Clinical biochemistry
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Clinical biochemistry · May 2008
Comparative StudyThe levels of macrophage migration inhibitory factor as an indicator of disease activity and severity in adult-onset Still's disease.
This study investigated the levels of macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) in adult-onset Still's disease (AOSD) and explored the role of this pro-inflammatory cytokine in the systemic inflammation of AOSD. ⋯ These data represent the first demonstration of increased MIF expression in AOSD, and suggest that MIF may be an important marker for disease evaluation and monitoring.
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Clinical biochemistry · Mar 2008
ReviewDiagnostic accuracy of BNP and NT-proBNP in patients presenting to acute care settings with dyspnea: a systematic review.
We sought to compare the diagnostic performance of B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) and N-terminal proBNP measurements in patients presenting to acute care settings with dyspnea, a common presenting symptom of heart failure. ⋯ BNP and NT-proBNP have very similar diagnostic performance characteristics and can be used to rule out heart failure as a cause of dyspnea in the acute clinical setting. However, there is no easily identifiable optimum cut point value for each peptide.
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Clinical biochemistry · Dec 2006
Procalcitonin in the diagnosis of inflammation in intensive care units.
To assess the effectiveness of different procalcitonin cutoff values to distinguish non-infected (negative+SIRS) from infected (sepsis+severe sepsis+septic shock) medical and surgical patients. ⋯ This study highlights the need of different PCT cutoff values in medical and surgical critically ill patients, not only at the ICU admission but also in the entire ICU stay.
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Clinical biochemistry · Jul 2006
Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study Comparative StudyDiagnostic and prognostic role of cardiac troponin I (cTnI) measured on the DPC Immulite.
To evaluate the diagnostic and prognostic role of the Immulite cTnI assay for the detection of acute coronary syndromes (ACS). ⋯ The Immulite cTnI assay can be used for diagnosis and risk stratification in patients admitted with non-ST segment elevation acute coronary syndromes.
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Clinical biochemistry · Jul 2006
Comparative StudyA single serum test for measuring early pregnancy outcome with high predictive value.
Current testing to determine a failing pregnancy requires two separate clinic visits to measure the hCG doubling rate. Diagnosing a failing pregnancy is often done in emergency departments where simplified and accelerated testing methods are needed. Here, we investigated hyperglycosylated hCG (hCG-H) for predicting pregnancy failure. ⋯ Our data indicate that hCG-H provides a much more accurate single test than hCG for assessing pregnancy outcome. Compatible with the use of serum or urine samples, a single hCG-H test might provide simpler, faster, and more accurate results for predicting the progress of a pregnancy than standard hCG testing.