The American journal of the medical sciences
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Acute pancreatitis (AP) ranges in severity from mild to severe with high mortality. Severe AP, similar to other critical illnesses, is associated with changes in cortisol level. Early increase of high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) as an inflammatory marker could be an indicator of AP progression. We aimed to assess the level of cortisol and hs-CRP on initial diagnosis of AP and identify their prognostic value. ⋯ Different levels of serum cortisol in early AP should be considered on initial diagnosis. High cortisol level was a good prognostic indicator for AP with low mortality. This could have further implications on the appropriate initiation of steroid therapy to prevent necrotizing pancreatitis and lower the mortality. Meanwhile, hs-CRP has a low prognostic value in early AP.
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No scholar has explored whether immunosuppressive treatments at different histopathological stages are different for idiopathic membranous nephropathy (IMN). ⋯ Treatment with GC + CTX was more effective than GC in treating patients with stage II IMN; however, the advantage of GC + CTX was not significant for patients with stage I and III IMN.