the presence of delayed cerebral infarction (DCI). ⋯ Higher expressions of neutrophil PSGL-1 on admission may imply a danger of DCI in patients with aneurysmal SAH.