On maximum human life span: interdisciplinary approach about its limits.

Background: This is a theoretical approach on the question on how much maximally may extend the life of human individual. The starting point of this work was the biological consideration of two changes in human characteristics which took place during the last century up to now, namely human beings lived remarkably longer and are becoming taller.

Methods: Demography data and Gompertz deduced mathematics, either related to growth or survival, were the two columns on which the basis of this study has been supported.

Detection of procalcitonin (PCT) in healthy controls and patients with local infection by a sensitive ILMA.

Background: Procalcitonin (PCT) is an established marker for severe systemic bacterial infection and sepsis. So far the relevance of PCT in healthy individuals or patients with local infections is unclear due to the lack of highly sensitive assays. The aim of our study was the characterization of a new sensitive PCT assay, the establishment of reference values and the assessment of diagnostic accuracy.

Relationship between procalcitonin plasma levels and severity of injury, sepsis, organ failure, and mortality in injured patients.

Objective: To compare procalcitonin (PCT) plasma levels of injured patients with the incidence and severity of systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS), infection, and multiple organ dysfunction syndrome (MODS) and to assess the predictive value of PCT for these posttraumatic complications.

Design: Retrospective study comparing patients with mechanical trauma in terms of severity of injury, development of infectious complications, and organ dysfunctions.

Setting: Level I trauma center with emergency room, intensive care unit, and research laboratory.

Molecular cloning and expression of mouse procalcitonin.

The nucleotide sequence for mouse calcitonin was determined from a cDNA obtained using a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) based method, the rapid amplification of cDNA ends (RACE)-PCR. Primers designed from highly conserved regions in the coding sequences of known rat and human calcitonin cDNAs were used to amplify calcitonin cDNA as 5'-end and 3'-end fragments from mouse thyroid RNA. The obtained cDNA is 850 bp in length most probably representing the entire mouse calcitonin mRNA.