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...

BACKGROUND To investigate the prognostic value of procalcitonin (PCT), high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), and pancreatic stone protein (PSP) in children with sepsis. MATERIAL AND METHODS A total of 214 patients with sepsis during hospitalization were enrolled. Serum levels of PCT, hs-CRP, and PSP were measured on day 1 of hospitalization and the survival rates of children were record...

BACKGROUND Procalcitonin (PCT) is routinely measured to differentiate autoimmune disorders from infection. There are reports, however, where PCT is high in the absence of infection, i.e. in vasculitis. To investigate the value of PCT in Goodpasture's syndrome, we reviewed the charts of patients with Goodpasture's syndrome who were treated from 1996 to 2006. METHODS PCT (normal range<0.5 ng/ml...

Procalcitonin (PCT) is a protein synthetized by the thyroid C cells, inside which it is cut into calcitonin (CT) and catacalcin. It remains undetectable in serum in normal conditions. Its level increases during inflammation and in small cell lung cancer. There have been studies suggesting that the PCT level increases in medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC). So far there have been no reports that w...

BACKGROUND Chronic low-grade inflammation is involved in chronic transplant dysfunction after renal transplantation. Procalcitonin (PCT), known to reflect microbial inflammation, may also reflect ongoing noninfectious chronic low-grade inflammation in organ parenchyma, including transplanted kidneys. We aimed to compare predictive performance of plasma PCT for development of graft failure in re...

BACKGROUND Early diagnosis of infection with the use of valuable markers leads to decreased mortality and morbidity. The aim of this study was to evaluate the value of procalcitonin (PCT) and C-reactive protein (CRP) for detecting nosocomial infection in hospitalized patients without localizing signs. METHODS We conducted a prospective observational study on 150 hospitalized patients with fev...