BACKGROUND: On 21 July 2004, the Healthcare Commission http://www.healthcarecommission.org.uk/ released its annual star ratings of the performance of NHS Primary Care Trusts (PCTs) in England for the year ending March 2004. The Healthcare Commission started work on 1 April 2004, taking over all the functions of the former Commission for Health Improvement http://www.chi.nhs.uk/, which had relea...

INTRODUCTION This study assessed the role of procalcitonin (PCT) in the differentiation of minimal-change nephropathy (MCN) relapses from infections co-existent with proteinuria flares in children. METHODS Data on the PCT levels of patients with MCN who were on follow-up were retrospectively gathered at relapse (Group I), during proteinuria attacks co-existent with intercurrent infection (Gro...

OBJECTIVES Procalcitonin (PCT) might be a useful marker to exclude bacteremia or to predict the severity of bacteremia and its outcome. However, most previous studies of PCT were limited to particular patient populations. In addition, reports about PCT levels in patients with renal dysfunction have been conflicting. We investigated the predictive value of PCT in an unselected population with su...

Serum procalcitonin (PCT), which is usually produced in thyroid Ccells, is a precursor of calcitonin. In general, PCT is not released into the blood and, therefore, cannot be detected in healthy individuals [1]. However, serum procalcitonin increased significantly in response to stimulation by bacterial infections showing a favorable pharmacokinetic profile as clinical markers for bacterial inf...

Intracranial infection is a common clinical complication after craniotomy. We aimed to explore the diagnostic and prognostic value of dynamic changing procalcitonin (PCT) in early intracranial infection after craniotomy. A prospective study was performed on 93 patients suspected of intracranial infection after craniotomy. Routine peripheral venous blood was collected on the day of admission, an...

Procalcitonin (PCT) is a predictive marker for the occurrence of bacterial infection and the decision to terminate antibiotic treatment in critically ill patients. An unusual increase in PCT, regardless of infection, has been observed during extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) support. We evaluated trends and the predictive value of PCT levels in adult cardiogenic shock during treatment ...

BACKGROUND This randomized controlled trial aimed to evaluate whether the serum procalcitonin (PCT) level can be utilized to guide the use of antibiotics in the treatment of acute exacerbations of asthma. METHODS A total of 293 consecutive patients with suspected asthma attacks from February 2005 to July 2010 participated in this study. 225 patients completed the study. Serum PCT levels, and ...

BACKGROUND Porphyria cutanea tarda (PCT) is characterized by fragile skin with blistering on sun-exposed areas. Symptoms typically develop in late adulthood and can be triggered by iron overload, alcohol intake, oestrogens and various liver diseases. Treatment consists of phlebotomy to reduce iron, or increasing urinary porphyrin excretion by administering chlorochin. To optimize patient care, ...

The clinical significance of serum procalcitonin (PCT) for discriminating between bacterial infectious disease and nonbacterial infectious disease (such as systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS)), was compared with the significance of endotoxin, beta-D: -glucan, interleukin (IL)-6, and C-reactive protein (CRP) in a multicenter prospective study. The concentrations of PCT in patients wit...

BACKGROUND Hospital-acquired pneumonia (HAP) is a common complication after abdominal surgery. The aim of this study was to evaluate the role of procalcitonin (PCT) and C-reactive protein (CRP) as early biomarkers for the diagnosis of postoperative HAP after abdominal surgery. METHODS This study was conducted on 100 patients undergoing abdominal surgery. White blood cell counts, highest body ...