Journal of critical care
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Our aim was to investigate the level and the maturation status of dendritic cells (DCs) in pediatric patients with sepsis and its relation to prognosis. ⋯ Sepsis is associated with reduced level of DCs and decreases their maturation. The estimation of DCs number and maturation state may be used as prognostic makers of sepsis.
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Journal of critical care · Oct 2013
Improving risk classification of critical illness with biomarkers: A simulation study.
Optimal triage of patients at risk for critical illness requires accurate risk prediction, yet few data on the performance criteria required of a potential biomarker to be clinically useful exists. ⋯ Clinical models for triage of critical illness could be significantly improved by incorporating biomarkers, yet substantial sample sizes and biomarker strength may be required.
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Journal of critical care · Oct 2013
Facilitators and barriers to initiating change in medical intensive care unit survivors with alcohol use disorders: A qualitative study.
Alcohol abuse and dependence are collectively referred to as alcohol use disorders (AUD). An AUD is present in up to one third of patients admitted to an intensive care unit (ICU). We sought to understand the barriers and facilitators to change in ICU survivors with an AUD to provide a foundation upon which to tailor alcohol-related interventions. ⋯ Alcohol-related interventions to motivate and sustain behavior change could be tailored to ICU survivors by accounting for unique barriers and facilitators.
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Journal of critical care · Oct 2013
Inflammatory and endothelial activation biomarkers and risk of sepsis: A nested case-control study.
Elevated biomarkers of inflammation and endothelial cell activation have been associated with severity of sepsis. We sought to determine the association between these baseline markers and subsequent episodes of sepsis. ⋯ Individuals with higher baseline IL-6, E-selectin, and ICAM-1 were more likely to develop future sepsis episodes. These biomarkers may play a role in the early identification, mitigation, or prevention of sepsis.
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Journal of critical care · Oct 2013
Changing sedative infusion from propofol to midazolam improves sublingual microcirculatory perfusion in patients with septic shock.
The goal of this study was to explore possible microcirculatory alterations by changing sedative infusion from propofol to midazolam in patients with septic shock. ⋯ In this study, sublingual microcirculatory perfusion improved when the infusion was changed from propofol to midazolam in patients with septic shock. This observation could not be explained by changes in systemic hemodynamics.