Pancreatic Stone Protein in the Diagnosis of Sepsis in Children Admitted to High-Dependency Care: A Single-Center Prospective Cohort Study.

Objectives: Blood level of pancreatic stone protein (PSP) is a promising biomarker of sepsis both in adults and children. The aim of our study was to investigate the diagnostic accuracy of PSP in children with suspected sepsis and to compare diagnostic performance with other sepsis biomarkers approved for clinical use, that is, procalcitonin (PCT) and C-reactive protein (CRP).

Design: Prospective study.

Accuracy of Pancreatic Stone Protein for diagnosis of sepsis in children admitted to pediatric intensive care or high-dependency care: a pilot study.

Background: Pancreatic Stone Protein (PSP) is one of the most promising diagnostic and prognostic markers. The aim of the study was to assess the accuracy of PSP, compared to C-Reactive Protein (CRP), and Procalcitonin (PCT) for sepsis diagnosis in pediatric patients. Furthermore, we explored the correlation of PSP levels with sepsis severity and organ failure measured with PELOD-2 score.

Nonirradiated human fibroblasts and irradiated 3T3-J2 murine fibroblasts as a feeder layer for keratinocyte growth and differentiation in vitro on a fibrin substrate.

The standard method for producing graftable epithelia relies on the presence of a feeder layer of lethally irradiated 3T3-J2 murine fibroblasts (Rheinwald and Green technique). Here, we studied a new keratinocyte culture system, which envisages the utilization of nonirradiated human fibroblasts embedded into a fibrin substrate, in cultures destined for a future clinical application. We tested this culture system using keratinocytes grown on a fibrin gel precoated with 3T3-J2 murine fibroblasts as a control.

Tissue engineering for damaged surface and lining epithelia: stem cells, current clinical applications, and available engineered tissues.

Tissue engineering is an important tool for the treatment of damaged surface and lining epithelia. A source of cells and biocompatible substrates upon which cells can grow and differentiate are key components of this technology. Cultured normal human epithelial cells reconstitute sheets of stratified epithelia that retain biochemical and histological characteristics as well as specific differentiation features of the original donor site.

Keratinocyte cultures from involved skin in vitiligo patients show an impaired in vitro behaviour.

Vitiligo depigmentation is considered a consequence of either melanocyte disappearance or loss of functioning melanocytes in the involved areas. However, it has been reported that keratinocytes in involved vitiligo skin are damaged too. Based on this evidence, we evaluated the in vitro behaviour, in life span cultures, of involved and uninvolved vitiligo keratinocytes and their expression of proliferation, differentiation and senescence markers.

Piebald trait: implication of kit mutation on in vitro melanocyte survival and on the clinical application of cultured epidermal autografts.

Piebald trait leukoderma results from "loss-of-function" mutations in the kit gene. Correlations between mutation type and clinical phenotype have been reported. However, mutation classification has been mainly based on the clinical features of patients.