Procalcitonin levels predict acute kidney injury and prognosis in acute pancreatitis: a prospective study.

Background: Acute kidney injury (AKI) has been proposed as a leading cause of mortality for acute pancreatitis (AP) patients admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU). This study investigated the predictive value of procalcitonin (PCT) for AKI development and relevant prognosis in patients with AP, and compared PCT's predictive power with that of other inflammation-related variables.

Methods: Between January 2011 and March 2013, we enrolled 305 cases with acute pancreatitis admitted to ICU.

[Pathogenic effects of level of nitric oxide, hyponatremia and heart function on hepatorenal syndrome].

Objective: To analyze the changes of liver function, renal function, electrolytes, heart function and serum nitric oxide (NO) in chronic severe hepatitis patients with hepatorenal syndrome (HRS) by plasma exchange (PE), study the relationship of NO, hyponatremia, heart function with HRS.

Methods: A total of 20 chronic severe hepatitis patients with HRS were recruited. All were treated thrice by PE.

[The relationship of CPS-I, OCT and hepatic encephalopathy].

Objective: To study the role of carbamyl phosphate I (CPS-I)and ornithine transcarbamoylase (OCT) levels in cirrhosis patients with and without hepatic encephalopathy, and to analyze the correlations between CPS-Iand OCT with the development of hepatic encephalopathy.

Methods: CPS-I, OCT, plasma ammonia and liver function of 95 cirrhosis patients with hepatic encephalopathy and 25 cirrhosis patients without hepatic encephalopathy in our hospital from January 2008 to December 2009 were analyzed. 60 healthy controls were recruited in the control group.