The purposes of this study were to optimize a proton computed tomography system (pCT) for proton range verification and to confirm the pCT image reconstruction algorithm based on projection images generated with optimized parameters. For this purpose, we developed a new pCT scanner using the Geometry and Tracking (GEANT) 4.9.6 simulation toolkit. GEANT4 simulations were performed to optimize th...

BACKGROUND Fever is a common symptom in the emergency department(ED). Fever can be caused by bacterial infections, which are treated with antibiotics. Often, bacterial infections cannot be ruled out in the ED using standard diagnostics, and empiric antibiotic treatment is started. Procalcitonin(PCT) is a biomarker for bacterial infections, but its role in an undifferentiated ED population remai...

Ischemic stroke results from occlusion of a cerebral artery, and it is the leading cause of disability and the fifth leading cause of death in the United States. Cerebral artery occlusion results in irreversible death of a component of cerebral tissue, which is referred to as the core infarction. There is an additional component of brain tissue that is ischemic, but viable, which is commonly re...

which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Editorial Procalcitonin (PCT) levels increase in inflammatory states following infection, tumor, burn, trauma, or surgery [1]. Many clinical studies have found that PCT levels significantly increase in patients with bacterial or fungal infection [2, 3]. Conv...

conclusions we found statistical differences in pct levels that would differentiate cap from acute exacerbation of copd in the ed setting. further studies are required to verify this finding. methods this cross-sectional prospective descriptive study was performed in the emergency department (ed) on patients with cap and acute exacerbation of copd. a total of 53 patients were included in this s...

BACKGROUND The diagnostic value of procalcitonin (PCT) for patients with autoimmune diseases (AID) remains controversial and few studies focused on ICU patients. We sought to determine its diagnostic and prognostic values in this clowd. METHODS A prospective observational study was conducted in AID patients admitted to the ICU. Serum PCT levels were measured on ICU admission and subsequently ...

OBJECTIVE Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic inflammatory disease accompanied by many complications, and serious infections are associated with many of the advanced therapeutics used to treat it. We assessed serum procalcitonin (PCT) levels to distinguish bacterial infection from other complications in patients with RA. METHODS One hundred eighteen patients experiencing an RA flare, nonin...

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE Procalcitonin (PCT) has been introduced in many European protocols for the management of febrile children. Its value among young, well-appearing infants, however, is not completely defined. Our objective was to assess its performance in diagnosing serious bacterial infections and specifically invasive bacterial infections (IBIs) in well-appearing infants aged <3 months ...

INTRODUCTION Guidelines recommend that two blood cultures be performed in patients with febrile urinary tract infection (UTI), to detect bacteremia and help diagnose urosepsis. The usefulness and cost-effectiveness of this practice have been criticized. This study aimed to evaluate clinical characteristics and the biomarker procalcitonin (PCT) as an aid in predicting bacteremia. METHODS A pro...