3 research outputs found
CAN THE DETERMINATION OF PROCALCITONIN IN PREHOSPITAL (EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT) BE A USEFUL AND PRECOCIOUS MARKER IN SEPSIS?
No full textOBJECTIVES AND BACKGROUND
The management of sepsis requires a hasty
identification of infection, through the application of
different dynamic strategies in prehospital and hospital
conditions, through the implementation of a number of
changes and by measuring the outcome of these changes
thus ensuring a decrease in the mortality rate and allowing
a rapid identification of the infection
MATERIALS AND METHODS
Procalcitonin (PCT) was used as a marker of sepsis
in emergency departments. Due to its sensitivity and
molecular peculiarities, procalcitonin allows a rapid
diagnosis of severe bacterial infections, and is able to
differentiate viral infections from bacterial ones. It is also
able to differentiate an infectious process from an
inflammation, thus sketching a clinically applicable
protocol that can be implemented and continuously
improved.
RESULTS
The identification of the infectious process in the
emergency department within 24 hours leads to a
decreased in the mortality rate. Speedy diagnostic
methods of infection based on the determination of
specific, rapidly measurable, markers – procalcitonin in
our case - can confirm the presence of sepsis and its’
outcome.
CONCLUSIONS
Prehospital determination of procalcitonin (PCT)
is recommended in the early diagnosis of sepsis and is
also an indicator of its severity, starting from a solid
theoretical database that is justified by the efficiency and
effectiveness of its usage.
Graphical abstract: Laboratory changes of
inflammatory response
REFERENCES
1. Uchil S, Ravi KV, Thimmaiah AK, Medha
YR, Punith K. Significance of serum
procalcitonin in sepsis. Indian J Crit Care
Med. 2011;15:1–5.
2. Todi S, Chatterjee S, Bhattacharyya M.
Epidemiology of severe sepsis in India. Crit
Care Med. 2007;11:65.
3. Chan YL, Tseng CP, Tsay PK, Chang SS,
Chiu TF, Chen JC. Procalcitonin as a marker
of bacterial infection in the emergency
department: an observational study. Crit Care
Med. 2004;8:12-20.
4. Schuetz P, Albrich W, Christ-Crain M,
Chastre J, Mueller B. Procalcitonin for
guidance of antibiotic therapy. Expert Rev
Anti Infect Ther. 2010;8:575-87.
5. Jawad I, Luksic I, Rafnsson SB. Assessing
available information on the burden of sepsis:
Global estimates of incidence, prevalence and
mortality. J Glob Health. 2012;2:010404
Tissue Interleukin-33: A Novel Potential Regulator of Innate Immunity and Biomarker of Disease Severity in Chronic Rhinosinusitis with Nasal Polyps
No full textBackground: Chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps (CRSwNP) is a disease of real interest for researchers due to its heterogenicity and complex pathophysiological mechanisms. Identification of the factors that ensure success after treatment represents one of the main challenges in CRSwNP research. No consensus in this direction has been reached so far. Biomarkers for poor outcomes have been noted, but nonetheless, their prognostic value has not been extensively investigated, and needs to be sought. We aimed to evaluate the correlation between potential prognostic predictors for recalcitrant disease in patients with CRSwNP. Methods: The study group consisted of CRSwNP patients who underwent surgical treatment and nasal polyp (NP) tissue sampling. The preoperative workup included Lund–Mackay assessment, nasal endoscopy, eosinophil blood count, asthma, and environmental allergy questionnaire. Postoperatively, in subjects with poor outcomes, imagistic osteitis severity was evaluated, and IL-33 expression was measured. Results: IL-33 expression in NP was positively and significantly correlated with postoperative osteitis on CT scans (p = 0.01). Furthermore, high osteitis CT scores were related to high blood eosinophilia (p = 0.01). A positive strong correlation was found between postoperative osteitis and the Lund–Mackay preoperative score (p = 0.01), as well as the nasal endoscopy score (p = 0.01). Conclusions: Our research analyzed the levels of polyp IL-33, relative to blood eosinophilia, overall disease severity score, and osteitis severity, in patients with CRSwNP. These variables are prognostic predictors for poor outcomes and recalcitrant disease. Considering the importance of bone involvement in CRSwNP, this research aims to provide a better insight into the correlations of osteitis with clinical and biological factors
10 PW Peak Power Laser at the Extreme Light Infrastructure Nuclear Physics – status updates
No full textWe have shown, for the first time in the world, the production of 10 PW peak power laser pulses and their propagation to an experimental area at the Extreme Light Infrastructure - Nuclear Physics (ELI-NP). We are also steadily running the laser system for experimental campaigns, increasing the output power levels delivered for experiments and fine-tuning the parameters of the laser pulses, the operational procedures, and the operational teams. During our presentation, we will show the laser developments at ELI-NP emphasizing the 10 PW peak power demonstrations and the latest results for the HPLS beam delivery
