Bacterial infections and sepsis are major problems in critically ill patients. Timely diagnosis and therapy reduce morbidity and mortality. Many studies have included the investigation of various biomarkers whose elevated concentrations can indicate sepsis; among them, PCT proved to be most useful. PCT is synthesized in the thyroid gland as a prohormone of calcitonin. In healthy individuals the...

BACKGROUND We aimed to determine the association between platelet indices including plateletcrit (PCT), mean platelet volume (MPV), platelet distribution width (PDW), and proteinuria associated with hypertension (HT) as well as the relative power of each to predict proteinuria. METHODS The study included 223 patients (68 men and 155 women) with primary HT. PCT, MPV, PDW, and proteinuria level...

BACKGROUND Procalcitonin (PCT) has been proposed as a marker of infection and was studied in neutropenic patients. This study investigated its role in non-neutropenic febrile cancer patients (NNCPs). METHODS Between July 2009 and July 2010, a total of 248 NNCPs with fever were studied. PCT was measured in plasma within 24 hours of fever onset and 4 to 7 days thereafter, using a Kryptor system...

BACKGROUND Aim of this study was to evaluate the correlation of inflammatory markers procalcitonin (PCT), C-reactive protein (CRP) and leukocyte count (WBC) with microbiological etiology of CAP. METHODS We enrolled 1337 patients (62 +/- 18 y, 45% f) with proven CAP. Extensive microbiological workup was performed. In all patients PCT, CRP, WBC and CRB-65 score were determined. Patients were cl...

INTRODUCTION Prompt and accurate diagnosis of sepsis is of high importance for clinicians. Procalcitonine (PCT) and C-reactive protein (CRP) have been proposed as markers for this purpose. Our aim was to evaluate the levels of PCT and CRP in early sepsis and its correlation with severity of sepsis. METHODS Levels of PCT and CRP were taken from 60 patients with sepsis criteria and 39 patients ...

The novel inflammatory marker procalcitonin (PCT) was assessed as an index of infection in patients with febrile neutropenia. Blood samples were obtained from 115 patients with febrile neutropenia for determination of PCT levels before onset of fever and daily until the resolution of fever. The median PCT level on the first day of fever was 8.23 ng/mL in patients with bacteremia, compared with ...

OBJECTIVES: The relation of procalcitonin (PCT) plasma concentrations compared with C-reactive protein (CRP) was analyzed in patients with different severity of multiple organ dysfunction syndrome (MODS) and systemic inflammation. PATIENTS AND METHODS: PCT, CRP, the sepsis-related organ failure assessment (SOFA) score, the Acute Physiology, Age, Chronic Health Evaluation (APACHE) II score and s...

BACKGROUND Identifying early markers of septic complications can aid in the diagnosis and therapeutic management of hospitalized patients. In this study, the utility of procalcitonin (PCT) vs. C-reactive protein (CRP) as early markers of sepsis was compared. METHODS A series of 2,697 consecutive blood samples was collected from hospitalized patients and serum PCT and CRP levels were measured....

George Kelly claimed that there were no emotions in Personal Construct Theory (PCT). The present paper notes that Kelly did define four important emotions and reviews the work by McCoy in extending the range of emotions that can be explained by PCT. In addition, the theories of personality formulated by non-PCT psychologists (Paul McReynolds and Prescott Lecky), which are consistent with PCT an...

The association of porphyria cutanea tarda (PCT) and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is rare. Systemic lupus erythematosus, of complex pathophysiology and pleomorphic clinical manifestations, is similar to PCT regarding photosensitivity. One finding that can differentiate both diseases is the presence of cutaneous blisters, which are rare in SLE, but characteristic of PCT. We report one case...