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...

BACKGROUND Management of febrile neutropenic episodes (FE) is challenged by lacking microbiological and clinical documentation of infection. We aimed at evaluating the utility of monitoring blood procalcitonin (PCT) in FE for initial diagnosis of infection and reassessment in persistent fever. METHODS PCT kinetics was prospectively monitored in 194 consecutive FE (1771 blood samples): 65 micr...

Renal dopamine-1 (DA-1) receptors are involved in the regulation of sodium transport in several nephron segments, including the proximal convoluted tubule (PCT). DA-1 receptors in the PCT and cortical collecting duct of normotensive rats are linked to the stimulation of adenylyl cyclase (AC). We have reported a defect in the DA-1 receptor/AC coupling in the PCT of the spontaneously hypertensive...

Correspondence: Giovanni Borroni, Clinica Dermatologica, IRCCS Policlinico S. Matteo, 27100 Pavia, Italy. Phone: international +39-0382-503494 – Fax. international +390382-526379. The term porphyria cutanea tarda (PCT) refers to a group of disorders biochemically charcaterized by reduced activity of uroporphyrinogen decarboxylase in liver and, in familial cases, in a number of tissues and cells...

This cross sectional observational study was done in the division of neonatology, department of pediatrics, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU) in the year 2007. The study population was 50 newborns in total who needed evaluation of sepsis on clinical suspicion. The main objective of this study was to assess serum procalcitonin (PCT) as a better diagnostic marker than C-Reactive...