Low Urinary Free Cortisol as a Risk Factor for Patients with Variceal Bleeding.

Specificity and reliability issues of the current cortisol assessment methods lead to limitations on the accurate assessment of relative adrenal insufficiency. Although free cortisol provides a more accurate evaluation of adrenal cortisol production, the expense and time-consuming nature of these assays make them impractical for routine use. Research has, thus, focused on alternative methods, such as indirectly measuring free cortisol using Coolens' equation or directly assessing salivary cortisol concentration, which is considered a more favorable approach despite associated challenges like sampling issues and infection risks.

Urinary free cortisol is a reliable index of adrenal cortisol production in patients with liver cirrhosis.

Background: The measurement of total and free cortisol has been studied as a clinical index of adrenal cortisol production in patients with liver cirrhosis. Correlations between free plasma and salivary cortisol have previously been reported in stable cirrhotic patients. Urinary free cortisol constitutes an index of adrenal cortisol production; however, it has never been used in assessing adrenal function in patients with liver cirrhosis.

Lactate serum concentrations during treatment with nucleos(t)ide analogues in hepatitis B with or without cirrhosis.

Objective: The aim of this study is to evaluate the clinical implications of lactate concentrations in patients with hepatitis B with or without cirrhosis during treatment with nucleos(t)ide analogues.

Patients And Methods: One hundred and seven consecutive patients with chronic hepatitis B and median age 57 (24-85) years were prospectively included. Lactate concentrations were measured at baseline and at 12, 24, 36, 48, and 60 months following the baseline measurements.

Structural and biomechanical alterations in rabbit thoracic aortas are associated with the progression of atherosclerosis.

Background: Atherosclerosis is a diffuse and highly variable disease of arteries that alters the mechanical properties of the vessel wall through highly variable changes in its cellular composition and histological structure. We have analyzed the effects of acute atherosclerotic changes on the mechanical properties of the descending thoracic aorta of rabbits fed a 4% cholesterol diet.

Methods: Two groups of eight male New Zealand White rabbits were randomly selected and fed for 8 weeks either an atherogenic diet (4% cholesterol plus regular rabbit chow), or regular chow.