Abstract   Background: Regarding the diagnostic errors of the classic criteria including serum ascites   albumin gradient (SAAG), total protein concentration and the adapted Light et al’s criteria   in distinguishing transudate versus exudates, we evaluated the ascitic fluid to serum   bilirubin ratio as a new criteria in this regard. We also evaluated whether the combination of   bilirubin r...

PURPOSE Pleural effusion, an accumulation of fluid in the pleural space, usually occurs in patients when the rate of fluid formation exceeds the rate of fluid removal. The differential diagnosis of tuberculous pleurisy and malignant pleural effusion is a difficult task in high tuberculous prevalence areas. The aim of the present study was to identify novel biomarkers for the diagnosis of pleura...

INTRODUCTION We present the case of a patient with colon cancer who, while receiving bevacizumab, developed sinusoidal obstruction syndrome (veno-occlusive disease) (SOSVOD). Certain antitumour agents such as 6-mercaptopurine and 6-thioguanine have also been reported to initiate hepatic SOSVOD in isolated cases. There have been no reports so far correlating bevacizumab with SOSVOD. CASE PRESE...

BACKGROUND The focused assessment with sonography in trauma (FAST) examination is an important screening tool in the evaluation of blunt trauma patients. OBJECTIVES To describe a case of a hemodynamically unstable polytrauma patient with positive FAST due to fluid resuscitation after blunt trauma. CASE REPORT We describe a case of a hemodynamically unstable polytrauma patient who underwent ...

OBJECTIVE The sensitivity of cytologic examination of pleural effusions is variable and not predictive of prognosis. Survivin is an inhibitor of apoptosis that may be a novel diagnostic/prognostic marker of cancers. This study aimed to determine the diagnostic and prognostic value of measuring survivin mRNA levels in pleural effusions. METHODS Eighty-eight consecutive pleural effusion samples...

BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVES Pleural effusion is a common occurrence in patients with late-stage chronic kidney disease (CKD). In developing countries, many effusions remain undiagnosed after pleural fluid analysis (PFA) and patients are empirically treated with antitubercular therapy. The aim of this study was to evaluate the role of adenosine deaminase (ADA), nucleic acid amplification tests (NAAT...

BACKGROUND Bacterial DNA due to bacterial translocation has been identified in noninfectious ascitic fluid samples. OBJECTIVE This study investigated the possible presence of bacterial DNA in the pleural fluid of patients with pleural effusions of noninfectious origin, using a highly sensitive PCR-based method. METHODS Pleural fluid samples from 175 patients (average age ± SD: 69 ± 14 years...

A 59-year-old male with alcoholic cirrhosis presented to our hospital with an acutely painful umbilical hernia, and 4 mo of exertional dyspnea. He was noted to be tachypneic and hypoxic. He had a massive right sided pleural effusion with leftward mediastinal shift and gross ascites, with a tense, fluid-filled, umbilical hernia. Emergent paracentesis with drain placement and a large volume thora...

BACKGROUND Definite diagnosis of transudative or exudative pleural fluids often presents a diagnostic dilemma. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether amino-terminal brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) levels in pleural fluid has a diagnostic value for discriminating heart-failure-related pleural effusions from non-heart-failure effusions. METHODS Sixty-six subjects (40 male, mean age...

Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS), is a rodent-borne, acute, often fulminant cardiorespiratory illness. Noncardiogenic pulmonary edema is prominent in HPS as is cardiac dysfunction. Pleural effusions are commonly noted in patients with HPS and have been thought to be exudative. This report describes the prevalence and characteristics of pleural effusions by an assessment of chest radiographs ...