Both high and low plasma glutamine levels predict mortality in critically ill patients.

Purpose: Plasma amino acids are important indicators for understanding human kinetics and amino acid dynamics. We aimed to investigate the association between the plasma glutamine levels and the mortality rates and determine whether plasma glutamine can predict the prognosis of critically ill patients.

Methods: The clinical records of adult patients who were admitted to an ICU were retrospectively evaluated to investigate the plasma levels of amino acids, including glutamine.

Evaluation of a model of latent pathologic factors in relation to serum ferritin elevation.

Objectives: Serum ferritin increases in various disorders and clinical conditions. However, causal associations between the serum ferritin level and clinical factors that influence serum ferritin level are not well characterized. We report a model that quantitatively analyzes the causal relations between the serum ferritin level and clinical factors.