Clin Lab
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The heparinase-modified thrombelastometry (HEPTEM) assay is a promising tool to assess the coagulation status of heparinised patients. The aim of our study was to examine the heparin neutralizing capability of the HEPTEM assay in plasma samples. ⋯ We provide herein a mathematical procedure to correct the misleadingly prolonged CTs (for heparin > 0.5 IU/mL) for the HEPTEM assay performed in plasma samples to allow better estimation of the coagulation status in patients requiring intense anticoagulation (e.g., patients undergoing cardiac surgery).
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Comparative Study Clinical Trial
Comparison of long-term prognostic value of N-terminal-proBNP and midregional-pro-adrenomedullin in patients with acute myocardial infarction.
N-terminal-proBNP (NT-proBNP) and Midregional-pro-Adrenomedullin (MR-proADM) predict mortality of patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI). Comparison of the prognostic values of NT-proBNP and MR-proADM to predict long-term adverse clinical events (AE) after AMI has not been evaluated yet. ⋯ Early measurements of NT-proBNP or MR-proADM during the acute phase of AMI may allow the risk of a long-term AE to be excluded, based on the comparable test characteristics,.
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Despite substantial advances in radiotherapy, chemotherapy and immunotherapy, surgical management remains the standard of care, especially in patients with no evidence of distant metastases and who are fit for surgery. It is traditionally known, however, that patients undergoing surgery for gastrointestinal malignancies suffer from a high rate of infective complications and there is little information on the behavior of C-Reactive Protein (CRP) and procalcitonin (PCT) in these patients. ⋯ Taken together, our findings are consistent with the hypothesis that PCT might be a more useful marker than CRP for monitoring the postoperative course and diagnose severe perioperative bacterial infections in patients undergoing surgery for gastrointestinal malignancies after the 7th postoperative day.
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Transient cardiac ventricular dysfunction or sudden cardiac deaths have been reported for male athletes participating in marathon racing. Less is known about the myocardial response in females. We examined natriuretic peptides and cardiac troponins in female athletes after a marathon. ⋯ Parameters representing cardiac stress increased in females after a marathon. Different kinetics of natriuretic peptides BNP and NT-pro-BNP post-marathon could be due to their different half-lives and dependence on renal function. The increase of cTnI and cTnT may result from minor myocardial lesions.