Critical care medicine
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Critical care medicine · Jul 2006
Dalteparin, a low molecular weight heparin, attenuates inflammatory responses and reduces ischemia-reperfusion-induced liver injury in rats.
To examine whether dalteparin, a low molecular weight heparin, prevents hepatic damage by inhibiting leukocyte activation, we analyzed its effect on ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury of rat liver in which activated leukocytes play a critical role. ⋯ Dalteparin might reduce I/R-induced liver injury in rats by attenuating inflammatory responses. These therapeutic effects might be independent of its anticoagulant activity but dependent on its capacity to enhance endothelial production of prostacyclin via cyclooxygenase-1 activation. Furthermore, the mechanism or mechanisms by which dalteparin promotes the endothelial production of prostacyclin in vivo might involve unknown factors other than endothelial cells.
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Critical care medicine · Jul 2006
An assessment of the RIFLE criteria for acute renal failure in hospitalized patients.
The Acute Dialysis Quality Initiative (ADQI) Group published a consensus definition (the RIFLE criteria) for acute renal failure. We sought to assess the ability of the RIFLE criteria to predict mortality in hospital patients. ⋯ The RIFLE criteria for acute renal failure classified close to 20% of our study patients as having some degrees of acute impairment in renal function and were useful in predicting their hospital mortality.
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Critical care medicine · Jul 2006
Role of pneumolysin for the development of acute lung injury in pneumococcal pneumonia.
Acute respiratory failure is a significant complication of severe pneumococcal pneumonia. In a mouse model, we observed early-onset lung microvascular leakage after pulmonary infection with Streptococcus pneumoniae, and we hypothesized that the important virulence factor pneumolysin may be the direct causative agent. ⋯ Pneumolysin may play a central role for early-onset acute lung injury due to severe pneumococcal pneumonia by causing impairment of pulmonary microvascular barrier function and severe pulmonary hypertension.