Aim: The positive predictive value (PPV) of a slightly elevated basal calcitonin (CT) for the diagnosis of medullary thyroid cancer (MTC) is still under debate.
Patients, Methods: A total of 11270 patients with thyroid nodules underwent calcitonin screening. Patients with known elevation of CT, renal insufficiency, bacterial infection, alcohol abuse, proton-pump inhibitor therapy or autoimmune thyroid disease were excluded from further analysis. Serum CT was determined by the solid-phase, enzyme-labeled, two-site chemiluminescent immunoassay Immulite 2000. If possible, a pentagastrin test was done to differentiate cases of hypercalcitoninaemia.
Results: Hypercalcitoninsemia was found in 32 patients. 20 patients underwent surgery. In 10 patients a MTC was found. The PPV of hypercalcitoninaemia for MTC was 31%. The PPV increased to 50% for those patients who underwent surgery (10/20). A subgroup of 26 patients presented with basal CT between 13 and 50 pg/ml, 14 of them underwent surgery, in 4 cases evidence of MTC was revealed. This resulted in a PPV of 15% (4/26), although the value increased to 28% when only surgically treated patients were considered (4/14).
Conclusion: Taking all clinical data into account, calcitonin screening has an acceptable PPV for medullary thyroid cancer in patients with thyroid nodules. Therefore, we recommend calcitonin screening in centers for thyroid disorders.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.3413/Nukmed-0494-12-04 | DOI Listing |
Background And Aim: Large number of studies proved undisputable role of procalcitonin (PCT) in sepsis diagnosis. Moreover, potential of procalcitonin to predict blood culture results according to Gram staining, different types of pathogens and foci of infection is discussed lately. The primary aim of our study was to compare the PCT levels in septic patients with documented Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteraemia.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPLoS One
December 2024
Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University and King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital, Thai Red Cross Society, Bangkok, Thailand.
Background & Aims: Acute-on-chronic liver failure is a syndrome characterized by organ failure and high short-term mortality. The lack of reliable biomarkers for the early detection of acute-on-chronic liver failure is a significant challenge. Endothelial dysfunction plays a key role in the development of organ failure.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFFront Cell Infect Microbiol
December 2024
Department of Clinical Laboratory, Tianjin First Central Hospital, School of Medicine, Nankai University, Tianjin, China.
Objective: COVID-19 has evolved into a seasonal coronavirus disease, characterized by prolonged infection duration and repeated infections, significantly increasing the risk of patients developing long COVID. Our research focused on the immune responses in asymptomatic and mild cases, particularly the critical factors influencing serum immunoglobulin G (IgG) levels and their predictive value.
Methods: We conducted a retrospective analysis on data from 1939 asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic COVID-19 patients hospitalized between September 2022 and June 2023.
Khirurgiia (Mosk)
December 2024
Evdokimov Moscow State University of Medicine and Dentistry, Moscow, Russia.
Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of leukocyte, NLR, procalcitonin and C-reactive protein as the markers of acute peritonitis in patients with HIV-infection.
Material And Methods: The study included 83 HIV-infected patients with various diseases complicated by acute peritonitis. Leukocytes, procalcitonin and C-reactive protein, as well as immune status and viral load were determined in peripheral blood before surgery.
BMC Pediatr
December 2024
Department of Pediatrics, Guangdong Women and Children Hospital, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China.
Background: Fulminant virus-associated encephalopathy (VAE) is a rare complication of viral infection that presents as acute brain dysfunction and requires respiratory support and/or vasoactive agents. However, the mechanism of VAE is undetermined. The mortality rate is high since there is no specific treatment for fulminant VAE.
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