Single-Sampling Strategy vs. Multi-Sampling Strategy for Blood Cultures in Sepsis: A Prospective Non-inferiority Study.

Background: Optimal sampling is critical for the performance of blood cultures (BCs). Most guidelines recommend collecting 40 ml of blood, divided between two venipuncture sites, i.e.

Circulating monocytes are not the major source of plasma cytokines in patients with sepsis.

In sepsis, large quantities of inflammatory cytokines are released into the bloodstream. The cellular source of these cytokines is unclear, and we have here investigated to what extent circulating cells in blood contributed to this production. We used the enzyme-linked immunospot technique to study the spontaneous as well as the lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced secretion of the proinflammatory cytokines interleukin 6 (IL-6), tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α), granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor, IL-1β, IL-12p40, and the anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10 from whole-blood cells.

A novel mutation in the biliverdin reductase-A gene combined with liver cirrhosis results in hyperbiliverdinaemia (green jaundice).

Background: Hyperbiliverdinaemia is a poorly defined clinical sign that has been infrequently reported in cases of liver cirrhosis or liver carcinoma, usually indicating a poor long-term prognosis.

Aims: To clarify the pathogenesis of hyperbiliverdinaemia in an extended case report.

Methods: A 64-year-old man with alcoholic cirrhosis was admitted to hospital with severe bleeding from oesophageal varices.