The Journal of laboratory and clinical medicine
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Concentrations of C-reactive protein (CRP) and procalcitonin (PCT) have been suggested as markers of infection. The liver is believed to be a key source of CRP and PCT. For this reason we assessed the predictive value of these markers in patients with hepatic cirrhosis in a 31-bed university-hospital department of intensive care. ⋯ The serum CRP concentration (admission 11.2 +/- 4.6 vs 13.0 +/- 5.8, maximum 13.9 +/- 6.4 vs 18.8 +/- 7.3 mg/dL) and PCT (admission 1.3 +/- 0.9 vs 2.0 +/- 1.4, maximum 3.3 +/- 1.8 vs 3.4 +/- 2.1 ng/mL) were slightly lower in infected patients with cirrhosis than in infected patients without cirrhosis, but the differences were not statistically significant. Although the liver is considered the main source of CRP and a source of PCT, serum levels of these acute-phase proteins are not significantly lower in patients with cirrhosis than in other patients. Moreover, the predictive power of CRP and PCT for infection was similar for patients with and without cirrhosis.
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Comparative Study
Levosimendan improves postresuscitation outcomes in a rat model of CPR.
In this study we sought to determine whether a calcium sensitizer, levosimendan, would have a more favorable effect on postresuscitation myocardial function and, consequently, postresuscitation survival than beta-adrenergic dobutamine. The extreme decrease in survival before hospital discharge of resuscitated victims is attributed, in part, to postresuscitation myocardial failure, and dobutamine has been recommended for the management of postresuscitation myocardial failure. We studied a total of 15 animals. ⋯ The duration of postresuscitation survival was significantly greater with levosimendan (16 +/- 2 hours), intermediate with dobutamine (11 +/- 2 hours) and least with saline-solution placebo (8 +/- 1 hour). Levosimendan and dobutamine both improved postresuscitation myocardial function. However, levosimendan produced more favorable postresuscitation myocardial function and increased the duration of postresuscitation survival.
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Comparative Study
Oligonucleotide-microarray analysis of peripheral-blood lymphocytes in severe asthma.
CD4 + lymphocytes play a key role in asthma pathogenesis, but much remains unknown about the genetic mechanisms that affect disease severity. In this study we sought to investigate global patterns of gene expression in CD4 + lymphocytes isolated from subjects with severe asthma through the use of microarray technology. CD4 + lymphocytes were separated from peripheral blood, total RNA was purified, and biotinylated complementary RNA was prepared and hybridized to Affymetrix HU133 chips (Affymetrix, Santa Clara, Calif). ⋯ This study demonstrates a method by which CD4 + lymphocytes can be extracted from blood for the purpose of microarray analysis. Furthermore, we show that T-lymphocytes from the peripheral blood of subjects with severe and mild asthma differ in their gene-expression profiles, supporting the view that asthma is a systemic disease. These differentially expressed genes identify potential molecular targets for preventive and therapeutic options for severe asthma.
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Although ethical consideration has been given to a wide variety of issues that arise in the collection and storage of human biologic material for research, little attention has been focused on the ethical implications of the diverse cultural meanings often associated with these materials. We explore the rich social meanings of the placenta across cultures and contrast these meanings with the assumption that the placenta is typically considered waste tissue that may find value in biomedical research. We suggest that the incorporation of sensitivity to the cultural meanings people give human biologic material and the use of empirical research, where necessary, to delineate these meanings should enhance the ability to craft and conduct ethically appropriate research.