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  1. Acute-phase proteins: As diagnostic tool

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sachin Jain

    2011-01-01

    Full Text Available The varied reactions of the host to infection, inflammation, or trauma are collectively known as the acute-phase response and encompass a wide range of pathophysiological responses such as pyrexia, leukocytosis, hormone alterations, and muscle protein depletion combining to minimize tissue damage while enhancing the repair process. The mechanism for stimulation of hepatic production of acute-phase proteins is by proinflammatory cytokines. The functions of positive acute-phase proteins (APP are regarded as important in optimization and trapping of microorganism and their products, in activating the complement system, in binding cellular remnants like nuclear fractions, in neutralizing enzymes, scavenging free hemoglobin and radicals, and in modulating the host′s immune response. APP can be used as diagnostic tool in many diseases like bovine respiratory syncytial virus, prostate cancer, bronchopneumonia, multiple myeloma, mastitis, Streptococcus suis infection, starvation, or lymphatic neoplasia. Thus, acute-phase proteins may provide an alternative means of monitoring animal health.

  2. The porcine acute phase response to infection with Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae. Haptoglobin, C-reactive protein, major acute phase protein and serum amyloid a protein are sensitive indicators of infection

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Heegaard, Peter M. H.; Klausen, Joan; Nielsen, J.P.

    1998-01-01

    response peaking at around 2 days after infection. Haptoglobin, C-reactive protein (CRP), and major acute phase protein (MAP) responded with large increases in serum levels, preceding the development of specific antibodies by 4-5 days. Serum amyloid A protein (SAA) was also strongly induced. The increase......, kinetics of induction and normalization were different between these proteins. It is concluded that experimental Ap-infection by the aerosol route induces a typical acute phase reaction in the pig, and that pig Hp, CRP, MAP, and SAA are major acute phase reactants. These findings indicate the possibility...

  3. Acute phase protein response during acute ruminal acidosis in cattle

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Danscher, A. M.; Thoefner, M. B.; Heegaard, Peter M. H.

    2011-01-01

    The aim of the study was to describe the acute phase protein and leukocyte responses in dairy heifers during acute, oligofructose-induced ruminal acidosis. The study included 2 trials involving oral oligofructose overload (17g/kg BW) to nonpregnant Danish Holstein heifers. Trial 1 included 12...... performed.Heifers receiving oligofructose developed a profound ruminal and systemic acidosis (in Trial 1 and 2 lowest ruminal pH was 4.3±0.2 and 3.8±0.02, respectively, and minimum SBE was −9.3±4.1 and −8.9±2.8, respectively). In Trial 1, SAA concentrations were higher than baseline concentrations on all...... than control heifers at 18 and 24h after overload (max. 13.7±4.3 billions/L). Feeding had no effect on plasma fibrinogen concentrations or WBC in Trial 1.Acute ruminal and systemic acidosis caused by oligofructose overload resulted in distinct acute phase protein and leukocyte responses in dairy...

  4. Diagnostical meaning acute phase proteins in cerebrospinal liquid in children with neuroinfections

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    L. A. Alekseeva; N. V. Skripchenko; T. V. Bessonova

    2010-01-01

    In the article presented results of the examination of acute phase proteins in cerebrospinal liquid in 237 children with meningitis and encephalitis viral and bacterial etiology. The dependence between the level of acute phase proteins in cerebrospinal liquid and etiology of neuroinfectional process, the severity of brain damage and the process stage was determined. Diagnostic and prognostic efficiency of the acute phase proteins (C-reactive protein, albumin, alpha-1-antitripsin, alpha-2-macr...

  5. MDCT of acute pancreatitis: Intraindividual comparison of single-phase versus dual-phase MDCT for initial assessment of acute pancreatitis using different CT scoring systems

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    Avanesov, Maxim, E-mail: m.avanesov@uke.de [Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg (Germany); Weinrich, Julius M.; Kraus, Thomas [Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg (Germany); Derlin, Thorsten [Department of Nuclear Medicine, Hannover Medical School (Germany); Adam, Gerhard; Yamamura, Jin [Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg (Germany); Karul, Murat [Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, Marienkrankenhaus Hamburg (Germany)

    2016-11-15

    Objectives: The purpose of the retrospective study was to evaluate the additional value of dual-phase multidetector computed tomography (MDCT) protocols over a single-phase protocol on initial MDCT in patients with acute pancreatitis using three CT-based pancreatitis severity scores with regard to radiation dose. Methods: In this retrospective, IRB approved study MDCT was performed in 102 consecutive patients (73 males; 55years, IQR48–64) with acute pancreatitis. Inclusion criteria were CT findings of interstitial edematous pancreatitis (IP) or necrotizing pancreatitis (NP) and a contrast-enhanced dual-phase (arterial phase and portal-venous phase) abdominal CT performed at ≥72 h after onset of symptoms. The severity of pancreatic and extrapancreatic changes was independently assessed by 2 observers using 3 validated CT-based scoring systems (CTSI, mCTSI, EPIC). All scores were applied to arterial phase and portal venous phase scans and compared to score results of portal venous phase scans, assessed ≥14 days after initial evaluation. For effective dose estimation, volume CT dose index (CTDIvol) and dose length product (DLP) were recorded in all examinations. Results: In neither of the CT severity scores a significant difference was observed after application of a dual-phase protocol compared with a single-phase protocol (IP: CTSI: 2.7 vs. 2.5, p = 0.25; mCTSI: 4.0 vs. 4.0, p = 0.10; EPIC: 2.0 vs. 2.0, p = 0.41; NP: CTSI: 8.0 vs. 7.0, p = 0.64; mCTSI: 8.0 vs. 8.0, p = 0.10; EPIC: 3.0 vs. 3.0, p = 0.06). The application of a single-phase CT protocol was associated with a median effective dose reduction of 36% (mean dose reduction 31%) compared to a dual-phase CT scan. Conclusions: An initial dual-phase abdominal CT after ≥72 h after onset of symptoms of acute pancreatitis was not superior to a single-phase protocol for evaluation of the severity of pancreatic and extrapancreatic changes. However, the effective radiation dose may be reduced by 36% using a

  6. Diagnostical meaning acute phase proteins in cerebrospinal liquid in children with neuroinfections

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    L. A. Alekseeva

    2010-01-01

    Full Text Available In the article presented results of the examination of acute phase proteins in cerebrospinal liquid in 237 children with meningitis and encephalitis viral and bacterial etiology. The dependence between the level of acute phase proteins in cerebrospinal liquid and etiology of neuroinfectional process, the severity of brain damage and the process stage was determined. Diagnostic and prognostic efficiency of the acute phase proteins (C-reactive protein, albumin, alpha-1-antitripsin, alpha-2-macroglobulin, gaptoglobin examination in children with neuroinfections was specified. Developed method of express diagnostics of the severity of inflammatory damage of the brain in bacterial meningitis in children by determination in cerebrospinal liquid alpha-2-macroglobulin is described.

  7. Acute Phase Proteins and Variables of Protein Metabolism in Dairy Cows during the Pre- and Postpartal Period

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    Cs. Tóthová

    2008-01-01

    Full Text Available The objective of the present study was to compare the concentrations of acute phase proteins and selected variables of protein metabolism in dairy cows of the Slovak Spotted breed from 4 weeks before parturition to 10 weeks after parturition. Acute phase proteins - haptoglobin (Hp and serum amyloid A (SAA - and variables of protein metabolism - total proteins, albumin, urea, creatinine, total immunoglobulins - were evaluated in blood serum. Significant differences were found in average values of the Hp and SAA concentrations in several groups during the monitored period (P P P P P P P P P < 0.001. The above mentioned results indicate that in the time around parturition there are significant changes in concentrations of acute phase proteins, as well as in the whole protein metabolism of dairy cows. These facts suggest that the postparturient period is a critical biological phase, throughout which there is the highest incidence of metabolic disorders.

  8. Rapid and widely disseminated acute phase protein response after experimental bacterial infection of pigs

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Skovgaard, Kerstin; Mortensen, Shila; Boye, Mette

    2009-01-01

    The acute phase protein response is a well-described generalized early host response to tissue injury, inflammation and infection, observed as pronounced changes in the concentrations of a number of circulating serum proteins. The biological function of this response and its interplay with other...... parts of innate host defence reactions remain somewhat elusive. In order to gain new insight into this early host defence response in the context of bacterial infection we studied gene expression changes in peripheral lymphoid tissues as compared to hepatic expression changes, 14-18 h after lung...... with measurements of interleukin-6 and selected acute phase proteins in serum. C-reactive protein and serum amyloid A were clearly induced 14-18 h after infection. Extrahepatic expression of acute phase proteins was found to be dramatically altered as a result of the lung infection with an extrahepatic acute phase...

  9. Serum protein capillary electrophoresis and measurement of acute phase proteins in a captive cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus) population.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Depauw, Sarah; Delanghe, Joris; Whitehouse-Tedd, Katherine; Kjelgaard-Hansen, Mads; Christensen, Michelle; Hesta, Myriam; Tugirimana, Pierrot; Budd, Jane; Dermauw, Veronique; Janssens, Geert P J

    2014-09-01

    Renal and gastrointestinal pathologies are widespread in the captive cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus) population but are often diagnosed at a late stage, because diagnostic tools are limited to the evaluation of clinical signs or general blood examination. Presently, no data are available on serum proteins and acute-phase proteins in cheetahs during health or disease, although they might be important to improve health monitoring. This study aimed to quantify serum proteins by capillary electrophoresis in 80 serum samples from captive cheetahs, categorized according to health status and disease type. Moreover, serum amyloid A concentrations were measured via a turbidimetric immunoassay validated in domestic cats, whereas haptoglobin and C-reactive protein were determined by non-species-specific functional tests. Cheetahs classified as healthy had serum protein and acute phase protein concentrations within reference ranges for healthy domestic cats. In contrast, unhealthy cheetahs had higher (P cheetahs suffering from chronic kidney disease were significantly greater compared to the reportedly healthy cheetahs. Our study indicates that serum proteins in the cheetah can be analyzed by routine capillary electrophoresis, whereas acute-phase proteins can be measured using available immunoassays or non-species-specific techniques, which are also likely to be applicable in other exotic felids. Moreover, results suggest that serum amyloid A and haptoglobin are important acute-phase proteins in the diseased cheetah and highlight the need to evaluate their role as early-onset markers for disease.

  10. Optimal combinations of acute phase proteins for detecting infectious disease in pigs

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Heegaard, Peter M. H.; Stockmarr, Anders; Piñeiro, Matilde

    2011-01-01

    The acute phase protein (APP) response is an early systemic sign of disease, detected as substantial changes in APP serum concentrations and most disease states involving inflammatory reactions give rise to APP responses. To obtain a detailed picture of the general utility of porcine APPs to detect...... gondii) and one viral (porcine respiratory and reproductive syndrome virus) infection and one aseptic inflammation. Immunochemical analyses of seven APPs, four positive (C-reactive protein (CRP), haptoglobin (Hp), pig major acute phase protein (pigMAP) and serum amyloid A (SAA)) and three negative...

  11. The porcine acute phase protein response to acute clinical and subclinical experimental infection with Streptococcus suis

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Sørensen, Nanna Skall; Tegtmeier, C.; Andresen, Lars Ole

    2006-01-01

    The pig acute phase protein (APP) response to experimental Streptococcus suis (S. suis) infection was mapped by the measurement of the positive APPs C-reactive protein (CRP), serum amyloid A (SAA), haptoglobin (Hp) and major acute phase protein (pig-MAP) and the negative APPs albumin...... and apolipoprotein (Apo) A-I. The aim was to elucidate the differences in the acute phase behaviour of the individual APPs during a typical bacterial septicaemic, infection. Pigs were inoculated subcutaneously with live S. suis serotype 2 and blood was sampled before and on various days post inoculation (p...... the experiment with maximum levels around 10 times the day 0-levels, and pig-MAP was elevated on days 1-12 p.i. with peak levels of around seven times the day 0-levels. Apo A-I was decreased from days 1 to 8 and showed minimum levels of about 40% of day 0-levels around 1-2 days p.i. No clear pattern of changes...

  12. Serum acute phase protein concentrations in female dogs with mammary tumors.

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    Tecles, Fernando; Caldín, Marco; Zanella, Anna; Membiela, Francisco; Tvarijonaviciute, Asta; Subiela, Silvia Martínez; Cerón, José Joaquín

    2009-03-01

    Acute phase proteins (APPs) are proteins whose concentrations in serum change after any inflammatory stimulus or tissue damage. The aim of the current study was to evaluate 3 positive APPs (C-reactive protein, serum amyloid A, and haptoglobin) and 1 negative APP (albumin) in female dogs with mammary neoplasia. Acute phase proteins were studied in 70 female dogs aged 8-12 years in the following groups: healthy (n = 10); mammary tumors in stages I (n = 19), II (n = 5), III (n = 6), IV (n = 5), and V (n = 7); and with mammary neoplasia plus a concomitant disease (n = 18). In animals with mammary neoplasia, significant increases of positive APPs were only detected in those that had metastasis or a neoplasm with a diameter greater than 5 cm and ulceration. Dogs with mammary neoplasia and a concomitant disease also had high C-reactive protein concentrations. Albumin concentration was decreased in animals with metastasis and with a concomitant disease. The results of the present study indicate that the acute phase response could be stimulated in female dogs with mammary gland tumors because of different factors, such as metastasis, large size of the primary mass, and ulceration or secondary inflammation of the neoplasm.

  13. Relationship between Acute Phase Proteins and Serum Fatty Acid Composition in Morbidly Obese Patients

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    Fernandes, Ricardo; Beserra, Bruna Teles Soares; Cunha, Raphael Salles Granato; Hillesheim, Elaine; Camargo, Carolina de Quadros; Pequito, Danielle Cristina Tonello; de Castro, Isabela Coelho; Fernandes, Luiz Cláudio; Nunes, Everson Araújo; Trindade, Erasmo Benício Santos de Moraes

    2013-01-01

    Background. Obesity is considered a low-grade inflammatory state and has been associated with increased acute phase proteins as well as changes in serum fatty acids. Few studies have assessed associations between acute phase proteins and serum fatty acids in morbidly obese patients. Objective. To investigate the relationship between acute phase proteins (C-Reactive Protein, Orosomucoid, and Albumin) and serum fatty acids in morbidly obese patients. Methods. Twenty-two morbidly obese patients were enrolled in this study. Biochemical and clinical data were obtained before bariatric surgery, and fatty acids measured in preoperative serum. Results. Orosomucoid was negatively correlated with lauric acid (P = 0.027) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) (P = 0.037) and positively with arachidonic acid (AA) (P = 0.035), AA/EPA ratio (P = 0.005), and n-6/n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids ratio (P = 0.035). C-Reactive Protein (CRP) was negatively correlated with lauric acid (P = 0.048), and both CRP and CRP/Albumin ratio were negatively correlated with margaric acid (P = 0.010, P = 0.008, resp.). Albumin was positively correlated with EPA (P = 0.027) and margaric acid (P = 0.008). Other correlations were not statistically significant. Conclusion. Our findings suggest that serum fatty acids are linked to acute phase proteins in morbidly obese patients. PMID:24167354

  14. Targeted proteomics as a tool for porcine acute phase proteins measurements

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Marco-Ramell, Anna; Bassols, Anna; Bislev, Stine Lønnerup

    2013-01-01

    . Selected reaction monitoring (SRM), a targeted quantitative proteomic technique, may be used as an alternative to commercial kits for the measurement and validation of target proteins. Acute phase proteins (APPs) are widely recognized inflammation and infection biomarkers (Eckersall, 2010...

  15. Application of acute phase protein measurements in veterinary clinical chemistry

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Petersen, Henning; Nielsen, J. P.; Heegaard, Peter M. H.

    2004-01-01

    The body's early defence in response to trauma, inflammation or infection, the acute phase response, is a complex set of systemic reactions seen shortly after exposure to a triggering event. One of the many components is an acute phase protein response in which increased hepatic synthesis leads t...... A and their possible use as non-specific indicators of health in large animal veterinary medicine such as in the health status surveillance of pigs at the herd level, for the detection of mastitis in dairy cattle and for the prognosis of respiratory diseases in horses....

  16. Pig-MAP, porcine acute phase proteins and standardisation of assays in Europe

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Alava, M.A.; Gonzalez-Ramon, N.; Heegaard, Peter M. H.

    1997-01-01

    The pattern of plasma proteins changes greatly following infection, inflammation or tissue injury. The concentration of some proteins referred to as acute phase proteins (APPs) significantly increases within hours or days after the onset of these processes. In contrast, the concentration of other...... during the inflammation. In addition to CRP and Hp, a serum alpha(2)-globulin was observed to be the major acute phase (MAP) protein in pigs. Pig-MAP is a new mammalian plasma protein, which is the pig counterpart of a recently cloned human serum protein denominated PK-120 or MRP. Pig-MAP shows promise...... for the presence of infectious, inflammatory and pathological lesions in animals. The ability to monitor the APP concentration in serum of pigs will improve the quality and safety of the meat produced as well as provide important diagnostic information for animal health and welfare. The serum concentration of APP...

  17. Serum protein capillary electrophoresis and measurement of acute phase proteins in a captive cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus) population

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Depauw, Sarah; Delanghe, Joris; Whitehouse-Tedd, Katherine

    2014-01-01

    Renal and gastrointestinal pathologies are widespread in the captive cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus) population but are often diagnosed at a late stage, because diagnostic tools are limited to the evaluation of clinical signs or general blood examination. Presently, no data are available on serum...... proteins and acute-phase proteins in cheetahs during health or disease, although they might be important to improve health monitoring. This study aimed to quantify serum proteins by capillary electrophoresis in 80 serum samples from captive cheetahs, categorized according to health status and disease type....... Moreover, serum amyloid A concentrations were measured via a turbidimetric immunoassay validated in domestic cats, whereas haptoglobin and C-reactive protein were determined by non-species-specific functional tests. Cheetahs classified as healthy had serum protein and acute phase protein concentrations...

  18. Type 2 diabetes mellitus with early phase acute inflammatory protein on serum protein electrophoresis

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    ET Tuladhar

    2012-03-01

    Full Text Available Background: The onset of Type 2 diabetes has been associated with low grade systemic inflammation. The inflammatory status has been studied by measuring acute phase reactant proteins like hsCRP, α1- antitrypsin, α1-acid glycoprotein, ceruloplasmin, fibrinogen. Most of these acute phase reactants form α1 and α2 bands on electropherogram of serum proteins. The aim of this study was to evaluate inflammatory status in controlled and uncontrolled type 2 diabetes using cellulose acetate electrophoresis and to find the impact of glycemic status as indicated by HbA1c on inflammation process. Materials and Methods: Serum protein electrophoresis was done on serum samples of 60 cases of Diabetes [controlled and uncontrolled] using cellulose acetate paper technique. The electropherogram obtained was stained with Ponseu S and then quantitated using densitometer. Glycemic status was studied by HbA1c analysis. The density of α1and α2 bands in electropherogram were correlated with HbA1c level. Result: A significant increase in the percentage of α1 and α2 band proteins (0.765 and 0.716, p<0.001 were found with the increasing level of HbA1c. With cutoff of HbA1c 7% (American Diabetic Association recommended, the α1 and α2 serum proteins concentration are significantly higher (p<0.001 in uncontrolled diabetes mellitus compared to controlled diabetes mellitus Conclusion: Cellulose acetate electrophoresis of serum proteins show early phase acute inflammatory status in uncontrolled type 2 diabetes mellitus. The process of systemic inflammation worsens with uncontrolled glycemia as indicated by HbA1c. Inflammatory status should be studied adjunct to glycemic status. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/jpn.v2i3.6024 JPN 2012; 2(3: 211-214

  19. Usefulness of acute phase proteins for monitoring development of ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Background: Serum levels of acute phase proteins (APP) have been used to diagnose and follow up treatment of liver diseases. This study was carried out to determine the usefulness of APP to predict development of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) among Hepatitis B virus (HBV) carriers. Study design: In a prospective ...

  20. A robust quantitative solid phase immunoassay for the acute phase protein C-reactive protein (CRP) based on cytidine 5 '-diphosphocholine coupled dendrimers

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Heegaard, Peter M. H.; Pedersen, H. G.; Jensen, A. L.

    2009-01-01

    C-reactive protein (CRP) is an important acute phase protein, being used as a sensitive indicator of inflammation and infection and is also associated with the risk of cardiovascular problems. The present paper describes a robust and sensitive ELISA for CRP, based on the affinity of CRP for phosp......C-reactive protein (CRP) is an important acute phase protein, being used as a sensitive indicator of inflammation and infection and is also associated with the risk of cardiovascular problems. The present paper describes a robust and sensitive ELISA for CRP, based on the affinity of CRP...... was applied to determination of pig and human CRP using commercially available antibodies against human CRP. The assay was shown to be more sensitive than previously published immunoassays employing albumin-coupled cytidine diphosphocholine. The coating was stable for at least 30 days at room temperature...

  1. Use of activated protein C has no avail in the early phase of acute pancreatitis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Akay, Sinan; Ozutemiz, Omer; Yenisey, Cigdem; Simsek, Nilufer Genc; Yuce, Gul; Batur, Yucel

    2008-01-01

    Sepsis and acute pancreatitis have similar pathogenetic mechanisms that have been implicated in the progression of multiple organ failure. Drotrecogin alfa, an analogue of endogenous protein C, reduces mortality in clinical sepsis. Our objective was to evaluate the early therapeutic effects of activated protein C (APC) in a rat model of acute necrotizing pancreatitis. Acute necrotizing pancreatitis was induced by intraductal injection of 5% Na taurocholate. Hourly bolus injections of saline or recombinant human APC (drotrecogin alfa) was commenced via femoral venous catheter four hours after the induction of acute pancreatitis. The experiment was terminated nine hours after pancreatitis induction. Animals in group one (n=20) had a sham operation while animals in group two (n=20) received saline and animals in group three (n=20) received drotrecogin alfa boluses after acute pancreatitis induction. Pancreatic tissue for histopathologic scores and myeloperoxidase, glutathione reductase, glutathione peroxidase, and catalase activities were collected, and blood for serum amylase, urea, creatinine, and interleukin-6 measurements was withdrawn. Serum amylase activity was significantly lower in the APC treated group than the untreated group (17,435+/-432 U/L vs. 27,426+/-118 U/L, respectively). While the serum interleukin-6 concentration in the APC untreated group was significantly lower than the treated group (970+/-323 pg/mL vs. 330+/-368 pg/mL, respectively). In the early phase of acute pancreatitis, drotrecogin alfa treatment did not result in a significant improvement in oxidative and inflammatory parameters or renal functions.

  2. The onset of the progression of acute phase response mechanisms induced by extreme impacts can be followed by the decrease in blood levels of positive acute phase proteins.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Larina, Olga; Bekker, Anna

    Studies performed at space flights and earth-based simulation models detected the plasma indices of acute phase reaction (APR), i.e. the increase of APR cytokine mediators and alterations in the production of blood acute phase proteins (APP) at the initial stages of adaptation to altered gravity conditions. Acute phase response is the principal constituent of the functional activity of innate immunity system. Changes in plasma APPs contents are considered to serve the restoration of homeostasis state. According to trends of their concentration shifts at the evolving of acute phase reaction APPs are denoted as positive, neutral, or negative. Plasma concentrations of positive acute phase proteins α1-acid glycoprotein (α1-AGP), α1-antitrypsin (α1-AT), and neutral α2-macroglobulin (α2-M) were measured in human study at 12-hour antiorthostatic position (AOP) with 15° head down tilt and hypoxia experiments at 14% oxygen in pressure chamber. Both of these impacts were shown to produce alterations in the APP levels indicative for acute phase response. Nevertheless, in AOP experiment noticeable decrease in α1-AGP concentration occurred by hour 12, and even more pronounced decline of α1-AGP and α1-AT were found on hypoxia hours 12 and 36. Acute phase proteins α1-AGP and α2-M possess the features of proteinase inhibitors. This function is implemented by the formation of complexes with the molecules of proteolytic enzymes which subsequently are removed from the blood flow. Transient decrease in plasma concentrations of protease inhibitors on early phases of APR development was reported to result from the growth of plasma protease activity due to cathepsin release from activated leukocytes, which had not yet been compensated by enhanced APP synthesis. Being a carrier protein for positively charged and neutral substances, α1-AGP shows pronounced elevation in its blood content during APR development. As assumed, it is required for the transportation of the increased

  3. Effects of montelukast sodium combined with pidotimod on acute phase protein and immune function in children with acute bronchitis

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    Jing Wang

    2017-08-01

    Full Text Available Objective: To observe the effects of montelukast sodium combined with pidotimod on acute phase protein (APP and indexes of immunologic function in pediatric acute bronchitis treatment. Methods: A total of 180 cases children with acute bronchitis acted as research objects were randomly divided into control group (n=65 and observation group (n=63. On the basis of conventional therapy, control group was treated by plus pidotimod. On this base, observation group was treated with montelukast sodium. The changes of acute phase proteins (CRP, HP, a1-AAG and CER and immune function (CD3+ , CD4+ , CD8+ and CD4+ /CD8+ levels before and after treatment were observed after 2 months. Results: Before treatment, CRP, HP, a1-AAG, CER, CD3+ , CD4+ , CD8+ and CD4+ /CD8+ levels of two groups had no statistically significant difference; CRP, HP, a1-AAG, CER, and CD8+ levels of control and observation groups decreased significantly after treatment, the decreases of observation group were more obvious than that of control group, and the levels after treatment were significantly lower than that of control groups. The levels of CD3+ , CD4+ and CD4+ /CD8+ in two groups after treatment were significantly higher than those before treatment. For observation group, the levels of CD3+ , CD4+ and CD4+ /CD8+ increased more significantly after treatment, which were significantly higher than that of the control group. Conclusion: Using Montelukast sodium combined with pidotimod can effectively reduce the children's acute phase protein levels, improve immune function, which has clinical value for the treatment of children with acute bronchitis.

  4. HIV infection and drugs of abuse: role of acute phase proteins.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Samikkannu, Thangavel; Rao, Kurapati V K; Arias, Adriana Y; Kalaichezian, Aarthi; Sagar, Vidya; Yoo, Changwon; Nair, Madhavan P N

    2013-09-17

    HIV infection and drugs of abuse such as methamphetamine (METH), cocaine, and alcohol use have been identified as risk factors for triggering inflammation. Acute phase proteins such as C-reactive protein (CRP) and serum amyloid A (SAA) are the biomarkers of inflammation. Hence, the interactive effect of drugs of abuse with acute phase proteins in HIV-positive subjects was investigated. Plasma samples were utilized from 75 subjects with METH use, cocaine use, alcohol use, and HIV-positive alone and HIV-positive METH, cocaine, and alcohol users, and age-matched control subjects. The plasma CRP and SAA levels were measured by ELISA and western blot respectively and the CD4 counts were also measured. Observed results indicated that the CRP and SAA levels in HIV-positive subjects who are METH, cocaine and alcohol users were significantly higher when compared with either drugs of abuse or HIV-positive alone. The CD4 counts were also dramatically reduced in HIV-positive with drugs of abuse subjects compared with only HIV-positive subjects. These results suggest that, in HIV-positive subjects, drugs of abuse increase the levels of CRP and SAA, which may impact on the HIV infection and disease progression.

  5. Circulating microbial products and acute phase proteins as markers of pathogenesis in lymphatic filarial disease.

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    R Anuradha

    Full Text Available Lymphatic filariasis can be associated with development of serious pathology in the form of lymphedema, hydrocele, and elephantiasis in a subset of infected patients. Dysregulated host inflammatory responses leading to systemic immune activation are thought to play a central role in filarial disease pathogenesis. We measured the plasma levels of microbial translocation markers, acute phase proteins, and inflammatory cytokines in individuals with chronic filarial pathology with (CP Ag+ or without (CP Ag- active infection; with clinically asymptomatic infections (INF; and in those without infection (endemic normal [EN]. Comparisons between the two actively infected groups (CP Ag+ compared to INF and those without active infection (CP Ag- compared to EN were used preliminarily to identify markers of pathogenesis. Thereafter, we tested for group effects among all the four groups using linear models on the log transformed responses of the markers. Our data suggest that circulating levels of microbial translocation products (lipopolysaccharide and LPS-binding protein, acute phase proteins (haptoglobin and serum amyloid protein-A, and inflammatory cytokines (IL-1β, IL-12, and TNF-α are associated with pathogenesis of disease in lymphatic filarial infection and implicate an important role for circulating microbial products and acute phase proteins.

  6. Acute phase protein concentrations in serum and milk from healthy cows, cows with clinical mastitis and cows with extramammary inflammatory conditions

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Nielsen, B.H.; Jacobsen, S.; Andersen, P.H.; Niewold, T.A.; Heegaard, P.M.H.

    2004-01-01

    The concentrations of the two acute phase proteins, serum amyloid A and haptoglobin, in serum and milk were compared in 10 cows with clinical mastitis, 11 cows with extramammary inflammatory conditions and 10 clinically healthy control cows. The concentrations of both acute phase proteins were

  7. Emergence of the acute-phase protein hemopexin in jawed vertebrates

    OpenAIRE

    Dooley, Helen; Buckingham, E. Bryan; Criscitiello, Michael F.; Flajnik, Martin F.

    2010-01-01

    When released from damaged erythrocytes free heme not only provides a source of iron for invading bacteria but is also highly toxic due to its ability to catalyze free radical formation. Hemopexin (Hx) binds free heme with very high affinity and thus protects against heme toxicity, sequesters heme from pathogens, and helps conserve valuable iron. Hx is also an acute-phase serum protein (APP), whose expression is induced by inflammation. To date Hx has been identified as far back in phylogeny ...

  8. ACUTE PHASE PROTEIN INCREASE IN HIGH ALTITUDE MOUNTAINEERS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tolga Saka

    Full Text Available ABSTRACT Introduction: Many middle-aged Turks go hiking in mountains to breathe some fresh air or to maintain fitness. Objective: This study investigated the effects of regular high altitude mountain climbing on the metabolic and hematological responses of mountaineers. Methods: Hematological and biochemical parameters were studied, as well as some hormonal values of 21 mountaineers and 16 healthy age-matched sedentary volunteers. Results: The neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR was significantly lower (p<0.04 in mountaineers compared with the sedentary group. Total protein (p<0.001 and albumin (p<0.001 were lower, while the levels of ferritin (p<0.04, creatine (p<0.03 and creatine phosphokinase (p<0.01 were higher in mountaineers. Other hematological and biochemical parameters, i.e., erythrocytes, leukocytes, hemoglobin and hematocrit, did not change significantly. Conclusion: Our results show that regular exposure to high altitude increased the serum levels of some acute phase proteins with anti-inflammatory properties.

  9. Impact of Diet Supplemented by Coconut Milk on Corticosterone and Acute Phase Protein Level under High Stocking Density

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Majid SHAKERI

    2016-05-01

    Full Text Available The purpose of this study was to investigate effects of coconut milk supplementation on corticosterone and acute phase protein level under high stocking density. A total 300 Cobb 500 male chicks were placed in cages and stocked as 10 birds/cage (normal stocking density and 15 birds/cage (high stocking density. The treatments were as (i control diet and stocked at 10 and 15 birds/cage (ii control diet + 3% coconut milk from 1-42 day and stocked at 10 and 15 birds/cage (iii control diet + 5% coconut milk from 1-42 day and stocked at 10 and 15 birds/cage. On day 42, 20 birds per treatment were slaughtered to collect blood samples. The results showed higher level of corticosterone and acute phase protein level in control diet compare to other supplemented diets with coconut milk. In conclusion, coconut milk decreased the level of corticosterone and acute phase protein when chicks were subjected to high stocking density.

  10. Acute phase and transport protein synthesis in simulated infection in undernourished men using uniformly labelled Spirulina Platensis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Reeds, P.J.; Opekun, A.; Jahoor, F.; Wong, W.W.; Klein, P.D.

    1994-01-01

    Although it has been known for many years that injury and infection lead to body nitrogen loss, the reason has remained obscure. In this paper, we develop the argument that the processes that are activated during infection demand the provision of specific amino acids which have to be supplied from body protein. In particular, we show that the positive acute phase proteins are very rich in the aromatic amino acids and the exaggerated use of these amino acids (phenylalanine, tryptophan and tyrosine) in acute phase protein synthesis lead to an endogenous ''amino acid imbalance'' which restricts the use of other amino acids for tissue protein synthesis. Minimally invasive protocols, involving the administration of 15 N and 13 C-labelled amino acids for studying whole body nitrogen turnover, amino acid oxidation and plasma protein synthesis are described. (author). 22 refs, 3 tabs

  11. Acute phase proteins as diagnostic markers in horses with colic

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Pihl, Tina; Scheepers, Elrien; Sanz, Macarena

    2016-01-01

    Objective – To investigate the diagnostic potential of the concentrations of acute-phase proteins serum amyloid A (SAA), haptoglobin (Hp), and fibrinogen in blood and peritoneal fluid (PF) for differentiating horses within flammatory colic (entero-colitis and peritonitis) from those with surgical...... of the model to correctly differentiate inflammatory from surgical colic was 86% determined as area under the receiver operating characteristic curve. Adding blood parameters (WBC, PCV, total plasma protein, lactate, SAA, Hp, and fibrinogen concentrations) to the logistic model based on clinical parameters...... revealed that only WBC and SAA and fibrinogen concentrations improved the model. With SAA included in the model no additional blood parameters improved the model, and the final model had an area under the curve of 90%. Addition of PF parameters (hemolysis, total protein concentration, WBC, SAA, or Hp...

  12. Protein-energy malnutrition developing after global brain ischemia induces an atypical acute-phase response and hinders expression of GAP-43.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Smith, Shari E; Figley, Sarah A; Schreyer, David J; Paterson, Phyllis G

    2014-01-01

    Protein-energy malnutrition (PEM) is a common post-stroke problem. PEM can independently induce a systemic acute-phase response, and pre-existing malnutrition can exacerbate neuroinflammation induced by brain ischemia. In contrast, the effects of PEM developing in the post-ischemic period have not been studied. Since excessive inflammation can impede brain remodeling, we investigated the effects of post-ischemic malnutrition on neuroinflammation, the acute-phase reaction, and neuroplasticity-related proteins. Male, Sprague-Dawley rats were exposed to global forebrain ischemia using the 2-vessel occlusion model or sham surgery. The sham rats were assigned to control diet (18% protein) on day 3 after surgery, whereas the rats exposed to global ischemia were assigned to either control diet or a low protein (PEM, 2% protein) diet. Post-ischemic PEM decreased growth associated protein-43, synaptophysin and synaptosomal-associated protein-25 immunofluorescence within the hippocampal CA3 mossy fiber terminals on day 21, whereas the glial response in the hippocampal CA1 and CA3 subregions was unaltered by PEM. No systemic acute-phase reaction attributable to global ischemia was detected in control diet-fed rats, as reflected by serum concentrations of alpha-2-macroglobulin, alpha-1-acid glycoprotein, haptoglobin, and albumin. Acute exposure to the PEM regimen after global brain ischemia caused an atypical acute-phase response. PEM decreased the serum concentrations of albumin and haptoglobin on day 5, with the decreases sustained to day 21. Serum alpha-2-macroglobulin concentrations were significantly higher in malnourished rats on day 21. This provides the first direct evidence that PEM developing after brain ischemia exerts wide-ranging effects on mechanisms important to stroke recovery.

  13. Involvement of activated leukocytes in the regulation of plasma levels of acute phase proteins in microgravity simulation experiments

    Science.gov (United States)

    Larina, Olga; Bekker, Anna; Turin-Kuzmin, Alexey

    2016-07-01

    Earth-based studies of microgravity effects showed the induction of the mechanisms of acute phase reaction (APR). APR comprises the transition of stress-sensitive protein kinases of macrophages and other responsive cells into the active state and the phosphorylation of transcription factors which in turn stimulate the production of acute-phase reaction cytokines. Leukocyte activation is accompanied by the acceleration of the formation of oxygen radicals which can serve a functional indice of leukocyte cell state. The series of events at acute phase response result in selective changes in the synthesis of a number of secretory blood proteins (acute phase proteins, APPs) in liver cells thus contributing the recovery of homeostasis state in the organism. Earlier experiment with head-down tilt showed the increase in plasma concentrations of two cytokine mediators of acute phase response, tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) being the outcome of the activation of producer cells, foremost, leukocytes. In experiment with 4-day dry immersion chemiluminescent (ChL) reply of the whole blood samples to a test stimulus were studied along with the measurements of plasma levels of APPs, namely, alpha1-antitrypsin (alpha1-AT), alpha1-acid glycoprotein (alpha1-AGP), alpha2-macroglobulin (alpha2-M), ceruloplasmin (Cer), haptoglobin (Hp), C3-complement component (C3), C-reactive protein (CRP). Eight individuals aged 21.2 ± 3.2 years were the test subjects in the investigation. Protein studies showed a noticeable increase in the mean plasma levels of all APPs measured in experiment thus producing the evidence of the activation of acute phase response mechanisms while individual patterns revealed variability during the immersion period. The overall trends were similar to these in the previous immersion series. The augment in the strength of signal in stimulated light emission tests was higher after 1- and 2-day of immersion exposure than before the

  14. Hepatic acute-phase proteins control innate immune responses during infection by promoting myeloid-derived suppressor cell function

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Sander, L.E.; Sackett, S.D.; Dierssen, U.; Beraza, N.; Linke, R.; Müller, M.R.; Blander, J.M.; Tacke, F.; Trautwein, C.

    2010-01-01

    Acute-phase proteins (APPs) are an evolutionarily conserved family of proteins produced mainly in the liver in response to infection and inflammation. Despite vast pro- and antiinflammatory properties ascribed to individual APPs, their collective function during infections remains poorly defined.

  15. Hepatic acute phase proteins control innate immune responses during infection by promoting myeloid derived suppressor cell function

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Sander, Leif E.; Dutton Sackett, Sara; Dierssen, Uta; Beraza, Naiara; Linke, Reinhold P.; Muller, Michael; Magarian Blander, Julie; Tacke, Frank; Trautwein, Christian

    2010-01-01

    Acute phase proteins (APPs) are an evolutionarily conserved family of proteins produced mainly in the liver in response to infection and inflammation. Despite vast pro- and anti-inflammatory properties ascribed to individual APPs, their collective function during infections remains poorly defined.

  16. Acute Phase Proteins in Response to Dictyocaulus viviparus Infection in Calves

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Waller K Persson

    2004-06-01

    Full Text Available Three experiments were carried out to examine the acute phase response, as measured by the acute phase proteins (APP haptoglobin, serum amyloid A (SAA and fibrinogen, in calves infected with lungworm, Dictyocaulus vivparus. In addition, eosinophil counts were analysed. Three different dose models were used in 3 separate experiments: I 250 D. viviparus infective third stage larvae (L3 once daily for 2 consecutive days, II 100 D. viviparus L3 once daily for 5 consecutive days, and III 2000 L3 once. All 3 dose regimes induced elevated levels of haptoglobin, SAA and fibrinogen, although there was considerable variation both between and within experiments. A significant increase was observed in all 3 APP at one or several time points in experiment I and III, whereas in experiment II, the only significant elevation was observed for fibrinogen at one occasion. The eosinophil numbers were significantly elevated in all 3 experiments. The results show that lungworm infection can induce an acute phase response, which can be monitored by the selected APP. Elevated APP levels in combination with high numbers of eosinophils in an animal with respiratory disease may be used as an indicator of lung worm infection, and help the clinician to decide on treatment. However, high numbers of eosinophils and low levels of APP do not exclude a diagnosis of lungworm. Thus, lungworm infection may not be detected if measurements of APP are used to assess calf health in herds or individual animals.

  17. Regulation of urea synthesis during the acute phase response in rats

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Thomsen, Karen Louise; Jessen, Niels; Buch Møller, Andreas

    2013-01-01

    The acute-phase response is a catabolic event involving increased waste of amino-nitrogen (N) via hepatic urea synthesis, despite an increased need for amino-N incorporation into acute-phase proteins. This study aimed to clarify the regulation of N elimination via urea during different phases...... of the tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α)-induced acute-phase response in rats. We used four methods to study the regulation of urea synthesis: We examined urea cycle enzyme mRNA levels in liver tissue, the hepatocyte urea cycle enzyme proteins, the in vivo capacity of urea-N synthesis (CUNS), and known humoral...... regulators of CUNS at 1, 3, 24, and 72 h after TNF-α injection (25 μg/kg iv rrTNF-α) in rats. Serum acute-phase proteins and their liver mRNA levels were also measured. The urea cycle enzyme mRNA levels acutely decreased and then gradually normalized, whereas the urea cycle enzyme proteins remained...

  18. MODIFIED ALVARADO SCORING IN ACUTE APPENDICITIS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Varadarajan Sujath

    2016-12-01

    Full Text Available BACKGROUND Acute appendicitis is one of the most common surgical emergencies with a lifetime presentation of approximately 1 in 7. Its incidence is 1.5-1.9/1000 in males and females. Surgery for acute appendicitis is based on history, clinical examination and laboratory investigations (e.g. WBC count. Imaging techniques add very little to the efficacy in the diagnosis of appendix. A negative appendicectomy rate of 20-40% has been reported in literature. A difficulty in diagnosis is experienced in very young patients and females of reproductive age. The diagnostic accuracy in assessing acute appendicitis has not improved in spite of rapid advances in management. MATERIALS AND METHODS The modified Alvarado score was applied and assessed for its accuracy in preparation diagnosis of acute appendicitis in 50 patients. The aim of our study is to understand the various presentations of acute appendicitis including the age and gender incidence and the application of the modified Alvarado scoring system in our hospital setup and assessment of the efficacy of the score. RESULTS Our study shows that most involved age group is 3 rd decade with male preponderance. On application of Alvarado score, nausea and vomiting present in 50% and anorexia in 30%, leucocytosis was found in 75% of cases. Sensitivity and specificity of our study were 65% and 40% respectively with positive predictive value of 85% and negative predictive value of 15%. CONCLUSION This study showed that clinical scoring like the Alvarado score can be a cheap and quick tool to apply in emergency departments to rule out acute appendicitis. The implementation of modified Alvarado score is simple and cost effective.

  19. Value of Quantitative Collateral Scoring on CT Angiography in Patients with Acute Ischemic Stroke.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Boers, A M M; Sales Barros, R; Jansen, I G H; Berkhemer, O A; Beenen, L F M; Menon, B K; Dippel, D W J; van der Lugt, A; van Zwam, W H; Roos, Y B W E M; van Oostenbrugge, R J; Slump, C H; Majoie, C B L M; Marquering, H A

    2018-06-01

    Many studies have emphasized the relevance of collateral flow in patients presenting with acute ischemic stroke. Our aim was to evaluate the relationship of the quantitative collateral score on baseline CTA with the outcome of patients with acute ischemic stroke and test whether the timing of the CTA acquisition influences this relationship. From the Multicenter Randomized Clinical Trial of Endovascular Treatment of Acute Ischemic Stroke in the Netherlands (MR CLEAN) data base, all baseline thin-slice CTA images of patients with acute ischemic stroke with intracranial large-vessel occlusion were retrospectively collected. The quantitative collateral score was calculated as the ratio of the vascular appearance of both hemispheres and was compared with the visual collateral score. Primary outcomes were 90-day mRS score and follow-up infarct volume. The relation with outcome and the association with treatment effect were estimated. The influence of the CTA acquisition phase on the relation of collateral scores with outcome was determined. A total of 442 patients were included. The quantitative collateral score strongly correlated with the visual collateral score (ρ = 0.75) and was an independent predictor of mRS (adjusted odds ratio = 0.81; 95% CI, .77-.86) and follow-up infarct volume (exponent β = 0.88; P quantitative collateral score showed areas under the curve of 0.71 and 0.69 for predicting functional independence (mRS 0-2) and follow-up infarct volume of >90 mL, respectively. We found significant interaction of the quantitative collateral score with the endovascular therapy effect in unadjusted analysis on the full ordinal mRS scale ( P = .048) and on functional independence ( P = .049). Modification of the quantitative collateral score by acquisition phase on outcome was significant (mRS: P = .004; follow-up infarct volume: P quantitative collateral scoring in patients with acute ischemic stroke is a reliable and user-independent measure of the collateral

  20. Acute phase proteins in cattle after exposure to complex stress

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Lomborg, S. R.; Nielsen, L. R.; Heegaard, Peter M. H.

    2008-01-01

    Abstract Stressors such as weaning, mixing and transportation have been shown to lead to increased blood concentrations of acute phase proteins (APP), including serum amyloid A (SAA) and haptoglobin, in calves. This study was therefore undertaken to assess whether SAA and haptoglobin levels...... concentrations of SAA and haptoglobin increased significantly in response to the stressors (P...... in blood mirror stress in adult cattle. Six clinically healthy Holstein cows and two Holstein heifers were transported for four to six hours to a research facility, where each animal was housed in solitary tie stalls. Blood samples for evaluation of leukocyte counts and serum SAA and haptoglobin...

  1. The acute phase response and exercise: court and field sports

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fallon, K; Fallon, S; Boston, T

    2001-01-01

    Objective—To determine the presence or absence of an acute phase response after training for court and field sports. Participants—All members of the Australian women's soccer team (n = 18) and all members of the Australian Institute of Sport netball team (n = 14). Methods—Twelve acute phase reactants (white blood cell count, neutrophil count, platelet count, serum iron, ferritin, and transferrin, percentage transferrin saturation, α1 antitrypsin, caeruloplasmin, α2 acid glycoprotein, C reactive protein, and erythrocyte sedimentation rate) were measured during a rest period and after moderate and heavy training weeks in members of elite netball and women's soccer teams. Results—Responses consistent with an acute phase response were found in five of 24 tests in the soccer players, and in three of 24 tests in the netball players. Responses in the opposite direction were found in seven of 24 tests in the soccer players and two of 24 tests in the netballers. The most sensitive reactant measured, C reactive protein, did not respond in a manner typical of an acute phase response. Conclusion—An acute phase response does not seem to occur as a consequence of the levels of training typical of elite female netball and soccer teams. This has implications for the interpretation of biochemical variables in these groups. Key Words: acute phase response; iron; plasma proteins; inflammation PMID:11375875

  2. [Examination of acute phase proteins concentrations in children with allergic rhinitis].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Steiner, Iwona; Sobieska, Magdalena; Pucher, Beata; Grzegorowski, Michał; Samborski, Włodzimierz

    2006-01-01

    Allergic rhinitis is an inflammatory disorder of upper respiratory tract (about 15 per cent of the population in industrialized countries suffer from this condition), characterized by frequent sneezing and a runny or stuffy nose sometimes accompanied by watery eyes. As the most common allergic condition, allergic rhinitis affects people of all ages. Boys are twice as likely to get allergic rhinitis than girls. The median age of onset of the condition is 10 years old, meaning that equal numbers of children develop the condition before and after age 10. Symptoms usually appear in childhood first and then lessen by the age of 30 or 40. Seasonal allergic rhinitis usually results from tree, grass or weed pollen. With this type of rhinitis, symptoms will decrease with the arrival of cold weather. Perennial allergic rhinitis can cause year-round symptoms. This allergic reaction is the result of indoor irritants such as feathers, mold spores, animal dander (hair and skin shed by pets) or dust mites. It is often aggravated by a food allergy, the most common being an allergy to milk. Acute phase proteins (APP) belong to the most ancient part of the unspecific immunity and contribute markedly to the keeping of homeostasis. As much as 30 various proteins are for the moment regarded as APP. Being multifunctional regulators and effectors APP stay in multiple relations to practically all types of cells and molecules. Among APP following functional groups may be described: transport proteins (transferrin, ceruloplasmin and haptoglobin), clotting factors (fibrinogen), antiproteases (alpha1-antitrypsin, alpha1-antichymotrypsin, alpha2-macroglobulin), complement components (C3, C4) and several proteins of hardly known function, like C-reactive protein (CRP), serum amyloid A, acid alpha1-glycoprotein (AGP) and others. From a group of 32 children, aged from 5 to 14 years, with symptoms of seasonal allergic rhinitis, and from a control group of 10 healthy children sex and age matched

  3. Effects of glucocorticoid combined with antibiotics on serum infection indexes, acute phase proteins and stress hormones in patients with severe pneumonia

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yang Yu

    2017-10-01

    Full Text Available Objective: To study the effects of glucocorticoid combined with antibiotics on serum infection indexes, acute phase proteins and stress hormones in patients with severe pneumonia. Methods: a total of 80 patients with severe pneumonia who were hospitalized between August 2014 and January 2017 were retrospectively analyzed and divided into the routine treatment group (n=46 who received conventional antibiotic therapy and the combined treatment group (n=34 who received glucocorticoid combined with antibiotic therapy, and the differences in infection indexes, acute proteins and stress hormones were compared between the two groups of patients before and after treatment. Results: The differences in serum levels of infection indexes, acute phase proteins and stress hormones were not statistically significant between the two groups before treatment. After 1 week of treatment, serum infection indexes CRP and PCT levels of observation group were lower than those of control group; serum acute phase proteins α1-AT, α1-AG and CER levels were lower than those of control group; serum stress hormones Cor, AngⅠ and AngⅡ levels were lower than those of control group. Conclusion: Glucocorticoid combined with antibiotics can effectively inhibit systemic infection and stress and optimize the illness in patients with severe pneumonia.

  4. ITIH4 (inter-alpha-trypsin inhibitor heavy chain 4) is a new acute-phase protein isolated from cattle during experimental infection

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Pineiro, M.; Andres, M.; Iturralde, M.

    2004-01-01

    We have isolated from calf serum a protein with an apparent M, of 120,000. The protein was detected by using antibodies against major acute-phase protein in pigs with acute inflammation. The amino acid sequence of an internal fragment revealed that this protein is the bovine counterpart of ITIH4......, and Peptostreptococcus indolicus to induce an acute-phase reaction. All animals developed moderate to severe clinical mastitis and exhibited remarkable increases in ITIH4 concentration in serum (from 3 to 12 times the initial values, peaking at 48 to 72 h after infection) that correlated with the severity of the disease....... Animals with experimental infections with bovine respiratory syncytial virus (BRSV) also showed increases in ITIH4 concentration (from two- to fivefold), which peaked at around 7 to 8 days after inoculation. Generally, no response was seen after a second infection of the same animals with the virus...

  5. Acute phase proteins in bovine milk in an experimental model of Staphylococcus aureus subclinical mastitis

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Eckersall, P D; Young, F J; Nolan, A M

    2006-01-01

    and serum amyloid A increase in serum during mastitis. The concentrations of these proteins were determined in an experimental model using a field strain of Staphylococcus aureus to induce subclinical mastitis in dairy cows. The expression of mRNA coding for these proteins was assessed and the presence of M......The objectives were to establish the origin of 2 acute phase proteins in milk during subclinical bovine mastitis and to characterize the relationship between those proteins in milk and blood. Haptoglobin (Hp) and mammary-associated serum amyloid A (M-SAA3) appear in milk during mastitis, whereas Hp...

  6. Does C-reactive Protein Add Prognostic Value to GRACE Score in Acute Coronary Syndromes?

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Correia, Luis Cláudio Lemos; Vasconcelos, Isis; Garcia, Guilherme; Kalil, Felipe; Ferreira, Felipe; Silva, André; Oliveira, Ruan; Carvalhal, Manuela; Freitas, Caio; Noya-Rabelo, Márcia Maria

    2014-01-01

    The incremental prognostic value of plasma levels of C-reactive protein (CRP) in relation to GRACE score has not been established in patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) with non-ST segment elevation. To test the hypothesis that CRP measurements at admission increases the prognostic value of GRACE score in patients with ACS. A total of 290 subjects, consecutively admitted for ACS, with plasma material obtained upon admission CRP measurement using a high-sensitivity method (nephelometry) were studied. Cardiovascular outcomes during hospitalization were defined by the combination of death, nonfatal myocardial infarction or nonfatal refractory angina. The incidence of cardiovascular events during hospitalization was 15% (18 deaths, 11 myocardial infarctions, 13 angina episodes) with CRP showing C-statistics of 0.60 (95% CI = 0.51-0.70, p = 0.034) in predicting these outcomes. After adjustment for the GRACE score, elevated CRP (defined as the best cutoff point) tended to be associated with hospital events (OR = 1.89, 95% CI = 0.92 to 3.88, p = 0.08). However, the addition of the variable elevated CRP in the GRACE model did not result in significant increase in C-statistics, which ranged from 0.705 to 0.718 (p = 0.46). Similarly, there was no significant reclassification of risk with the addition of CRP in the predictor model (net reclassification = 5.7 %, p = 0.15). Although CRP is associated with hospital outcomes, this inflammatory marker does not increase the prognostic value of the GRACE score

  7. Does C-reactive Protein Add Prognostic Value to GRACE Score in Acute Coronary Syndromes?

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Correia, Luis Cláudio Lemos, E-mail: lccorreia@terra.com.br; Vasconcelos, Isis; Garcia, Guilherme; Kalil, Felipe; Ferreira, Felipe; Silva, André; Oliveira, Ruan; Carvalhal, Manuela; Freitas, Caio; Noya-Rabelo, Márcia Maria [Escola Bahiana de Medicina e Saúde Pública, Salvador, BA (Brazil); Hospital São Rafael, Salvador, BA (Brazil)

    2014-05-15

    The incremental prognostic value of plasma levels of C-reactive protein (CRP) in relation to GRACE score has not been established in patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) with non-ST segment elevation. To test the hypothesis that CRP measurements at admission increases the prognostic value of GRACE score in patients with ACS. A total of 290 subjects, consecutively admitted for ACS, with plasma material obtained upon admission CRP measurement using a high-sensitivity method (nephelometry) were studied. Cardiovascular outcomes during hospitalization were defined by the combination of death, nonfatal myocardial infarction or nonfatal refractory angina. The incidence of cardiovascular events during hospitalization was 15% (18 deaths, 11 myocardial infarctions, 13 angina episodes) with CRP showing C-statistics of 0.60 (95% CI = 0.51-0.70, p = 0.034) in predicting these outcomes. After adjustment for the GRACE score, elevated CRP (defined as the best cutoff point) tended to be associated with hospital events (OR = 1.89, 95% CI = 0.92 to 3.88, p = 0.08). However, the addition of the variable elevated CRP in the GRACE model did not result in significant increase in C-statistics, which ranged from 0.705 to 0.718 (p = 0.46). Similarly, there was no significant reclassification of risk with the addition of CRP in the predictor model (net reclassification = 5.7 %, p = 0.15). Although CRP is associated with hospital outcomes, this inflammatory marker does not increase the prognostic value of the GRACE score.

  8. A comparison between modified Alvarado score and RIPASA score in the diagnosis of acute appendicitis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Singla, Anand; Singla, Satpaul; Singh, Mohinder; Singla, Deeksha

    2016-12-01

    Acute appendicitis is a common but elusive surgical condition and remains a diagnostic dilemma. It has many clinical mimickers and diagnosis is primarily made on clinical grounds, leading to the evolution of clinical scoring systems for pin pointing the right diagnosis. The modified Alvarado and RIPASA scoring systems are two important scoring systems, for diagnosis of acute appendicitis. We prospectively compared the two scoring systems for diagnosing acute appendicitis in 50 patients presenting with right iliac fossa pain. The RIPASA score correctly classified 88 % of patients with histologically confirmed acute appendicitis compared with 48.0 % with modified Alvarado score, indicating that RIPASA score is more superior to Modified Alvarado score in our clinical settings.

  9. Acute phase protein concentrations in serum and milk from healthy cows, cows with clinical mastitis and cows with extramammary inflammatory conditions

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Nielsen, B.H.; Jacobsen, S.; Andersen, P.H.

    2004-01-01

    The concentrations of the two acute phase proteins, serum amyloid A and haptoglobin, in serum and milk were compared in 10 cows with clinical mastitis, 11 cows with extramammary inflammatory conditions and 10 clinically healthy control cows. The concentrations of both acute phase proteins were...... higher in the serum and milk of the cows with mastitis than in the cows in the other two groups. Four of the cows with extramammary inflammatory conditions had serum amyloid A concentrations in serum above 100 mug/ml, but negligible concentrations in milk, indicating that a pathogen must be present...

  10. Effects of anabolic steroids on acute phase responses in intra-abdominal sepsis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    K. Mealy

    1997-01-01

    Full Text Available The acute phase response is an important adaptive response to sepsis and injury. As anabolic steroids increase protein synthesis we postulated that these agents might also increase hepatic acute phase protein synthesis. Male Wistar rats were pretreated with testosterone or danazol for 48 h prior to caecal ligation and puncture (CLP. Thirty-six h following surgery the animals were killed and blood taken for full blood count, total protein, albumin, α, β and γ globulin fractions on serum electrophoresis, complement C3 and transferrin levels. Danazol increased the α1, α2 and β1 globulin serum protein fractions in comparison with no surgery and CLP alone groups. These results indicate that danazol increases plasma acute phase proteins, as measured by electrophoresis, in this model of intra-abdominal sepsis.

  11. The effect of chronic ammonia exposure on acute phase proteins, immunoglobulin and cytokines in laying hens

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ammonia is a potential health hazard to both humans and animals, causing systemic low-grade inflammation based on its levels and durations. The objective of this study was to examine the effect of 45 weeks of exposure to 30 ppm NH3 on the concentrations of acute phase proteins, immunoglobulins and c...

  12. Acute-phase reactants in periodontal disease: current concepts and future implications.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Archana, Vilasan; Ambili, Ranjith; Nisha, Krishnavilasam Jayakumary; Seba, Abraham; Preeja, Chandran

    2015-05-01

    Periodontal disease has been linked to adverse cardiovascular events by unknown mechanisms. C-reactive protein is a systemic marker released during the acute phase of an inflammatory response and is a prognostic marker for cardiovascular disease, with elevated serum levels being reported during periodontal disease. Studies also reported elevated levels of various other acute-phase reactants in periodontal disease. It has been reported extensively in the literature that treatment of periodontal infections can significantly lower serum levels of C-reactive protein. Therefore, an understanding of the relationship between acute-phase response and the progression of periodontal disease and other systemic health complications would have a profound effect on the periodontal treatment strategies. In view of this fact, the present review highlights an overview of acute-phase reactants and their role in periodontal disease. © 2014 Wiley Publishing Asia Pty Ltd.

  13. Acute Phase Proteins and their Relation to Energy Metabolites in Dairy Cows during the Pre- and Postpartal Period

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Gabriel Kováč

    2009-01-01

    Full Text Available The objective of this study was to evaluate the concentrations of selected acute phase proteins – haptoglobin (Hp and serum amyloid A (SAA, and selected variables of energy metabolism in blood serum of dairy cows during different stages of the pre- and postpartal period. The analyses were performed in dairy cows of the Slovak spotted breed and its crossbreeds (n = 57. The cows were divided into 9 groups according to the evaluated part of reproduction cycle – from 4 weeks before parturition to 10 weeks after parturition. Significant differences were found in mean Hp and SAA concentrations during the monitored period (P P P P P P P < 0.001. Moreover, significant correlations were found between Hp and non-esterified fatty acids, Hp and β-hydroxybutyrate, as well as between SAA and non-esterified fatty acids. Our results indicate that the acute phase response occurs in cows around parturition, and suggest that there are relationships between mediators of immune response and several indices of energy metabolism. Our results also suggest that in cows with higher concentrations of non-esterified fatty acids, indicating a certain degree of lipid mobilisation, higher values of acute phase proteins may be found.

  14. Acute phase proteins in dogs naturally infected with the Giant Kidney Worm (Dioctophyme renale)

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Schmidt, Elizabeth M. S.; Kjelgaard-Hansen, Mads; Thomas, Funmilola

    2016-01-01

    of nephrectomy on circulating concentrations of select acute phase proteins (APP) such as serum amyloid A (SAA), C-reactive protein (CRP), and haptoglobin(HP). Methods: Nephrectomy was performed in infected dogs and the worms were collected for identification. Blood samples were taken 24 hours before surgery...... the 12 dogs evaluated in this study. Dogs showed significantly increased HP concentrations(P SAA concentrations before surgery, and cortisol concentrations were significantly higher at admission when compared to recovery. No significant correlations were found between the number...

  15. Activation of the protein tyrosine phosphatase SHP2 via the interleukin-6 signal transducing receptor protein gp130 requires tyrosine kinase Jak1 and limits acute-phase protein expression.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schaper, F; Gendo, C; Eck, M; Schmitz, J; Grimm, C; Anhuf, D; Kerr, I M; Heinrich, P C

    1998-11-01

    Stimulation of the interleukin-6 (IL-6) signalling pathway occurs via the IL-6 receptor-glycoprotein 130 (IL-6R-gp130) receptor complex and results in the regulation of acute-phase protein genes in liver cells. Ligand binding to the receptor complex leads to tyrosine phosphorylation and activation of Janus kinases (Jak), phosphorylation of the signal transducing subunit gp130, followed by recruitment and phosphorylation of the signal transducer and activator of transcription factors STAT3 and STAT1 and the src homology domain (SH2)-containing protein tyrosine phosphatase (SHP2). The tyrosine phosphorylated STAT factors dissociate from the receptor, dimerize and translocate to the nucleus where they bind to enhancer sequences of IL-6 target genes. Phosphorylated SHP2 is able to bind growth factor receptor bound protein (grb2) and thus might link the Jak/STAT pathway to the ras/raf/mitogen-activated protein kinase pathway. Here we present data on the dose-dependence, kinetics and kinase requirements for SHP2 phosphorylation after the activation of the signal transducer, gp130, of the IL-6-type family receptor complex. When human fibrosarcoma cell lines deficient in Jak1, Jak2 or tyrosine kinase 2 (Tyk2) were stimulated with IL-6-soluble IL-6R complexes it was found that only in Jak1-, but not in Jak 2- or Tyk2-deficient cells, SHP2 activation was greatly impaired. It is concluded that Jak1 is required for the tyrosine phosphorylation of SHP2. This phosphorylation depends on Tyr-759 in the cytoplasmatic domain of gp130, since a Tyr-759-->Phe exchange abrogates SHP2 activation and in turn leads to elevated and prolonged STAT3 and STAT1 activation as well as enhanced acute-phase protein gene induction. Therefore, SHP2 plays an important role in acute-phase gene regulation.

  16. THE PANC 3 SCORE PREDICTING SEVERITY OF ACUTE PANCREATITIS.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Beduschi, Murilo Gamba; Mello, André Luiz Parizi; VON-Mühlen, Bruno; Franzon, Orli

    2016-03-01

    About 20% of cases of acute pancreatitis progress to a severe form, leading to high mortality rates. Several studies suggested methods to identify patients that will progress more severely. However, most studies present problems when used on daily practice. To assess the efficacy of the PANC 3 score to predict acute pancreatitis severity and its relation to clinical outcome. Acute pancreatitis patients were assessed as to sex, age, body mass index (BMI), etiology of pancreatitis, intensive care need, length of stay, length of stay in intensive care unit and mortality. The PANC 3 score was determined within the first 24 hours after diagnosis and compared to acute pancreatitis grade of the Revised Atlanta classification. Out of 64 patients diagnosed with acute pancreatitis, 58 met the inclusion criteria. The PANC 3 score was positive in five cases (8.6%), pancreatitis progressed to a severe form in 10 cases (17.2%) and five patients (8.6%) died. Patients with a positive score and severe pancreatitis required intensive care more often, and stayed for a longer period in intensive care units. The PANC 3 score showed sensitivity of 50%, specificity of 100%, accuracy of 91.4%, positive predictive value of 100% and negative predictive value of 90.6% in prediction of severe acute pancreatitis. The PANC 3 score is useful to assess acute pancreatitis because it is easy and quick to use, has high specificity, high accuracy and high predictive value in prediction of severe acute pancreatitis.

  17. Acute Radiation Syndrome Severity Score System in Mouse Total-Body Irradiation Model.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ossetrova, Natalia I; Ney, Patrick H; Condliffe, Donald P; Krasnopolsky, Katya; Hieber, Kevin P

    2016-08-01

    Radiation accidents or terrorist attacks can result in serious consequences for the civilian population and for military personnel responding to such emergencies. The early medical management situation requires quantitative indications for early initiation of cytokine therapy in individuals exposed to life-threatening radiation doses and effective triage tools for first responders in mass-casualty radiological incidents. Previously established animal (Mus musculus, Macaca mulatta) total-body irradiation (γ-exposure) models have evaluated a panel of radiation-responsive proteins that, together with peripheral blood cell counts, create a multiparametic dose-predictive algorithm with a threshold for detection of ~1 Gy from 1 to 7 d after exposure as well as demonstrate the acute radiation syndrome severity score systems created similar to the Medical Treatment Protocols for Radiation Accident Victims developed by Fliedner and colleagues. The authors present a further demonstration of the acute radiation sickness severity score system in a mouse (CD2F1, males) TBI model (1-14 Gy, Co γ-rays at 0.6 Gy min) based on multiple biodosimetric endpoints. This includes the acute radiation sickness severity Observational Grading System, survival rate, weight changes, temperature, peripheral blood cell counts and radiation-responsive protein expression profile: Flt-3 ligand, interleukin 6, granulocyte-colony stimulating factor, thrombopoietin, erythropoietin, and serum amyloid A. Results show that use of the multiple-parameter severity score system facilitates identification of animals requiring enhanced monitoring after irradiation and that proteomics are a complementary approach to conventional biodosimetry for early assessment of radiation exposure, enhancing accuracy and discrimination index for acute radiation sickness response categories and early prediction of outcome.

  18. Soetomo score: score model in early identification of acute haemorrhagic stroke

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    Moh Hasan Machfoed

    2016-06-01

    Full Text Available Aim of the study: On financial or facility constraints of brain imaging, score model is used to predict the occurrence of acute haemorrhagic stroke. Accordingly, this study attempts to develop a new score model, called Soetomo score. Material and methods: The researchers performed a cross-sectional study of 176 acute stroke patients with onset of ≤24 hours who visited emergency unit of Dr. Soetomo Hospital from July 14th to December 14th, 2014. The diagnosis of haemorrhagic stroke was confirmed by head computed tomography scan. There were seven predictors of haemorrhagic stroke which were analysed by using bivariate and multivariate analyses. Furthermore, a multiple discriminant analysis resulted in an equation of Soetomo score model. The receiver operating characteristic procedure resulted in the values of area under curve and intersection point identifying haemorrhagic stroke. Afterward, the diagnostic test value was determined. Results: The equation of Soetomo score model was (3 × loss of consciousness + (3.5 × headache + (4 × vomiting − 4.5. Area under curve value of this score was 88.5% (95% confidence interval = 83.3–93.7%. In the Soetomo score model value of ≥−0.75, the score reached the sensitivity of 82.9%, specificity of 83%, positive predictive value of 78.8%, negative predictive value of 86.5%, positive likelihood ratio of 4.88, negative likelihood ratio of 0.21, false negative of 17.1%, false positive of 17%, and accuracy of 83%. Conclusions: The Soetomo score model value of ≥−0.75 can identify acute haemorrhagic stroke properly on the financial or facility constrains of brain imaging.

  19. Emergence of the acute-phase protein hemopexin in jawed vertebrates.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dooley, Helen; Buckingham, E Bryan; Criscitiello, Michael F; Flajnik, Martin F

    2010-01-01

    When released from damaged erythrocytes free heme not only provides a source of iron for invading bacteria but also highly toxic due to its ability to catalyze free radical formation. Hemopexin (Hx) binds free heme with very high-affinity and thus protects against heme toxicity, sequesters heme from pathogens, and helps conserve valuable iron. Hx is also an acute-phase serum protein (APP), whose expression is induced by inflammation. To date Hx has been identified as far back in phylogeny as bony fish where it is called warm-temperature acclimation-related 65 kDa protein (WAP65), as serum protein levels are increased at elevated environmental temperatures as well as by infection. During analysis of nurse shark (Ginglymostoma cirratum) plasma we isolated a Ni(2+)-binding serum glycoprotein and characterized it as the APP Hx. We subsequently cloned Hx from nurse shark and another cartilaginous fish species, the little skate Leucoraja erinacea. Functional analysis showed shark Hx, like that of mammals, binds heme but is found at unusually high levels in normal shark serum. As an Hx orthologue could not be found in the genomes of jawless vertebrates or lower deuterostomes it appears to have arisen just prior to the emergence of jawed vertebrates, coincident with the second round of genome-wide duplication and the appearance of tetrameric hemoglobin (Hb). Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  20. SIRS score on admission and initial concentration of IL-6 as severe acute pancreatitis outcome predictors.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gregoric, Pavle; Pavle, Gregoric; Sijacki, Ana; Ana, Sijacki; Stankovic, Sanja; Sanja, Stankovic; Radenkovic, Dejan; Dejan, Radenkovic; Ivancevic, Nenad; Nenad, Ivancevic; Karamarkovic, Aleksandar; Aleksandar, Karamarkovic; Popovic, Nada; Nada, Popovic; Karadzic, Borivoje; Borivoje, Karadzic; Stijak, Lazar; Stefanovic, Branislav; Branislav, Stefanovic; Milosevic, Zoran; Zoran, Milosević; Bajec, Djordje; Djordje, Bajec

    2010-01-01

    Early recognition of severe form of acute pancreatitis is important because these patients need more agressive diagnostic and therapeutical approach an can develope systemic complications such as: sepsis, coagulopathy, Acute Lung Injury (ALI), Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS), Multiple Organ Dysfunction Syndrome (MODS), Multiple Organ Failure (MOF). To determine role of the combination of Systemic Inflammatory Response Syndrome (SIRS) score and serum Interleukin-6 (IL-6) level on admission as predictor of illness severity and outcome of Severe Acute Pancreatitis (SAP). We evaluated 234 patients with first onset of SAP appears in last twenty four hours. A total of 77 (33%) patients died. SIRS score and serum IL-6 concentration were measured in first hour after admission. In 105 patients with SIRS score 3 and higher, initial measured IL-6 levels were significantly higher than in the group of remaining 129 patients (72 +/- 67 pg/mL, vs 18 +/- 15 pg/mL). All nonsurvivals were in the first group, with SIRS score 3 and 4 and initial IL-6 concentration 113 +/- 27 pg/mL. The values of C-reactive Protein (CRP) measured after 48h, Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation (APACHE II) score on admission and Ranson score showed the similar correlation, but serum amylase level did not correlate significantly with Ranson score, IL-6 concentration and APACHE II score. The combination of SIRS score on admission and IL-6 serum concentration can be early, predictor of illness severity and outcome in SAP.

  1. Mass-spectrometric identification of T-kininogen I/thiostatin as an acute-phase inflammatory protein suppressed by curcumin and capsaicin.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Joe, Bina; Nagaraju, Anitha; Gowda, Lalitha R; Basrur, Venkatesha; Lokesh, Belur R

    2014-01-01

    Curcumin and capsaicin are dietary xenobiotics with well-documented anti-inflammatory properties. Previously, the beneficial effect of these spice principles in lowering chronic inflammation was demonstrated using a rat experimental model for arthritis. The extent of lowering of arthritic index by the spice principles was associated with a significant shift in macrophage function favoring the reduction of pro-inflammatory molecules such as reactive oxygen species and production and release of anti-inflammatory metabolites of arachidonic acid. Beyond the cellular effects on macrophage function, oral administration of curcumin and capsaicin caused alterations in serum protein profiles of rats injected with adjuvant to develop arthritis. Specifically, a 72 kDa acidic glycoprotein, GpA72, which was elevated in pre-arthritic rats, was significantly lowered by feeding either curcumin or capsaicin to the rats. Employing the tandem mass spectrometric approach for direct sequencing of peptides, here we report the identification of GpA72 as T-kininogen I also known as Thiostatin. Since T-kininogen I is an early acute-phase protein, we additionally tested the efficiency of curcumin and capsaicin to mediate the inflammatory response in an acute phase model. The results demonstrate that curcumin and capsaicin lower the acute-phase inflammatory response, the molecular mechanism for which is, in part, mediated by pathways associated with the lowering of T-kininogen I.

  2. Mass-spectrometric identification of T-kininogen I/thiostatin as an acute-phase inflammatory protein suppressed by curcumin and capsaicin.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Bina Joe

    Full Text Available Curcumin and capsaicin are dietary xenobiotics with well-documented anti-inflammatory properties. Previously, the beneficial effect of these spice principles in lowering chronic inflammation was demonstrated using a rat experimental model for arthritis. The extent of lowering of arthritic index by the spice principles was associated with a significant shift in macrophage function favoring the reduction of pro-inflammatory molecules such as reactive oxygen species and production and release of anti-inflammatory metabolites of arachidonic acid. Beyond the cellular effects on macrophage function, oral administration of curcumin and capsaicin caused alterations in serum protein profiles of rats injected with adjuvant to develop arthritis. Specifically, a 72 kDa acidic glycoprotein, GpA72, which was elevated in pre-arthritic rats, was significantly lowered by feeding either curcumin or capsaicin to the rats. Employing the tandem mass spectrometric approach for direct sequencing of peptides, here we report the identification of GpA72 as T-kininogen I also known as Thiostatin. Since T-kininogen I is an early acute-phase protein, we additionally tested the efficiency of curcumin and capsaicin to mediate the inflammatory response in an acute phase model. The results demonstrate that curcumin and capsaicin lower the acute-phase inflammatory response, the molecular mechanism for which is, in part, mediated by pathways associated with the lowering of T-kininogen I.

  3. Role of bedside index for severity of acute pancreatitis (bisap score in predicting outcome in acute pancreatitis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Shahnawaz Bashir Bhat

    2015-12-01

    Full Text Available Objective: To investigate the role of Bedside index for severity of acute pancreatitis (BISAP score in predicting the outcome of acute pancreatitis. Methods: This single hospital based prospective study included fifty patients of acute pancreatitis admitted within 48 hours of onset of symptoms, who were divided into two groups according to admission BISAP score. BISAP score 3 (severe acute pancreatitis. The ability of BISAP score to predict mortality, morbidity and hospital stay in acute pancreatitis patients was analyzed. Results: A BISAP score of >3 was associated with increased risk of development of transient organ failure, persistent organ failure and pancreatic necrosis (Statistically significant. Mortality in group with BISAP and #8805;3 was 23.5% (4 patients which was statistically higher than group with BISAP score and #706;3 (0 patients (p=0.019.The mean duration of hospital stay of patients in group with BISAP score < 3 was 7.58 +/- 4.04 days and in group with BISAP score and #8805;3 was 15.35 +/- 1.66.(p=0.02. Conclusion: Bedside index for severity in acute pancreatitis (BISAP score, at admission is an excellent score in predicting the mortality, morbidity and hospital stay and hence management protocol in patients admitted with acute pancreatitis. [J Contemp Med 2015; 5(4.000: 215-220

  4. Multi-walled carbon nanotube-physicochemical properties predict the systemic acute phase response following pulmonary exposure in mice

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Poulsen, Sarah Søs; Knudsen, Kristina Bram; Jackson, Petra

    2017-01-01

    of acute phase proteins to the blood. We identified physicochemical determinants of MWCNT-induced systemic acute phase response by analyzing effects of pulmonary exposure to 14 commercial, well-characterized MWCNTs in female C57BLI6J mice pulmonary exposed to 0, 6, 18 or 54 lag MWCNT/mouse. Plasma levels...... of acute phase response proteins serum amyloid A1/2 (SAA1/2) and SAA3 were determined on day 1, 28 or 92. Expression levels of hepatic Saal and pulmonary Saa3 mRNA levels were assessed to determine the origin of the acute phase response proteins. Pulmonary Saa3 mRNA expression levels were greater...... limited changes were observed on day 28 and 92. SAA1/2 and SAA3 protein levels did not correlate and only SAA3 protein levels correlated with neutrophil influx. The multiple regression analyses revealed a protective effect of MWCNT length on SAA1/2 protein level on day 1, such that a longer length...

  5. Expression of complement and pentraxin proteins in acute phase response elicited by tumor photodynamic therapy: the engagement of adrenal hormones.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Merchant, Soroush; Huang, Naiyan; Korbelik, Mladen

    2010-12-01

    Treatment of solid tumors by photodynamic therapy (PDT) was recently shown to trigger a strong acute phase response. Using the mouse Lewis lung carcinoma (LLC) model, the present study examined complement and pentraxin proteins as PDT-induced acute phase reactants. The results show a distinct pattern of changes in the expression of genes encoding these proteins in the tumor, as well as host liver and spleen, following PDT mediated by photosensitizer Photofrin™. These changes were influenced by glucocorticoid hormones, as evidenced by transcriptional activation of glucocorticoid receptor and the upregulation of gene encoding this receptor. The expression of gene for glucocorticoid-induced zipper (GILZ) protein, whose activity is particularly susceptible to glucocorticoid regulation, was also changed in PDT-treated tumors. A direct demonstration that tumor PDT induces glucocorticoid hormone upregulation is provided by documenting elevated levels of serum corticosterone in mice bearing PDT-treated LLC tumors. Tumor response to PDT was negatively affected by blocking glucocorticoid receptor activity, which suggests that glucocorticoid hormones have a positive impact on the therapeutic outcome with this therapy. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  6. Acute phase proteins: Biomarkers of infection and inflammation in veterinary medicine.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Eckersall, P D; Bell, R

    2010-07-01

    Acute phase proteins (APPs) have been used as biomarkers of inflammation, infection and trauma for decades in human medicine but have been relatively under-utilised in the context of veterinary medicine. However, significant progress has been made in the detection, measurement and application of APPs as biomarkers in both companion and farm animal medicine over recent years. In the dog, C-reactive protein, haptoglobin and serum amyloid A have been identified as significant diagnostic 'markers' of steroid-responsive meningitis-arteritis, while in cats and cattle haptoglobin and alpha(1) acid glycoprotein and haptoglobin and serum amyloid A have proved valuable biomarkers of disease, respectively. In dairy cattle, haptoglobin and a mammary-associated serum amyloid A3 isoform, produced by the inflamed mammary gland during episodes of mastitis, have great potential as biomarkers of this economically important disease. Understanding the use of APP as biomarkers of inflammatory conditions of domestic animals has expanded significantly over recent years, and, with the insights provided by ongoing research, it is likely that these compounds will be increasingly used in the future in the diagnosis and prognosis of both companion and farm animal disease. Copyright 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  7. S-40: Acute Phase Protein Increse in High Altitude Mountaineers

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    Tolga Saka

    2017-03-01

    Full Text Available “Erciyes Tigers” are an elite group of high altitude climbers. They have been climbing ErciyesMountain (3500 m, in Kayseri, Turkey once a week at least for ten years. When they climb Erciyes in winter, they also take a snow bath. This study investigated the effects of regular high altitude climbing on the metabolic and hematological responses of mountaineers. Venous blood samples were taken to investigate hematological, biochemical parameters and some hormone values from 21 mountaineers and 16 healthy age-matched sedentary volunteers at resting condition. The neutrophil/lymphocyte (N/L ratio was calculated. The N/L was associated with an increased risk of long-term mortality and it could provide a good measure of exercise stress and subsequent recovery. Most of the hematological and biochemical parameters i.e., erythrocyte, leukocyte, hemoglobin and hematocrit values did not change significantly. The neutrophil to lymphocyte (N/L ratio was significantly (p<0.04 decreased in the mountaineer compared with the sedentary group. Total protein (p<0.000 and albumin (0.001 were lower, while ferritin (p<0.04, creatine (p<0.03 and creatine phosphokinase levels (p<0.01 were higher in mountaineers. Our results show that regular high altitude climbing increased serum levels of some acute-phase proteins and these increments were not transient.

  8. Cytokine and acute phase protein gene expression in liver biopsies from dairy cows with a lipopolysaccharide - induced mastitis

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Vels, J; Røntved, Christine M.; Bjerring, Martin

    2009-01-01

    A minimally invasive liver biopsy technique was tested for its applicability to study the hepatic acute phase response (APR) in dairy cows with Escherichia coli lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced mastitis. The hepatic mRNA expression profiles of the inflammatory cytokines, tumor necrosis factor (TNF......, a minimally invasive liver biopsy technique can be used for studying the hepatic APR in diseased cattle. Lipopolysaccharide-induced mastitis resulted in a time-dependent production of inflammatory cytokines and SAA and Hp in the liver of dairy cows.......- ), IL-1β, IL-6, and IL-10, and the acute phase proteins serum amyloid A isoform 3 (SAA3), haptoglobin (Hp), and 1-acid glycoprotein (AGP) were determined by real-time reverse transcription-PCR. Fourteen primiparous cows in mid lactation were challenged with 200 µg of LPS (n = 8) or NaCl solution (n = 6...

  9. STAT3 Activation in Skeletal Muscle Links Muscle Wasting and the Acute Phase Response in Cancer Cachexia

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kunzevitzky, Noelia; Guttridge, Denis C.; Khuri, Sawsan; Koniaris, Leonidas G.; Zimmers, Teresa A.

    2011-01-01

    Background Cachexia, or weight loss despite adequate nutrition, significantly impairs quality of life and response to therapy in cancer patients. In cancer patients, skeletal muscle wasting, weight loss and mortality are all positively associated with increased serum cytokines, particularly Interleukin-6 (IL-6), and the presence of the acute phase response. Acute phase proteins, including fibrinogen and serum amyloid A (SAA) are synthesized by hepatocytes in response to IL-6 as part of the innate immune response. To gain insight into the relationships among these observations, we studied mice with moderate and severe Colon-26 (C26)-carcinoma cachexia. Methodology/Principal Findings Moderate and severe C26 cachexia was associated with high serum IL-6 and IL-6 family cytokines and highly similar patterns of skeletal muscle gene expression. The top canonical pathways up-regulated in both were the complement/coagulation cascade, proteasome, MAPK signaling, and the IL-6 and STAT3 pathways. Cachexia was associated with increased muscle pY705-STAT3 and increased STAT3 localization in myonuclei. STAT3 target genes, including SOCS3 mRNA and acute phase response proteins, were highly induced in cachectic muscle. IL-6 treatment and STAT3 activation both also induced fibrinogen in cultured C2C12 myotubes. Quantitation of muscle versus liver fibrinogen and SAA protein levels indicates that muscle contributes a large fraction of serum acute phase proteins in cancer. Conclusions/Significance These results suggest that the STAT3 transcriptome is a major mechanism for wasting in cancer. Through IL-6/STAT3 activation, skeletal muscle is induced to synthesize acute phase proteins, thus establishing a molecular link between the observations of high IL-6, increased acute phase response proteins and muscle wasting in cancer. These results suggest a mechanism by which STAT3 might causally influence muscle wasting by altering the profile of genes expressed and translated in muscle such

  10. COMPARISON BETWEEN RIPASA AND ALVARADO SCORING IN DIAGNOSING ACUTE APPENDICITIS

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    Balakrishnan Subramani

    2017-02-01

    Full Text Available BACKGROUND Acute appendicitis is one of the most common cause of acute abdominal pain and emergency appendicectomy is the most common emergency surgery. The diagnosis of appendicitis is confirmed by histopathological examination that is not possible before appendicectomy. The negative exploration remains high in the rate of about 15-30%. 1 Scoring systems based on history, clinical examination and basic investigations are there in aiding the diagnosis of acute appendicitis and decreasing negative exploration. This study compares RIPASA and ALVARADO scoring systems in diagnosing acute appendicitis. 2 MATERIALS AND METHODS A comparative study was done between November 2014 to June 2015. Patients diagnosed as acute appendicitis in Department of General Surgery, Government Royapettah Hospital. 100 of them are to be selected on the basis of nonprobability (purposive sampling method. After considering the inclusion and exclusion criteria, 96 were enrolled into the study. A full history, clinical examination and both scoring systems were done on the patients. RESULTS In 96 patients, 46 patients (48% were male and 50 patients (52% were female. 65 patients underwent emergency appendicectomy based on the clinical decision. The sensitivity and specificity of the RIPASA scoring system was 98.0% and 80.43%, respectively. The sensitivity and specificity of the ALVARADO scoring system was 80.43% and 86.95%, respectively. The PPV (positive predictive value of RIPASA and ALVARADO was 84% and 85%, respectively. The NPP (negative predictive value of RIPASA and ALVARADO was 97% and 71%, respectively. The diagnostic accuracy was 89% for RIPASA and 77% for ALVARADO. CONCLUSION The RIPASA scoring is better than ALVARADO scoring in the diagnosis of acute appendicitis.

  11. Evaluation of acute myocardial infarction by 201Tl single-photon emission computed tomography using scoring system

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Setsuta, Koichi

    1991-01-01

    In 36 patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) 201 Tl single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) examinations were performed in a relatively early phase of AMI. The short and long axis views of the left ventricle (LV) were divided into 6 segments. Images of each segment were assigned scores (segmental scores) based on a visual evaluation of the extent of 201 Tl accumulations. SPECT scores were compared with max GOT, max LDT, max CPK and max CK-MB, Killip classification and Forrester hemodynamic subset on admission, and LV ejection fraction (LVEF). Segmental scores were compared with LV wall motion evaluated by left ventriculography. The results are as follows: There were significant correlations between SPECT scores and max GOT, max LDH, max CPK and max CK-MB. SPECT scores in patients with Killip group III were significantly higher than in patients with Killip group I+II. However, no significant differences in max GOT, max LDH, max CPK and max CK-MB were observed between patients with Killip group III and those with Killip group I+II. SPECT scores were significantly higher in patients with Forrester group III+IV than in patients with Forrester group I+II. Segmental scores in segments evaluated as akinesis, dyskinesis and aneurysm by left ventriculography were significantly higher than those evaluated as hypokinesis or normal. Segmental scores in segments evaluated as hypokinesis were significantly high in comparison with normal segments. Significant correlations were observed between LVEF and SPECT scores. However, LVEF correlated poorly with max GOT, max LDH and max CPK, and no significant correlation was observed between LVEF and max CK-MB. SPECT examinations were performed in 11 patients in both the acute and chronic phase of AMI. SPECT scores in the chronic phase did not change in 4 patients, decreased in 5, increased in 2. These results suggest that SPECT scores and segmental scores can be useful indices in the evaluation of AMI. (J.P.N.)

  12. The RIPASA score for the diagnosis of acute appendicitis: A comparison with the modified Alvarado score.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Díaz-Barrientos, C Z; Aquino-González, A; Heredia-Montaño, M; Navarro-Tovar, F; Pineda-Espinosa, M A; Espinosa de Santillana, I A

    2018-02-06

    Acute appendicitis is the first cause of surgical emergencies. It is still a difficult diagnosis to make, especially in young persons, the elderly, and in reproductive-age women, in whom a series of inflammatory conditions can have signs and symptoms similar to those of acute appendicitis. Different scoring systems have been created to increase diagnostic accuracy, and they are inexpensive, noninvasive, and easy to use and reproduce. The modified Alvarado score is probably the most widely used and accepted in emergency services worldwide. On the other hand, the RIPASA score was formulated in 2010 and has greater sensitivity and specificity. There are very few studies conducted in Mexico that compare the different scoring systems for appendicitis. The aim of our article was to compare the modified Alvarado score and the RIPASA score in the diagnosis of patients with abdominal pain and suspected acute appendicitis. An observational, analytic, and prolective study was conducted within the time frame of July 2002 and February 2014 at the Hospital Universitario de Puebla. The questionnaires used for the evaluation process were applied to the patients suspected of having appendicitis. The RIPASA score with 8.5 as the optimal cutoff value: ROC curve (area .595), sensitivity (93.3%), specificity (8.3%), PPV (91.8%), NPV (10.1%). Modified Alvarado score with 6 as the optimal cutoff value: ROC curve (area .719), sensitivity (75%), specificity (41.6%), PPV (93.7%), NPV (12.5%). The RIPASA score showed no advantages over the modified Alvarado score when applied to patients presenting with suspected acute appendicitis. Copyright © 2018 Asociación Mexicana de Gastroenterología. Publicado por Masson Doyma México S.A. All rights reserved.

  13. Assessment of PANC3 score in predicting severity of acute pancreatitis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Avreen Singh Shah

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Introduction: Acute pancreatitis is inflammatory process of the pancreas associated with local and systemic complications. At present, there are lots of scores (such as Ransons, APACHE II, bedside index for severity in acute pancreatitis that help us in predicting severity at the time of admission but these are time consuming or require complex calculation and are costly. Material and Methods: PANC3 Scoring System is one of the better systems because the three criteria used (hematocrit, body mass index, and pleural effusion are simple, easy to assess, readily available, and economic. In this prospective study, 100 cases were evaluated to see the prospects of PANC3 scoring in predicting the severity of acute pancreatitis as decided by modified Marshals score. Results: The results showed that PANC3 score had a 96.43% specificity, 75% sensitivity, 80% positive predictive value, and 95.29% negative predictive value. Conclusion: Hence, the PANC3 score is a cost-effective, promising score that helps in predicting the severity of acute pancreatitis leading to prompt treatment and early referral to higher center.

  14. SOS score: an optimized score to screen acute stroke patients for obstructive sleep apnea.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Camilo, Millene R; Sander, Heidi H; Eckeli, Alan L; Fernandes, Regina M F; Dos Santos-Pontelli, Taiza E G; Leite, Joao P; Pontes-Neto, Octavio M

    2014-09-01

    Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is frequent in acute stroke patients, and has been associated with higher mortality and worse prognosis. Polysomnography (PSG) is the gold standard diagnostic method for OSA, but it is impracticable as a routine for all acute stroke patients. We evaluated the accuracy of two OSA screening tools, the Berlin Questionnaire (BQ), and the Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS) when administered to relatives of acute stroke patients; we also compared these tools against a combined screening score (SOS score). Ischemic stroke patients were submitted to a full PSG at the first night after onset of symptoms. OSA severity was measured by apnea-hypopnea index (AHI). BQ and ESS were administered to relatives of stroke patients before the PSG and compared to SOS score for accuracy and C-statistics. We prospectively studied 39 patients. OSA (AHI ≥10/h) was present in 76.9%. The SOS score [area under the curve (AUC): 0.812; P = 0.005] and ESS (AUC: 0.789; P = 0.009) had good predictive value for OSA. The SOS score was the only tool with significant predictive value (AUC: 0.686; P = 0.048) for severe OSA (AHI ≥30/h), when compared to ESS (P = 0.119) and BQ (P = 0.191). The threshold of SOS ≤10 showed high sensitivity (90%) and negative predictive value (96.2%) for OSA; SOS ≥20 showed high specificity (100%) and positive predictive value (92.5%) for severe OSA. The SOS score administered to relatives of stroke patients is a useful tool to screen for OSA and may decrease the need for PSG in acute stroke setting. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  15. [Prognosis of acute pancreatitis by PANC 3 score].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fukuda, James Ken; Franzon, Orli; Resende-Filho, Fernando de Oliveira; Kruel, Nicolau Fernandes; Ferri, Thiago Alessandro

    2013-06-01

    Acute pancreatitis is a disease of great importance in clinical practice, defined as an inflammatory process of the pancreas that may involve local tissues or affect other organs in a systemic manner, requiring, in such cases, an intensive care. To analyze the simplified stratification system of the PANC 3 score, correlating it with the Ranson score, for the prognostic definition of cases of acute pancreatitis. Was conducted a prospective, observational study in which were evaluated 65 patients who were diagnosed with acute pancreatitis. PANC 3 showed sensitivity, 31.25%; specificity,100%; positive predictive value, 100%; negative predictive value, 81.66% and accuracy, 83.07%. The PANC 3 criteria are applicable to define the severity and the prognosis of acute pancreatitis, and are not a substitute method, but rather a method to be associated with the Ranson criteria, mainly due to its high accuracy, positive predictive value and specificity.

  16. Pig major acute-phase protein and haptoglobin serum concentrations correlate with PCV2 viremia and the clinical course of postweaning multisystemic wasting syndrome

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Grau-Roma, Llorenc; Heegaard, Peter M. H.; Hjulsager, Charlotte Kristiane

    2009-01-01

    -PMWS affected pigs. In addition, evidence of infection with other pathogens and its relation with variations in APP's concentrations was also assessed. Fourteen independent batches of 100 to 154 pigs were monitored from birth to PMWS outbreak occurrence in 11 PMWS affected farms. Pigs displaying PMWS-like signs......The aim of the present longitudinal study was to assess the evolution of two acute phase proteins (APPs), pig-major acute phase protein (pig-MAP) and haptoglobin (HPT), in serum from pigs that developed postweaning multisystemic wasting syndrome (PMWS) in comparison to healthy and wasted non...... and age-matched healthy controls were euthanized during the clinical outbreak. PMWS was diagnosed according to internationally accepted creteria and pigs were classified as: i)PMWS cases, ii) wasted non-PMWS cases and iii) healthy pigs. At the moment of PMWS occurrence, pig-MAP and HPT concentration...

  17. C-reactive protein, procalcitonin, clinical pulmonary infection score, and pneumonia severity scores in nursing home acquired pneumonia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Porfyridis, Ilias; Georgiadis, Georgios; Vogazianos, Paris; Mitis, Georgios; Georgiou, Andreas

    2014-04-01

    Patients with nursing home acquired pneumonia (NHAP) present a distinct group of lower respiratory track infections with different risk factors, clinical presentation, and mortality rates. To evaluate the diagnostic value of clinical pulmonary infection score (CPIS), C-reactive protein, and procalcitonin and to compare the accuracy of pneumonia severity scores (confusion, urea nitrogen, breathing frequency, blood pressure, ≥ 65 y of age [CURB-65]; pneumonia severity index; NHAP index; systolic blood pressure, multilobar involvement, albumin, breathing frequency, tachycardia, confusion, oxygen, arterial pH [SMART-COP]; and systolic blood pressure, oxygen, age > 65 y, breathing frequency [SOAR]) in predicting in-patient mortality from NHAP. Nursing home residents admitted to the hospital with acute respiratory illness were enrolled in the study. Subjects were classified as having NHAP (Group A) or other pulmonary disorders (Group B). Clinical, imaging, and laboratory data were assessed to compute CPIS and severity scores. C-reactive protein and procalcitonin were measured by immunonephelometry and immunoassay, respectively. Fifty-eight subjects were diagnosed with NHAP (Group A) and 29 with other pulmonary disorders (Group B). The mean C-reactive protein ± SD was 16.38 ± 8.6 mg/dL in Group A and 5.2 ± 5.6 mg/dL in Group B (P 1.1 ng/mL was an independent predictor of in-patient mortality. Of the pneumonia severity scores, CURB-65 showed greater accuracy in predicting in-patient mortality (area under the curve of 0.68, 95% CI 0.53-0.84, P = .06). CPIS, procalcitonin, and C-reactive protein are reliable for the diagnosis of NHAP. Procalcitonin and CURB-65 are accurate in predicting in-patient mortality in NHAP.

  18. Acute phase response in two consecutive experimentally induced E. coli intramammary infections in dairy cows

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Saatsi Johanna

    2008-06-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Acute phase proteins haptoglobin (Hp, serum amyloid A (SAA and lipopolysaccharide binding protein (LBP have suggested to be suitable inflammatory markers for bovine mastitis. The aim of the study was to investigate acute phase markers along with clinical parameters in two consecutive intramammary challenges with Escherichia coli and to evaluate the possible carry-over effect when same animals are used in an experimental model. Methods Mastitis was induced with a dose of 1500 cfu of E. coli in one quarter of six cows and inoculation repeated in another quarter after an interval of 14 days. Concentrations of acute phase proteins haptoglobin (Hp, serum amyloid A (SAA and lipopolysaccharide binding protein (LBP were determined in serum and milk. Results In both challenges all cows became infected and developed clinical mastitis within 12 hours of inoculation. Clinical disease and acute phase response was generally milder in the second challenge. Concentrations of SAA in milk started to increase 12 hours after inoculation and peaked at 60 hours after the first challenge and at 44 hours after the second challenge. Concentrations of SAA in serum increased more slowly and peaked at the same times as in milk; concentrations in serum were about one third of those in milk. Hp started to increase in milk similarly and peaked at 36–44 hours. In serum, the concentration of Hp peaked at 60–68 hours and was twice as high as in milk. LBP concentrations in milk and serum started to increase after 12 hours and peaked at 36 hours, being higher in milk. The concentrations of acute phase proteins in serum and milk in the E. coli infection model were much higher than those recorded in experiments using Gram-positive pathogens, indicating the severe inflammation induced by E. coli. Conclusion Acute phase proteins would be useful parameters as mastitis indicators and to assess the severity of mastitis. If repeated experimental intramammary

  19. Elevation of intact and proteolytic fragments of acute phase proteins constitutes the earliest systemic antiviral response in HIV-1 infection.

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    Holger B Kramer

    2010-05-01

    Full Text Available The earliest immune responses activated in acute human immunodeficiency virus type 1 infection (AHI exert a critical influence on subsequent virus spread or containment. During this time frame, components of the innate immune system such as macrophages and DCs, NK cells, beta-defensins, complement and other anti-microbial factors, which have all been implicated in modulating HIV infection, may play particularly important roles. A proteomics-based screen was performed on a cohort from whom samples were available at time points prior to the earliest positive HIV detection. The ability of selected factors found to be elevated in the plasma during AHI to inhibit HIV-1 replication was analyzed using in vitro PBMC and DC infection models. Analysis of unique plasma donor panels spanning the eclipse and viral expansion phases revealed very early alterations in plasma proteins in AHI. Induction of acute phase protein serum amyloid A (A-SAA occurred as early as 5-7 days prior to the first detection of plasma viral RNA, considerably prior to any elevation in systemic cytokine levels. Furthermore, a proteolytic fragment of alpha-1-antitrypsin (AAT, termed virus inhibitory peptide (VIRIP, was observed in plasma coincident with viremia. Both A-SAA and VIRIP have anti-viral activity in vitro and quantitation of their plasma levels indicated that circulating concentrations are likely to be within the range of their inhibitory activity. Our results provide evidence for a first wave of host anti-viral defense occurring in the eclipse phase of AHI prior to systemic activation of other immune responses. Insights gained into the mechanism of action of acute-phase reactants and other innate molecules against HIV and how they are induced could be exploited for the future development of more efficient prophylactic vaccine strategies.

  20. Evaluation of modified alvarado score in the diagnosis of acute appendicitis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jan, H.

    2007-01-01

    To evaluate Modified Alvarado Score in patients with right iliac fossa pain. One hundred consecutive patients with right right iliac fossa pain. Both male and female patients with ages >14 years were included. Basic data of all the patients was collected. They were divided into two groups on the basis of modified Alvarado score. Group-I: Alvarado score greater then 7. Group-II: Alvarado score smaller than 7. In Group-I 61 patients underwent surgery; amongst them 52 had acute appendicitis while nine had other pathology. In Group-II there were 39 patients; amongst them six underwent surgery later on because of increase in their scores during observation, all of them had acute appendicitis. The negative appendicectomy rate was 14.75% and positive predictive value 85.21%. Alvarado Score is an easy and simple complementary aid in the diagnosis of acute appendicitis. It works well in patients with a score of greater than 7. (author)

  1. Acute phase proteins in the diagnosis of bovine subclinical mastitis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Safi, Shahabeddin; Khoshvaghti, Ameneh; Jafarzadeh, Seyed Reza; Bolourchi, Mahmoud; Nowrouzian, Iradj

    2009-12-01

    The California mastitis test (CMT) and somatic cell count (SCC) are commonly used for diagnosis of subclinical mastitis in cattle. Acute phase proteins (APPs), as alternative biomarkers of mastitis, may increase in concentration in the absence of macroscopic changes in the milk, or may precede the onset of clinical signs. The aim of this study was to compare the accuracy of APPs measured in milk and in serum with bacterial culture for the diagnosis of bovine subclinical mastitis. One hundred and seventy-five Holstein cows were randomly selected from 7 dairy farms. Quarter milk and serum samples were taken from all cows. Milk samples were analyzed using a CMT and SCC, and for haptoglobin (MHp) and amyloid A (MAA) concentrations, and were also submitted for bacterial culture. Serum samples obtained concurrently were analyzed for haptoglobin (SHp) and amyloid A (SAA). Two-sample Wilcoxon (Mann-Whitney) test was used to compare SCC, MAA, MHp, SAA, and SHp concentrations between culture-positive and culture-negative animals. Receiver-operating characteristic analysis was used to assess the performance of each test using bacterial culture as the reference method. MAA concentration was the most accurate of the 5 tests, with a sensitivity of 90.6% and specificity of 98.3% at concentrations >16.4 mg/L. MAA and MHp had significantly larger areas under the curve than the respective serum proteins, SAA and SHp. The results suggest that measuring haptoglobin and amyloid A in milk is more accurate than serum analysis for the diagnosis of subclinical mastitis in Holstein cows.

  2. The acute-phase response and serum amyloid A inhibit the inflammatory response to Acinetobacter baumannii Pneumonia

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Renckens, Rosemarijn; Roelofs, Joris J. T. H.; Knapp, Sylvia; de Vos, Alex F.; Florquin, Sandrine; van der Poll, Tom

    2006-01-01

    BACKGROUND: Acinetobacter baumannii is an emerging pathogen in nosocomial pneumonia. Trauma and postsurgical patients display a profound acute-phase protein response and are susceptible to pneumonia. METHODS: To study the way in which the acute-phase response induced by sterile tissue injury

  3. Potential of acute phase proteins as predictor of postpartum uterine infections during transition period and its regulatory mechanism in dairy cattle

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    A. Manimaran

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available Among the various systemic reactions against infection or injury, the acute phase response is the cascade of reaction and mostly coordinated by cytokines-mediated acute phase proteins (APPs production. Since APPs are sensitive innate immune molecules, they are useful for early detection of inflammation in bovines and believed to be better discriminators than routine hematological parameters. Therefore, the possibility of using APPs as a diagnostic and prognostic marker of inflammation in major bovine health disorders including postpartum uterine infection has been explored by many workers. In this review, we discussed specifically importance of postpartum uterine infection, the role of energy balance in uterine infections and potential of APPs as a predictor of postpartum uterine infections during the transition period and its regulatory mechanism in dairy cattle.

  4. GalaxyDock BP2 score: a hybrid scoring function for accurate protein-ligand docking

    Science.gov (United States)

    Baek, Minkyung; Shin, Woong-Hee; Chung, Hwan Won; Seok, Chaok

    2017-07-01

    Protein-ligand docking is a useful tool for providing atomic-level understanding of protein functions in nature and design principles for artificial ligands or proteins with desired properties. The ability to identify the true binding pose of a ligand to a target protein among numerous possible candidate poses is an essential requirement for successful protein-ligand docking. Many previously developed docking scoring functions were trained to reproduce experimental binding affinities and were also used for scoring binding poses. However, in this study, we developed a new docking scoring function, called GalaxyDock BP2 Score, by directly training the scoring power of binding poses. This function is a hybrid of physics-based, empirical, and knowledge-based score terms that are balanced to strengthen the advantages of each component. The performance of the new scoring function exhibits significant improvement over existing scoring functions in decoy pose discrimination tests. In addition, when the score is used with the GalaxyDock2 protein-ligand docking program, it outperformed other state-of-the-art docking programs in docking tests on the Astex diverse set, the Cross2009 benchmark set, and the Astex non-native set. GalaxyDock BP2 Score and GalaxyDock2 with this score are freely available at http://galaxy.seoklab.org/softwares/galaxydock.html.

  5. Direct concurrent comparison of multiple pediatric acute asthma scoring instruments.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Johnson, Michael D; Nkoy, Flory L; Sheng, Xiaoming; Greene, Tom; Stone, Bryan L; Garvin, Jennifer

    2017-09-01

    Appropriate delivery of Emergency Department (ED) treatment to children with acute asthma requires clinician assessment of acute asthma severity. Various clinical scoring instruments exist to standardize assessment of acute asthma severity in the ED, but their selection remains arbitrary due to few published direct comparisons of their properties. Our objective was to test the feasibility of directly comparing properties of multiple scoring instruments in a pediatric ED. Using a novel approach supported by a composite data collection form, clinicians categorized elements of five scoring instruments before and after initial treatment for 48 patients 2-18 years of age with acute asthma seen at the ED of a tertiary care pediatric hospital ED from August to December 2014. Scoring instruments were compared for inter-rater reliability between clinician types and their ability to predict hospitalization. Inter-rater reliability between clinician types was not different between instruments at any point and was lower (weighted kappa range 0.21-0.55) than values reported elsewhere. Predictive ability of most instruments for hospitalization was higher after treatment than before treatment (p < 0.05) and may vary between instruments after treatment (p = 0.054). We demonstrate the feasibility of comparing multiple clinical scoring instruments simultaneously in ED clinical practice. Scoring instruments had higher predictive ability for hospitalization after treatment than before treatment and may differ in their predictive ability after initial treatment. Definitive conclusions about the best instrument or meaningful comparison between instruments will require a study with a larger sample size.

  6. MR imaging of acute pancreatitis: Correlation of abdominal wall edema with severity scores

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Yang, Ru, E-mail: yangru0904@163.com [Sichuan Key laboratory of Medical Imaging, Department of Radiology, Affiliated Hospital of North Sichuan Medical College, Nanchong 637000 (China); Jing, Zong Lin, E-mail: jzl325@163.com [Sichuan Key laboratory of Medical Imaging, Department of Radiology, Affiliated Hospital of North Sichuan Medical College, Nanchong 637000 (China); Zhang, Xiao Ming, E-mail: zhangxm@nsmc.edu.cn [Sichuan Key laboratory of Medical Imaging, Department of Radiology, Affiliated Hospital of North Sichuan Medical College, Nanchong 637000 (China); Tang, Wei, E-mail: tw-n-g-up@163.com [Sichuan Key laboratory of Medical Imaging, Department of Radiology, Affiliated Hospital of North Sichuan Medical College, Nanchong 637000 (China); Xiao, Bo, E-mail: xiaoboimaging@163.com [Sichuan Key laboratory of Medical Imaging, Department of Radiology, Affiliated Hospital of North Sichuan Medical College, Nanchong 637000 (China); Huang, Xiao Hua, E-mail: nc_hxh1966@yahoo.com.cn [Sichuan Key laboratory of Medical Imaging, Department of Radiology, Affiliated Hospital of North Sichuan Medical College, Nanchong 637000 (China); Yang, Lin, E-mail: llinyangmd@163.com [Sichuan Key laboratory of Medical Imaging, Department of Radiology, Affiliated Hospital of North Sichuan Medical College, Nanchong 637000 (China); Feng, Zhi Song, E-mail: fengzhisong@medmail.com.cn [Department of Gastroenterology, Affiliated Hospital of North Sichuan Medical College, Nanchong 637000 (China)

    2012-11-15

    Objective: To study MRI findings of abdominal wall edema (AWE) in acute pancreatitis as well as correlations between AWE and the severity of acute pancreatitis according to the MR severity index (MRSI) and the Acute Physiology And Chronic Healthy Evaluation III (APACHE III) scoring system. Materials and methods: A total of 160 patients with AP admitted to our institution between December 2009 and March 2011 were included in this study. MRI was performed within 48 h after admission. MRI findings of acute pancreatitis were noted, including AWE on the MRI. The abdominal wall area was divided into quarters, and each area involved was recorded as 1 point to score the severity of AWE. The severity of acute pancreatitis was studied using both the MRSI and the APACHE III scoring system. Spearman correlation of AWE with the MRSI and the APACHE III scoring system was analyzed. Results: In 160 patients with acute pancreatitis, 53.8% had AWE on MRI. The average AWE score was 1.2 {+-} 1.4 points. The prevalence of AWE was 30.5%, 64.5% and 100% in mild, moderate and severe AP, respectively, according to MRSI. AWE on MRI was correlated with MRSI scores (r = 0.441, p = 0.000). According to APACHE III scores, the averages were 2.0 {+-} 1.1 and 2.6 {+-} 1.1 points in mild AP and severe AP, respectively (P = 0.016). AWE was slightly correlated with the APACHE III scores (r = 0.222, p = 0.005). Conclusion: AWE on MRI in acute pancreatitis is common, which may be a supplementary indicator in determining the severity of AP.

  7. Neuropsychological intervention in the acute phase

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Norup, Anne; Siert, Lars; Mortensen, Erik Lykke

    2013-01-01

    This pilot study investigated the effects of acute neuropsychological intervention for relatives of patients with severe brain injury. Participants were enrolled in an intervention group comprising 39 relatives, and a control group comprising 47 relatives. The intervention consisted of supportive......-acute rehabilitation. Outcome measures included selected scales from the Symptom Checklist Revised 90 (SCL-90-R), the Short Form 36 (SF-36), and a visual analogue quality of life scale. The intervention group showed a significant decrease in anxiety scores from the acute to the sub-acute setting (= 2.70 = 0.......0100.30), but also significantly lower Role Emotional scores (= 2.12 = 0.043, = 0.40). In the sub-acute setting, an analysis of covariance model showed a borderline significant difference between the intervention and the control group on the anxiety scale (= 0.066 = 0.59). Any effects of the acute neuropsychological...

  8. Modified poisoning severity score for early prognostic evaluation in acute paraquat poisoning

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Feng-lin SONG

    2018-04-01

    Full Text Available Objective To study the applied value of modified poisoning severity score (PSS for early prognostic evaluation in acute paraquat poisoning. Methods Thirty-seven patients with acute paraquat poisoning from June 2013 to June 2016 were enrolled. The PSS score, the modified PSS score, the acute physiology and the chronic health status Ⅱ score (APACHE Ⅱ of the patients were calculated. The relationship between modified PSS and APACHE Ⅱ was analyzed. Also the factors that affect outcome were analyzed by logistic regression analysis. The work characteristic curve (ROC curve of the PSS, the modified PSS and the APECH Ⅱ were drawn and compared. Results There was a positive correlation between the risk of death and admission time, poisonous dose, the concentration of urine paraquat, and white blood cell count (P<0.05. There was a significant correlation between the modified PSS and the APACHE Ⅱ(P<0.0001. The immediate PSS score, the modified PSS score, and the APACHE Ⅱ score were significant for the prognosis of patients with acute paraquat poisoning. The area under the curve (AUC was in turn 0.774, 0.788, 0.799. Among them, the best bound of the modified PSS score was 6.5 (when the score is greater than 6.5, the risk of death is higher. Further comparison of the area under the three curves showed that there was no significant difference in the area under the ROC curve between the three scores in predicting the prognosis of death [P=0.7633(PSS-DPSS, P=0.7791(PSS-APACHE Ⅱ, P=0.8918(DPSS-APACHE Ⅱ]. Conclusion Modified PSS is helpful in early predicting the prognosis of acute paraquat poisoning. DOI: 10.11855/j.issn.0577-7402.2018.04.13

  9. Level of the proteins of the acute phase as criterions of the antibacterial therapy effectiveness in the E.coli associated experimental peritonitis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    V. V. Minukhin

    2013-08-01

    Full Text Available Introduction. Peritonitis is accompanied by increase of acute-phase proteins levels. C – reactive protein (CRP is acutephase protein which is produced in human organism in response to tissue injury, infection or inflammation. CRP is produced in small quantities (<1mg/l under normal conditions. Measurement of CRP levels in serum is used for setting of the diagnosis and diseases monitoring as well as efficacy of their treatment. Seromucoid (orosomucoid, alpha-1 acid glucoprotein is one of acutephase proteins. Levels of serum orosomucoid are elevated since onset of the inflammatory process due to microbial contamination develops in peritonitis. Levels of alpha – 1 acid glucoprotein is elevated during acute phase of inflammation. Alpha – 1 acid glucoprotein is one of main acutephase proteins. Aim of the study. To determinate levels of seromucoid and CRP in serum of experimental animals and to evaluate the duration of the inflammatory process and the efficacy of antimicrobial therapy in mice with experimentally induced peritonitis. Material and methods of study. Levels of CRP were determined with the use of a half – quantitative immunoturbidimetric method. Levels of seromucoids were determined by means of the immunoturbidimetric method. Levels of CRP and seromucoid were determined in serum obtained from mice in which experimental peritonitis were induced by Escherichia coli. Mice were divided into 6 groups depending on methods of treatment: the 1st group: Amikacin; the 2nd group: gatifloxacin; the 3rd group: Amikacin combined with Gatiflocsacin; the 4th group: Amikacin combined with Bacteriophagum Coli-Proteicum; the 5th group: Gatiflocsacin combined with Bacteriophagum Coli-Proteicum; the 6th group: Amikacin combined with Gatiflocsacin and Bacteriophagum Coli-Proteicum; Studies were conducted on the 3rd and the 5th day after the start of antimicrobial therapy. Results of study. Studies showed that the positive CRP test and the

  10. Expression of acute phase proteins and inflammatory cytokines in mouse mammary gland following Staphylococcus aureus challenge and in response to milk accumulation

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Nazemi, Sasan; Aalbæk, Bent; Kjelgaard-Hansen, Mads

    2014-01-01

    We used a mouse model of pathogenic (Staphylococcus aureus) and non-pathogenic (teat sealing) mammary inflammation to investigate mRNA expression of several inflammatory cytokines and acute phase proteins (APP) in mammary tissue and liver, and the appearance of some of these factors in plasma and...

  11. Predicting Failure in Early Acute Prosthetic Joint Infection Treated With Debridement, Antibiotics, and Implant Retention: External Validation of the KLIC Score.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Löwik, Claudia A M; Jutte, Paul C; Tornero, Eduard; Ploegmakers, Joris J W; Knobben, Bas A S; de Vries, Astrid J; Zijlstra, Wierd P; Dijkstra, Baukje; Soriano, Alex; Wouthuyzen-Bakker, Marjan

    2018-03-27

    Debridement, antibiotics, and implant retention (DAIR) is a widely used treatment modality for early acute prosthetic joint infection (PJI). A preoperative risk score was previously designed for predicting DAIR failure, consisting of chronic renal failure (K), liver cirrhosis (L), index surgery (I), cemented prosthesis (C), and C-reactive protein >115 mg/L (KLIC). The aim of this study was to validate the KLIC score in an external cohort. We retrospectively evaluated patients with early acute PJI treated with DAIR between 2006 and 2016 in 3 Dutch hospitals. Early acute PJI was defined as infection-related death within 60 days after debridement. A total of 386 patients were included. Failure occurred in 148 patients (38.3%). Patients with KLIC scores of ≤2, 2.5-3.5, 4-5, 5.5-6.5, and ≥7 had failure rates of 27.9%, 37.1%, 49.3%, 54.5%, and 85.7%, respectively (P < .001). The receiver-operating characteristic curve showed an area under the curve of 0.64 (95% confidence interval 0.59-0.69). A KLIC score higher than 6 points showed a specificity of 97.9%. The KLIC score is a relatively good preoperative risk score for DAIR failure in patients with early acute PJI and appears to be most useful in clinical practice for patients with low or high KLIC scores. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  12. A scored human protein-protein interaction network to catalyze genomic interpretation

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Li, Taibo; Wernersson, Rasmus; Hansen, Rasmus B

    2017-01-01

    Genome-scale human protein-protein interaction networks are critical to understanding cell biology and interpreting genomic data, but challenging to produce experimentally. Through data integration and quality control, we provide a scored human protein-protein interaction network (InWeb_InBioMap,......Genome-scale human protein-protein interaction networks are critical to understanding cell biology and interpreting genomic data, but challenging to produce experimentally. Through data integration and quality control, we provide a scored human protein-protein interaction network (In...

  13. Acute phase response, inflammation and metabolic syndrome biomarkers of Libby asbestos exposure

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Shannahan, Jonathan H. [Curriculum in Toxicology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC 27599 (United States); Alzate, Oscar [Systems Proteomics Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC 27599 (United States); Winnik, Witold M.; Andrews, Debora [Proteomics Core, Research Core Unit, National Health and Environmental Effects Research Laboratory, Office of Research and Development, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Research Triangle Park, NC 27711 (United States); Schladweiler, Mette C. [Cardiopulmonary and Immunotoxicology Branch, Environmental Public Health Division, National Health and Environmental Effects Research Laboratory, Office of Research and Development, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Research Triangle Park, NC 27711 (United States); Ghio, Andrew J. [Clinical Research Branch, Environmental Public Health Division, National Health and Environmental Effects Research Laboratory, Office of Research and Development, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Chapel Hill, NC 27599 (United States); Gavett, Stephen H. [Cardiopulmonary and Immunotoxicology Branch, Environmental Public Health Division, National Health and Environmental Effects Research Laboratory, Office of Research and Development, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Research Triangle Park, NC 27711 (United States); Kodavanti, Urmila P., E-mail: Kodavanti.Urmila@epa.gov [Cardiopulmonary and Immunotoxicology Branch, Environmental Public Health Division, National Health and Environmental Effects Research Laboratory, Office of Research and Development, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Research Triangle Park, NC 27711 (United States)

    2012-04-15

    Identification of biomarkers assists in the diagnosis of disease and the assessment of health risks from environmental exposures. We hypothesized that rats exposed to Libby amphibole (LA) would present with a unique serum proteomic profile which could help elucidate epidemiologically-relevant biomarkers. In four experiments spanning varied protocols and temporality, healthy (Wistar Kyoto, WKY; and F344) and cardiovascular compromised (CVD) rat models (spontaneously hypertensive, SH; and SH heart failure, SHHF) were intratracheally instilled with saline (control) or LA. Serum biomarkers of cancer, inflammation, metabolic syndrome (MetS), and the acute phase response (APR) were analyzed. All rat strains exhibited acute increases in α-2-macroglobulin, and α1-acid glycoprotein. Among markers of inflammation, lipocalin-2 was induced in WKY, SH and SHHF and osteopontin only in WKY after LA exposure. While rat strain- and age-related changes were apparent in MetS biomarkers, no LA effects were evident. The cancer marker mesothelin was increased only slightly at 1 month in WKY in one of the studies. Quantitative Intact Proteomic profiling of WKY serum at 1 day or 4 weeks after 4 weekly LA instillations indicated no oxidative protein modifications, however APR proteins were significantly increased. Those included serine protease inhibitor, apolipoprotein E, α-2-HS-glycoprotein, t-kininogen 1 and 2, ceruloplasmin, vitamin D binding protein, serum amyloid P, and more 1 day after last LA exposure. All changes were reversible after a short recovery regardless of the acute or long-term exposures. Thus, LA exposure induces an APR and systemic inflammatory biomarkers that could have implications in systemic and pulmonary disease in individuals exposed to LA. -- Highlights: ► Biomarkers of asbestos exposure are required for disease diagnosis. ► Libby amphibole exposure is associated with increased human mortality. ► Libby amphibole increases circulating proteins involved

  14. Multi-walled carbon nanotube-physicochemical properties predict the systemic acute phase response following pulmonary exposure in mice.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sarah S Poulsen

    Full Text Available Pulmonary exposure to multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs has been linked to an increased risk of developing cardiovascular disease in addition to the well-documented physicochemical-dependent adverse lung effects. A proposed mechanism is through a strong and sustained pulmonary secretion of acute phase proteins to the blood. We identified physicochemical determinants of MWCNT-induced systemic acute phase response by analyzing effects of pulmonary exposure to 14 commercial, well-characterized MWCNTs in female C57BL/6J mice pulmonary exposed to 0, 6, 18 or 54 μg MWCNT/mouse. Plasma levels of acute phase response proteins serum amyloid A1/2 (SAA1/2 and SAA3 were determined on day 1, 28 or 92. Expression levels of hepatic Saa1 and pulmonary Saa3 mRNA levels were assessed to determine the origin of the acute phase response proteins. Pulmonary Saa3 mRNA expression levels were greater and lasted longer than hepatic Saa1 mRNA expression. Plasma SAA1/2 and SAA3 protein levels were related to time and physicochemical properties using adjusted, multiple regression analyses. SAA3 and SAA1/2 plasma protein levels were increased after exposure to almost all of the MWCNTs on day 1, whereas limited changes were observed on day 28 and 92. SAA1/2 and SAA3 protein levels did not correlate and only SAA3 protein levels correlated with neutrophil influx. The multiple regression analyses revealed a protective effect of MWCNT length on SAA1/2 protein level on day 1, such that a longer length resulted in lowered SAA1/2 plasma levels. Increased SAA3 protein levels were positively related to dose and content of Mn, Mg and Co on day 1, whereas oxidation and diameter of the MWCNTs were protective on day 28 and 92, respectively. The results of this study reveal very differently controlled pulmonary and hepatic acute phase responses after MWCNT exposure. As the responses were influenced by the physicochemical properties of the MWCNTs, this study provides the first step

  15. The Utility of Acute-Phase Proteins in the Assessment of Treatment Response in Dogs With Bacterial Pneumonia

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Viitanen, S. J.; Lappalainen, A. K.; Christensen, M. B.

    2017-01-01

    Background: Acute-phase proteins (APPs) are sensitive markers of inflammation, and serum C-reactive protein (CRP) recently has been shown to be a useful diagnostic marker in dogs with bacterial pneumonia (BP). In humans with community-acquired pneumonia, APPs also have great utility as follow......-up markers aiding in the assessment of treatment response. Objectives: The aim of our study was to investigate the applicability of APPs as markers of treatment response in dogs with BP. Animals: Nineteen dogs diagnosed with BP and 64 healthy dogs. Methods: The study was conducted as a prospective...... longitudinal observational study. Serum CRP, serum amyloid A (SAA), and haptoglobin concentrations were followed during a natural course of BP. Normalization of serum CRP was used to guide the duration of antibiotic treatment (treatment was stopped 5–7 days after CRP normalized) in 8 of 17 dogs surviving...

  16. MODIFIED ALVARADO SCORING AS A DIAGNOSTIC TOOL IN ACUTE APPENDICITIS- A PROSPECTIVE STUDY

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    V. K. Arun Kumar

    2017-02-01

    Full Text Available BACKGROUND Acute Appendicitis commonest community-acquired intra-abdominal infections. Acute appendicitis and its associated complications are significant source of morbidity and sometimes mortality. The Modified Alvarado Scoring System (MASS has been reported to be a cheap and quick diagnostic tool in patients with acute appendicitis. Diagnostic accuracy have been observed if the scores were applied to various populations and clinical settings. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the diagnostic value of Modified Alvarado Scoring System in patients with acute appendicitis in our setting. The aim of the study is to evaluate the efficacy of the modified Alvarado score as a diagnostic tool in Acute Appendicitis, as the diagnosis of appendicitis depends on the onset of symptoms and the subjective interpretation of the physical examination. MATERIALS AND METHODS This was a prospective study carried out in Pondicherry Institute of Medical Science during the period of November 2013 to May 2015. This study was done on 50 patients diagnosed with Acute Appendicitis and admitted in General Surgery. RESULTS In this study, there were a total of 50 patients who were taken up for surgery based on clinical and radiological diagnosis. Our study demonstrates that modified Alvarado score applied to all adult patients of acute appendicitis in adults with a sensitivity of 60% and a specificity of 40% only. Showing it wasn’t efficient in diagnosing acute appendicitis. The positive predictive value shown by our study was 80% which is marginally lower than that explained in literature which reports 87.5%. Negative appendicectomy rate in this study is 12%. CONCLUSION Alvarado score is a non-invasive, safe diagnostic procedure, which is simple, fast reliable and repeatable; it can be used in all conditions, without expensive and complicated supportive diagnostic methods. Alvarado score increases the diagnostic certainty of clinical examination in diagnosis of

  17. The bovine acute phase response to endotoxin and Gram-negative bacteria

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Jacobsen, Stine

    The overall aims of the work presented in this thesis were to characterize bovine cytokine and acute phase protein (APP) responses to lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and to investigate how LPS-induced clinical and immunoinflammatory responses differed between individual cows. Two kinds of experimental e...

  18. Comparison of four different collateral scores in acute ischemic stroke by CT angiography.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Seker, Fatih; Potreck, Arne; Möhlenbruch, Markus; Bendszus, Martin; Pham, Mirko

    2016-11-01

    Multiple scores have been described for the assessment of collateralization in acute ischemic stroke. Currently, there is no gold standard for collateral assessment by CT angiography (CTA). This study compared four frequently used collateral scores with regard to their correlation with early infarct core and mismatch ratio. 30 consecutive patients with acute occlusion of the M1 segment or terminal carotid artery were reviewed retrospectively. Collaterals were assessed using dynamic and also single-phase CTA according to grading systems by the American Society of Interventional and Therapeutic Neuroradiology/Society of Interventional Radiology (ASITN/SIR), Alberta Stroke Program Early CT Score (ASPECTS) (on collaterals), Christoforidis et al and Miteff et al. The Christoforidis and ASITN/SIR scores, which were initially designed for conventional angiography, were adapted to be applicable to CTA. The scores were compared with respect to early infarct core and mismatch ratio in perfusion CT estimated by RAPID software using Spearman correlation. ASITN/SIR and ASPECTS collateral scores showed good correlation with early infarct core (rho=-0.696, p<0.001 and rho=-0.677, p<0.001) and mismatch ratio (rho=0.609, p<0.001 and rho=0.581, p<0.001). In contrast, the Christoforidis and Miteff scores correlated less well with infarct core (rho=0.245, p=0.191 and rho=-0.272, p=0.145, respectively) and mismatch ratio (rho=-0.329, p=0.075 and rho=0.279, p=0.135, respectively). ASPECTS and ASITN/SIR showed excellent cross-correlation (rho=0.901, p<0.001). Compared with the Christoforidis and Miteff scores, the modified ASITN/SIR and ASPECTS collateral scores showed consistently higher correlation with the extent of early infarct core and mismatch volume. This is probably because these scores evaluate the extent and delay of vascular enhancement in the affected territory rather than the backflow of contrast medium to the occlusion. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For

  19. Magnetic resonance imaging versus Acute Physiology And Chronic Healthy Evaluation II score in predicting the severity of acute pancreatitis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tang Wei; Zhang Xiaoming; Xiao Bo; Zeng Nanlin; Pan Huashan; Feng Zhisong; Xu Xiaoxue

    2011-01-01

    Objective: To study the correlation between established magnetic resonance (MR) imaging criteria of disease severity in acute pancreatitis and the Acute Physiology And Chronic Healthy Evaluation II (APACHE II) score, and to assess the utility of each prognostic indicators in acute pancreatitis. Materials and methods: In this study there were 94 patients with acute pancreatitis (AP), all had abdominal MR imaging. MR findings were categorized into edematous and necrotizing AP and graded according to the MR severity index (MRSI). The APACHE II score was calculated within 24 h of admission, and local complications, death, duration of hospitalization and ICU were recorded. Statistical analysis was performed to determine their correlation. Results: In patients with pancreatitis, no significant correlation can be found between the APACHE II score and the MRSI score (P = 0.196). The MRSI score correlated well with morbidity (P = 0.006) but not with mortality (P = 0.137). The APACHE II score correlated well with mortality (P = 0.002) but not with the morbidity (P = 0.112). The MRSI score was superior to the APACHE II score as a predictor of the length of hospitalization (r = 0.52 vs. r = 0.35). A high MRSI and APACHE II score correlated with the need for being in the intensive care unit (ICU) (P = 0.000 and P = 0.000, respectively). Conclusion: In patients with pancreatitis, MRSI is superior to APACHE II in assessing local complications from pancreatitis but has a limited role in determining systemic complications in which the APACHE II score excels.

  20. Multidetector row computed tomography of acute pancreatitis: Utility of single portal phase CT scan in short-term follow up

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kwon, Yongwonn [Department of Radiology, Konkuk University Medical Center, 4-12, Hwayang-dong, Gwangjin-gu, Seoul 143-729 (Korea, Republic of); Park, Hee Sun, E-mail: heesun.park@gmail.com [Department of Radiology, Konkuk University Medical Center, 4-12, Hwayang-dong, Gwangjin-gu, Seoul 143-729 (Korea, Republic of); Kim, Young Jun; Jung, Sung Il; Jeon, Hae Jeong [Department of Radiology, Konkuk University Medical Center, 4-12, Hwayang-dong, Gwangjin-gu, Seoul 143-729 (Korea, Republic of)

    2012-08-15

    Objective: The purpose of this study is to evaluate the question of whether nonenhanced CT or contrast enhanced portal phase CT can replace multiphasic pancreas protocol CT in short term monitoring in patients with acute pancreatitis. Materials and methods: This retrospective study was approved by the Institutional Review Board. From April 2006 to May 2010, a total of 52 patients having acute pancreatitis who underwent initial dual phase multidetector row CT (unenhanced, arterial, and portal phase) at admission and a short term (within 30 days) follow up dual phase CT (mean interval 10.3 days, range 3-28 days) were included. Two abdominal radiologists performed an independent review of three sets of follow up CT images (nonenhanced scan, single portal phase scan, and dual phase scan). Interpretation of each image set was done with at least 2-week interval. Radiologists evaluated severity of acute pancreatitis with regard to pancreatic inflammation, pancreatic necrosis, and extrapancreatic complication, based on the modified CT severity index. Scores of each image set were compared using a paired t-test and interobserver agreement was evaluated using intraclass correlation coefficient statistics. Results: Mean scores of sum of CT severity index on nonenhanced scan, portal phase scan, and dual phase scan were 5.7, 6.6, and 6.5 for radiologist 1, and 5.0, 5.6, and 5.8 for radiologist 2, respectively. In both radiologists, contrast enhanced scan (portal phase scan and dual phase scan) showed significantly higher severity score compared with that of unenhanced scan (P < 0.05), while portal phase and dual phase scan showed no significant difference each other. The trend was similar regarding pancreatic inflammation and extrapancreatic complications, in which contrast enhanced scans showed significantly higher score compared with those of unenhanced scan, while no significant difference was observed between portal phase scan and dual phase scan. In pancreatic necrosis

  1. Risk factors for and impact of respiratory failure on mortality in the early phase of acute pancreatitis

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Dombernowsky, Tilde; Kristensen, Marlene Østermark; Rysgaard, Sisse

    2016-01-01

    : Retrospective cohort study including 359 patients admitted with acute pancreatitis. Information was gathered from electronic patient records. We defined respiratory failure based on the modified Marshall scoring system in the revised Atlanta criteria. Predictors of respiratory failure were evaluated......, or pneumonia may develop respiratory failure, suggests that acute lung injury, possibly associated with systemic inflammation, may be important.......BACKGROUND: The incidence of respiratory failure and other respiratory complications in the early phase of acute pancreatitis (AP) is not well investigated. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the incidence and risk factors of respiratory failure, and its impact on mortality in the early phase AP. METHODS...

  2. [Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: 2. Short-term prognostic scores for acute exacerbations].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Junod, Alain F

    2014-01-22

    The chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or COPD is a slowly progressive disease whose course is frequently the subject of acute episodes, of variable severity, although, in general, reversible, called acute exacerbations. In the past five years (between 2008 and 2013), seven prognostic scores have been published to try to assess the short-term risk of these acute exacerbations. Their components and characteristics are analysed and commented upon. An Internet program with a detailed compilation of the main features of these scores (www.medhyg.ch/scoredoc) supplements this review.

  3. Risk score to predict gastrointestinal bleeding after acute ischemic stroke.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ji, Ruijun; Shen, Haipeng; Pan, Yuesong; Wang, Penglian; Liu, Gaifen; Wang, Yilong; Li, Hao; Singhal, Aneesh B; Wang, Yongjun

    2014-07-25

    Gastrointestinal bleeding (GIB) is a common and often serious complication after stroke. Although several risk factors for post-stroke GIB have been identified, no reliable or validated scoring system is currently available to predict GIB after acute stroke in routine clinical practice or clinical trials. In the present study, we aimed to develop and validate a risk model (acute ischemic stroke associated gastrointestinal bleeding score, the AIS-GIB score) to predict in-hospital GIB after acute ischemic stroke. The AIS-GIB score was developed from data in the China National Stroke Registry (CNSR). Eligible patients in the CNSR were randomly divided into derivation (60%) and internal validation (40%) cohorts. External validation was performed using data from the prospective Chinese Intracranial Atherosclerosis Study (CICAS). Independent predictors of in-hospital GIB were obtained using multivariable logistic regression in the derivation cohort, and β-coefficients were used to generate point scoring system for the AIS-GIB. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC) and the Hosmer-Lemeshow goodness-of-fit test were used to assess model discrimination and calibration, respectively. A total of 8,820, 5,882, and 2,938 patients were enrolled in the derivation, internal validation and external validation cohorts. The overall in-hospital GIB after AIS was 2.6%, 2.3%, and 1.5% in the derivation, internal, and external validation cohort, respectively. An 18-point AIS-GIB score was developed from the set of independent predictors of GIB including age, gender, history of hypertension, hepatic cirrhosis, peptic ulcer or previous GIB, pre-stroke dependence, admission National Institutes of Health stroke scale score, Glasgow Coma Scale score and stroke subtype (Oxfordshire). The AIS-GIB score showed good discrimination in the derivation (0.79; 95% CI, 0.764-0.825), internal (0.78; 95% CI, 0.74-0.82) and external (0.76; 95% CI, 0.71-0.82) validation cohorts

  4. Association of psychopathology with quality of life in acute phase of schizophrenia; an experience from east India

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Suravi Patra

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available Objective: To find the association of patient characteristic and psychopathology with quality of life in acute phase of schizophrenia. Materials and Methods: Socio-demographic variables of patient, psychopathology and quality of life were assessed. Spearman′s Correlation coefficients were measured using SPSS version 15.0. Results: Quality of life of the patients varied in different domains. Male gender, unmarried status and higher educational status predicted a poorer quality of life. The domains of physical and psychological well-being of WHO-QOL were correlated with PANSS general and total scores whereas environmental and social health showed no correlation with PANSS scores. Conclusion: Domains of subjective quality of life in acute phase of schizophrenia are associated variedly with socio-demographic variables and symptomatology.

  5. Meat juice: An alternative matrix for assessing animal health by measuring acute phase proteins. Correlations of pig-MAP and haptoglobin concentrations in pig meat juice and plasma.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Piñeiro, M; Gymnich, S; Knura, S; Piñeiro, C; Petersen, B

    2009-10-01

    Quantification of acute phase proteins (APPs) in blood can be used for monitoring animal health and welfare on farms, and could be also of interest for the detection of diseased animals during the meat inspection process. However serum or plasma is not always available for end-point analysis at slaughter. Meat juice might provide an adequate, alternative matrix that can be easily obtained for post-mortem analysis at abattoirs. The concentrations of pig Major Acute phase Protein (pig-MAP) and haptoglobin, two of the main APPs in pigs, were determined in approximately 300 paired samples of plasma and meat juice from the diaphragm (pars costalis), obtained after freezing and thawing the muscle. APPs concentrations in meat juice were closely correlated to those in plasma (r=0.695 for haptoglobin, r=0.858 for pig-MAP, panimal health in pig production, with implications for food safety and meat quality.

  6. Protein-energy malnutrition induces an aberrant acute-phase response and modifies the circadian rhythm of core temperature.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Smith, Shari E; Ramos, Rafaela Andrade; Refinetti, Roberto; Farthing, Jonathan P; Paterson, Phyllis G

    2013-08-01

    Protein-energy malnutrition (PEM), present in 12%-19% of stroke patients upon hospital admission, appears to be a detrimental comorbidity factor that impairs functional outcome, but the mechanisms are not fully elucidated. Because ischemic brain injury is highly temperature-sensitive, the objectives of this study were to investigate whether PEM causes sustained changes in temperature that are associated with an inflammatory response. Activity levels were recorded as a possible explanation for the immediate elevation in temperature upon introduction to a low protein diet. Male, Sprague-Dawley rats (7 weeks old) were fed a control diet (18% protein) or a low protein diet (PEM, 2% protein) for either 7 or 28 days. Continuous core temperature recordings from bioelectrical sensor transmitters demonstrated a rapid increase in temperature amplitude, sustained over 28 days, in response to a low protein diet. Daily mean temperature rose transiently by day 2 (p = 0.01), falling to normal by day 4 (p = 0.08), after which mean temperature continually declined as malnutrition progressed. There were no alterations in activity mean (p = 0.3) or amplitude (p = 0.2) that were associated with the early rise in mean temperature. Increased serum alpha-2-macroglobulin (p protein diet had no effect on the signaling pathway of the pro-inflammatory transcription factor, NFκB, in the hippocampus. In conclusion, PEM induces an aberrant and sustained acute-phase response coupled with long-lasting effects on body temperature.

  7. Increased levels of proteins of the acute inflammatory phase in the peritoneal fluid of women with advanced stages of endometriosis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Polak, Grzegorz; Barczyński, Bartłomiej; Bednarek, Wiesława; Kwaśniewski, Wojciech; Wertell, Iwona; Derewianka-Polak, Magdalena; Makara-Studzińska, Marta; Kotarski, Jan

    2015-06-01

    Most investigators agree that endometriosis is associated with a state of subclinical, non-infectious peritoneal inflammation. The objective of the study was to assess concentrations of two markers of the acute inflammatory phase proteins, haptoglobin and ceruloplasmin, in peritoneal fluid of endometriotic women. 229 women who underwent diagnostic or therapeutic laparoscopy were included in the study Minimal, mild, moderate and severe endometriosis according to ASRM was confirmed in 119 women (study groups), whereas 110 patients suffered from simple serous or dermoid ovarian cysts (reference groups). Haptoglobin and ceruloplasmin concentrations in the peritoneal fluid samples aspirated during laparoscopy were measured using commercially available radial immunodiffusion kits. The concentration of haptoglobin in the peritoneal fluid of women with endometriosis was significantly higher as compared to patients with serous and dermoid ovarian cysts. Significantly higher haptoglobin level was observed in patients with severe and moderate endometriosis as compared to women from both reference groups. No significant difference in the peritoneal fluid ceruloplasmin levels was found between patients with endometriosis and women from reference groups. However, it was noted that ceruloplasmin levels are higher in the subgroup of patients with severe endometriosis as compared to both reference groups and women with mild disease. Our results support the hypothesis that endometriosis is associated with subclinical inflammation within the peritoneal cavity It may be speculated that pro-inflammatory stimuli strong enough to cause an increase in acute inflammatory phase proteins peritoneal fluid concentrations are observed only in the advanced stages of the disease.

  8. Multi-walled carbon nanotube-physicochemical properties predict the systemic acute phase response following pulmonary exposure in mice

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Poulsen, Sarah Søs; Knudsen, Kristina Bram; Jackson, Petra

    2017-01-01

    of acute phase response proteins serum amyloid A1/2 (SAA1/2) and SAA3 were determined on day 1, 28 or 92. Expression levels of hepatic Saal and pulmonary Saa3 mRNA levels were assessed to determine the origin of the acute phase response proteins. Pulmonary Saa3 mRNA expression levels were greater...... and lasted longer than hepatic Saal mRNA expression. Plasma SAA1/2 and SAA3 protein levels were related to time and physicochemical properties using adjusted, multiple regression analyses. SAA3 and SAA1/2 plasma protein levels were increased after exposure to almost all of the MWCNTs on day 1, whereas...... limited changes were observed on day 28 and 92. SAA1/2 and SAA3 protein levels did not correlate and only SAA3 protein levels correlated with neutrophil influx. The multiple regression analyses revealed a protective effect of MWCNT length on SAA1/2 protein level on day 1, such that a longer length...

  9. The acute phase response of haptoglobin and serum amyloid A (SAA) in cattle undergoing experimental infection with bovine respiratory syncytial virus

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Heegaard, Peter M. H.; Godson, D.L.; Toussaint, M.J.M.

    2000-01-01

    respiratory syncytial virus (BRSV), analysing the induction of the two most dominant bovine acute phase proteins haptoglobin and serum amyloid A (SAA). Strong and reproducible acute phase responses were detected for both proteins, peaking at around 7-8 days after inoculation of BRSV, while no response...... was seen in mock-inoculated control animals. The serum concentrations reached for SAA and haptoglobin during the BRSV-induced acute phase response were generally the same or higher than previously reported for bacterial infections in calves. The magnitude and the duration of the haptoglobin response...... was found to correlate well with the severity of clinical signs (fever) and with the extent of lung consolidation while SAA responded most rapidly to infection....

  10. The diagnostic and prognostic importance of oxidative stress biomarkers and acute phase proteins in Urinary Tract Infection (UTI) in camels.

    Science.gov (United States)

    El-Deeb, Wael M; Buczinski, Sébastien

    2015-01-01

    The present study aimed to investigate the diagnostic and prognostic importance of oxidative stress biomarkers and acute phase proteins in urinary tract infection (UTI) in camels. We describe the clinical, bacteriological and biochemical findings in 89 camels. Blood and urine samples from diseased (n = 74) and control camels (n = 15) were submitted to laboratory investigations. The urine analysis revealed high number of RBCS and pus cells. The concentrations of serum and erythrocytic malondialdehyde (sMDA & eMDA), Haptoglobin (Hp), serum amyloid A (SAA), Ceruloplasmin (Cp), fibrinogen (Fb), albumin, globulin and interleukin 6 (IL-6) were higher in diseased camels when compared to healthy ones. Catalase, super oxide dismutase and glutathione levels were lower in diseased camels when compared with control group. Forty one of 74 camels with UTI were successfully treated. The levels of malondialdehyde, catalase, super oxide dismutase, glutathione, Hp, SAA, Fb, total protein, globulin and IL-6 were associated with the odds of treatment failure. The MDA showed a great sensitivity (Se) and specificity (Sp) in predicting treatment failure (Se 85%/Sp 100%) as well as the SAA (Se 92%/Sp 87%) and globulin levels (Se 85%/Sp 100%) when using the cutoffs that maximizes the sum of Se + Sp. Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that two models had a high accuracy to predict failure with the first model including sex, sMDA and Hp as covariates (area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) = 0.92) and a second model using sex, SAA and Hp (AUC = 0.89). Conclusively, the oxidative stress biomarkers and acute phase proteins could be used as diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers in camel UTI management. Efforts should be forced to investigate such biomarkers in other species with UTI.

  11. Predictive value of C-reactive protein/albumin ratio in acute pancreatitis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kaplan, Mustafa; Ates, Ihsan; Akpinar, Muhammed Yener; Yuksel, Mahmut; Kuzu, Ufuk Baris; Kacar, Sabite; Coskun, Orhan; Kayacetin, Ertugrul

    2017-08-15

    Serum C-reactive protein (CRP) increases and albumin decreases in patients with inflammation and infection. However, their role in patients with acute pancreatitis is not clear. The present study was to investigate the predictive significance of the CRP/albumin ratio for the prognosis and mortality in acute pancreatitis patients. This study was performed retrospectively with 192 acute pancreatitis patients between January 2002 and June 2015. Ranson scores, Atlanta classification and CRP/albumin ratios of the patients were calculated. The CRP/albumin ratio was higher in deceased patients compared to survivors. The CRP/albumin ratio was positively correlated with Ranson score and Atlanta classification in particular and with important prognostic markers such as hospitalization time, CRP and erythrocyte sedimentation rate. In addition to the CRP/albumin ratio, necrotizing pancreatitis type, moderately severe and severe Atlanta classification, and total Ranson score were independent risk factors of mortality. It was found that an increase of 1 unit in the CRP/albumin ratio resulted in an increase of 1.52 times in mortality risk. A prediction value about CRP/albumin ratio >16.28 was found to be a significant marker in predicting mortality with 92.1% sensitivity and 58.0% specificity. It was seen that Ranson and Atlanta classification were higher in patients with CRP/albumin ratio >16.28 compared with those with CRP/albumin ratio ≤16.28. Patients with CRP/albumin ratio >16.28 had a 19.3 times higher chance of death. The CRP/albumin ratio is a novel but promising, easy-to-measure, repeatable, non-invasive inflammation-based prognostic score in acute pancreatitis. Copyright © 2017 The Editorial Board of Hepatobiliary & Pancreatic Diseases International. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  12. Local and disseminated acute phase response during bacterial respiratory infection in pigs

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Skovgaard, Kerstin; Mortensen, Shila; Heegaard, Peter M. H.

    2010-01-01

    The acute phase response is playing an important role, aiming to restore the healthy state after tissue injury, inflammation and infection. The biological function of this response and its interplay with other parts of innate defense reactions remain somewhat elusive. Expression of acute phase...... locations of the infected lung (necrotic areas, areas bordering on necrotic areas, and from visually unaffected areas). Expression differences was also studied in the liver and in peripheral lymphoid tissue (tracheobronchial lymph nodes, spleen, tonsils) of infected (n=10) and non-infected (n=5) pigs using......-phase proteins was found 14-18h after experimental infection with A. pleuropneumoniae. This firmly establishes that expression of APPs is widely disseminated, involving changes in the expression of APPs at a dynamic scale comparable to the hepatic response. These results suggest that many different cell...

  13. Evaluation of modified Alvarado scoring system and RIPASA scoring system as diagnostic tools of acute appendicitis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shuaib, Abdullah; Shuaib, Ali; Fakhra, Zainab; Marafi, Bader; Alsharaf, Khalid; Behbehani, Abdullah

    2017-01-01

    Acute appendicitis is the most common surgical condition presented in emergency departments worldwide. Clinical scoring systems, such as the Alvarado and modified Alvarado scoring systems, were developed with the goal of reducing the negative appendectomy rate to 5%-10%. The Raja Isteri Pengiran Anak Saleha Appendicitis (RIPASA) scoring system was established in 2008 specifically for Asian populations. The aim of this study was to compare the modified Alvarado with the RIPASA scoring system in Kuwait population. This study included 180 patients who underwent appendectomies and were documented as having "acute appendicitis" or "abdominal pain" in the operating theatre logbook (unit B) from November 2014 to March 2016. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), negative predictive value (NPV), diagnostic accuracy, predicted negative appendectomy and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve of the modified Alvarado and RIPASA scoring systems were derived using SPSS statistical software. A total of 136 patients were included in this study according to our criteria. The cut-off threshold point of the modified Alvarado score was set at 7.0, which yielded a sensitivity of 82.8% and a specificity of 56%. The PPV was 89.3% and the NPV was 42.4%. The cut-off threshold point of the RIPASA score was set at 7.5, which yielded a 94.5% sensitivity and an 88% specificity. The PPV was 97.2% and the NPV was 78.5%. The predicted negative appendectomy rates were 10.7% and 2.2% for the modified Alvarado and RIPASA scoring systems, respectively. The negative appendectomy rate decreased significantly, from 18.4% to 10.7% for the modified Alvarado, and to 2.2% for the RIPASA scoring system, which was a significant difference (PAsian populations. It consists of 14 clinical parameters that can be obtained from a good patient history, clinical examination and laboratory investigations. The RIPASA scoring system is more accurate and specific than the modified Alvarado

  14. Ripasa score: a new diagnostic score for diagnosis of acute appendicitis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Butt, M.Q.

    2014-01-01

    Objective: To determine the usefulness of RIPASA score for the diagnosis of acute appendicitis using histopathology as a gold standard. Study Design: Cross-sectional study. Place and Duration of Study: Department of General Surgery, Combined Military Hospital, Kohat, from September 2011 to March 2012. Methodology: A total of 267 patients were included in this study. RIPASA score was assessed. The diagnosis of appendicitis was made clinically aided by routine sonography of abdomen. After appendicectomies, resected appendices were sent for histopathological examination. The 15 parameters and the scores generated were age (less than 40 years = 1 point; greater than 40 years = 0.5 point), gender (male = 1 point; female = 0.5 point), Right Iliac Fossa (RIF) pain (0.5 point), migration of pain to RIF (0.5 point), nausea and vomiting (1 point), anorexia (1 point), duration of symptoms (less than 48 hours = 1 point; more than 48 hours = 0.5 point), RIF tenderness (1 point), guarding (2 points), rebound tenderness (1 point), Rovsing's sign (2 points), fever (1 point), raised white cell count (1 point), negative urinalysis (1 point) and foreign national registration identity card (1 point). The optimal cut-off threshold score from the ROC was 7.5. Sensitivity analysis was done. Results: Out of 267 patients, 156 (58.4%) were male while remaining 111 patients (41.6%) were female with mean age of 23.5 +- 9.1 years. Sensitivity of RIPASA score was 96.7%, specificity 93.0%, diagnostic accuracy was 95.1%, positive predictive value was 94.8% and negative predictive value was 95.54%. Conclusion: RIPASA score at a cut-off total score of 7.5 was a useful tool to diagnose appendicitis, in equivocal cases of pain. (author)

  15. Derivation and validation of the prediabetes self-assessment screening score after acute pancreatitis (PERSEUS).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Soo, Danielle H E; Pendharkar, Sayali A; Jivanji, Chirag J; Gillies, Nicola A; Windsor, John A; Petrov, Maxim S

    2017-10-01

    Approximately 40% of patients develop abnormal glucose metabolism after a single episode of acute pancreatitis. This study aimed to develop and validate a prediabetes self-assessment screening score for patients after acute pancreatitis. Data from non-overlapping training (n=82) and validation (n=80) cohorts were analysed. Univariate logistic and linear regression identified variables associated with prediabetes after acute pancreatitis. Multivariate logistic regression developed the score, ranging from 0 to 215. The area under the receiver-operating characteristic curve (AUROC), Hosmer-Lemeshow χ 2 statistic, and calibration plots were used to assess model discrimination and calibration. The developed score was validated using data from the validation cohort. The score had an AUROC of 0.88 (95% CI, 0.80-0.97) and Hosmer-Lemeshow χ 2 statistic of 5.75 (p=0.676). Patients with a score of ≥75 had a 94.1% probability of having prediabetes, and were 29 times more likely to have prediabetes than those with a score of <75. The AUROC in the validation cohort was 0.81 (95% CI, 0.70-0.92) and the Hosmer-Lemeshow χ 2 statistic was 5.50 (p=0.599). Model calibration of the score showed good calibration in both cohorts. The developed and validated score, called PERSEUS, is the first instrument to identify individuals who are at high risk of developing abnormal glucose metabolism following an episode of acute pancreatitis. Copyright © 2017 Editrice Gastroenterologica Italiana S.r.l. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  16. Performance of a novel clinical score, the Pediatric Asthma Severity Score (PASS), in the evaluation of acute asthma.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gorelick, Marc H; Stevens, Molly W; Schultz, Theresa R; Scribano, Philip V

    2004-01-01

    To evaluate the reliability, validity, and responsiveness of a new clinical asthma score, the Pediatric Asthma Severity Score (PASS), in children aged 1 through 18 years in an acute clinical setting. This was a prospective cohort study of children treated for acute asthma at two urban pediatric emergency departments (EDs). A total of 852 patients were enrolled at one site and 369 at the second site. Clinical findings were assessed at the start of the ED visit, after one hour of treatment, and at the time of disposition. Peak expiratory flow rate (PEFR) (for patients aged 6 years and older) and pulse oximetry were also measured. Composite scores including three, four, or five clinical findings were evaluated, and the three-item score (wheezing, prolonged expiration, and work of breathing) was selected as the PASS. Interobserver reliability for the PASS was good to excellent (kappa = 0.72 to 0.83). There was a significant correlation between PASS and PEFR (r = 0.27 to 0.37) and pulse oximetry (r = 0.29 to 0.41) at various time points. The PASS was able to discriminate between those patients who did and did not require hospitalization, with area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.82. Finally, the PASS was shown to be responsive, with a 48% relative increase in score from start to end of treatment and an overall effect size of 0.62, indicating a moderate to large effect. This clinical score, the PASS, based on three clinical findings, is a reliable and valid measure of asthma severity in children and shows both discriminative and responsive properties. The PASS may be a useful tool to assess acute asthma severity for clinical and research purposes.

  17. A new adult appendicitis score improves diagnostic accuracy of acute appendicitis - a prospective study

    Science.gov (United States)

    2014-01-01

    Background The aim of the study was to construct a new scoring system for more accurate diagnostics of acute appendicitis. Applying the new score into clinical practice could reduce the need of potentially harmful diagnostic imaging. Methods This prospective study enrolled 829 adults presenting with clinical suspicion of appendicitis, including 392 (47%) patients with appendicitis. The collected data included clinical findings and symptoms together with laboratory tests (white cell count, neutrophil count and C-reactive protein), and the timing of the onset of symptoms. The score was constructed by logistic regression analysis using multiple imputations for missing values. Performance of the constructed score in patients with complete data (n = 725) was compared with Alvarado score and Appendicitis inflammatory response score. Results 343 (47%) of patients with complete data had appendicitis. 199 (58%) patients with appendicitis had score value at least 16 and were classified as high probability group with 93% specificity.Patients with score below 11 were classified as low probability of appendicitis. Only 4% of patients with appendicitis had a score below 11, and none of them had complicated appendicitis. In contrast, 207 (54%) of non-appendicitis patients had score below 11. There were no cases with complicated appendicitis in the low probability group. The area under ROC curve was significantly larger with the new score 0.882 (95% CI 0.858 – 0.906) compared with AUC of Alvarado score 0.790 (0.758 – 0.823) and Appendicitis inflammatory response score 0.810 (0.779 – 0.840). Conclusions The new diagnostic score is fast and accurate in categorizing patients with suspected appendicitis, and roughly halves the need of diagnostic imaging. PMID:24970111

  18. Early warning score independently predicts adverse outcome and mortality in patients with acute pancreatitis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jones, Michael J; Neal, Christopher P; Ngu, Wee Sing; Dennison, Ashley R; Garcea, Giuseppe

    2017-08-01

    The aim of this study was to compare the prognostic value of established scoring systems with early warning scores in a large cohort of patients with acute pancreatitis. In patients presenting with acute pancreatitis, age, sex, American Society of Anaesthesiologists (ASA) grade, Modified Glasgow Score, Ranson criteria, APACHE II scores and early warning score (EWS) were recorded for the first 72 h following admission. These variables were compared between survivors and non-survivors, between patients with mild/moderate and severe pancreatitis (based on the 2012 Atlanta Classification) and between patients with a favourable or adverse outcome. A total of 629 patients were identified. EWS was the best predictor of adverse outcome amongst all of the assessed variables (area under curve (AUC) values 0.81, 0.84 and 0.83 for days 1, 2 and 3, respectively) and was the most accurate predictor of mortality on both days 2 and 3 (AUC values of 0.88 and 0.89, respectively). Multivariable analysis revealed that an EWS ≥2 was independently associated with severity of pancreatitis, adverse outcome and mortality. This study confirms the usefulness of EWS in predicting the outcome of acute pancreatitis. It should become the mainstay of risk stratification in patients with acute pancreatitis.

  19. Early warning score predicts acute mortality in stroke patients

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Liljehult, J; Christensen, Thomas

    2016-01-01

    OBJECTIVES: Clinical deterioration and death among patients with acute stroke are often preceded by detrimental changes in physiological parameters. Systematic and effective tools to identify patients at risk of deterioration early enough to intervene are therefore needed. The aim of the study wa...... tool for identifying patients at risk of dying after acute stroke. Readily available physiological parameters are converted to a single score, which can guide both nurses and physicians in clinical decision making and resource allocation.......OBJECTIVES: Clinical deterioration and death among patients with acute stroke are often preceded by detrimental changes in physiological parameters. Systematic and effective tools to identify patients at risk of deterioration early enough to intervene are therefore needed. The aim of the study...

  20. A collaborative filtering approach for protein-protein docking scoring functions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bourquard, Thomas; Bernauer, Julie; Azé, Jérôme; Poupon, Anne

    2011-04-22

    A protein-protein docking procedure traditionally consists in two successive tasks: a search algorithm generates a large number of candidate conformations mimicking the complex existing in vivo between two proteins, and a scoring function is used to rank them in order to extract a native-like one. We have already shown that using Voronoi constructions and a well chosen set of parameters, an accurate scoring function could be designed and optimized. However to be able to perform large-scale in silico exploration of the interactome, a near-native solution has to be found in the ten best-ranked solutions. This cannot yet be guaranteed by any of the existing scoring functions. In this work, we introduce a new procedure for conformation ranking. We previously developed a set of scoring functions where learning was performed using a genetic algorithm. These functions were used to assign a rank to each possible conformation. We now have a refined rank using different classifiers (decision trees, rules and support vector machines) in a collaborative filtering scheme. The scoring function newly obtained is evaluated using 10 fold cross-validation, and compared to the functions obtained using either genetic algorithms or collaborative filtering taken separately. This new approach was successfully applied to the CAPRI scoring ensembles. We show that for 10 targets out of 12, we are able to find a near-native conformation in the 10 best ranked solutions. Moreover, for 6 of them, the near-native conformation selected is of high accuracy. Finally, we show that this function dramatically enriches the 100 best-ranking conformations in near-native structures.

  1. Acute-phase responses in healthy and diseased rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta)

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Krogh, Anne Kirstine Havnsøe; Lundsgaard, Jo F. H.; Bakker, Jaco

    2014-01-01

    Five acute-phase reactants—serum amyloid A (SAA), C-reactive protein (CRP), haptoglobin, albumin, and iron—were measured using commercially available assays in 110 healthy rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta), and reference intervals were established for future use in health monitoring of this species....... Reference intervals established were as follows: SAA, 29.5–87.7 mg/L; CRP, 0–17.5 mg/L; haptoglobin, 354.3–2,414.7 mg/L; albumin, 36.1–53.0 g/L; and iron, 13.3–40.2 lmol/L. Furthermore, changes in the acute-phase reactants were studied in two additional groups of animals: eight rhesus macaques suffering...... from acute traumatic injuries and nine rhesus macaques experimentally infected with Mycobacterium tuberculosis reflecting a chronic active inflammation. In animals with inflammation, SAA and haptoglobin concentrations were moderately increased, while CRP increased more than 200-fold. In addition, marked...

  2. Acute phase response and plasma carotenoid concentrations in older women: findings from the nun study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Boosalis, M G; Snowdon, D A; Tully, C L; Gross, M D

    1996-01-01

    This cross-sectional study investigated whether the acute phase response was associated with suppressed circulating levels of antioxidants in a population of 85 Catholic sisters (nuns) ages 77-99 y. Fasting blood was drawn to determine the presence of an acute phase response, as defined by an elevation in the serum concentration of C-reactive protein. Serum concentrations of albumin, thyroxine-binding prealbumin, zinc, copper, and fibrinogen were determined as were plasma concentrations of carotenoids and alpha tocopherol. Results showed that the presence of an acute phase response was associated with (1) an expected significant decrease in the serum concentrations of albumin (p < 0.001) and thyroxine-binding prealbumin (p < 0.001); (2) an expected significant increase in copper (p < 0.001) and fibrinogen (p = 0.003); and (3) a significant decrease in the plasma concentrations of lycopene (p = 0.03), alpha carotene (p = 0.02), beta carotene (p = 0.02), and total carotenoids (p = 0.01). The acute phase response was associated with decreased plasma levels of the antioxidants lycopene, alpha carotene, and beta carotene. This decrease in circulating antioxidants may further compromise antioxidant status and increase oxidative stress and damage in elders.

  3. Dynamic Measurement of Disease Activity in Acute Pancreatitis: The Pancreatitis Activity Scoring System.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wu, Bechien U; Batech, Michael; Quezada, Michael; Lew, Daniel; Fujikawa, Kelly; Kung, Jonathan; Jamil, Laith H; Chen, Wansu; Afghani, Elham; Reicher, Sonya; Buxbaum, James; Pandol, Stephen J

    2017-07-01

    Acute pancreatitis has a highly variable course. Currently there is no widely accepted method to measure disease activity in patients hospitalized for acute pancreatitis. We aimed to develop a clinical activity index that incorporates routine clinical parameters to assist in the measurement, study, and management of acute pancreatitis. We used the UCLA/RAND appropriateness method to identify items for inclusion in the disease activity instrument. We conducted a systematic literature review followed by two sets of iterative modified Delphi meetings including a panel of international experts between November 2014 and November 2015. The final instrument was then applied to patient data obtained from five separate study cohorts across Southern California to assess profiles of disease activity. From a list of 35 items comprising 6 domains, we identified 5 parameters for inclusion in the final weighted clinical activity scoring system: organ failure, systemic inflammatory response syndrome, abdominal pain, requirement for opiates and ability to tolerate oral intake. We applied the weighted scoring system across the 5 study cohorts comprising 3,123 patients. We identified several distinct patterns of disease activity: (i) overall there was an elevated score at baseline relative to discharge across all study cohorts, (ii) there were distinct patterns of disease activity related to duration of illness as well as (iii) early and persistent elevation of disease activity among patients with severe acute pancreatitis defined as persistent organ failure. We present the development and initial validation of a clinical activity score for real-time assessment of disease activity in patients with acute pancreatitis.

  4. [German validation of the Acute Cystitis Symptom Score].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Alidjanov, J F; Pilatz, A; Abdufattaev, U A; Wiltink, J; Weidner, W; Naber, K G; Wagenlehner, F

    2015-09-01

    The Uzbek version of the Acute Cystitis Symptom Score (ACSS) was developed as a simple self-reporting questionnaire to improve diagnosis and therapy of women with acute cystitis (AC). The purpose of this work was to validate the ACSS in the German language. The ACSS consists of 18 questions in four subscales: (1) typical symptoms, (2) differential diagnosis, (3) quality of life, and (4) additional circumstances. Translation of the ACSS into German was performed according to international guidelines. For the validation process 36 German-speaking women (age: 18-90 years), with and without symptoms of AC, were included in the study. Classification of participants into two groups (patients or controls) was based on the presence or absence of typical symptoms and significant bacteriuria (≥ 10(3) CFU/ml). Statistical evaluations of reliability, validity, and predictive ability were performed. ROC curve analysis was performed to assess sensitivity and specificity of ACSS and its subscales. The Mann-Whitney's U test and t-test were used to compare the scores of the groups. Of the 36 German-speaking women (age: 40 ± 19 years), 19 were diagnosed with AC (patient group), while 17 women served as controls. Cronbach's α for the German ACSS total scale was 0.87. A threshold score of ≥ 6 points in category 1 (typical symptoms) significantly predicted AC (sensitivity 94.7%, specificity 82.4%). There were no significant differences in ACSS scores in patients and controls compared to the original Uzbek version of the ACSS. The German version of the ACSS showed a high reliability and validity. Therefore, the German version of the ACSS can be reliably used in clinical practice and research for diagnosis and therapeutic monitoring of patients suffering from AC.

  5. Neuropsychological intervention in the acute phase

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Norup, Anne; Siert, Lars; Mortensen, Erik Lykke

    2013-01-01

    This pilot study investigated the effects of acute neuropsychological intervention for relatives of patients with severe brain injury. Participants were enrolled in an intervention group comprising 39 relatives, and a control group comprising 47 relatives. The intervention consisted of supportive.......0100.30), but also significantly lower Role Emotional scores (= 2.12 = 0.043, = 0.40). In the sub-acute setting, an analysis of covariance model showed a borderline significant difference between the intervention and the control group on the anxiety scale (= 0.066 = 0.59). Any effects of the acute neuropsychological...

  6. Association between feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) plasma viral RNA load, concentration of acute phase proteins and disease severity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kann, Rebecca K C; Seddon, Jennifer M; Kyaw-Tanner, Myat T; Henning, Joerg; Meers, Joanne

    2014-08-01

    Veterinarians have few tools to predict the rate of disease progression in FIV-infected cats. In contrast, in HIV infection, plasma viral RNA load and acute phase protein concentrations are commonly used as predictors of disease progression. This study evaluated these predictors in cats naturally infected with FIV. In older cats (>5 years), log10 FIV RNA load was higher in the terminal stages of disease compared to the asymptomatic stage. There was a significant association between log10 FIV RNA load and both log10 serum amyloid A concentration and age in unwell FIV-infected cats. This study suggests that viral RNA load and serum amyloid A warrant further investigation as predictors of disease status and prognosis in FIV-infected cats. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  7. Comparison of infarct size changes with delayed contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging and electrocardiogram QRS scoring during the 6 months after acutely reperfused myocardial infarction

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Bang, L.E.; Ripa, R.S.; Grande, P.

    2008-01-01

    INTRODUCTION: Magnetic resonance imaging using the delayed contrast-enhanced (DE-MRI) method can be used for characterizing and quantifying myocardial infarction (MI). Electrocardiogram (ECG) score after the acute phase of MI can be used to estimate the portion of left ventricular myocardium...

  8. Risk Score for Predicting Treatment-Requiring Retinopathy of Prematurity (ROP) in the Telemedicine Approaches to Evaluating Acute-Phase ROP Study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ying, Gui-Shuang; VanderVeen, Deborah; Daniel, Ebenezer; Quinn, Graham E; Baumritter, Agnieshka

    2016-10-01

    To develop a risk score for predicting treatment-requiring retinopathy of prematurity (TR-ROP) in the Telemedicine Approaches to Evaluating Acute-Phase Retinopathy of Prematurity (e-ROP) study. Second analyses of an observational cohort study. Infants with birth weight (BW) prematurity (ROP) examination for determining TR-ROP by study-certified ophthalmologists. Nonphysician trained readers evaluated wide-field retinal image sets for characteristics of ROP, pre-plus/plus disease, and retinal hemorrhage. Risk score points for predicting TR-ROP were derived from the regression coefficients of significant predictors in a multivariate logistic regression model. TR-ROP. Eighty-five of 771 infants (11.0%) developed TR-ROP. In a multivariate model, significant predictors for TR-ROP were gestational age (GA) (odds ratio [OR], 5.7; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.7-18.9 for ≤25 vs. ≥28 weeks), need for respiratory support (OR, 7.0; 95% CI, 1.3-37.1 for high-frequency oscillatory ventilation vs. no respiratory support), slow weight gain (OR, 2.4; 95% CI, 1.2-4.6 for weight gain ≤12 g/day vs. >15 g/day), and image findings at the first image session including number of quadrants with pre-plus (OR, 3.8; 95% CI, 1.5-9.7 for 4 pre-plus quadrants vs. no pre-plus), stage and zone of ROP (OR, 4.7; 95% CI, 2.1-11.8 for stage 1-2 zone I, OR, 5.9; 95% CI, 2.1-16.6 for stage 3 zone I vs. no ROP), and presence of blot hemorrhage (OR, 3.1; 95% CI, 1.4-6.7). Image findings predicted TR-ROP better than GA (area under receiver operating characteristic curve [AUC] = 0.82 vs. 0.75, P = 0.03). The risk of TR-ROP steadily increased with higher risk score and predicted TR-ROP well (AUC = 0.88; 95% CI, 0.85-0.92). Risk score ≥3 points for predicting TR-ROP had a sensitivity of 98.8%, specificity of 40.1%, and positive and negative predictive values of 17.0% and 99.6%, respectively. Image characteristics at 34 PMA weeks or earlier independently predict TR-ROP. If externally validated in

  9. Validation of the FOUR Score (Spanish Version) in acute stroke: an interobserver variability study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Idrovo, Luis; Fuentes, Blanca; Medina, Josmarlin; Gabaldón, Laura; Ruiz-Ares, Gerardo; Abenza, María José; Aguilar-Amat, María José; Martínez-Sánchez, Patricia; Rodríguez, Luis; Cazorla, Rubén; Martínez, Marta; Tafur, Alfonso; Wijdicks, Eelco F M; Diez-Tejedor, Exuperio

    2010-01-01

    Methods to assess impaired consciousness in acute stroke typically include the Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS), but the verbal component has limitations in aphasic or intubated patients. The FOUR (Full Outline of UnResponsiveness) score, a new coma scale, evaluates 4 components: eye and motor responses, brainstem reflexes and respiration. We aimed to study the interobserver variability of the FOUR score in acute stroke patients. We prospectively enrolled consecutive patients with acute stroke admitted from February to July 2008 to the stroke unit of our Neurology Department. Patients were evaluated by neurology residents and nurses using the FOUR score and the GCS. For both scales, we obtained paired and total weighted kappa values (Kw) and intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC). NIH stroke scale was also recorded on admission. We obtained a total of 75 paired evaluations in 60 patients (41 cerebral infarctions, 15 cerebral hemorrhages and 4 transient ischemic attacks). Thirty-three (55%) patients were alert, 17 (28.3%) drowsy and 10 (16.7%) stuporous or comatose. The overall rater agreement was excellent in the FOUR score (Kw 0.93; 95% CI 0.89-0.97) with an ICC of 0.94 (95% CI 0.91-0.96) and in the GCS (Kw 0.96; 95% CI 0.94-0.98) with an ICC of 0.96 (95% CI 0.93-0.97). A good correlation was found between the FOUR score and the GCS (rho 0.83; p FOUR score and the NIH stroke scale (rho -0.78; p FOUR score is a reliable scale for evaluating the level of consciousness in acute stroke patients, showing a good correlation with the GCS and the NIH stroke scale. Copyright 2010 S. Karger AG, Basel.

  10. Predictive Performance of the Simplified Acute Physiology Score (SAPS) II and the Initial Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) Score in Acutely Ill Intensive Care Patients

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Granholm, Anders; Møller, Morten Hylander; Kragh, Mette

    2016-01-01

    PURPOSE: Severity scores including the Simplified Acute Physiology Score (SAPS) II and the Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) score are used in intensive care units (ICUs) to assess disease severity, predict mortality and in research. We aimed to assess the predictive performance of SAPS II...... compared the discrimination of SAPS II and initial SOFA scores, compared the discrimination of SAPS II in our cohort with the original cohort, assessed the calibration of SAPS II customised to our cohort, and compared the discrimination for 90-day mortality vs. in-hospital mortality for both scores....... Discrimination was evaluated using areas under the receiver operating characteristics curves (AUROC). Calibration was evaluated using Hosmer-Lemeshow's goodness-of-fit Ĉ-statistic. RESULTS: AUROC for in-hospital mortality was 0.80 (95% confidence interval (CI) 0.77-0.83) for SAPS II and 0.73 (95% CI 0...

  11. Forging the Basis for Developing Protein-Ligand Interaction Scoring Functions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Zhihai; Su, Minyi; Han, Li; Liu, Jie; Yang, Qifan; Li, Yan; Wang, Renxiao

    2017-02-21

    In structure-based drug design, scoring functions are widely used for fast evaluation of protein-ligand interactions. They are often applied in combination with molecular docking and de novo design methods. Since the early 1990s, a whole spectrum of protein-ligand interaction scoring functions have been developed. Regardless of their technical difference, scoring functions all need data sets combining protein-ligand complex structures and binding affinity data for parametrization and validation. However, data sets of this kind used to be rather limited in terms of size and quality. On the other hand, standard metrics for evaluating scoring function used to be ambiguous. Scoring functions are often tested in molecular docking or even virtual screening trials, which do not directly reflect the genuine quality of scoring functions. Collectively, these underlying obstacles have impeded the invention of more advanced scoring functions. In this Account, we describe our long-lasting efforts to overcome these obstacles, which involve two related projects. On the first project, we have created the PDBbind database. It is the first database that systematically annotates the protein-ligand complexes in the Protein Data Bank (PDB) with experimental binding data. This database has been updated annually since its first public release in 2004. The latest release (version 2016) provides binding data for 16 179 biomolecular complexes in PDB. Data sets provided by PDBbind have been applied to many computational and statistical studies on protein-ligand interaction and various subjects. In particular, it has become a major data resource for scoring function development. On the second project, we have established the Comparative Assessment of Scoring Functions (CASF) benchmark for scoring function evaluation. Our key idea is to decouple the "scoring" process from the "sampling" process, so scoring functions can be tested in a relatively pure context to reflect their quality. In our

  12. Determinants of fatigue after first-ever ischemic stroke during acute phase.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Shan-Shan Wang

    Full Text Available Fatigue after stroke is common and has a negative impact on rehabilitation and survival. However, its pathogenesis and contributing factors remain unclear. The purpose of this study was to identify factors influencing the occurrence of fatigue after first-ever ischemic stroke in acute phase.We examined 265 consecutive patients with first-ever ischemic stroke during acute phase (within 2 weeks in two tertiary stroke care hospitals in Henan, China. We documented patients' demographic and clinical characteristics through face-to-face interviews using structured questionnaires and reviews of medical records. Post-stroke fatigue was defined as a score of ≥4 using the Fatigue Severity Scale. Multivariate logistic regression was used to examine post-stroke fatigue in relation to socio-demographic, lifestyle, clinical characteristics and family function.About 40% first-ever ischemic stroke patients experienced post-stroke fatigue in acute phase. Post-stroke fatigue was associated with lack of exercise before stroke (adjusted odds ratio 4.01, 95% CI 1.95-8.24, family dysfunction (2.63, 1.20-5.80, depression (2.39, 1.02-5.58, the presence of pre-stroke fatigue (4.89, 2.13-11.21, use of sedative medications (4.14, 1.58-10.88, coronary heart disease (3.38, 1.46-7.79 and more severe Modified Rankin Scale (2.55, 1.65-3.95.The causes of post-stroke fatigue are multifaceted. More physical exercise, improving family function, reducing depression and appropriate use of sedative medications may be helpful in preventing post-stroke fatigue.

  13. GRACE score predicts heart failure admission following acute coronary syndrome.

    Science.gov (United States)

    McAllister, David A; Halbesma, Nynke; Carruthers, Kathryn; Denvir, Martin; Fox, Keith A

    2015-04-01

    Congestive heart failure (CHF) is a common and preventable complication of acute coronary syndrome (ACS). Nevertheless, ACS risk scores have not been shown to predict CHF risk. We investigated whether the at-discharge Global Registry of Acute Coronary Events (GRACE) score predicts heart failure admission following ACS. Five-year mortality and hospitalization data were obtained for patients admitted with ACS from June 1999 to September 2009 to a single centre of the GRACE registry. CHF was defined as any admission assigned WHO International Classification of Diseases 10 diagnostic code I50. The hazard ratio (HR) for CHF according to GRACE score was estimated in Cox models adjusting for age, gender and the presence of CHF on index admission. Among 1,956 patients, CHF was recorded on index admission in 141 patients (7%), and 243 (12%) were admitted with CHF over 3.8 median years of follow-up. Compared to the lowest quintile, patients in the highest GRACE score quintile had more CHF admissions (116 vs 17) and a shorter time to first admission (1.2 vs 2.0 years, HR 9.87, 95% CI 5.93-16.43). Per standard deviation increment in GRACE score, the instantaneous risk was more than two-fold higher (HR 2.28; 95% CI 2.02-2.57), including after adjustment for CHF on index admission, age and gender (HR 2.49; 95% CI 2.06-3.02). The C-statistic for CHF admission at 1-year was 0.74 (95% CI 0.70-0.79). The GRACE score predicts CHF admission, and may therefore be used to target ACS patients at high risk of CHF with clinical monitoring and therapies. © The European Society of Cardiology 2014.

  14. Nursing Activities Score and Acute Kidney Injury

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Filipe Utuari de Andrade Coelho

    Full Text Available ABSTRACT Objective: to evaluate the nursing workload in intensive care patients with acute kidney injury (AKI. Method: A quantitative study, conducted in an intensive care unit, from April to August of 2015. The Nursing Activities Score (NAS and Kidney Disease Improving Global Outcomes (KDIGO were used to measure nursing workload and to classify the stage of AKI, respectively. Results: A total of 190 patients were included. Patients who developed AKI (44.2% had higher NAS when compared to those without AKI (43.7% vs 40.7%, p <0.001. Patients with stage 1, 2 and 3 AKI showed higher NAS than those without AKI. A relationship was identified between stage 2 and 3 with those without AKI (p = 0.002 and p <0.001. Conclusion: The NAS was associated with the presence of AKI, the score increased with the progression of the stages, and it was associated with AKI, stage 2 and 3.

  15. Using scores to identify patients at risk of short term mortality at arrival to the acute medical unit

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Brabrand, Mikkel; Hallas, Peter; Hansen, Søren Nygaard

    2017-01-01

    Introduction: "Early warning scores" (EWS) have been developed to quantify levels of vital sign abnormality. However, many scores have not been validated. The aim of this study was to validate six scores that all rely on vital signs: Rapid Acute Physiology Score (RAPS), Rapid Emergency Medicine...... Score (REMS) and the National Early Warning Score (NEWS) and the Goodacre, Groarke and Worthing physiological scores. Methods: A posthoc single-center observational cohort study of prospectively collected vital signs on acutely admitted medical patients to a Danish hospital. All adult patients arriving...... at an acute medical unit at a 450-bed regional teaching hospital were included. Upon arrival, we registered initial vital signs and only the first presentation in the study period was included. Patients were included from 1 June to 31 October 2012. All-cause 24-h mortality and overall in-hospital mortality...

  16. Longitudinal social-interpersonal functioning among higher-risk responders to acute-phase cognitive therapy for recurrent major depressive disorder.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vittengl, Jeffrey R; Clark, Lee Anna; Thase, Michael E; Jarrett, Robin B

    2016-07-15

    Social-interpersonal dysfunction increases disability in major depressive disorder (MDD). Here we clarified the durability of improvements in social-interpersonal functioning made during acute-phase cognitive therapy (CT), whether continuation CT (C-CT) or fluoxetine (FLX) further improved functioning, and relations of functioning with depressive symptoms and relapse/recurrence. Adult outpatients (N=241) with recurrent MDD who responded to acute-phase CT with higher risk of relapse (due to unstable or partial remission) were randomized to 8 months of C-CT, FLX, or pill placebo plus clinical management (PBO) and followed 24 additional months. We analyzed repeated measures of patients' social adjustment, interpersonal problems, dyadic adjustment, depressive symptoms, and major depressive relapse/recurrence. Large improvements in social-interpersonal functioning occurring during acute-phase CT (median d=1.4) were maintained, with many patients (median=66%) scoring in normal ranges for 32 months. Social-interpersonal functioning did not differ significantly among C-CT, FLX, and PBO arms. Beyond concurrently measured residual symptoms, deterioration in social-interpersonal functioning preceded and predicted upticks in depressive symptoms and major depressive relapse/recurrence. Results may not generalize to other patient populations, treatment protocols, or measures of social-interpersonal functioning. Mechanisms of risk connecting poorer social-interpersonal functioning with depression were not studied. Average improvements in social-interpersonal functioning among higher-risk responders to acute phase CT are durable for 32 months. After acute-phase CT, C-CT or FLX may not further improve social-interpersonal functioning. Among acute-phase CT responders, deteriorating social-interpersonal functioning provides a clear, measurable signal of risk for impending major depressive relapse/recurrence and opportunity for preemptive intervention. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B

  17. Acute-phase proteins investigation based on lectins affinity capture prior to 2-DE separation: application to serum from multiple sclerosis patients.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Robotti, Andrea; Natale, Massimo; Albo, Alessandra Giuliano; Lis, Katarzyna; Perga, Simona; Marnetto, Fabiana; Gilli, Francesca; Bertolotto, Antonio

    2010-09-01

    Plasma acute-phase proteins (APPs) glyco-isoforms are important biomarkers of inflammatory processes such as those occurring in multiple sclerosis (MS). Specific analysis of these proteins is often hampered by sample biochemical complexity. The aim of our study was to set up a method to accurately visualize, identify and quantify APPs glyco-isoforms in human serum. An enrichment strategy based on affinity chromatography using the carbohydrate-binding proteins concanavalin A (ConA) and erythrina cristagalli lectin (ECL) was applied to pooled serum samples from 15 patients and 9 healthy individuals. Image analysis of 2-DE detected 30 spots with a fold change higher than 1.5. A total of 14 were statistically significant (p valuewell known. Performing galectin-3 binding and Western blotting, we were able to demonstrate a correlation between hybrid type glyco-isoforms of β-haptoglobin and MS. In conclusion, although the patho-physiological role of the identified species still remains unclear and further validations are needed, these findings may have a relevant impact on disease-specific marker identification approaches.

  18. The Basilar Artery on Computed Tomography Angiography Score for Acute Basilar Artery Occlusion Treated with Mechanical Thrombectomy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yang, Haihua; Ma, Ning; Liu, Lian; Gao, Feng; Mo, Dapeng; Miao, Zhongrong

    2018-06-01

    Recently, the Basilar Artery on Computed Tomography Angiography (BATMAN) score predicts clinical outcome of acute basilar artery occlusion (BAO), yet there is no extensive external validation. The purpose of this study was to validate the prognostic value of BATMAN scoring system for the prediction of clinical outcome in patients with acute BAO treated with endovascular mechanical thrombectomy by using cerebral digital subtraction angiography (DSA). We analyzed the clinical and angiographic data of consecutive patients with acute BAO from March 2012 to November 2016. The BATMAN scoring system was used to assess the collateral status and thrombus burden. Thrombolysis in Cerebral Infarction (TICI) score 2b-3 was defined as successful recanalization. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to determine the area under the curve (AUC) and the optimum cutoff value. Multivariate regression analysis was used to identify the predictor of clinical outcome. This study included 63 patients with acute BAO who underwent mechanical thrombectomy. Of these patients, 90.5% (57/63) achieved successful recanalization (TICI, 2b-3) and 34.9% (22/63) had a favorable outcome (modified Rankin Scale score 0-2). ROC analysis indicated that the AUC of the BATMAN score was .722 (95% confidence interval [CI], .594-.827), and the optimal cutoff value was 3 (sensitivity = 72.73, specificity = 63.41). In multivariate logistic regression analysis, the BATMAN score higher than 3 was associated with favorable outcome (odds ratio, 5.214; 95% CI, 1.47-18.483; P = .011). The BATMAN score on DSA seems to predict the functional outcome in patients of acute BAO treated with mechanical thrombectomy. Copyright © 2018 National Stroke Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  19. Detection of acute deterioration in health status visit among COPD patients by monitoring COPD assessment test score

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Pothirat C

    2015-02-01

    Full Text Available Chaicharn Pothirat, Warawut Chaiwong, Atikun Limsukon, Athavudh Deesomchok, Chalerm Liwsrisakun, Chaiwat Bumroongkit, Theerakorn Theerakittikul, Nittaya PhetsukDivision of Pulmonary, Critical Care and Allergy, Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai, ThailandBackground: The Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Assessment Test (CAT could play a role in detecting acute deterioration in health status during monitoring visits in routine clinical practice.Objective: To evaluate the discriminative property of a change in CAT score from a stable baseline visit for detecting acute deterioration in health status visits of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD patients.Methods: The CAT questionnaire was administered to stable COPD patients routinely attending the chest clinic of Chiang Mai University Hospital who were monitored using the CAT score every 1–3 months for 15 months. Acute deterioration in health status was defined as worsening or exacerbation. CAT scores at baseline, and subsequent visits with acute deterioration in health status were analyzed using the t-test. The receiver operating characteristic curve was performed to evaluate the discriminative property of change in CAT score for detecting acute deterioration during a health status visit.Results: A total of 354 follow-up visits were made by 140 patients, aged 71.1±8.4 years, with a forced expiratory volume in 1 second of 47.49%±18.2% predicted, who were monitored for 15 months. The mean CAT score change between stable baseline visits, by patients’ and physicians’ global assessments, were 0.05 (95% confidence interval [CI], -0.37–0.46 and 0.18 (95% CI, -0.23–0.60, respectively. At worsening visits, as assessed by patients, there was significant increase in CAT score (6.07; 95% CI, 4.95–7.19. There were also significant increases in CAT scores at visits with mild and moderate exacerbation (5.51 [95% CI, 4.39–6

  20. Greek Acute Coronary Syndrome Score for the Prediction of In-hospital and 30-Day Mortality of Patients With an Acute Coronary Syndrome.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Panagiotakos, Demosthenes B; Pitsavos, Christos; Georgousopoulou, Ekavi N; Notara, Venetia; Stefanadis, Christodoulos

    2015-01-01

    Risk evaluation of patients hospitalized with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) may contribute to their short-term prognosis improvement. The aim of this work was to develop a prediction index (score) for the risk assessment of 30-day death of ACS patients, using clinical and biological measurements at hospital admission. A sample of 6 Greek hospitals was selected, and almost all consecutive 2172 ACS patients from October 2003 to September 2004 were enrolled. Sociodemographic, biochemical, clinical, and lifestyle characteristics were recorded. Using as components age, systolic blood pressure, white blood cell count, creatine kinase-MB, and creatinine levels at the time of admission and the time between the onset of symptoms and presentation at hospital, a risk score (Greek Acute Coronary Syndrome score; range, 6-36) was developed and tested against in-hospital and 30-day outcome of the patients. The Greek Acute Coronary Syndrome score showed strong discriminating ability for in-hospital mortality (area under the receiver operating characteristic curve, 0.812; 95% confidence interval, 0.750-0.874; P period.

  1. Dietary supplementation with aromatic amino acids increases protein synthesis in children wHh severe acute malnutrition

    Science.gov (United States)

    Although 2 earlier studies reported that aromatic amino acid (AAA) supplementation of children with severe acute malnutrition (SAM) improved whole-body protein anabolism during the early postadmission (maintenance) phase of rehabilitation, it is not known whether this positive effect was maintained ...

  2. C-reactive protein as a marker of infection in children with severe acute malnutrition in Khartoum state, Sudan

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Abdelmoneim E.M. Kheir

    2017-08-01

    Full Text Available Severe acute malnutrition and acute systemic infection are often synergistic in children and lead to considerable mortality. The main aim of this research was to determine whether children with severe acute malnutrition can mount an acute phase reactant response measured by C-reactive protein. This was a descriptive, cross-sectional, hospital-based study that was carried out in the five main children hospitals in Khartoum state, from November 1st, 2012 to March 1st, 2013. 132 children with severe acute malnutrition were included in the study. Data collection included history, examination and C-reactive protein measurement. The data were analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS for descriptive and inferential statistics. The main results revealed that 93(70.5% children between 12-23 months of age and most of them had marasmus. Diarrhoea was the commonest presenting symptoms in 86.4%, followed by fever and vomiting. Most of the children (82.6% had positive C-reactive protein with variable levels. In conclusion malnourished children are able to synthesize C-reactive protein in response to an infectious process and the magnitude of this response is increased in those with severe infections.

  3. Efficiency of unenhanced MRI in the diagnosis of acute appendicitis: Comparison with Alvarado scoring system and histopathological results

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Inci, Ercan, E-mail: ercan_inci@mynet.com [Department of Radiology, Istanbul Bakirkoy Dr. Sadi Konuk Training and Research Hospital, Incirli-Bakirkoy, Istanbul (Turkey); Hocaoglu, Elif; Aydin, Sibel; Palabiyik, Figen; Cimilli, Tan [Department of Radiology, Istanbul Bakirkoy Dr. Sadi Konuk Training and Research Hospital, Incirli-Bakirkoy, Istanbul (Turkey); Turhan, Ahmet Nuray; Ayguen, Ersan [Department of Surgery, Istanbul Bakirkoy Dr. Sadi Konuk Training and Research Hospital, Istanbul (Turkey)

    2011-11-15

    Purpose: The purpose of this study was to assess the diagnostic value of unenhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in the diagnosis of acute appendicitis and compare with Alvarado scores and histopathological results. Materials and methods: The study included 85 consecutive patients (mean age, 26.5 {+-} 11.3 years) who were clinically suspected of having acute appendicitis. Each patients Alvarado scores were recorded and unenhanced MRI was performed, consisting of T1-weighted, T2-weighted and fat-suppressed T2-weighted fast spin-echo sequences. The MR images were prospectively reviewed in consensus for the presence of acute appendicitis by two radiologists who were blinded to the results of the Alvarado scores. The study population were divided into three subgroups based on the MRI findings: Group I: definitely not appendicitis, Group II: probably appendicitis, Group III: definitely appendicitis. All patients were divided into two subgroups according to Alvarado scores as Group A (low: 1-6), and Group B (high: 7-10). MR findings were compared with Alvarado scores and histopathological findings. Results: Sixty-six (77.6%) of the 85 patients with clinically suspected acute appendicitis, had undergone surgery. The diagnosis of appendicitis could be correctly achieved with MRI in 55 (83.3%) of 57 (86.4%) patients with histopathologically proven acute appendicitis. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value and negative predictive value of MRI examination and Alvarado scoring system in the diagnosis of acute appendicitis were 96.49%, 66.67%, 94.83%, 75.0% and 84.21%, 66.67%, 94.12%, 40.0%, respectively. Conclusions: MRI is a valuable technique for detecting acute appendicitis even in the cases with low Alvarado scores. To increase the diagnostic accuracy and preventing unnecessary laparotomies for suspected appendicitis, shorter and cheaper unenhanced basic MRI may be performed.

  4. Efficiency of unenhanced MRI in the diagnosis of acute appendicitis: Comparison with Alvarado scoring system and histopathological results

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Inci, Ercan; Hocaoglu, Elif; Aydin, Sibel; Palabiyik, Figen; Cimilli, Tan; Turhan, Ahmet Nuray; Ayguen, Ersan

    2011-01-01

    Purpose: The purpose of this study was to assess the diagnostic value of unenhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in the diagnosis of acute appendicitis and compare with Alvarado scores and histopathological results. Materials and methods: The study included 85 consecutive patients (mean age, 26.5 ± 11.3 years) who were clinically suspected of having acute appendicitis. Each patients Alvarado scores were recorded and unenhanced MRI was performed, consisting of T1-weighted, T2-weighted and fat-suppressed T2-weighted fast spin-echo sequences. The MR images were prospectively reviewed in consensus for the presence of acute appendicitis by two radiologists who were blinded to the results of the Alvarado scores. The study population were divided into three subgroups based on the MRI findings: Group I: definitely not appendicitis, Group II: probably appendicitis, Group III: definitely appendicitis. All patients were divided into two subgroups according to Alvarado scores as Group A (low: 1-6), and Group B (high: 7-10). MR findings were compared with Alvarado scores and histopathological findings. Results: Sixty-six (77.6%) of the 85 patients with clinically suspected acute appendicitis, had undergone surgery. The diagnosis of appendicitis could be correctly achieved with MRI in 55 (83.3%) of 57 (86.4%) patients with histopathologically proven acute appendicitis. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value and negative predictive value of MRI examination and Alvarado scoring system in the diagnosis of acute appendicitis were 96.49%, 66.67%, 94.83%, 75.0% and 84.21%, 66.67%, 94.12%, 40.0%, respectively. Conclusions: MRI is a valuable technique for detecting acute appendicitis even in the cases with low Alvarado scores. To increase the diagnostic accuracy and preventing unnecessary laparotomies for suspected appendicitis, shorter and cheaper unenhanced basic MRI may be performed.

  5. Personalized Prognostic Risk Score for Long-Term Survival for Children with Acute Leukemia after Allogeneic Transplantation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bitan, Menachem; Ahn, Kwang Woo; Millard, Heather R; Pulsipher, Michael A; Abdel-Azim, Hisham; Auletta, Jeffery J; Brown, Valerie; Chan, Ka Wah; Diaz, Miguel Angel; Dietz, Andrew; Vincent, Marta González; Guilcher, Gregory; Hale, Gregory A; Hayashi, Robert J; Keating, Amy; Mehta, Parinda; Myers, Kasiani; Page, Kristin; Prestidge, Tim; Shah, Nirali N; Smith, Angela R; Woolfrey, Ann; Thiel, Elizabeth; Davies, Stella M; Eapen, Mary

    2017-09-01

    We studied leukemia-free (LFS) and overall survival (OS) in children with acute myeloid (AML, n = 790) and acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL, n = 1096) who underwent transplantation between 2000 and 2010 and who survived for at least 1 year in remission after related or unrelated donor transplantation. Analysis of patient-, disease-, and transplantation characteristics and acute and chronic graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) was performed to identify factors with adverse effects on LFS and OS. These data were used to develop risk scores for survival. We did not identify any prognostic factors beyond 4 years after transplantation for AML and beyond 3 years for ALL. Risk score for survival for AML includes age, disease status at transplantation, cytogenetic risk group, and chronic GVHD. For ALL, the risk score includes age at transplantation and chronic GVHD. The 10-year probabilities of OS for AML with good (score 0, 1, or 2), intermediate (score 3), and poor risk (score 4, 5, 6, or 7) were 94%, 87%, and 68%, respectively. The 10-year probabilities of OS for ALL were 89% and 80% for good (score 0 or 1) and poor risk (score 2), respectively. Identifying children at risk for late mortality with early intervention may mitigate some excess late mortality. Copyright © 2017 The American Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  6. Feeding common carp Cyprinus carpio with b-glucan supplemented \\ud diet stimulates C-reactive protein and complement immune acute\\ud phase responses following PAMPs injection

    OpenAIRE

    Pionnier, Nicolas; Falco, Alberto; Miest, Joanna J.; Shrive, Annette K.; Hoole, Dave

    2014-01-01

    The effect of β-glucan as a feed additive on the serum and gene profile of C-reactive protein (CRP) and complement acute phase responses was ascertained in common carp Cyprinus carpio. In addition effects of subsequent intraperitoneal injections of pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs), i.e. LPS or poly(I:C), to mimic bacterial or viral infection respectively, were studied. Carp were first orally fed with β-glucan (MacroGard®) with a daily β-glucan intake of 6 mg per kg body weight o...

  7. The association between glucocorticoid therapy and BMI z-score changes in children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Arpe, Marie-Louise Hyre; Rørvig, Sascha; Kok, Karin

    2015-01-01

    PURPOSE: Few studies have addressed the common issue of weight gain in children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) during early phases of treatment, and even fewer have used the appropriate measure for weight fluctuation in children, BMI-for-age z-scores (BAZs). The purpose of this study......) treatment but not in periods without GC. ΔBAZ was larger in boys compared to girls, and ΔBAZ was higher in patients who were under/normal weight at diagnosis, compared to patients who were overweight/obese (1.26 ± 1.29 vs. -0.04 ± 0.41; p = 0.032). CONCLUSION: BAZ increased significantly in children...

  8. Prehospital score for acute disease: a community-based observational study in Japan

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Fujiwara Hidekazu

    2007-10-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Ambulance usage in Japan has increased consistently because it is free under the national health insurance system. The introduction of refusal for ambulance transfer is being debated nationally. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the relationship between prehospital data and hospitalization outcome for acute disease patients, and to develop a simple prehospital evaluation tool using prehospital data for Japan's emergency medical service system. Methods The subjects were 9,160 consecutive acute disease patients aged ≥ 15 years who were transferred to hospital by Kishiwada City Fire Department ambulance between July 2004 and March 2006. The relationship between prehospital data (age, systolic blood pressure, pulse rate, respiration rate, level of consciousness, SpO2 level and ability to walk and outcome (hospitalization or non-hospitalization was analyzed using logistic regression models. The prehospital score component of each item of prehospital data was determined by beta coefficients. Eligible patients were scored retrospectively and the distribution of outcome was examined. For patients transported to the two main hospitals, outcome after hospitalization was also confirmed. Results A total of 8,330 (91% patients were retrospectively evaluated using a prehospital score with a maximum value of 14. The percentage of patients requiring hospitalization rose from 9% with score = 0 to 100% with score = 14. With a cut-off point score ≥ 2, the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value and negative predictive value were 97%, 16%, 39% and 89%, respectively. Among the 6,498 patients transported to the two main hospitals, there were no deaths at scores ≤ 1 and the proportion of non-hospitalization was over 90%. The proportion of deaths increased rapidly at scores ≥ 11. Conclusion The prehospital score could be a useful tool for deciding the refusal of ambulance transfer in Japan's emergency medical

  9. Occupational exposure levels of bioaerosol components are associated with serum levels of the acute phase protein Serum Amyloid A in greenhouse workers

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Madsen, Anne Mette; Thilsing, Trine; Bælum, Jesper

    2016-01-01

    to elevated levels of bioaerosols. The objective of this study is to assess whether greenhouse workers personal exposure to bioaerosol components was associated with serum levels of the acute phase proteins Serum Amyloid A (SAA) and C-reactive protein (CRP). METHODS: SAA and CRP levels were determined......-glucan. RESULTS: Serum levels of SAA and CRP were not significantly different in greenhouse workers and a reference group, or on the two work days. In a mixed model, SAA levels were positively associated with endotoxin exposure levels (p = 0.0007). Results for fungi were not clear. CRP levels were positively...... associated with endotoxin exposures (p = 0.022). Furthermore, when workers were categorized into three groups based on SAA and CRP serum levels endotoxin exposure was highest in the group with the highest SAA levels and in the group with middle and highest CRP levels. SAA and CRP levels were elevated...

  10. Scoring protein relationships in functional interaction networks predicted from sequence data.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Gaston K Mazandu

    Full Text Available UNLABELLED: The abundance of diverse biological data from various sources constitutes a rich source of knowledge, which has the power to advance our understanding of organisms. This requires computational methods in order to integrate and exploit these data effectively and elucidate local and genome wide functional connections between protein pairs, thus enabling functional inferences for uncharacterized proteins. These biological data are primarily in the form of sequences, which determine functions, although functional properties of a protein can often be predicted from just the domains it contains. Thus, protein sequences and domains can be used to predict protein pair-wise functional relationships, and thus contribute to the function prediction process of uncharacterized proteins in order to ensure that knowledge is gained from sequencing efforts. In this work, we introduce information-theoretic based approaches to score protein-protein functional interaction pairs predicted from protein sequence similarity and conserved protein signature matches. The proposed schemes are effective for data-driven scoring of connections between protein pairs. We applied these schemes to the Mycobacterium tuberculosis proteome to produce a homology-based functional network of the organism with a high confidence and coverage. We use the network for predicting functions of uncharacterised proteins. AVAILABILITY: Protein pair-wise functional relationship scores for Mycobacterium tuberculosis strain CDC1551 sequence data and python scripts to compute these scores are available at http://web.cbio.uct.ac.za/~gmazandu/scoringschemes.

  11. The role of the acute phase protein PTX3 in the ventilator-induced lung injury

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    JM Real

    2008-06-01

    Full Text Available The pentraxin 3 (PTX3 is an acute phase proinflammatory protein produced by fibroblasts and alveolar epithelial cells. We have previously demonstrated that PTX3 is a key modulator of inflammation. Mechanical ventilation (MV is a life saving therapeutic approach for patients with acute lung injury that, nevertheless could lead to an inflammatory response and tissue injury (ventilator-induced lung injury: VILI, representing a major cause of iatrogenic lung damage in intensive units. Our objective was to investigate the role of PTX3 in VILI. PTX3 transgenic, knockout and Wt control mice (n = 12/group were ventilated (45ml·kg–1 until respiratory system Elastance increased 50% (Ers150%, an indicator of VILI. Histological analysis demonstrated that using a Ers150% was appropriate for our analysis since identical degrees of inflammation were observed in Tg, KO and Wt mice as assessed by leukocyte infiltration, oedema, alveolar collapse and number of breaks in alveolar septa. However, Tg mice reached Ers150% faster than Wt controls (p = 0.0225. We also showed that the lack of PTX3 does not abolish the occurrence of VILI in KOs. Gene expression profile of PTX3, IL-1beta, IL-6, KC, IFNgamma, TGFbeta and PCIII were investigated by QPCR. MV drastically up modulated PTX3 as well as IL-1beta, IL-6, IFNgamma and KC. Alternatively, mice were ventilated for 20, 40 and 60 min. The faster kinetics of Tg mice to reach Ers150% was accompanied by an earlier augmentation of IL-1b and PTX3 expression. The kinetics of local PTX3 expression in the lungs of ventilated mice strongly suggests the involvement of this pentraxin in the pathogenesis of VILI.

  12. HitPredict version 4: comprehensive reliability scoring of physical protein-protein interactions from more than 100 species.

    Science.gov (United States)

    López, Yosvany; Nakai, Kenta; Patil, Ashwini

    2015-01-01

    HitPredict is a consolidated resource of experimentally identified, physical protein-protein interactions with confidence scores to indicate their reliability. The study of genes and their inter-relationships using methods such as network and pathway analysis requires high quality protein-protein interaction information. Extracting reliable interactions from most of the existing databases is challenging because they either contain only a subset of the available interactions, or a mixture of physical, genetic and predicted interactions. Automated integration of interactions is further complicated by varying levels of accuracy of database content and lack of adherence to standard formats. To address these issues, the latest version of HitPredict provides a manually curated dataset of 398 696 physical associations between 70 808 proteins from 105 species. Manual confirmation was used to resolve all issues encountered during data integration. For improved reliability assessment, this version combines a new score derived from the experimental information of the interactions with the original score based on the features of the interacting proteins. The combined interaction score performs better than either of the individual scores in HitPredict as well as the reliability score of another similar database. HitPredict provides a web interface to search proteins and visualize their interactions, and the data can be downloaded for offline analysis. Data usability has been enhanced by mapping protein identifiers across multiple reference databases. Thus, the latest version of HitPredict provides a significantly larger, more reliable and usable dataset of protein-protein interactions from several species for the study of gene groups. Database URL: http://hintdb.hgc.jp/htp. © The Author(s) 2015. Published by Oxford University Press.

  13. Acute Phase Hyperglycemia among Patients Hospitalized with Acute Coronary Syndrome: Prevalence and Prognostic Significance

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    Hameed Laftah Wanoose

    2011-03-01

    Full Text Available AbstractObjectives: Regardless of diabetes status, hyperglycemia on arrival for patients presenting with acute coronary syndrome, has been associated with adverse outcomes including death. The aim of this study is to look at the frequency and prognostic significance of acute phase hyperglycemia among patients attending the coronary care unit with acute coronary syndrome over the in-hospital admission days.Methods: The study included 287 consecutive patients in the Al- Faiha Hospital in Basrah (Southern Iraq during a one year period from December 2007 to November 2008. Patients were divided into two groups with respect to admission plasma glucose level regardless of their diabetes status (those with admission plasma glucose of <140 mg/dl (7.8 mmol/L and those equal to or more than that. Acute phase hyperglycemia was defined as a non-fasting glucose level equal to or above 140 mg/dl (7.8 mmol/L regardless of past history of diabetes.Results: Sixty one point seven percent (177 of patients were admitted with plasma glucose of ≥140 mg/dl (7.8 mmol/L. There were no differences were found between both groups regarding the mean age, qualification, and smoking status, but males were predominant in both groups. A family history of diabetes, and hypertension, were more frequent in patients with plasma glucose of ≥140 mg/dl (7.8 mmol/L. There were no differences between the two groups regarding past history of ischemic heart disease, stroke, lipid profile, troponin-I levels or type of acute coronary syndrome. Again heart failure was more common in the admission acute phase hyperglycemia group, but there was no difference regarding arrhythmia, stroke, or death. Using logistic regression with heart failure as the dependent variable we found that only the admission acute phase hyperglycemia (OR=2.1344, 95�0CI=1.0282-4.4307; p=0.0419 was independently associated with heart failure. While male gender, family history of diabetes mellitus, hypertension and

  14. Immunomodulatory effects of high-protein diet with resveratrol supplementation on radiation-induced acute-phase inflammation in rats.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kim, Kyoung-Ok; Park, HyunJin; Chun, Mison; Kim, Hyun-Sook

    2014-09-01

    We hypothesized that a high-protein diet and/or resveratrol supplementation will improve acute inflammatory responses in rats after receiving experimental abdominal radiation treatment (ART). Based on our previous study, the period of 10 days after ART was used as an acute inflammation model. Rats were exposed to a radiation dose of 17.5 Gy and were supplied with a control (C), 30% high-protein diet (HP), resveratrol supplementation (RES), or HP with RES diet ([HP+RES]). At day 10 after ART, we measured profiles of lipids, proteins, and immune cells in blood. The levels of clusters of differentiating 4(+) (CD4(+)) cells and regulatory T cells, serum proinflammatory cytokines, and 8-hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG) in urine were also measured. ART caused significant disturbances of lipid profiles by increasing triglyceride (TG) and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), and decreasing high-density lipoprotein cholesterol. The proinflammatroy cytokine levels were also increased by ART. All the experimental diets (HP, RES, and [HP+RES]) significantly decreased levels of TG, monocytes, proinflammatory cytokines, and 8-OHdG, whereas the platelet counts were increased. In addition, the HP and [HP+RES] diets decreased the concentrations of plasma LDL-C and total cholesterol. Also, the HP and RES diets decreased regulatory T cells compared with those of the control diet in ART group. Further, the HP diet led to a significant recovery of white blood cell counts, as well as increased percentages of lymphocyte and decreased percentages of neutrophils. In summary, RES appeared to be significantly effective in minimizing radiation-induced damage to lipid metabolism and immune responses. Our study also demonstrated the importance of dietary protein intake in recovering from acute inflammation by radiation.

  15. Alvarado score: A valuable clinical tool for diagnosis of acute appendicitis –a retros-pective study

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    Swagata Brahmachari1 and Ashwini B. Jajee2

    2013-08-01

    Full Text Available Appendicitis is a common surgical emergency and diagnosis is still a great challenge. Accurate diagnosis and timely intervention re-duces morbidity and mortality. The present study was conducted to evaluate Alvarado scoring system for diagnosis of acute appen-dicitis in Indian set up. The study was carried out on 200 patients admitted in Surgery ward between January 2009 and December 2010 with right lower quadrant abdominal pain. Alvarado score was calculated and all patients were divided in three groups. Mean age of presentation was 29.12 years and male to female ratio was 1.27:1. Higher the Alvarado score, more is the sensitivity. So pa-tients having score 7 or above had sensitivity of 66%. We con-clude that Alvarado score is unique since it incorporates signs, symptoms and laboratory findings of suspicious patients. Alvarado score can be utilized safely for diagnosis of acute appendicitis.

  16. Ação do prebiótico sobre as proteínas de fase aguda de pacientes com neoplasia hematológica Action of prebiotics on proteins in the acute phase of hematologic neoplasia

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Telma Búrigo

    2007-06-01

    developed in the Bone Marrow Transplantation Unit of the Oncology Research Center in Florianopolis and was aimed at studying the action of prebiotic agents on protein response in the acute phase of hematologic neoplastic patients submitted to chemotherapy. A double-blind randomized clinical trial was performed involving 25 patients divided into two groups. Patients received 12 g FOS (n=14 or placebo (maltdextrine (n=11 over 15 days. All the variables were determined before and after supplementation. The serum levels of negative acute phase proteins, albumin and pre-albumin, and positive acute phase proteins, C-reactive protein, were evaluated. The presence of diarrhea and constipation are reported, as are the quantity of bifidobacteria and fecal pH measurements. Reductions in the serum levels of negative acute phase proteins (albumin and pre-albumin show intense proteic catabolism thereby, favoring the synthesis of protein in the positive acute phase. The supplemented group presented with a significant increase in the quantity of bifidobacteria. The fecal pH levels were affected in both groups. The serum levels of positive acute phase proteins were statistically higher in the control group indicating the occurrence of inflammatory processes and a higher metabolic demand suggesting that the quantity of bifidobacteria may favor a reduction of these adverse conditions in the supplemented group as was confirmed by the negative correlation between variables.

  17. Etiology, clinical profile, severity and outcome of acute pancreatitis in relation to bed side index for severity of acute pancreatitis bisap and CT severity index [CTSI] scores

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Bezwada Srinivasa Rao, Matta SreeVani, V.Sarat Chandra

    2014-11-01

    Full Text Available Background: Acute pancreatitis is an inflammatory process of the pancreas with involvement of regional tissues or remote organ systems and with potentially devastating consequences. Early prediction of outcome of acute pancreatitis within 24 hrs by clinically based bed Side Index of Severity of Acute Pancreatitis [BISAP] Score and radiological based CT Severity Index [CTSI] later on being useful in initiation of early treatment, assessing severity, to prevent morbidity and mortality. In those who survive, it can progress to chronic pancreatitis resulting in malabsorption and permanent diabetes. Aim: The aim was to study aetiology, clinical profile, severity, outcome of acute pancreatitis in relation to BISAP Score and CTSI. Materials and Methods: This was an observational and prospective study. The present study enrolled 55 patients who were diagnosed as acute pancreatitis and patients with chronic pancreatitis were excluded from the study. Vital data like pulse rate, blood Pressure, temperature, respiratory rate, conscious level using Glasgow coma scale, serum amylase, lipase, Chest x-ray, US abdomen and CT abdomen [both CECT & NCCT] were done. BISAP Score was obtained at the time of presentation or within 24 hours of presentation and radiological based CT Severity Index [CTSI] was calculated using the Balthazar grading system and Necrosis Scoring system to assess the severity, morbidity and mortality. The results: In this study, the most common aetiology being alcohol intake followed by gall stones. BISAP Score 3 had organ dysfunction and Score 4 had 100% mortality. The relation between CTSI score and Organ dysfunction showed increased organic dysfunction and higher mortality with higher CTSI Scores. p value < 0.0001 was calculated using Pearson Chi-square test and found to be statistically significant. Conclusions: Both BISAP and CTSI scores had positive correlation with morbidity and mortality.

  18. Combination of scoring schemes for protein docking

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    Schomburg Dietmar

    2007-08-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Docking algorithms are developed to predict in which orientation two proteins are likely to bind under natural conditions. The currently used methods usually consist of a sampling step followed by a scoring step. We developed a weighted geometric correlation based on optimised atom specific weighting factors and combined them with our previously published amino acid specific scoring and with a comprehensive SVM-based scoring function. Results The scoring with the atom specific weighting factors yields better results than the amino acid specific scoring. In combination with SVM-based scoring functions the percentage of complexes for which a near native structure can be predicted within the top 100 ranks increased from 14% with the geometric scoring to 54% with the combination of all scoring functions. Especially for the enzyme-inhibitor complexes the results of the ranking are excellent. For half of these complexes a near-native structure can be predicted within the first 10 proposed structures and for more than 86% of all enzyme-inhibitor complexes within the first 50 predicted structures. Conclusion We were able to develop a combination of different scoring schemes which considers a series of previously described and some new scoring criteria yielding a remarkable improvement of prediction quality.

  19. A prospective validation of the Bova score in normotensive patients with acute pulmonary embolism.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bova, Carlo; Vanni, Simone; Prandoni, Paolo; Morello, Fulvio; Dentali, Francesco; Bernardi, Enrico; Mumoli, Nicola; Bucherini, Eugenio; Barbar, Sofia; Picariello, Claudio; Enea, Iolanda; Pesavento, Raffaele; Bottino, Fabrizio; Jiménez, David

    2018-05-01

    The Bova score has shown usefulness in the identification of intermediate-high risk patients with acute pulmonary embolism (PE), but lacks prospective validation. The aim of this study was to prospectively validate the Bova score in different settings from the original derivation cohort. Consecutive, normotensive patients with acute PE recruited at 13 academic or general hospitals were stratified, using their baseline data, into the three Bova risk stages (I-III). The primary outcome was the 30-day composite of PE-related mortality, hemodynamic collapse and non-fatal PE recurrences in the three risk categories. In the study period, 639 patients were enrolled. The primary end point occurred in 45 patients (7.0%; 95% Confidence Intervals, 5.2%-9.3%). Risk stage correlated with the PE-related complication rate (stage I, 2.9%; stage II, 17%; stage III, 27%). Patients classified as stage III by the Bova score had a 6.5-fold increased risk for adverse outcomes (3.1-13.5, p < 0.001) compared with stages I and II combined. Rescue thrombolysis increased from stage I to stage III (0.6%, 12% and 15% respectively). All-cause mortality (5.3%) did not substantially differ among the stages. The Bova score accurately stratifies normotensive patients with acute PE into stages of increasing risk of 30-day PE-related complications. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  20. Red cell distribution width and neurological scoring systems in acute stroke patients

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kara H

    2015-03-01

    Full Text Available Hasan Kara,1 Selim Degirmenci,1 Aysegul Bayir,1 Ahmet Ak,1 Murat Akinci,1 Ali Dogru,1 Fikret Akyurek,2 Seyit Ali Kayis3 1Department of Emergency Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Selcuk University, Konya, Turkey; 2Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, Selcuk University, Konya, Turkey; 3Department of Biostatistics, Faculty of Medicine, Karabuk University, Karabuk, Turkey Objectives: The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the association between the red blood cell distribution width (RDW and the Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS, Canadian Neurological Scale (CNS, and National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS scores in patients who had acute ischemic stroke. Methods: This prospective observational cohort study included 88 patients who have had acute ischemic stroke and a control group of 40 patients who were evaluated in the Emergency Department for disorders other than acute ischemic stroke. All subjects had RDW determined, and stroke patients had scoring with the GCS, CNS, and NIHSS scores. The GCS, CNS, and NIHSS scores of the patients were rated as mild, moderate, or severe and compared with RDW. Results: Stroke patients had significantly higher median RDW than control subjects. The median RDW values were significantly elevated in patients who had more severe rather than milder strokes rated with all three scoring systems (GCS, CNS, and NIHSS. The median RDW values were significantly elevated for patients who had moderate rather than mild strokes rated by GCS and CNS and for patients who had severe rather than mild strokes rated by NIHSS. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve was 0.760 (95% confidence interval, 0.676–0.844. Separation of stroke patients and control groups was optimal with RDW 14% (sensitivity, 71.6%; specificity, 67.5%; accuracy, 70.3%. Conclusion: In stroke patients who have symptoms <24 hours, the RDW may be useful in predicting the severity and functional outcomes of the stroke

  1. A study of acute phase and transport protein synthesis in undernourished men using simulated infection and uniformly 15N-labelled Spirulina Platenses

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kurpad, A.V.; Soares, M.J.; Sekhar, R.V.; Reeds, P.J.; Fjeld, C.R.

    1994-01-01

    This study was conducted to test the hypothesis that acute phase protein synthesis is accelerated and transport protein synthesis is decelerated in adult men in whom the stress of infection is superimposed upon undernutrition. As a pilot study, four chronically undernourished men and two well-nourished controls were studied on two occasions separated by four days; the second session was conducted 24 hours after the administration of typhoid vaccine. Basal urine and blood samples were collected and then subjects were given priming oral doses of 15 N-Spirulina (13.5mg/kg body weight) and oral doses (3.5mg/kg body weight) every 30 min for the next six hours. Meals were aliquoted during the dosing period. Blood samples were collected at four, five and six hours. 15 N enrichment in different fractions of plasma i.e., albumin, non-albumin and amino acids, was measured by combustion GC-IRMS. Total urinary nitrogen was measured by Kjeldahl. 5 refs, 2 figs, 3 tabs

  2. ASTRAL-R score predicts non-recanalisation after intravenous thrombolysis in acute ischaemic stroke.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vanacker, Peter; Heldner, Mirjam R; Seiffge, David; Mueller, Hubertus; Eskandari, Ashraf; Traenka, Christopher; Ntaios, George; Mosimann, Pascal J; Sztajzel, Roman; Mendes Pereira, Vitor; Cras, Patrick; Engelter, Stefan; Lyrer, Philippe; Fischer, Urs; Lambrou, Dimitris; Arnold, Marcel; Michel, Patrik

    2015-05-01

    Intravenous thrombolysis (IVT) as treatment in acute ischaemic strokes may be insufficient to achieve recanalisation in certain patients. Predicting probability of non-recanalisation after IVT may have the potential to influence patient selection to more aggressive management strategies. We aimed at deriving and internally validating a predictive score for post-thrombolytic non-recanalisation, using clinical and radiological variables. In thrombolysis registries from four Swiss academic stroke centres (Lausanne, Bern, Basel and Geneva), patients were selected with large arterial occlusion on acute imaging and with repeated arterial assessment at 24 hours. Based on a logistic regression analysis, an integer-based score for each covariate of the fitted multivariate model was generated. Performance of integer-based predictive model was assessed by bootstrapping available data and cross validation (delete-d method). In 599 thrombolysed strokes, five variables were identified as independent predictors of absence of recanalisation: Acute glucose > 7 mmol/l (A), significant extracranial vessel STenosis (ST), decreased Range of visual fields (R), large Arterial occlusion (A) and decreased Level of consciousness (L). All variables were weighted 1, except for (L) which obtained 2 points based on β-coefficients on the logistic scale. ASTRAL-R scores 0, 3 and 6 corresponded to non-recanalisation probabilities of 18, 44 and 74 % respectively. Predictive ability showed AUC of 0.66 (95 %CI, 0.61-0.70) when using bootstrap and 0.66 (0.63-0.68) when using delete-d cross validation. In conclusion, the 5-item ASTRAL-R score moderately predicts non-recanalisation at 24 hours in thrombolysed ischaemic strokes. If its performance can be confirmed by external validation and its clinical usefulness can be proven, the score may influence patient selection for more aggressive revascularisation strategies in routine clinical practice.

  3. Single-portal-phase low-tube-voltage dual-energy CT for short-term follow-up of acute pancreatitis: evaluation of CT severity index, interobserver agreement and radiation dose

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Wichmann, Julian L. [University Hospital Frankfurt, Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, Frankfurt am Main (Germany); Universitaetsklinikum Frankfurt, Institut fuer Diagnostische und Interventionelle Radiologie, Frankfurt am Main (Germany); Majenka, Pawel; Beeres, Martin; Kromen, Wolfgang; Schulz, Boris; Bauer, Ralf W.; Kerl, J.M.; Gruber-Rouh, Tatjana; Hammerstingl, Renate; Vogl, Thomas J.; Lehnert, Thomas [University Hospital Frankfurt, Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, Frankfurt am Main (Germany); Wesarg, Stefan [Fraunhofer IGD, Cognitive Computing and Medical Imaging, Darmstadt (Germany)

    2014-11-15

    To intra-individually compare single-portal-phase low-tube-voltage (100-kVp) computed tomography (CT) with 120-kVp images for short-term follow-up assessment of CT severity index (CTSI) of acute pancreatitis, interobserver agreement and radiation dose. We retrospectively analysed 66 patients with acute pancreatitis who underwent initial dual-contrast-phase CT (unenhanced, arterial, portal phase) at admission and short-term (mean interval 11.4 days) follow-up dual-contrast-phase dual-energy CT. The 100-kVp and linearly blended images representing 120-kVp acquisition follow-up CT images were independently evaluated by three radiologists using a modified CTSI assessing pancreatic inflammation, necrosis and extrapancreatic complications. Scores were compared with paired t test and interobserver agreement was evaluated using intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC). Mean CTSI scores on unenhanced, portal- and dual-contrast-phase images were 4.9, 6.1 and 6.2 (120 kVp) and 5.0, 6.0 and 6.1 (100 kVp), respectively. Contrast-enhanced series showed a higher CTSI compared to unenhanced images (P < 0.05) but no significant differences between single- and dual-contrast-phase series (P > 0.7). CTSI scores were comparable for 100-kVp and 120-kVp images (P > 0.05). Interobserver agreement was substantial for all evaluated series and subcategories (ICC 0.67-0.93). DLP of single-portal-phase 100-kVp images was reduced by 41 % compared to 120-kVp images (363.8 versus 615.9 mGy cm). Low-tube-voltage single-phase 100-kVp CT provides sufficient information for follow-up evaluation of acute pancreatitis and significantly reduces radiation exposure. (orig.)

  4. Relationship between Acute Phase of Chronic Periodontitis and Meteorological Factors in the Maintenance Phase of Periodontal Treatment: A Pilot Study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Takeuchi, Noriko; Ekuni, Daisuke; Tomofuji, Takaaki; Morita, Manabu

    2015-08-05

    The acute phase of chronic periodontitis may occur even in patients during supportive periodontal therapy. However, the details are not fully understood. Since the natural environment, including meteorology affects human health, we hypothesized that weather conditions may affect occurrence of acute phase of chronic periodontitis. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between weather conditions and acute phase of chronic periodontitis in patients under supportive periodontal therapy. Patients who were diagnosed with acute phase of chronic periodontitis under supportive periodontal therapy during 2011-2013 were selected for this study. We performed oral examinations and collected questionnaires and meteorological data. Of 369 patients who experienced acute phase of chronic periodontitis, 153 had acute phase of chronic periodontitis without direct-triggered episodes. When using the autoregressive integrated moving average model of time-series analysis, the independent covariant of maximum hourly range of barometric pressure, maximum hourly range of temperature, and maximum daily wind speed were significantly associated with occurrence of acute phase of chronic periodontitis (p chronic periodontitis.

  5. Validation of the diagnostic score for acute lower abdominal pain in women of reproductive age.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jearwattanakanok, Kijja; Yamada, Sirikan; Suntornlimsiri, Watcharin; Smuthtai, Waratsuda; Patumanond, Jayanton

    2014-01-01

    Background. The differential diagnoses of acute appendicitis obstetrics, and gynecological conditions (OB-GYNc) or nonspecific abdominal pain in young adult females with lower abdominal pain are clinically challenging. The present study aimed to validate the recently developed clinical score for the diagnosis of acute lower abdominal pain in female of reproductive age. Method. Medical records of reproductive age women (15-50 years) who were admitted for acute lower abdominal pain were collected. Validation data were obtained from patients admitted during a different period from the development data. Result. There were 302 patients in the validation cohort. For appendicitis, the score had a sensitivity of 91.9%, a specificity of 79.0%, and a positive likelihood ratio of 4.39. The sensitivity, specificity, and positive likelihood ratio in diagnosis of OB-GYNc were 73.0%, 91.6%, and 8.73, respectively. The areas under the receiver operating curves (ROC), the positive likelihood ratios, for appendicitis and OB-GYNc in the validation data were not significantly different from the development data, implying similar performances. Conclusion. The clinical score developed for the diagnosis of acute lower abdominal pain in female of reproductive age may be applied to guide differential diagnoses in these patients.

  6. New scoring system identifies kidney outcome with radiation therapy in acute renal allograft rejection

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chen, Luci M.; Godinez, Juan; Thisted, Ronald A.; Woodle, E. Steve; Thistlewaite, J. Richard; Powers, Claire; Haraf, Daniel

    2000-01-01

    concomitant immunosuppressive therapy. Independent factors examined by Cox regression modeling were: gender (p 0.005), creatinine levels (p = 0.000), HLA-DR (p = 0.05), PRA-Maximum >70% (p = 0.014). Each factor was scored using integral coefficients to generate four different groups. The Kaplan-Meier survival analyzed by group produces an interpretable separation of the risk factors for graft loss. Conclusions: The outcome in patients treated with radiation therapy for acute renal graft rejection can be predicted by a novel scoring system. Patients with scores of three or less are able to achieve 100% renal graft salvage, while patients who have scores of 12 or higher are not able to be salvaged with the current radiation therapy regimen. Future studies should be directed toward identifying more effective treatment for patients who have a high score based on our criteria. The scoring system should be utilized to identify patients at risk who could benefit from radiation therapy. Further study with a randomized trial utilizing this scoring system is needed to confirm the validity of the scoring system in predicting graft survival and the efficacy of radiation in patients who receive radiation therapy for acute graft rejection

  7. Association Between Hospital Admission Risk Profile Score and Skilled Nursing or Acute Rehabilitation Facility Discharges in Hospitalized Older Adults.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Stephen K; Montgomery, Justin; Yan, Yu; Mecchella, John N; Bartels, Stephen J; Masutani, Rebecca; Batsis, John A

    2016-10-01

    To evaluate whether the Hospital Admission Risk Profile (HARP) score is associated with skilled nursing or acute rehabilitation facility discharge after an acute hospitalization. Retrospective cohort study. Inpatient unit of a rural academic medical center. Hospitalized individuals aged 70 and older from October 1, 2013 to June 1, 2014. Participant age at the time of admission, modified Folstein Mini-Mental State Examination score, and self-reported instrumental activities of daily living 2 weeks before admission were used to calculate HARP score. The primary predictor was HARP score, and the primary outcome was discharge disposition (home, facility, deceased). Multivariate analysis was used to evaluate the association between HARP score and discharge disposition, adjusting for age, sex, comorbidities, and length of stay. Four hundred twenty-eight individuals admitted from home were screened and their HARP scores were categorized as low (n = 162, 37.8%), intermediate (n = 157, 36.7%), or high (n = 109, 25.5%). Participants with high HARP scores were significantly more likely to be discharged to a facility (55%) than those with low HARP scores (20%) (P risk of skilled nursing or acute rehabilitation facility discharge. Early identification for potential facility discharges may allow for targeted interventions to prevent functional decline, improve informed shared decision-making about post-acute care needs, and expedite discharge planning. © 2016, Copyright the Authors Journal compilation © 2016, The American Geriatrics Society.

  8. Evaluation of Sialic Acid and Acute Phase Proteins (Haptoglobin and Serum Amyloid A in Clinical and Subclinical Bovine Mastitis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    S. Nazifi*, M. Haghkhah1, Z. Asadi, M. Ansari-Lari2, M. R. Tabandeh3, Z. Esmailnezhad and M. Aghamiri

    2011-01-01

    Full Text Available The present study was conducted to evaluate the concentrations of sialic acids (total, lipid bound and protein bound and their correlation with acute phase proteins (haptoglobin and serum amyloid A in clinical and subclinical mastitis of cattle. Thirty subclinical mastitic cows with positive California mastitis test (CMT test and no clinical signs of mastitis, 10 clinical mastitic cows and 10 healthy cows with negative CMT test and normal somatic cell count were selected. Milk and blood samples were collected after confirmation of clinical and subclinical mastitis by somatic cell count and bacterial identification. Serum haptoglobin (Hp, serum amyloid A (SAA, total sialic acid (TSA, lipid bound sialic acid (LBSA and protein bound sialic acid (PBSA were measured by validated standard methods. Haptoglobin and SAA increased significantly in both types of mastitis compared with control group (P<0.001. However, the ratio of HP/SAA was significantly different from the control group only in clinical mastitis. The results showed that TSA and LBSA were significantly different in control group compared with clinical and subclinical mastitis (P<0.001. Protein bound sialic acid did not change in subclinical mastitis in comparison with control group (P=0.86. There was positive correlation between LBSA and PBSA in clinical mastitis (r=0.72, P=0.02 whereas significant negative correlation was observed between LBSA and PBSA in subclinical mastitis (r=-0.62, P<0.001. Results also showed no correlation between Hp and SAA with each other or with any other parameters in study groups.

  9. Alberta Stroke Program Early CT Score-Time Score Predicts Outcome after Endovascular Therapy in Patients with Acute Ischemic Stroke: A Retrospective Single-Center Study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Todo, Kenichi; Sakai, Nobuyuki; Kono, Tomoyuki; Hoshi, Taku; Imamura, Hirotoshi; Adachi, Hidemitsu; Yamagami, Hiroshi; Kohara, Nobuo

    2018-04-01

    Clinical outcomes after successful endovascular therapy in patients with acute ischemic stroke are associated with several factors including onset-to-reperfusion time (ORT), the National Institute of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) score, and the Alberta Stroke Program Early CT Score (ASPECTS). The NIHSS-time score, calculated as follows: [NIHSS score] × [onset-to-treatment time (h)] or [NIHSS score] × [ORT (h)], has been reported to predict clinical outcomes after intravenous recombinant tissue plasminogen activator therapy and endovascular therapy for acute stroke. The objective of the current study was to assess whether the combination of the ASPECTS and the ORT can predict the outcomes after endovascular therapy. The charts of 117 consecutive ischemic stroke patients with successful reperfusion after endovascular therapy were retrospectively reviewed. We analyzed the association of ORT, ASPECTS, and ASPECTS-time score with clinical outcome. ASPECTS-time score was calculated as follows: [11 - ASPECTS] × [ORT (h)]. Rates of good outcome for patients with ASPECTS-time scores of tertile values, scores 5.67 or less, scores greater than 5.67 to 10.40 or less, and scores greater than 10.40, were 66.7%, 56.4%, and 33.3%, respectively (P < .05). Ordinal logistic regression analysis showed that the ASPECTS-time score (per category increase) was an independent predictor for better outcome (common odds ratio: .374; 95% confidence interval: .150-0.930; P < .05). A lower ASPECTS-time score may predict better clinical outcomes after endovascular treatment. Copyright © 2018 National Stroke Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  10. The steroidogenic response and corpus luteum expression of the steroidogenic acute regulatory protein after human chorionic gonadotropin administration at different times in the human luteal phase.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kohen, Paulina; Castro, Olga; Palomino, Alberto; Muñoz, Alex; Christenson, Lane K; Sierralta, Walter; Carvallo, Pilar; Strauss, Jerome F; Devoto, Luigi

    2003-07-01

    This study was designed 1) to assess corpus luteum (CL) steroidogenesis in response to exogenous human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) at different times during the luteal phase, 2) to examine the effect of hCG on steroidogenic acute regulatory protein (StAR) expression within the CL, 3) to correlate StAR expression and luteal steroidogenic responses to hCG, and 4) to determine whether endogenous LH regulates ovarian steroidogenesis in the early luteal phase. Blood was collected before and after hCG treatment for steroid and hCGbeta determinations. CL were obtained at the time of surgery to assess StAR gene and protein expression. During the early luteal phase various women received the GnRH antagonist for 24-48 h; some of them also received hCG 24 h after the GnRH antagonist. A slight steroidogenic response to hCG was observed in early luteal phase; 17alpha-hydroxyprogesterone, but not progesterone (P4), levels were significantly increased 8 h post-hCG, indicating a differential response by the granulosa and theca-lutein cells. The 1.6- and 4.4-kb StAR transcripts and the 37-kDa preprotein and 30-kDa mature StAR protein did not change post-hCG administration in early luteal phase CL. In contrast, the StAR 4.4- and 1.6-kb transcripts diminished significantly (P < 0.05) after the antagonist treatment. Immunohistochemical staining for StAR protein was weak, particularly in granulosa-lutein cells. Treatment with hCG restored StAR mRNA and protein and plasma P4 levels within 24 h in antagonist-treated women. hCG stimulated the highest plasma concentrations of P4 and estradiol in the midluteal phase, indicating its greatest steroidogenic capacity. Midluteal tissue StAR gene and protein expression increased by 1.6- and 1.4-fold after 24 h of hCG treatment, respectively. Administration of hCG resulted in the greatest increment in plasma P4 (4-fold) and 17alpha-hydroxyprogesterone (3-fold) levels over baseline in the late luteal phase. This was associated with an increase in

  11. Scoring protein interaction decoys using exposed residues (SPIDER): a novel multibody interaction scoring function based on frequent geometric patterns of interfacial residues.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Khashan, Raed; Zheng, Weifan; Tropsha, Alexander

    2012-08-01

    Accurate prediction of the structure of protein-protein complexes in computational docking experiments remains a formidable challenge. It has been recognized that identifying native or native-like poses among multiple decoys is the major bottleneck of the current scoring functions used in docking. We have developed a novel multibody pose-scoring function that has no theoretical limit on the number of residues contributing to the individual interaction terms. We use a coarse-grain representation of a protein-protein complex where each residue is represented by its side chain centroid. We apply a computational geometry approach called Almost-Delaunay tessellation that transforms protein-protein complexes into a residue contact network, or an undirectional graph where vertex-residues are nodes connected by edges. This treatment forms a family of interfacial graphs representing a dataset of protein-protein complexes. We then employ frequent subgraph mining approach to identify common interfacial residue patterns that appear in at least a subset of native protein-protein interfaces. The geometrical parameters and frequency of occurrence of each "native" pattern in the training set are used to develop the new SPIDER scoring function. SPIDER was validated using standard "ZDOCK" benchmark dataset that was not used in the development of SPIDER. We demonstrate that SPIDER scoring function ranks native and native-like poses above geometrical decoys and that it exceeds in performance a popular ZRANK scoring function. SPIDER was ranked among the top scoring functions in a recent round of CAPRI (Critical Assessment of PRedicted Interactions) blind test of protein-protein docking methods. Copyright © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  12. Activated Protein C Drives the Hyperfibrinolysis of Acute Traumatic Coagulopathy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Davenport, Ross A; Guerreiro, Maria; Frith, Daniel; Rourke, Claire; Platton, Sean; Cohen, Mitchell; Pearse, Rupert; Thiemermann, Chris; Brohi, Karim

    2017-01-01

    Major trauma is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide with hemorrhage accounting for 40% of deaths. Acute traumatic coagulopathy exacerbates bleeding, but controversy remains over the degree to which inhibition of procoagulant pathways (anticoagulation), fibrinogen loss, and fibrinolysis drive the pathologic process. Through a combination of experimental study in a murine model of trauma hemorrhage and human observation, the authors' objective was to determine the predominant pathophysiology of acute traumatic coagulopathy. First, a prospective cohort study of 300 trauma patients admitted to a single level 1 trauma center with blood samples collected on arrival was performed. Second, a murine model of acute traumatic coagulopathy with suppressed protein C activation via genetic mutation of thrombomodulin was used. In both studies, analysis for coagulation screen, activated protein C levels, and rotational thromboelastometry (ROTEM) was performed. In patients with acute traumatic coagulopathy, the authors have demonstrated elevated activated protein C levels with profound fibrinolytic activity and early depletion of fibrinogen. Procoagulant pathways were only minimally inhibited with preservation of capacity to generate thrombin. Compared to factors V and VIII, proteases that do not undergo activated protein C-mediated cleavage were reduced but maintained within normal levels. In transgenic mice with reduced capacity to activate protein C, both fibrinolysis and fibrinogen depletion were significantly attenuated. Other recognized drivers of coagulopathy were associated with less significant perturbations of coagulation. Activated protein C-associated fibrinolysis and fibrinogenolysis, rather than inhibition of procoagulant pathways, predominate in acute traumatic coagulopathy. In combination, these findings suggest a central role for the protein C pathway in acute traumatic coagulopathy and provide new translational opportunities for management of

  13. The acute phase protein ceruloplasmin as a non-invasive marker of pseudopregnancy, pregnancy, and pregnancy loss in the giant panda.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Erin L Willis

    Full Text Available After ovulation, non-pregnant female giant pandas experience pseudopregnancy. During pseudopregnancy, non-pregnant females exhibit physiological and behavioral changes similar to pregnancy. Monitoring hormonal patterns that are usually different in pregnant mammals are not effective at determining pregnancy status in many animals that undergo pseudopregnancy, including the giant panda. Therefore, a physiological test to distinguish between pregnancy and pseudopregnancy in pandas has eluded scientists for decades. We examined other potential markers of pregnancy and found that activity of the acute phase protein ceruloplasmin increases in urine of giant pandas in response to pregnancy. Results indicate that in term pregnancies, levels of active urinary ceruloplasmin were elevated the first week of pregnancy and remain elevated until 20-24 days prior to parturition, while no increase was observed during the luteal phase in known pseudopregnancies. Active ceruloplasmin also increased during ultrasound-confirmed lost pregnancies; however, the pattern was different compared to term pregnancies, particularly during the late luteal phase. In four out of the five additional reproductive cycles included in the current study where females were bred but no birth occurred, active ceruloplasmin in urine increased during the luteal phase. Similar to the known lost pregnancies, the temporal pattern of change in urinary ceruloplasmin during the luteal phase deviated from the term pregnancies suggesting that these cycles may have also been lost pregnancies. Among giant pandas in captivity, it has been presumed that there is a high rate of pregnancy loss and our results are the first to provide evidence supporting this notion.

  14. The urgent need for a harmonized severity scoring system for acute allergic reactions

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Muraro, Antonella; Fernandez-Rivas, Montserrat; Beyer, Kirsten

    2018-01-01

    The accurate assessment and communication of the severity of acute allergic reactions is important to patients, clinicians, researchers, the food industry, public health and regulatory authorities. Severity has different meanings to different stakeholders with patients and clinicians rating...... of different stakeholder groups. We propose a novel approach to develop and then validate a harmonized scoring system for acute allergic reactions, based on a data-driven method that is informed by clinical and patient experience and other stakeholders' perspectives. We envisage two formats: (i) a numerical...... the significance of particular symptoms very differently. Many severity scoring systems have been generated, most focusing on the severity of reactions following exposure to a limited group of allergens. They are heterogeneous in format, none has used an accepted developmental approach and none has been validated...

  15. Acute imaging does not improve ASTRAL score's accuracy despite having a prognostic value.

    OpenAIRE

    Ntaios, G.; Papavasileiou, V.; Faouzi, M.; Vanacker, P.; Wintermark, M.; Michel, P.

    2014-01-01

    BACKGROUND: The ASTRAL score was recently shown to reliably predict three-month functional outcome in patients with acute ischemic stroke. AIM: The study aims to investigate whether information from multimodal imaging increases ASTRAL score's accuracy. METHODS: All patients registered in the ASTRAL registry until March 2011 were included. In multivariate logistic-regression analyses, we added covariates derived from parenchymal, vascular, and perfusion imaging to the 6-parameter model o...

  16. Validation of the Diagnostic Score for Acute Lower Abdominal Pain in Women of Reproductive Age

    OpenAIRE

    Jearwattanakanok, Kijja; Yamada, Sirikan; Suntornlimsiri, Watcharin; Smuthtai, Waratsuda; Patumanond, Jayanton

    2014-01-01

    Background. The differential diagnoses of acute appendicitis obstetrics, and gynecological conditions (OB-GYNc) or nonspecific abdominal pain in young adult females with lower abdominal pain are clinically challenging. The present study aimed to validate the recently developed clinical score for the diagnosis of acute lower abdominal pain in female of reproductive age. Method. Medical records of reproductive age women (15–50 years) who were admitted for acute lower abdominal pain were collec...

  17. Impact of the use of contrast-enhancement multidetector CT for acute appendicitis: a prospective comparison with the Alvarado score

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Choi, Mi Young; Yoon, Seong Eon; Lee, Young Hwan; Choi, Shi Sung; Park, Seong Hoon; Juhng, Seong Kwan; Yoon, Kwon Ha; Park, Seong Ho

    2007-01-01

    To determine the diagnostic performance of contrast-enhanced multidetector CT (MDCT) and the Alvarado score for acute appendicitis. MDCT and determination of the Alvarado score were prospectively performed in 282 patients with 146 pathologically proven cases of acute appendicitis and 136 pathologically proven or clinically diagnosed cases of non-acute appendicitis. To compare the diagnostic performance of MDCT and the Alvarado score, the patients were subdivided according to age and sex, and receiver operating characteristics (ROC) analysis and Spearman rank correlation were performed. ROC analysis revealed that the optimal cut off value of the CT appendicitis grades was 2 in all patients, resulting in a sensitivity of 96.6% and a specificity of 94.9%. The optimal cut off values of the Alvarado score was different according to age and sex, resulting in a sensitivity of 85.6% and a specificity of 48.5%. There was a significant correlation between the CT appendicitis grades and the surgical-pathological grades (r = 0.496, ρ < .0001). However, no significant correlation was observed between the Alvarado score and the surgical-pathological grades. Contrast-enhanced MDCT has a higher diagnostic accuracy and significant correlation with pathological findings than those of the Alvarado score in patients with acute appendicitis

  18. Impact of the use of contrast-enhancement multidetector CT for acute appendicitis: a prospective comparison with the Alvarado score

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Choi, Mi Young; Yoon, Seong Eon; Lee, Young Hwan; Choi, Shi Sung; Park, Seong Hoon; Juhng, Seong Kwan; Yoon, Kwon Ha [Wonkwang University School of Medicine, Iksan (Korea, Republic of); Park, Seong Ho [University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Asan Medical Center, Seoul (Korea, Republic of)

    2007-12-15

    To determine the diagnostic performance of contrast-enhanced multidetector CT (MDCT) and the Alvarado score for acute appendicitis. MDCT and determination of the Alvarado score were prospectively performed in 282 patients with 146 pathologically proven cases of acute appendicitis and 136 pathologically proven or clinically diagnosed cases of non-acute appendicitis. To compare the diagnostic performance of MDCT and the Alvarado score, the patients were subdivided according to age and sex, and receiver operating characteristics (ROC) analysis and Spearman rank correlation were performed. ROC analysis revealed that the optimal cut off value of the CT appendicitis grades was 2 in all patients, resulting in a sensitivity of 96.6% and a specificity of 94.9%. The optimal cut off values of the Alvarado score was different according to age and sex, resulting in a sensitivity of 85.6% and a specificity of 48.5%. There was a significant correlation between the CT appendicitis grades and the surgical-pathological grades (r = 0.496, {rho} < .0001). However, no significant correlation was observed between the Alvarado score and the surgical-pathological grades. Contrast-enhanced MDCT has a higher diagnostic accuracy and significant correlation with pathological findings than those of the Alvarado score in patients with acute appendicitis.

  19. External validation of the NOBLADS score, a risk scoring system for severe acute lower gastrointestinal bleeding.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tomonori Aoki

    Full Text Available We aimed to evaluate the generalizability of NOBLADS, a severe lower gastrointestinal bleeding (LGIB prediction model which we had previously derived when working at a different institution, using an external validation cohort. NOBLADS comprises the following factors: non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug use, no diarrhea, no abdominal tenderness, blood pressure ≤ 100 mmHg, antiplatelet drug use, albumin < 3.0 g/dL, disease score ≥ 2, and syncope.We retrospectively analyzed 511 patients emergently hospitalized for acute LGIB at the University of Tokyo Hospital, from January 2009 to August 2016. The areas under the receiver operating characteristic curves (ROCs-AUCs for severe bleeding (continuous and/or recurrent bleeding were compared between the original derivation cohort and the external validation cohort.Severe LGIB occurred in 44% of patients. Several clinical factors were significantly different between the external and derivation cohorts (p < 0.05, including background, laboratory data, NOBLADS scores, and diagnosis. The NOBLADS score predicted the severity of LGIB with an AUC value of 0.74 in the external validation cohort and one of 0.77 in the derivation cohort. In the external validation cohort, the score predicted the risk for blood transfusion need (AUC, 0.71, but was not adequate for predicting intervention need (AUC, 0.54. The in-hospital mortality rate was higher in patients with a score ≥ 5 than in those with a score < 5 (AUC, 0.83.Although the external validation cohort clinically differed from the derivation cohort in many ways, we confirmed the moderately high generalizability of NOBLADS, a clinical risk score for severe LGIB. Appropriate triage using this score may support early decision-making in various hospitals.

  20. Orientation-dependent backbone-only residue pair scoring functions for fixed backbone protein design

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Bordner Andrew J

    2010-04-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Empirical scoring functions have proven useful in protein structure modeling. Most such scoring functions depend on protein side chain conformations. However, backbone-only scoring functions do not require computationally intensive structure optimization and so are well suited to protein design, which requires fast score evaluation. Furthermore, scoring functions that account for the distinctive relative position and orientation preferences of residue pairs are expected to be more accurate than those that depend only on the separation distance. Results Residue pair scoring functions for fixed backbone protein design were derived using only backbone geometry. Unlike previous studies that used spherical harmonics to fit 2D angular distributions, Gaussian Mixture Models were used to fit the full 3D (position only and 6D (position and orientation distributions of residue pairs. The performance of the 1D (residue separation only, 3D, and 6D scoring functions were compared by their ability to identify correct threading solutions for a non-redundant benchmark set of protein backbone structures. The threading accuracy was found to steadily increase with increasing dimension, with the 6D scoring function achieving the highest accuracy. Furthermore, the 3D and 6D scoring functions were shown to outperform side chain-dependent empirical potentials from three other studies. Next, two computational methods that take advantage of the speed and pairwise form of these new backbone-only scoring functions were investigated. The first is a procedure that exploits available sequence data by averaging scores over threading solutions for homologs. This was evaluated by applying it to the challenging problem of identifying interacting transmembrane alpha-helices and found to further improve prediction accuracy. The second is a protein design method for determining the optimal sequence for a backbone structure by applying Belief Propagation

  1. Ischemic Volume and Neurological Deficit: Correlation of Computed Tomography Perfusion with the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale Score in Acute Ischemic Stroke.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Furlanis, Giovanni; Ajčević, Miloš; Stragapede, Lara; Lugnan, Carlo; Ridolfi, Mariana; Caruso, Paola; Naccarato, Marcello; Ukmar, Maja; Manganotti, Paolo

    2018-04-30

    The National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) is the most adopted stroke patients' evaluation tool in emergency settings to assess the severity of stroke and to determine the patients' eligibility for specific treatments. Computed tomography perfusion (CTP) is crucial to identify salvageable tissue that can benefit from the reperfusion treatment. The aim of this study is to identify the relation between the NIHSS scores and the hypoperfused volumes evaluated by CTP in patients with hyperacute ischemic stroke. This retrospective study was conducted on 105 patients with ischemic stroke who underwent NIHSS assessment and CTP in the hyperacute phase. Hypoperfused volume was evaluated by CTP maps processed with semi-automatic algorithm. An analysis was conducted to determine the degree of correlation between the NIHSS scores and the ischemic lesion volumes and to investigate the relation between the anterior and the posterior circulation strokes, as well as between the right and the left hemispheric strokes. A significant correlation was found between ischemic volume and NIHSS score at baseline (r = .82; P correlation was identified in the anterior circulation stroke (r = .76; P correlated for the left and the right hemispheric strokes (r = .83 and .81; P correlation between the baseline NIHSS score and the ischemic volume estimated by CTP. We confirmed that NIHSS is a reliable predictor of perfusion deficits in acute ischemic stroke. CTP allows fast imaging assessment in the hyperacute phase. The results highlight the importance of these diagnostic tools in the assessment of stroke severity and in acute decision-making. Copyright © 2018 National Stroke Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  2. Are there differences in acute phase inflammation markers regarding the type of heart failure?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jaime Agüero-Ramón-Llin

    2011-09-01

    Full Text Available This study aimed to determine if there are differences in inflammatory markers in the acute phase between systolic heart failure and heart failure with preserved systolic function. One hundred and thirty-one patients with acute heart failure were recruited consecutively. At admission, plasma fibrinogen, Creactive protein, sialic acid, von Willebrand factor, vascular endothelial growth factor, interleukin-6 and NTproBNP were all evaluated. If the ejection fraction was 45% or over patients were included in the HF-PSF group; the remaining patients were included in the SHF group. The HF-PSF patients were older (72±10 vs 63±12 years, P<0.001, presented a higher rate of atrial fibrillation (56.1 vs 21.3%, P<0.001, and had a lower rate of hemoglobin (12.2±2 vs 13.3±2.1 g/dL, P<0.01. No significant differences were observed in the inflammation markers analyzed among SHF and HFPSF groups. In the acute phase of heart failure there is a marked elevation of inflammatory markers but there are no differences in the inflammatory markers analyzed between the two different types of heart failure

  3. The Acute Phase of Trypanosoma cruzi Infection Is Attenuated in 5-Lipoxygenase-Deficient Mice

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Adriana M. C. Canavaci

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available In the present work we examine the contribution of 5-lipoxygenase- (5-LO- derived lipid mediators to immune responses during the acute phase of Trypanosoma cruzi infection in 5-LO gene knockout (5-LO−/− mice and wild-type (WT mice. Compared with WT mice, the 5-LO−/− mice developed less parasitemia/tissue parasitism, less inflammatory cell infiltrates, and a lower mortality. This resistance of 5-LO−/− mice correlated with several differences in the immune response to infection, including reduced PGE2 synthesis; sustained capacity of splenocytes to produce high levels of interleukin (IL-12 early in the infection; enhanced splenocyte production of IL-1β, IL-6, and IFN-γ; rapid T-cell polarization to secrete high quantities of IFN-γ and low quantities of IL-10; and greater numbers of CD8+CD44highCD62Llow memory effector T cells at the end of the acute phase of infection. The high mortality in WT mice was associated with increased production of LTB4/LTC4, T cell bias to produce IFN-γ, high levels of serum nitrite, and marked protein extravasation into the peritoneal cavity, although survival was improved by treatment with a cys-LT receptor 1 antagonist. These data also provide evidence that 5-LO-derived mediators negatively affect host survival during the acute phase of T. cruzi infection.

  4. Validation of prognostic scores to predict short-term mortality in patients with acute-on-chronic liver failure.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Song, Do Seon; Kim, Tae Yeob; Kim, Dong Joon; Kim, Hee Yeon; Sinn, Dong Hyun; Yoon, Eileen L; Kim, Chang Wook; Jung, Young Kul; Suk, Ki Tae; Lee, Sang Soo; Lee, Chang Hyeong; Kim, Tae Hun; Choe, Won Hyeok; Yim, Hyung Joon; Kim, Sung Eun; Baik, Soon Koo; Jang, Jae Young; Kim, Hyoung Su; Kim, Sang Gyune; Yang, Jin Mo; Sohn, Joo Hyun; Choi, Eun Hee; Cho, Hyun Chin; Jeong, Soung Won; Kim, Moon Young

    2018-04-01

    The aim of this study was to validate the chronic liver failure-sequential organ failure assessment score (CLIF-SOFAs), CLIF consortium organ failure score (CLIF-C OFs), CLIF-C acute-on-chronic liver failure score (CLIF-C ACLFs), and CLIF-C acute decompensation score in Korean chronic liver disease patients with acute deterioration. Acute-on-chronic liver failure was defined by either the Asian Pacific Association for the study of the Liver ACLF Research Consortium (AARC) or CLIF-C criteria. The diagnostic performances for short-term mortality were compared by the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve. Among a total of 1470 patients, 252 patients were diagnosed with ACLF according to the CLIF-C (197 patients) or AARC definition (95 patients). As the ACLF grades increased, the survival rates became significantly lower. The areas under the receiver operating characteristic of the CLIF-SOFAs, CLIF-C OFs, and CLIF-C ACLFs were significantly higher than those of the Child-Pugh, model for end-stage liver disease, and model for end-stage liver disease-Na scores in ACLF patients according to the CLIF-C definition (all P < 0.05), but there were no significant differences in patients without ACLF or in patients with ACLF according to the AARC definition. The CLIF-SOFAs, CLIF-C OFs, and CLIF-C ACLFs had higher specificities with a fixed sensitivity than liver specific scores in ACLF patients according to the CLIF-C definition, but not in ACLF patients according to the AARC definition. The CLIF-SOFAs, CLIF-C OFs, and CLIF-C ACLFs are useful scoring systems that provide accurate information on prognosis in patients with ACLF according to the CLIF-C definition, but not the AARC definition. © 2017 Journal of Gastroenterology and Hepatology Foundation and John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd.

  5. The Value of Botox-A in Acute Radiation Proctitis: Results From a Phase I/II Study Using a Three-Dimensional Scoring System

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Vuong, Te; Waschke, Kevin; Niazi, Tamim; Richard, Carole; Parent, Josee; Liberman, Sender; Mayrand, Serge; Loungnarath, Rasmy; Stein, Barry; Devic, Slobodan

    2011-01-01

    Purpose: Acute radiation proctitis (ARP) is a common side effect of pelvic radiotherapy, and its management is challenging in daily practice. The present phase I/II study evaluates the safety and efficacy of the botulinum toxin A (BTX-A) in ARP treatment for rectal cancer patients undergoing neoadjuvant high-dose-rate endorectal brachytherapy (HDREBT). Methods and Materials: Fifteen patients, treated with neoadjuvant HDREBT, 26-Gy in 4 fractions, received the study treatment that consisted of a single injection of BTX-A into the rectal wall. The injection was performed post-HDREBT and prior to the development of ARP. The control group, 20 such patients, did not receive the BTX-A injection. Both groups had access to standard treatment with hydrocortisone rectal aerosol foam (Cortifoam) and anti-inflammatory and narcotic medication. The ARP was clinically evaluated by self-administered daily questionnaires using visual analog scores to document frequency and urgency of bowel movements, rectal burning/tenesmus, and pain symptoms before and after HDREBT. Results: At the time of this analysis, there was no observed systemic toxicity. Patient compliance with the self-administered questionnaire was 100% from week 1 to 4, 70% during week 5, and 40% during week 6. The maximum tolerated dose was established at the 100-U dose level, and noticeable mean differences were observed in bowel frequency (p = 0.016), urgency (p = 0.007), and pain (p = 0.078). Conclusions: This study confirms the feasibility and efficacy of BTX-A intervention at 100-U dose level for study patients compared to control patients. A phase III study with this dose level is planned to validate these results.

  6. Solid-phase immunoradiometric assay for serum amyloid A protein using magnetisable cellulose particles

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    De Beer, F.C.; Dyck, R.F.; Pepys, M.B.

    1982-01-01

    An immunoradiometric assay for human serum amyloid A protein (SAA) was developed using magnetisable cellulose particles as the solid phase. Rabbit antiserum to SAA was raised by immunization with SAA isolated from acute-phase serum by gel filtration in formic acid. The antiserum was rendered monospecific for SAA by solid-phase immunoabsorption with normal human serum, which contains only traces of SAA, and some was coupled covalently to the cellulose particles. Immunopurified anti-SAA antibodies were isolated from the monospecific anti-SAA serum by binding to, and elution from insolubilized acute-phase serum and were radiolabelled with 125 I. The assay was calibrated with an acute phase serum which contained 6000 times more SAA than normal sera with the lowest detectable level of SAA, and an arbitrary value of 6000 U/l was assigned to this standard. Sera were tested in the native, undenatured state and there was no increase in SAA immunoreactivity following alkali treatment or heating. The assay range was from 1-2000 U/l so that all SAA levels above 6 U/l could be measured on a single (1:6) dilution of serum. The intra- and interassay coefficients of variation were 11.7 and 15.0% respectively. Among 100 healthy normal subjects (50 male, 50 female) the median SAA level was 9 U/l, range <1-100, with 93% below 20 U/l and only 2% below the lower limit of sensitivity of the assay (1 U/l). (Auth.)

  7. Acute imaging does not improve ASTRAL score's accuracy despite having a prognostic value.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ntaios, George; Papavasileiou, Vasileios; Faouzi, Mohamed; Vanacker, Peter; Wintermark, Max; Michel, Patrik

    2014-10-01

    The ASTRAL score was recently shown to reliably predict three-month functional outcome in patients with acute ischemic stroke. The study aims to investigate whether information from multimodal imaging increases ASTRAL score's accuracy. All patients registered in the ASTRAL registry until March 2011 were included. In multivariate logistic-regression analyses, we added covariates derived from parenchymal, vascular, and perfusion imaging to the 6-parameter model of the ASTRAL score. If a specific imaging covariate remained an independent predictor of three-month modified Rankin score>2, the area-under-the-curve (AUC) of this new model was calculated and compared with ASTRAL score's AUC. We also performed similar logistic regression analyses in arbitrarily chosen patient subgroups. When added to the ASTRAL score, the following covariates on admission computed tomography/magnetic resonance imaging-based multimodal imaging were not significant predictors of outcome: any stroke-related acute lesion, any nonstroke-related lesions, chronic/subacute stroke, leukoaraiosis, significant arterial pathology in ischemic territory on computed tomography angiography/magnetic resonance angiography/Doppler, significant intracranial arterial pathology in ischemic territory, and focal hypoperfusion on perfusion-computed tomography. The Alberta Stroke Program Early CT score on plain imaging and any significant extracranial arterial pathology on computed tomography angiography/magnetic resonance angiography/Doppler were independent predictors of outcome (odds ratio: 0·93, 95% CI: 0·87-0·99 and odds ratio: 1·49, 95% CI: 1·08-2·05, respectively) but did not increase ASTRAL score's AUC (0·849 vs. 0·850, and 0·8563 vs. 0·8564, respectively). In exploratory analyses in subgroups of different prognosis, age or stroke severity, no covariate was found to increase ASTRAL score's AUC, either. The addition of information derived from multimodal imaging does not increase ASTRAL score

  8. Prediction of antigenic epitopes on protein surfaces by consensus scoring

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Zhang Chi

    2009-09-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Prediction of antigenic epitopes on protein surfaces is important for vaccine design. Most existing epitope prediction methods focus on protein sequences to predict continuous epitopes linear in sequence. Only a few structure-based epitope prediction algorithms are available and they have not yet shown satisfying performance. Results We present a new antigen Epitope Prediction method, which uses ConsEnsus Scoring (EPCES from six different scoring functions - residue epitope propensity, conservation score, side-chain energy score, contact number, surface planarity score, and secondary structure composition. Applied to unbounded antigen structures from an independent test set, EPCES was able to predict antigenic eptitopes with 47.8% sensitivity, 69.5% specificity and an AUC value of 0.632. The performance of the method is statistically similar to other published methods. The AUC value of EPCES is slightly higher compared to the best results of existing algorithms by about 0.034. Conclusion Our work shows consensus scoring of multiple features has a better performance than any single term. The successful prediction is also due to the new score of residue epitope propensity based on atomic solvent accessibility.

  9. Mediterranean Diet in patients with acute ischemic stroke: Relationships between Mediterranean Diet score, diagnostic subtype, and stroke severity index.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tuttolomondo, Antonino; Casuccio, Alessandra; Buttà, Carmelo; Pecoraro, Rosaria; Di Raimondo, Domenico; Della Corte, Vittoriano; Arnao, Valentina; Clemente, Giuseppe; Maida, Carlo; Simonetta, Irene; Miceli, Giuseppe; Lucifora, Benedetto; Cirrincione, Anna; Di Bona, Danilo; Corpora, Francesca; Maugeri, Rosario; Iacopino, Domenico Gerardo; Pinto, Antonio

    2015-11-01

    Adherence to a Mediterranean Diet appears to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, cancer, Alzheimer's disease, and Parkinson's disease, as well as the risk of death due to cardiovascular disease. No study has addressed the association between diagnostic subtype of stroke and its severity and adherence to a Mediterranean Diet in subjects with acute ischemic stroke. To evaluate the association between Mediterranean Diet adherence, TOAST subtype, and stroke severity by means of a retrospective study. The type of acute ischemic stroke was classified according to the TOAST criteria. All patients admitted to our ward with acute ischemic stroke completed a 137-item validated food-frequency questionnaire adapted to the Sicilian population. A scale indicating the degree of adherence to the traditional Mediterranean Diet was used (Me-Di score: range 0-9). 198 subjects with acute ischemic stroke and 100 control subjects without stroke. Stroke subjects had a lower mean Mediterranean Diet score compared to 100 controls without stroke. We observed a significant positive correlation between Me-Di score and SSS score, whereas we observed a negative relationship between Me-Di score and NIHSS and Rankin scores. Subjects with atherosclerotic (LAAS) stroke subtype had a lower mean Me-Di score compared to subjects with other subtypes. Multinomial logistic regression analysis in a simple model showed a negative relationship between MeDi score and LAAS subtype vs. lacunar subtype (and LAAS vs. cardio-embolic subtype). Patients with lower adherence to a Mediterranean Diet are more likely to have an atherosclerotic (LAAS) stroke, a worse clinical presentation of ischemic stroke at admission and a higher Rankin score at discharge. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  10. Correlation between Ranson score and red cell distribution width in acute pancreatitis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kılıç, Murat Özgür; Çelik, Canbert; Yüksel, Cemil; Yıldız, Barış Doğu; Tez, Mesut

    2017-03-01

    Ranson's criteria are widely used to evaluate severity of acute pancreatitis (AP). Red blood cell distribution width (RDW) has been demonstrated to be useful marker to predict mortality in these patients. The aim of the present study was to investigate correlation between Ranson score and RDW in patients with AP. Total of 202 patients with AP were included in the study. Patients were classified as mild or severe AP, based on presence of organ failure for more than 48 hours and/or local complications. Forty patients (19.8%) were diagnosed as severe AP. High sensitivity and specificity values were obtained from receiver operating characteristic curve for initial RDW and Ranson score in predicting severe AP. Ranson ≥4 was selected cut-off value for Ranson score and 14% was limit for RDW. RDW at time of admission was correlated with 48-hour Ranson score (r=0.22; pdisadvantages of multifactorial scoring systems.

  11. Lod score curves for phase-unknown matings.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hulbert-Shearon, T; Boehnke, M; Lange, K

    1996-01-01

    For a phase-unknown nuclear family, we show that the likelihood and lod score are unimodal, and we describe conditions under which the maximum occurs at recombination fraction theta = 0, theta = 1/2, and 0 < theta < 1/2. These simply stated necessary and sufficient conditions seem to have escaped the notice of previous statistical geneticists.

  12. Characterization of the local immune response to cyst antigens during the acute and elimination phases of primary murine giardiasis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Abdul-Wahid, Aws; Faubert, Gaétan

    2008-05-01

    During the course of a giardial infection, the host's immune system is presented with a variety of Giardia antigens as trophozoites differentiate, through encysting cells, to form the infective cysts. Previous studies examining the host's immune response during giardial infections have focused on trophozoite-derived antigens (Ags). In this study, we were interested to determine if the host's immune system reacts to cyst Ags during the acute and elimination phases, when there is cyst shedding. For this purpose, we used antigenic extracts from trophozoites (Troph), encysting cells (ENC), and purified giardial cyst walls (PCW), as well as purified recombinant cyst wall protein 2 (rCWP2). Comparative analysis of the parasite extracts using SDS-PAGE analysis and surface-enhanced laser desorption/ionization time of flight mass spectrometry resulted in the detection of 175 protein entities, of which 26 were Troph-specific proteins, 17 ENC-specific proteins, and 31 were PCW-specific proteins. On the other hand, we detected 34 proteins shared between Troph and ENC, 19 proteins that were shared between ENC and PCW, and 29 proteins that were common to Troph and PCW. Finally, we detected 19 proteins that were shared by all three extract samples. BALB/c mice were infected with 10(5)Giardia muris cysts and sacrificed either at the acute or elimination phases of infection (days 12 and 40, respectively), and lymphocytes were isolated from the Peyer's patches (PP). Using flow cytometry, we detected significant increases in the number of PP-derived CD4(+) and CD19(+), but not CD8(+) lymphocytes. Quantification of the number of mucosal IL-4 and IFN-gamma secreting T-lymphocytes by enzyme-linked immunosorbent spot assay showed that these cells reacted by secreting similar levels of IL-4 and IFN-gamma, regardless of the Ag or the phase of infection. Analysis of intestinal humoral immune responses by ELISA resulted in the detection of Ag-specific IgA and IgG intestinal antibodies

  13. Acute exercise does not induce an acute phase response (APR) in Standardbred trotters

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Kristensen, Lena; Buhl, Rikke; Nostell, Katarina

    2014-01-01

    ), and iron], muscle enzymes [creatinine kinase (CK) and aspartate transaminase (AST)], and hemoglobin were assessed in 58 Standardbred trotters before and after racing. Hemoglobin levels increased and iron levels decreased 12 to 14 h after racing and haptoglobin concentrations, white blood cell counts......, and iron levels were decreased 2 and/or 7 d after racing. Concentrations of CK, AST, SAA, and fibrinogen were unaltered in response to racing. Acute strenuous exercise did not elicit an acute phase reaction. The observed acute increase in hemoglobin levels and decreases in haptoglobin and iron levels may...

  14. Gender differences in quality of life and functional disability for depression outpatients with or without residual symptoms after acute phase treatment in China.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhao, Na; Wang, Xiaohong; Wu, Wenyuan; Hu, Yongdong; Niu, Yajuan; Wang, Xueyi; Gao, Chengge; Zhang, Ning; Fang, Yiru; Huang, Jizhong; Liu, Tiebang; Jia, Fujun; Zhu, Xuequan; Hu, Jian; Wang, Gang

    2017-09-01

    Depression is associated with substantial personal suffering and reduced quality of life and functioning. The aim of this study was to investigate gender differences on quality of life and functional impairment of outpatients with depression after acute phase treatment. 1503 depression outpatients were recruited from eleven hospitals in China. Subjects were evaluated with sociodemographic characteristics, history and self-report instruments, related to severity of symptoms, function and quality of life. All data were analyzed to determine the gender differences. Men had a younger age at onset and the first onset age, higher education compared to women in total patients and with or without residual symptoms group. Using regression analysis, it was found that gender was significantly statistically related to severity scores of SDS and had no correlation with Q-LES-Q-SF total scores. In the residual symptoms group, greater functional impairment was noted by men in the area of work and social life. Significant gender differences of mood, work and sexual life in quality of life were observed. This is a cross-sectional study of depressed outpatients and duration of acute phase treatment may not an adequate time to measure changes. Depression appears to affect men more seriously than women after acute phase treatment. Men had a younger age at onset and the first onset age, higher education, more functional impairment and lower satisfaction of quality of life in mood, work and sexual life. Gender differences affect acute treatment, remission and recovery. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  15. Measurement of serum amyloid A1 (SAA1), a major isotype of acute phase SAA.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xu, Yuanyuan; Yamada, Toshiyuki; Satoh, Takahiko; Okuda, Yasuaki

    2006-01-01

    Serum amyloid A (SAA), a plasma precursor of reactive amyloid deposits, is a multigene product. SAA1 and SAA2, with primary structures that are 93% identical (98 of 104 amino acids), behave as acute phase proteins, as demonstrated by their increasing levels in plasma. Heretofore, it has been understood that SAA1 predominates and functions as an isotype in plasma. However, accurate measurements differentiating the two isotypes have not been reported. In this study, using monoclonal antibodies specific for SAA1, we developed an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for SAA1. The levels and ratios of SAA1 in total SAA (TSAA) were investigated in healthy subjects and patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). The SAA1/TSAA ratio was 74 +/- 12% and 77 +/- 12% in healthy subjects and RA patients, respectively. In RA patients, the ratios were not influenced by SAA1 genotype, which has been proposed to affect plasma SAA values. The kinetics of SAA1 in inflamed patients undergoing hemodialysis was found to be parallel with total SAA and C-reactive protein. Finally, this study confirmed that SAA1 is a major isotype of acute phase SAA and may determine total SAA values. This specific assay could be used in the evaluation of SAA behavior in several clinical conditions.

  16. MM-ISMSA: An Ultrafast and Accurate Scoring Function for Protein-Protein Docking.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Klett, Javier; Núñez-Salgado, Alfonso; Dos Santos, Helena G; Cortés-Cabrera, Álvaro; Perona, Almudena; Gil-Redondo, Rubén; Abia, David; Gago, Federico; Morreale, Antonio

    2012-09-11

    An ultrafast and accurate scoring function for protein-protein docking is presented. It includes (1) a molecular mechanics (MM) part based on a 12-6 Lennard-Jones potential; (2) an electrostatic component based on an implicit solvent model (ISM) with individual desolvation penalties for each partner in the protein-protein complex plus a hydrogen bonding term; and (3) a surface area (SA) contribution to account for the loss of water contacts upon protein-protein complex formation. The accuracy and performance of the scoring function, termed MM-ISMSA, have been assessed by (1) comparing the total binding energies, the electrostatic term, and its components (charge-charge and individual desolvation energies), as well as the per residue contributions, to results obtained with well-established methods such as APBSA or MM-PB(GB)SA for a set of 1242 decoy protein-protein complexes and (2) testing its ability to recognize the docking solution closest to the experimental structure as that providing the most favorable total binding energy. For this purpose, a test set consisting of 15 protein-protein complexes with known 3D structure mixed with 10 decoys for each complex was used. The correlation between the values afforded by MM-ISMSA and those from the other methods is quite remarkable (r(2) ∼ 0.9), and only 0.2-5.0 s (depending on the number of residues) are spent on a single calculation including an all vs all pairwise energy decomposition. On the other hand, MM-ISMSA correctly identifies the best docking solution as that closest to the experimental structure in 80% of the cases. Finally, MM-ISMSA can process molecular dynamics trajectories and reports the results as averaged values with their standard deviations. MM-ISMSA has been implemented as a plugin to the widely used molecular graphics program PyMOL, although it can also be executed in command-line mode. MM-ISMSA is distributed free of charge to nonprofit organizations.

  17. Two acute kidney injury risk scores for critically ill cancer patients undergoing non-cardiac surgery.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xing, Xue-Zhong; Wang, Hai-Jun; Huang, Chu-Lin; Yang, Quan-Hui; Qu, Shi-Ning; Zhang, Hao; Wang, Hao; Gao, Yong; Xiao, Qing-Ling; Sun, Ke-Lin

    2012-01-01

    Several risk scoures have been used in predicting acute kidney injury (AKI) of patients undergoing general or specific operations such as cardiac surgery. This study aimed to evaluate the use of two AKI risk scores in patients who underwent non-cardiac surgery but required intensive care. The clinical data of patients who had been admitted to ICU during the first 24 hours of ICU stay between September 2009 and August 2010 at the Cancer Institute, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College were retrospectively collected and analyzed. AKI was diagnosed based on the acute kidney injury network (AKIN) criteria. Two AKI risk scores were calculated: Kheterpal and Abelha factors. The incidence of AKI was 10.3%. Patients who developed AKI had a increased ICU mortality of 10.9% vs. 1.0% and an in-hospital mortality of 13.0 vs. 1.5%, compared with those without AKI. There was a significant difference between the classification of Kheterpal's AKI risk scores and the occurrence of AKI (PAbelha's AKI risk scores and the occurrence of AKI (P=0.499). Receiver operating characteristic curves demonstrated an area under the curve of 0.655±0.043 (P=0.001, 95% confidence interval: 0.571-0.739) for Kheterpal's AKI risk score and 0.507±0.044 (P=0.879, 95% confidence interval: 0.422-0.592) for Abelha's AKI risk score. Kheterpal's AKI risk scores are more accurate than Abelha's AKI risk scores in predicting the occurrence of AKI in patients undergoing non-cardiac surgery with moderate predictive capability.

  18. Does the STAF score help detect paroxysmal atrial fibrillation in acute stroke patients?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Horstmann, S; Rizos, T; Güntner, J; Hug, A; Jenetzky, E; Krumsdorf, U; Veltkamp, R

    2013-01-01

    Detecting paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (pAF) soon after acute cerebral ischaemia has a major impact on secondary stroke prevention. Recently, the STAF score, a composite of clinical and instrumental findings, was introduced to identify stroke patients at risk of pAF. We aimed to validate this score in an independent study population. Consecutive patients admitted to our stroke unit with acute ischaemic stroke were prospectively enrolled. The diagnostic work-up included neuroimaging, neuroultrasound, baseline 12-channel electrocardiogram (ECG), 24-h Holter ECG, continuous ECG monitoring, and echocardiography. Presence of AF was documented according to the medical history of each patient and after review of 12-lead ECG, 24-h Holter ECG, or continuous ECG monitoring performed during the stay on the ward. Additionally, a telephone follow-up visit was conducted for each patient after 3 months to inquire about newly diagnosed AF. Items for each patient-age, baseline NIHSS, left atrial dilatation, and stroke etiology according to the TOAST criteria - were assessed to calculate the STAF score. Overall, 584 patients were enrolled in our analysis. AF was documented in 183 (31.3%) patients. In multivariable analysis, age, NIHSS, left atrial dilatation, and absence of vascular etiology were independent predictors for AF. The logistic AF-prediction model of the STAF score revealed fair classification accuracy in receiver operating characteristic curve analysis with an area under the curve of 0.84. STAF scores of ≥5 had a sensitivity of 79% and a specificity of 74% for predicting AF. The value of the STAF score for predicting the risk of pAF in stroke patients is limited. © 2012 The Author(s) European Journal of Neurology © 2012 EFNS.

  19. The use of acute phase proteins for monitoring animal health and welfare in the pig production chain: the validation of an immunochromatographic method for the detection of elevated levels of pig-MAP.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Piñeiro, Matilde; Morales, Joaquín; Vizcaíno, Elena; Murillo, José Alberto; Klauke, Thorsten; Petersen, Brigitte; Piñeiro, Carlos

    2013-11-01

    The serum concentration of acute phase proteins (APPs) increases in the presence of disease or stress, which makes APPs notable parameters for the global assessment of animal health and welfare. A rapid, immunochromatographic test (ICT) for the detection of elevated levels of pig Major Acute-phase Protein (pig-MAP), one of the main APPs in pigs, was evaluated in more than 1400 pig serum samples obtained from commercial farms. The ICT showed a good performance with a relative sensitivity (Sn) and specificity (Sp) of 94 and 97%, respectively, for a threshold of 1.5mg/mL (comparison with ELISA). Differences in the pig-MAP levels and the number of positive samples with the ICT were observed within the season of sampling, farms, and age groups at one farm, according to the presence of disease or lesions. The ICT was also evaluated in blood samples obtained at slaughter in association with the carcase inspection. The results from this study indicate that the ICT may be used for the evaluation of groups of pigs, after analysing one sub-sample of these pigs, and might be a useful tool in routine health and welfare monitoring programmes aimed to improve the quality of pig production. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  20. Values for digestible indispensable amino acid scores (DIAAS) for some dairy and plant proteins may better describe protein quality than values calculated using the concept for protein digestibility-corrected amino acid scores (PDCAAS).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mathai, John K; Liu, Yanhong; Stein, Hans H

    2017-02-01

    An experiment was conducted to compare values for digestible indispensable amino acid scores (DIAAS) for four animal proteins and four plant proteins with values calculated as recommended for protein digestibility-corrected amino acid scores (PDCAAS), but determined in pigs instead of in rats. Values for standardised total tract digestibility (STTD) of crude protein (CP) and standardised ileal digestibility (SID) of amino acids (AA) were calculated for whey protein isolate (WPI), whey protein concentrate (WPC), milk protein concentrate (MPC), skimmed milk powder (SMP), pea protein concentrate (PPC), soya protein isolate (SPI), soya flour and whole-grain wheat. The PDCAAS-like values were calculated using the STTD of CP to estimate AA digestibility and values for DIAAS were calculated from values for SID of AA. Results indicated that values for SID of most indispensable AA in WPI, WPC and MPC were greater (P<0·05) than for SMP, PPC, SPI, soya flour and wheat. With the exception of arginine and tryptophan, the SID of all indispensable AA in SPI was greater (P<0·05) than in soya flour, and with the exception of threonine, the SID of all indispensable AA in wheat was less (P<0·05) than in all other ingredients. If the same scoring pattern for children between 6 and 36 months was used to calculate PDCAAS-like values and DIAAS, PDCAAS-like values were greater (P<0·05) than DIAAS values for SMP, PPC, SPI, soya flour and wheat indicating that PDCAAS-like values estimated in pigs may overestimate the quality of these proteins.

  1. Effects of preoperative feeding with a whey protein plus carbohydrate drink on the acute phase response and insulin resistance. A randomized trial

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Dock-Nascimento Diana B

    2011-06-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Prolonged preoperative fasting increases insulin resistance and current evidence recommends carbohydrate (CHO drinks 2 hours before surgery. Our hypothesis is that the addition of whey protein to a CHO-based drink not only reduces the inflammatory response but also diminish insulin resistance. Methods Seventeen patients scheduled to cholecystectomy or inguinal herniorraphy were randomized and given 474 ml and 237 ml of water (CO group or a drink containing CHO and milk whey protein (CHO-P group respectively, 6 and 3 hours before operation. Blood samples were collected before surgery and 24 hours afterwards for biochemical assays. The endpoints of the study were the insulin resistance (IR, the prognostic inflammatory and nutritional index (PINI and the C-reactive protein (CRP/albumin ratio. A 5% level for significance was established. Results There were no anesthetic or postoperative complications. The post-operative IR was lower in the CHO-P group when compared with the CO group (2.75 ± 0.72 vs 5.74 ± 1.16; p = 0.03. There was no difference between the two groups in relation to the PINI. The CHO-P group showed a decrease in the both CRP elevation and CRP/albumin ratio (p Conclusions Shortening the pre-operative fasting using CHO and whey protein is safe and reduces insulin resistance and postoperative acute phase response in elective moderate operations. Trial registration ClinicalTrail.gov NCT01354249

  2. A Protein Diet Score, Including Plant and Animal Protein, Investigating the Association with HbA1c and eGFR—The PREVIEW Project

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mikkilä, Vera; Raitakari, Olli T.; Hutri-Kähönen, Nina; Dragsted, Lars O.; Poppitt, Sally D.; Silvestre, Marta P.; Feskens, Edith J.M.

    2017-01-01

    Higher-protein diets have been advocated for body-weight regulation for the past few decades. However, the potential health risks of these diets are still uncertain. We aimed to develop a protein score based on the quantity and source of protein, and to examine the association of the score with glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c) and estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR). Analyses were based on three population studies included in the PREVIEW project (PREVention of diabetes through lifestyle Intervention and population studies in Europe and around the World): NQplus, Lifelines, and the Young Finns Study. Cross-sectional data from food-frequency questionnaires (n = 76,777 subjects) were used to develop a protein score consisting of two components: 1) percentage of energy from total protein, and 2) plant to animal protein ratio. An inverse association between protein score and HbA1c (slope −0.02 ± 0.01 mmol/mol, p < 0.001) was seen in Lifelines. We found a positive association between the protein score and eGFR in Lifelines (slope 0.17 ± 0.02 mL/min/1.73 m2, p < 0.0001). Protein scoring might be a useful tool to assess both the effect of quantity and source of protein on health parameters. Further studies are needed to validate this newly developed protein score. PMID:28714926

  3. The RIPASA score is sensitive and specific for the diagnosis of acute appendicitis in a western population.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Malik, Muhammad Usman; Connelly, Tara M; Awan, Faisal; Pretorius, Frederik; Fiuza-Castineira, Constantino; El Faedy, Osama; Balfe, Paul

    2017-04-01

    The definitive diagnosis of acute appendicitis (AA) requires histopathological examination. Various clinical diagnostic scoring systems attempt to reduce negative appendectomy rates. The most commonly used in Western Europe and the USA is the Alvarado score. The Raja Isteri Pengiran Anak Saleha appendicitis (RIPASA) score achieves better sensitivity and specificity in Asian and Middle Eastern populations. We aimed to determine the diagnostic accuracy of the RIPASA score in Irish patients with AA. All patients who presented to our institution with right iliac fossa pain and clinically suspected AA between January 1 and December 31, 2015, were indentified from our hospital inpatient enquiry database and retrospectively studied. Operating theatre records and histology reports confirmed those who underwent a non-elective operative procedure and the presence or absence of AA. SPSS version 22 was used for statistical analysis. Standard deviation is provided where appropriate. Two hundred eight patients were included in the study (106/51% male, mean age 22.7 ± 9.2 years). One hundred thirty-five (64.9%) had histologically confirmed AA (mean symptom duration = 36.19 ± 15.90 h). At a score ≥7.5, the previously determined score most likely associated with AA in Eastern populations, the RIPASA scoring system demonstrated a sensitivity of 85.39%, specificity of 69.86%, positive predictive value of 84.06%, negative predictive value of 72.86% and diagnostic accuracy of 80% in our cohort. The RIPASA score is a useful tool to aid in the diagnosis of acute appendicitis in the Irish population. A score of ≥7.5 provides sensitivity and specificity exceeding that previously documented for the Alvarado score in Western populations. WHAT DOES THIS PAPER ADD TO THE LITERATURE?: This is the first study evaluating the utility of the RIPASA score in predicting acute appendicitis in a Western population. At a value of 7.5, a cut-off score suggestive of appendicitis in the

  4. Oxidative stress and acute-phase response in patients with pressure sores.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cordeiro, Maria Bernarda Cavalcanti; Antonelli, Elida Juliana; da Cunha, Daniel Ferreira; Júnior, Alceu Afonso Jordão; Júnior, Virmondes Rodrigues; Vannucchi, Helio

    2005-09-01

    We investigated the relation between oxidative stress and the occurrence of the acute-phase response with serum ascorbic acid and alpha-tocopherol levels in patients with pressure sores. The following groups of patients were studied: 1) those who had patients with pressure sores, 2) those who had pneumonia, and 3) those who did not develop pressure sores or any type of infection (control). Concentrations of total proteins, albumin, creatinine, iron, ferritin, transferrin, C-reactive protein, alpha1-acid glycoprotein, total iron-binding capacity, ascorbic acid, alpha-tocopherol, and malondialdehyde were measured during the first days of hospitalization. Albumin concentrations were significantly lower (P pressure sores compared with controls. Concentrations of ascorbic acid and alpha-tocopherol were significantly decreased (P pressure sores or infection, whereas malondialdehyde concentrations were significantly increased (P pressure sores and 10 of 12 patients (83.33%) with pneumonia presented serum ascorbic acid concentrations below the reference value (34 to 91 micromol/L). Concentrations of ascorbic acid and alpha-tocopherol versus malondialdehyde were significantly correlated in the three patient groups (r = -0.44, P pressure sores and acute infection present a systemic inflammatory response accompanied by an increase in lipid peroxidation that is associated with decreased serum ascorbic acid and alpha-tocopherol levels, suggesting that these patients may be at risk for important nutritional deficiencies.

  5. Acute exacerbation of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis: high-resolution CT scores predict mortality

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fujimoto, Kiminori; Taniguchi, Hiroyuki; Kondoh, Yasuhiro; Kataoka, Kensuke; Johkoh, Takeshi; Ichikado, Kazuya; Sumikawa, Hiromitsu; Ogura, Takashi; Endo, Takahiro; Kawaguchi, Atsushi; Mueller, Nestor L.

    2012-01-01

    To determine high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) findings helpful in predicting mortality in patients with acute exacerbation of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (AEx-IPF). Sixty patients with diagnosis of AEx-IPF were reviewed retrospectively. Two groups (two observers each) independently evaluated pattern, distribution, and extent of HRCT findings at presentation and calculated an HRCT score at AEx based on normal attenuation areas and extent of abnormalities, such as areas of ground-glass attenuation and/or consolidation with or without traction bronchiectasis or bronchiolectasis and areas of honeycombing. The correlation between the clinical data including the HRCT score and mortality (cause-specific survival) was evaluated using the univariate and multivariate Cox-regression analyses. Serum KL-6 level, PaCO 2 , and the HRCT score were statistically significant predictors on univariate analysis. Multivariate analysis revealed that the HRCT score was an independently significant predictor of outcome (hazard ratio, 1.13; 95% confidence interval, 1.06-1.19, P = 0.0002). The area under receiver operating characteristics curve for the HRCT score was statistically significant in the classification of survivors or nonsurvivors (0.944; P < 0.0001). Survival in patients with HRCT score ≥245 was worse than those with lower score (log-rank test, P < 0.0001). The HRCT score at AEx is independently related to prognosis in patients with AEx-IPF. (orig.)

  6. Acute exacerbation of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis: high-resolution CT scores predict mortality

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Fujimoto, Kiminori [Kurume University School of Medicine, and Center for Diagnostic Imaging, Kurume University Hospital, Department of Radiology, Kurume, Fukuoka (Japan); Taniguchi, Hiroyuki; Kondoh, Yasuhiro; Kataoka, Kensuke [Tosei General Hospital, Department of Respiratory Medicine and Allergy, Seto, Aichi (Japan); Johkoh, Takeshi [Kinki Central Hospital of Mutual Aid Association of Public School Teachers, Department of Radiology, Itami (Japan); Ichikado, Kazuya [Saiseikai Kumamoto Hospital, Division of Respiratory Medicine, Kumamoto (Japan); Sumikawa, Hiromitsu [Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, Department of Radiology, Suita, Osaka (Japan); Ogura, Takashi; Endo, Takahiro [Kanagawa Cardiovascular and Respiratory Center, Department of Respiratory Medicine, Yokohama, Kanagawa (Japan); Kawaguchi, Atsushi [Kurume University School of Medicine, Biostatistics Center, Kurume (Japan); Mueller, Nestor L. [University of British Columbia and Vancouver General Hospital, Department of Radiology, Vancouver, B.C. (Canada)

    2012-01-15

    To determine high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) findings helpful in predicting mortality in patients with acute exacerbation of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (AEx-IPF). Sixty patients with diagnosis of AEx-IPF were reviewed retrospectively. Two groups (two observers each) independently evaluated pattern, distribution, and extent of HRCT findings at presentation and calculated an HRCT score at AEx based on normal attenuation areas and extent of abnormalities, such as areas of ground-glass attenuation and/or consolidation with or without traction bronchiectasis or bronchiolectasis and areas of honeycombing. The correlation between the clinical data including the HRCT score and mortality (cause-specific survival) was evaluated using the univariate and multivariate Cox-regression analyses. Serum KL-6 level, PaCO{sub 2}, and the HRCT score were statistically significant predictors on univariate analysis. Multivariate analysis revealed that the HRCT score was an independently significant predictor of outcome (hazard ratio, 1.13; 95% confidence interval, 1.06-1.19, P = 0.0002). The area under receiver operating characteristics curve for the HRCT score was statistically significant in the classification of survivors or nonsurvivors (0.944; P < 0.0001). Survival in patients with HRCT score {>=}245 was worse than those with lower score (log-rank test, P < 0.0001). The HRCT score at AEx is independently related to prognosis in patients with AEx-IPF. (orig.)

  7. Undernutrition, the Acute Phase Response to Infection, and Its Effects on Micronutrient Status Indicators12

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bresnahan, Kara A.; Tanumihardjo, Sherry A.

    2014-01-01

    Infection and undernutrition are prevalent in developing countries and demonstrate a synergistic relation. Undernutrition increases infection-related morbidity and mortality. The acute phase response (APR) is an innate, systemic inflammatory reaction to a wide array of disruptions in a host’s homeostasis, including infection. Released from immune cells in response to deleterious stimuli, proinflammatory cytokines act on distant tissues to induce behavioral (e.g., anorexia, weakness, and fatigue) and systemic effects of the APR. Cytokines act to increase energy and protein requirements to manifest fever and support hepatic acute phase protein (APP) production. Blood concentrations of glucose and lipid are augmented to provide energy to immune cells in response to cytokines. Additionally, infection decreases intestinal absorption of nutrients and can cause direct loss of micronutrients. Traditional indicators of iron, zinc, and vitamin A status are altered during the APR, leading to inaccurate estimations of deficiency in populations with a high or unknown prevalence of infection. Blood concentrations of APPs can be measured in nutrition interventions to assess the time stage and severity of infection and correct for the APR; however, standardized cutoffs for nutrition applications are needed. Protein-energy malnutrition leads to increased gut permeability to pathogens, abnormal immune cell populations, and impaired APP response. Micronutrient deficiencies cause specific immune impairments that affect both innate and adaptive responses. This review describes the antagonistic interaction between the APR and nutritional status and emphasizes the need for integrated interventions to address undernutrition and to reduce disease burden in developing countries. PMID:25398733

  8. Predicting Hemorrhagic Transformation of Acute Ischemic Stroke: Prospective Validation of the HeRS Score.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Marsh, Elisabeth B; Llinas, Rafael H; Schneider, Andrea L C; Hillis, Argye E; Lawrence, Erin; Dziedzic, Peter; Gottesman, Rebecca F

    2016-01-01

    Hemorrhagic transformation (HT) increases the morbidity and mortality of ischemic stroke. Anticoagulation is often indicated in patients with atrial fibrillation, low ejection fraction, or mechanical valves who are hospitalized with acute stroke, but increases the risk of HT. Risk quantification would be useful. Prior studies have investigated risk of systemic hemorrhage in anticoagulated patients, but none looked specifically at HT. In our previously published work, age, infarct volume, and estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) significantly predicted HT. We created the hemorrhage risk stratification (HeRS) score based on regression coefficients in multivariable modeling and now determine its validity in a prospectively followed inpatient cohort.A total of 241 consecutive patients presenting to 2 academic stroke centers with acute ischemic stroke and an indication for anticoagulation over a 2.75-year period were included. Neuroimaging was evaluated for infarct volume and HT. Hemorrhages were classified as symptomatic versus asymptomatic, and by severity. HeRS scores were calculated for each patient and compared to actual hemorrhage status using receiver operating curve analysis.Area under the curve (AUC) comparing predicted odds of hemorrhage (HeRS score) to actual hemorrhage status was 0.701. Serum glucose (P hemorrhages were more likely to be symptomatic and more severe.The HeRS score is a valid predictor of HT in patients with ischemic stroke and indication for anticoagulation.

  9. A new approach to scoring systems to improve identification of acute medical admissions that will require critical care.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Carmichael, H A; Robertson, E; Austin, J; McCruden, D; Messow, C M; Belcher, P R

    2011-11-01

    Removal of the intensive care unit (ICU) at the Vale of Leven Hospital mandated the identification and transfer out of those acute medical admissions with a high risk of requiring ICU. The aim of the study was to develop triaging tools that identified such patients and compare them with other scoring systems. The methodology included a retrospective analysis of physiological and arterial gas measurements from 1976 acute medical admissions produced PREEMPT-1 (PRE-critical Emergency Medical Patient Triage). A simpler one for ambulance use (PREAMBLE-1 [PRE-Admission Medical Blue-Light Emergency]) was produced by the addition of peripheral oxygen saturation to a modification of MEWS (Modified Early Warning Score). Prospective application of these tools produced a larger database of 4447 acute admissions from which logistic regression models produced PREEMPT-2 and PREAMBLE-2, which were then compared with the original systems and seven other early warning scoring systems. Results showed that in patients with arterial gases, the area under the receiver operator characteristic curve was significantly higher in PREEMPT-2 (89·1%) and PREAMBLE-2 (84.4%) than all other scoring systems. Similarly, in all patients, it was higher in PREAMBLE-2 (92·4%) than PREAMBLE-1 (88·1%) and the other scoring systems. In conclusion, risk of requiring ICU can be more accurately predicted using PREEMPT-2 and PREAMBLE-2, as described here, than by other early warning scoring systems developed over recent years.

  10. Protein quality and growth in malnourished children

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Manary, Mark; Callaghan, Meghan; Singh, Lauren

    2016-01-01

    BACKGROUND: Protein quality refers to the amounts and ratios of essential amino acids in a food. Two methods most commonly used for determining protein quality are the protein digestibility-corrected amino acid score (PDCAAS) and the digestible indispensible amino acid score (DIAAS). OBJECTIVE...... in children with SAM and acute infection, and these data were reviewed with respect to protein synthesis. Eleven published treatment trials for SAM with different therapeutic foods were analyzed to examine the relationship between protein quality scores with weight gain (g/kg/d). Protein scores were...... calculated with the PDCAAS and DIAAS amino acid reference patterns. A DIAAS score adjusted for the higher weight gain expected in malnourished children was also used. Bivariate correlation analysis was used to examine this relationship. RESULTS: The protein kinetic data supported the hypothesis...

  11. Concentrations of the acute phase reactants high-sensitive C-reactive protein and YKL-40 and of interleukin-6 before and after treatment in patients with acromegaly and growth hormone deficiency

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Andreassen, Mikkel; Vestergaard, Henrik; Kristensen, Lars Østergaard

    2007-01-01

    Acromegaly is accompanied by increased cardiovascular mortality and a cluster of proatherogenic risk factors. In the general population, ischaemic heart disease (IHD) is associated with elevated levels of inflammatory markers. The acute phase reactant (APR) C-reactive protein (CRP) has been...... reported to be reduced in acromegaly and increase after treatment, suggesting that excess of GH/IGF-I could have anti-inflammatory effects. This is in accordance with results obtained in patients with growth hormone deficiency (GHD), where increased levels of CRP have been reported....

  12. NPPD: A Protein-Protein Docking Scoring Function Based on Dyadic Differences in Networks of Hydrophobic and Hydrophilic Amino Acid Residues

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Edward S. C. Shih

    2015-03-01

    Full Text Available Protein-protein docking (PPD predictions usually rely on the use of a scoring function to rank docking models generated by exhaustive sampling. To rank good models higher than bad ones, a large number of scoring functions have been developed and evaluated, but the methods used for the computation of PPD predictions remain largely unsatisfactory. Here, we report a network-based PPD scoring function, the NPPD, in which the network consists of two types of network nodes, one for hydrophobic and the other for hydrophilic amino acid residues, and the nodes are connected when the residues they represent are within a certain contact distance. We showed that network parameters that compute dyadic interactions and those that compute heterophilic interactions of the amino acid networks thus constructed allowed NPPD to perform well in a benchmark evaluation of 115 PPD scoring functions, most of which, unlike NPPD, are based on some sort of protein-protein interaction energy. We also showed that NPPD was highly complementary to these energy-based scoring functions, suggesting that the combined use of conventional scoring functions and NPPD might significantly improve the accuracy of current PPD predictions.

  13. Algorithm for the automatic computation of the modified Anderson-Wilkins acuteness score of ischemia from the pre-hospital ECG in ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Fakhri, Yama; Sejersten-Ripa, Maria; Schoos, Mikkel Malby

    2017-01-01

    BACKGROUND: The acuteness score (based on the modified Anderson-Wilkins score) estimates the acuteness of ischemia based on ST-segment, Q-wave and T-wave measurements obtained from the electrocardiogram (ECG) in patients with ST Elevation Myocardial Infarction (STEMI). The score (range 1 (least...... the acuteness score. METHODS: We scored 50 pre-hospital ECGs from STEMI patients, manually and by the automated algorithm. We assessed the reliability test between the manual and automated algorithm by interclass correlation coefficient (ICC) and Bland-Altman plot. RESULTS: The ICC was 0.84 (95% CI 0.......72-0.91), PECGs, all within the upper (1.46) and lower (-1.12) limits...

  14. Interindividual variation in the response by fibrinogen, C-reactive protein and interleukin-6 to yellow fever vaccination

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Verschuur, M.; Beek, M.T. van der; Tak, H.S.; Visser, L.G.; Maat, M.P.M. de

    2004-01-01

    The acute phase reaction is important in many disease processes. Habitual levels of the acute phase proteins fibrinogen, C-reactive protein (CRP) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) are associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, but the dynamic variation of plasma levels of acute phase

  15. Nursing Activities Score and Acute Kidney Injury.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Coelho, Filipe Utuari de Andrade; Watanabe, Mirian; Fonseca, Cassiane Dezoti da; Padilha, Katia Grillo; Vattimo, Maria de Fátima Fernandes

    2017-01-01

    to evaluate the nursing workload in intensive care patients with acute kidney injury (AKI). A quantitative study, conducted in an intensive care unit, from April to August of 2015. The Nursing Activities Score (NAS) and Kidney Disease Improving Global Outcomes (KDIGO) were used to measure nursing workload and to classify the stage of AKI, respectively. A total of 190 patients were included. Patients who developed AKI (44.2%) had higher NAS when compared to those without AKI (43.7% vs 40.7%), p <0.001. Patients with stage 1, 2 and 3 AKI showed higher NAS than those without AKI. A relationship was identified between stage 2 and 3 with those without AKI (p = 0.002 and p <0.001). The NAS was associated with the presence of AKI, the score increased with the progression of the stages, and it was associated with AKI, stage 2 and 3. avaliar a carga de trabalho de enfermagem em pacientes de terapia intensiva com lesão renal aguda (LRA). estudo quantitativo, em Unidade de Terapia Intensiva, no período de abril a agosto de 2015. O Nursing Activities Score (NAS) e o Kidney Disease Improving Global Outcomes (KDIGO) foram utilizados para medir a carga de trabalho de enfermagem e classificar o estágio da LRA, respectivamente. foram incluídos 190 pacientes. Os pacientes que desenvolveram LRA (44,2%) possuíam NAS superiores quando comparados aos sem LRA (43,7% vs 40,7%), p<0,001. Os pacientes com LRA nos estágios 1, 2 e 3 de LRA demonstraram NAS superiores aos sem LRA, houve relação entre os estágios 2 e 3 com os sem LRA, p=0,002 e p<0,001. o NAS apresentou associação com a existência de LRA, visto que seu valor aumenta com a progressão dos estágios, tendo associação com os estágios 2 e 3 de LRA.

  16. Inhibition of post-traumatic septic proteolysis and ureagenesis and stimulation of hepatic acute-phase protein production by branched-chain amino acid TPN.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chiarla, C; Siegel, J H; Kidd, S; Coleman, B; Mora, R; Tacchino, R; Placko, R; Gum, M; Wiles, C E; Belzberg, H

    1988-08-01

    Previous studies have shown that severe sepsis after major trauma results in the reprioritization of release of hepatic acute-phase proteins (APP). They suggest competition for leucine for nutritional utilization may be responsible. To test this hypothesis, a branched-chain enriched (46.6%) amino acid mixture (BCAA) was administered on a prospective randomized basis with standard TPN therapy to 16 septic post-trauma patients. After sepsis was diagnosed, a randomized therapy (control-TPN or BCAA-TPN) was given for 12 days, or until death occurred. Total calories and amino acid nitrogen (N) administered were not different in the two groups (t-test) and q 8 h (347 study periods) amino acid clearances, urinary urea nitrogen excretion, muscle proteolysis from 3-methyl-histidine (3-MH) excretion, and standard indices of sepsis severity and hepatic function were measured, as well as platelets (PLAT), leucocytes (WBC), albumin (ALB), and six acute-phase proteins: C-reactive protein (CRP), alpha-1-antitrypsin (A1TRIP), fibrinogen (FIBRIN), alpha-2-macroglobulin (AMACRO), ceruloplasmin (CERUL), and transferrin (TRANS). Using Scheffé analysis of all contrasts the data showed: BCAA resulted in a fall in 24-hour urea N excretion (24.0 to 20.0 gm/24 hr) and in proteolysis (138 to 126 gm/24 hr) (p less than 0.0001). Prestudy CRP levels were all elevated, but compared to control where APP reprioritization occurred, over the initial 10 days of therapy BCAA patients had a more rapid fall in CRP with a more rapid rise in FIBRIN, TRANS, CERUL, ALBUMIN, AMACRO, and A1TRIP (all p less than 0.0001) relative to CRP. Also, the sepsis-reduced clearances of glutamine and glutamate, alanine, and proline were increased (p less than 0.0001) during BCAA even though urea nitrogen production was reduced (p less than 0.0001). The increase in leucine clearance with BCAA-enriched TPN was positively correlated (r2 = 0.601; p less than 0.0001) with the increase in the sum of all APP and ALB and was

  17. C-reactive protein and serum amyloid A as early-phase and prognostic indicators of acute radiation exposure in nonhuman primate total-body irradiation model

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ossetrova, N.I., E-mail: ossetrova@afrri.usuhs.mil [Armed Forces Radiobiology Research Institute, 8901 Wisconsin Avenue, Bldg. 42, Bethesda, MD 20889-5603 (United States); Sandgren, D.J.; Blakely, W.F. [Armed Forces Radiobiology Research Institute, 8901 Wisconsin Avenue, Bldg. 42, Bethesda, MD 20889-5603 (United States)

    2011-09-15

    Terrorist radiological attacks or nuclear accidents could expose large numbers of people to ionizing radiation. In mass-casualty radiological incidents early medical-management requires triage tools for first-responders to quantitatively identify individuals exposed to life-threatening radiation doses and for early initiation (i.e., within one day after radiation exposure) of cytokine therapy for treatment of bone marrow acute radiation syndrome. Herein, we present results from 30 rhesus macaques total-body irradiated (TBI) to a broad dose range of 1-8.5 Gy with {sup 60}Co {gamma}-rays (0.55 Gy min{sup -1}) and demonstrate dose- and time-dependent changes in blood of C-reactive protein (CRP), serum amyloid A (SAA), and interleukin 6 (IL-6) measured by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). CRP and SAA dose-response results are consistent with {approx}1 Gy and {approx}0.2 Gy thresholds for photon-exposure at 24 h after TBI, respectively. Highly significant elevations of CRP and SAA (p = 0.00017 and p = 0.0024, respectively) were found in animal plasma at 6 h after all TBI doses suggesting their potential use as early-phase biodosimeters. Results also show that the dynamics and content of CRP and SAA levels reflect the course and severity of the acute radiation sickness (ARS) and may function as prognostic indicators of ARS outcome. These results demonstrate proof-of-concept that these radiation-responsive proteins show promise as a complementary approach to conventional biodosimetry for early assessment of radiation exposures and may also contribute as diagnostic indices in the medical management of radiation accidents.

  18. Accuracy and Predictability of PANC-3 Scoring System over APACHE II in Acute Pancreatitis: A Prospective Study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rathnakar, Surag Kajoor; Vishnu, Vikram Hubbanageri; Muniyappa, Shridhar; Prasath, Arun

    2017-02-01

    Acute Pancreatitis (AP) is one of the common conditions encountered in the emergency room. The course of the disease ranges from mild form to severe acute form. Most of these episodes are mild and spontaneously subsiding within 3 to 5 days. In contrast, Severe Acute Pancreatitis (SAP) occurring in around 15-20% of all cases, mortality can range between 10 to 85% across various centres and countries. In such a situation we need an indicator which can predict the outcome of an attack, as severe or mild, as early as possible and such an indicator should be sensitive and specific enough to trust upon. PANC-3 scoring is such a scoring system in predicting the outcome of an attack of AP. To assess the accuracy and predictability of PANC-3 scoring system over APACHE II in predicting severity in an attack of AP. This prospective study was conducted on 82 patients admitted with the diagnosis of pancreatitis. Investigations to evaluate PANC-3 and APACHE II were done on all the patients and the PANC-3 and APACHE II score was calculated. PANC-3 score has a sensitivity of 82.6% and specificity of 77.9%, the test had a Positive Predictive Value (PPV) of 0.59 and Negative Predictive Value (NPV) of 0.92. Sensitivity of APACHE II in predicting SAP was 91.3% and specificity was 96.6% with PPV of 0.91, NPV was 0.96. Our study shows that PANC-3 can be used to predict the severity of pancreatitis as efficiently as APACHE II. The interpretation of PANC-3 does not need expertise and can be applied at the time of admission which is an advantage when compared to classical scoring systems.

  19. Postpartum Circulating Markers of Inflammation and the Systemic Acute-Phase Response After Early-Onset Preeclampsia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    van Rijn, Bas B; Bruinse, Hein W; Veerbeek, Jan H; Post Uiterweer, Emiel D; Koenen, Steven V; van der Bom, Johanna G; Rijkers, Ger T; Roest, Mark; Franx, Arie

    2016-02-01

    Preeclampsia is an inflammatory-mediated hypertensive disorder of pregnancy and seems to be an early indicator of increased cardiovascular risk, but mechanisms underlying this association are unclear. In this study, we identified levels of circulating inflammatory markers and dynamic changes in the systemic acute-phase response in 44 women with a history of severe early-onset preeclampsia, compared with 29 controls with only uneventful pregnancies at 1.5 to 3.5 years postpartum. Models used were in vivo seasonal influenza vaccination and in vitro whole-blood culture with T-cell stimulants and the toll-like receptor-4 ligand lipopolysaccharide. Outcome measures were C-reactive protein, interleukin-6 (IL-6), IL-18, fibrinogen, myeloperoxidase, and a panel of 13 cytokines representative of the innate and adaptive inflammatory response, in addition to established cardiovascular markers. The in vivo acute-phase response was higher for women with previous preeclampsia than that for controls without such a history, although only significant for C-reactive protein (P=0.04). Preeclampsia was associated with higher IL-1β (Ppreeclampsia: an adaptive response cluster associated with increased C-reactive protein and IL-6 before and after vaccination, increased weight, and low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol; and a toll-like receptor-4 mediated the cluster associated with increased IL-18 before and after vaccination but not associated with other cardiovascular markers. Furthermore, we found interactions between previous preeclampsia, common TLR4 gene variants, and the IL-18 response to vaccination. In conclusion, preeclampsia is associated with alterations in the inflammatory response postpartum mostly independent of other established cardiovascular risk markers. © 2015 American Heart Association, Inc.

  20. In-hospital outcome of acute myocardial infarction in correlation with 'thrombolysis in myocardial infarction' risk score

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Masood, A.; Naqvi, M.A.; Jafar, S.S.

    2009-01-01

    Effective risk stratification is integral to management of acute coronary syndromes (ACS). The Thrombolysis in Myocardial Infarction (TIMI) risk score for ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) is a simple integer score based on 8 high-risk parameters that can be used at the bedside for risk stratification of patients at presentation with STEMI. To evaluate the prognostic significance of TIMI risk score in a local population group of acute STEMI. The study included 160 cases of STEMI eligible for thrombolysis. TIMI risk score was calculated for each case at the time of presentation and were then followed during their hospital stay for the occurrence of electrical and mechanical complications as well as mortality. The patients were divided into three risk groups, namely 'low risk', 'moderate-risk' and 'high-risk' based on their TIMI scores (0-4 low-risk, 5-8 moderate-risk, 9-14 high risk). The frequencies of complications and deaths were compared among the three risk groups. Post MI arrhythmias were noted in 2.2%, 16% and 50%; cardiogenic shock in 6.7%, 16% and 60%; pulmonary edema in 6.7%, 20% and 80%; mechanical complications of MI in 0%, 8% and 30%; death in 4.4%, 8%, and 60% of patients belonging to low-risk, moderate-risk and high-risk groups respectively. Frequency of complications and death correlated well with TIMI risk score (p=0.001). TIMI risk score correlates well with the frequency of electrical or mechanical complications and death after STEMI. (author)

  1. Acrolein-Induced Dyslipidemia and Acute Phase Response Independenly of HMG-CoA Reductase

    Science.gov (United States)

    Conklin, Daniel J.; Prough, Russell A.; Juvan, Peter; Rezen, Tadeja; Rozman, Damjana; Haberzettl, Petra; Srivastava, Sanjay; Bhatnagar, Aruni

    2012-01-01

    Scope Aldehydes are ubiquitous natural constituents of foods, water and beverages. Dietary intake represents the greatest source of exposure to acrolein and related aldehydes. Oral acrolein induces dyslipidemia acutely and chronically increases atherosclerosis in mice, yet the mechanisms are unknown. Because lipid synthesis and trafficking are largely under hepatic control, we examined hepatic genes in murine models of acute and chronic oral acrolein exposure. Methods and results Changes in hepatic gene expression were examined using a Steroltalk microarray. Acute acrolein feeding modified plasma and hepatic proteins and increased plasma triglycerides within 15 min. By 6h, acrolein altered hepatic gene expression including Insig1, Insig2 and Hmgcr genes and stimulated an acute phase response (APR) with up-regulation of serum amyloid A genes (Saa) and systemic hypoalbuminemia. To test if decreased HMG-CoA reductase activity could modify acrolein-induced dyslipidemia or the APR, mice were pretreated with simvastatin. Statin treatment, however, did not alter acrolein-induced dyslipidemia or hypoalbuminemia associated with an APR. Few hepatic genes were dysregulated by chronic acrolein feeding in apoE-null mice. These studies confirmed that acute acrolein exposure altered expression of hepatic genes involved with lipid synthesis and trafficking and APR, and thus, indicated a hepatic locus of acrolein-induced dyslipidemia and APR that was independent of HMG CoA-reductase. Conclusion Dietary intake of acrolein could contribute to cardiovascular disease risk by disturbing hepatic function. PMID:21812109

  2. Short- and Long-Term Prognostic Utility of the HEART Score in Patients Evaluated in the Emergency Department for Possible Acute Coronary Syndrome.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jain, Tarun; Nowak, Richard; Hudson, Michael; Frisoli, Tiberio; Jacobsen, Gordon; McCord, James

    2016-06-01

    The HEART score is a risk-stratification tool that was developed and validated for patients evaluated for possible acute coronary syndrome (ACS) in the emergency department (ED). We sought to determine the short-term and long-term prognostic utility of the HEART score. A retrospective single-center analysis of 947 patients evaluated for possible ACS in the ED in 1999 was conducted. Patients were followed for major adverse cardiac events (MACEs) at 30 days: death, acute myocardial infarction, or revascularization procedure. All-cause mortality was assessed at 5 years. The HEART score was compared with the Thrombolysis in Myocardial Infarction (TIMI) score. At 30 days, 14% (135/947) of patients had an MACE: 48 deaths (5%), 84 acute myocardial infarctions (9%), and 48 (5%) revascularization procedures. The MACE rate in patients with HEART score ≤3 was 0.6% (1/175) involving a revascularization procedure, 9.5% (53/557) in patients with HEART score between 4 and 6, and 38% (81/215) with HEART score ≥7. The C-statistic for the HEART score was 0.82 and 0.68 for the TIMI score for predicting 30-day MACE (P < 0.05). Patients with HEART score ≤3 had lower 5-year mortality rate compared with those with TIMI score of 0 (10.6% vs. 20.5%, P = 0.02). The HEART score is a valuable risk-stratification tool in predicting not only short-term MACE but also long-term mortality in patients evaluated for possible ACS in the ED. The HEART score had a superior prognostic value compared with the TIMI score.

  3. Comparison of the HEART and TIMI Risk Scores for Suspected Acute Coronary Syndrome in the Emergency Department.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sun, Benjamin C; Laurie, Amber; Fu, Rongwei; Ferencik, Maros; Shapiro, Michael; Lindsell, Christopher J; Diercks, Deborah; Hoekstra, James W; Hollander, Judd E; Kirk, J Douglas; Peacock, W Frank; Anantharaman, Venkataraman; Pollack, Charles V

    2016-03-01

    The emergency department evaluation for suspected acute coronary syndrome (ACS) is common, costly, and challenging. Risk scores may help standardize clinical care and screening for research studies. The Thrombolysis in Myocardial Infarction (TIMI) and HEART are two commonly cited risk scores. We tested the null hypothesis that the TIMI and HEART risk scores have equivalent test characteristics. We analyzed data from the Internet Tracking Registry of Acute Coronary Syndromes (i*trACS) from 9 EDs on patients with suspected ACS, 1999-2001. We excluded patients with an emergency department diagnosis consistent with ACS, or without sufficient data to calculate TIMI and HEART scores. The primary outcome was 30-day major adverse cardiovascular events, including all-cause death, acute myocardial infarction, and urgent revascularization. We describe test characteristics of the TIMI and HEART risk scores. The study cohort included 8255 patients with 508 (6.2%) 30-day major adverse cardiovascular events. Receiver operating curve and reclassification analyses favored HEART [c statistic: 0.753, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.733-0.773; continuous net reclassification improvement: 0.608, 95% CI: 0.527-0.689] over TIMI (c statistic: 0.678, 95% CI: 0.655-0.702). A HEART score 0-3 [negative predictive value (NPV) 0.982, 95% CI: 0.978-0.986; positive predictive value (PPV) 0.103, 95% CI: 0.094-0.113; likelihood ratio (LR) positive 1.76; LR negative 0.28] demonstrates similar or superior NPV/PPV/LR compared with TIMI = 0 (NPV 0.978, 95% CI: 0.971-0.983; PPV 0.077, 95% CI: 0.071-0.084; LR positive 1.28; LR negative 0.35) and TIMI = 0-1 (NPV 0.963, 95% CI: 0.958-0.968; PPV 0.102, 95% CI: 0.092-0.113; LR positive 1.73; LR negative 0.58). The HEART score has better discrimination than TIMI and outperforms TIMI within previously published "low-risk" categories.

  4. Chromosome abnormalities in the acute phase of CML

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Rowley, J D

    1978-01-01

    Additional chromosome changes are superimposed on the Ph/sup 1/ positive cell line in approximately 80% of patients in the acute phase of chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML). These changes may precede the onset of blast crisis by several months. They are nonrandom and frequently involve an extra No. 8, an isochromosome for the long arm of No. 17, an extra No. 19, and a second Ph/sup 1/ chromosome. Since such changes may occur in combination, modal numbers frequently range between 47 and 57 chromosomes. Although present evidence suggests that abnormal clones originate, or at least proliferate, in the spleen, similar changes have been observed in patients who underwent splenectomy during the chronic phase of their disease. The question of particular clinical-chromosomal correlations has been discussed in only one study. It appeared that patients whose karyotype did not change might have a longer median survival than those whose karyotype showed additional abnormalities. Tests for levels of terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase (TDT) and response to anti-acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) serum suggest that some, but not all patients react as do patients with ALL. Those who are similar to ALL have high levels of TDT and are anti-ALL serum-positive; the others have low levels of TDT and are anti-ALL serum-negative. In the future, correlations of these more sophisticated tests with the blast morphology, clinical course, and karyotype pattern should provide significant new insights into the acute phase of CML.

  5. Coexistence of Phases in a Protein Heterodimer

    Science.gov (United States)

    Krokhotin, Andrey; Liwo, Adam; Niemi, Antti J.; Scheraga, Harold A.

    2012-07-01

    A heterodimer consisting of two or more different kinds of proteins can display an enormous number of distinct molecular architectures. The conformational entropy is an essential ingredient in the Helmholtz free energy and, consequently, these heterodimers can have a very complex phase structure. Here, it is proposed that there is a state of proteins, in which the different components of a heterodimer exist in different phases. For this purpose, the structures in the protein data bank (PDB) have been analyzed, with radius of gyration as the order parameter. Two major classes of heterodimers with their protein components coexisting in different phases have been identified. An example is the PDB structure 3DXC. This is a transcriptionally active dimer. One of the components is an isoform of the intra-cellular domain of the Alzheimer-disease related amyloid precursor protein (AICD), and the other is a nuclear multidomain adaptor protein in the Fe65 family. It is concluded from the radius of gyration that neither of the two components in this dimer is in its own collapsed phase, corresponding to a biologically active protein. The UNRES energy function has been utilized to confirm that, if the two components are separated from each other, each of them collapses. The results presented in this work show that heterodimers whose protein components coexist in different phases, can have intriguing physical properties with potentially important biological consequences.

  6. [Evaluation of the adjusted amino acid score by digestibility for estimating the protein quality and protein available in food and diets].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pak, N; Vera, G; Araya, H

    1985-03-01

    The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the amino acid score adjusted by digestibility to estimate protein quality and utilizable protein in foods and diets, considering net protein utilization (NPU) as a biological reference method. Ten foods of vegetable origin and ten of animal origin, as well as eight mixtures of foods of vegetable and animal origin were studied. When all the foods were considered, a positive (r = 0.83) and highly significant correlation (p less than 0.001) between NPU and the amino acid score adjusted by digestibility was found. When the foods were separated according to their origin, this correlation was positive only for the foods of vegetable origin (r = 0.93) and statistically significant (p less than 0.001). Also, only in those foods were similar values found between NPU and amino acid score adjusted by digestibility, as well as in utilizable protein estimated considering both methods. Caution is required to interpret protein quality and utilizable protein values of foods of animal origin and mixtures of foods of vegetable and animal origin when the amino acid score method adjusted by digestibility, or NPU, are utilized.

  7. Implications of protein polymorphism on protein phase behaviour

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Stegen, J.; Schoot, van der P.P.A.M.

    2015-01-01

    The phase behaviour of small globular proteins is often modeled by approximating them as spherical particles with fixed internal structure. However, changes in the local environment of a protein can lead to changes in its conformation rendering this approximation invalid. We present a simple

  8. Electrocardiographic scores of severity and acuteness of myocardial ischemia predict myocardial salvage in patients with anterior ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Fakhri, Yama; Sejersten, Maria; Schoos, Mikkel Malby

    2018-01-01

    inferior infarct locations. METHODS: In STEMI patients, the severity and acuteness scores were obtained from the admission ECG. Based on the ECG patients were assigned with severe or non-severe ischemia and acute or non-acute ischemia. Cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) was performed 2-6days after primary...

  9. HitPredict version 4: comprehensive reliability scoring of physical protein?protein interactions from more than 100 species

    OpenAIRE

    L?pez, Yosvany; Nakai, Kenta; Patil, Ashwini

    2015-01-01

    HitPredict is a consolidated resource of experimentally identified, physical protein?protein interactions with confidence scores to indicate their reliability. The study of genes and their inter-relationships using methods such as network and pathway analysis requires high quality protein?protein interaction information. Extracting reliable interactions from most of the existing databases is challenging because they either contain only a subset of the available interactions, or a mixture of p...

  10. Optimizing scoring function of protein-nucleic acid interactions with both affinity and specificity.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Zhiqiang Yan

    Full Text Available Protein-nucleic acid (protein-DNA and protein-RNA recognition is fundamental to the regulation of gene expression. Determination of the structures of the protein-nucleic acid recognition and insight into their interactions at molecular level are vital to understanding the regulation function. Recently, quantitative computational approach has been becoming an alternative of experimental technique for predicting the structures and interactions of biomolecular recognition. However, the progress of protein-nucleic acid structure prediction, especially protein-RNA, is far behind that of the protein-ligand and protein-protein structure predictions due to the lack of reliable and accurate scoring function for quantifying the protein-nucleic acid interactions. In this work, we developed an accurate scoring function (named as SPA-PN, SPecificity and Affinity of the Protein-Nucleic acid interactions for protein-nucleic acid interactions by incorporating both the specificity and affinity into the optimization strategy. Specificity and affinity are two requirements of highly efficient and specific biomolecular recognition. Previous quantitative descriptions of the biomolecular interactions considered the affinity, but often ignored the specificity owing to the challenge of specificity quantification. We applied our concept of intrinsic specificity to connect the conventional specificity, which circumvents the challenge of specificity quantification. In addition to the affinity optimization, we incorporated the quantified intrinsic specificity into the optimization strategy of SPA-PN. The testing results and comparisons with other scoring functions validated that SPA-PN performs well on both the prediction of binding affinity and identification of native conformation. In terms of its performance, SPA-PN can be widely used to predict the protein-nucleic acid structures and quantify their interactions.

  11. Recalibration of the Global Registry of Acute Coronary Events risk score in a multiethnic Asian population.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chan, Mark Y; Shah, Bimal R; Gao, Fei; Sim, Ling Ling; Chua, Terrance; Tan, Huay Cheem; Yeo, Tiong Cheng; Ong, Hean Yee; Foo, David; Goh, Ping Ping; Surrun, Soondal K; Pieper, Karen S; Granger, Christopher B; Koh, Tian Hai; Salim, Agus; Tai, E Shyong

    2011-08-01

    Acute myocardial infarction (AMI) is a leading cause of mortality in Asia. However, quantitative risk scores to predict mortality after AMI were developed without the participation of Asian countries. We evaluated the performance of the Global Registry of Acute Coronary Events (GRACE) in-hospital mortality risk score, directly and after recalibration, in a large Singaporean cohort representing 3 major Asian ethnicities. The GRACE cohort included 11,389 patients, predominantly of European descent, hospitalized for AMI or unstable angina from 2002 to 2003. The Singapore cohort included 10,100 Chinese, 3,005 Malay, and 2,046 Indian patients hospitalized for AMI from 2002 to 2005.Using the original GRACE score, predicted in-hospital mortality was 2.4% (Chinese), 2.0% (Malay), and 1.6% (Indian). However, observed in-hospital mortality was much greater at 9.8% (Chinese), 7.6% (Malay), and 6.4% (Indian). The c statistic for Chinese, Malays, and Indians was 0.86, 0.86, and 0.84, respectively, and the Hosmer-Lemeshow statistic was 250, 56, and 41, respectively. Recalibration of the GRACE score, using the mean-centered constants derived from the Singapore cohort, did not change the c statistic but substantially improved the Hosmer-Lemeshow statistic to 90, 24, and 18, respectively. The recalibrated GRACE score predicted in-hospital mortality as follows: 7.7% (Chinese), 6.0% (Malay), and 5.2% (Indian). In this large cohort of 3 major Asian ethnicities, the original GRACE score, derived from populations outside Asia, underestimated in-hospital mortality after AMI. Recalibration improved risk estimation substantially and may help adapt externally developed risk scores for local practice. Copyright © 2011 Mosby, Inc. All rights reserved.

  12. Reassessment of HIV-1 Acute Phase Infectivity: Accounting for Heterogeneity and Study Design with Simulated Cohorts

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bellan, Steve E.; Dushoff, Jonathan; Galvani, Alison P.; Meyers, Lauren Ancel

    2015-01-01

    Background The infectivity of the HIV-1 acute phase has been directly measured only once, from a retrospectively identified cohort of serodiscordant heterosexual couples in Rakai, Uganda. Analyses of this cohort underlie the widespread view that the acute phase is highly infectious, even more so than would be predicted from its elevated viral load, and that transmission occurring shortly after infection may therefore compromise interventions that rely on diagnosis and treatment, such as antiretroviral treatment as prevention (TasP). Here, we re-estimate the duration and relative infectivity of the acute phase, while accounting for several possible sources of bias in published estimates, including the retrospective cohort exclusion criteria and unmeasured heterogeneity in risk. Methods and Findings We estimated acute phase infectivity using two approaches. First, we combined viral load trajectories and viral load-infectivity relationships to estimate infectivity trajectories over the course of infection, under the assumption that elevated acute phase infectivity is caused by elevated viral load alone. Second, we estimated the relative hazard of transmission during the acute phase versus the chronic phase (RHacute) and the acute phase duration (d acute) by fitting a couples transmission model to the Rakai retrospective cohort using approximate Bayesian computation. Our model fit the data well and accounted for characteristics overlooked by previous analyses, including individual heterogeneity in infectiousness and susceptibility and the retrospective cohort's exclusion of couples that were recorded as serodiscordant only once before being censored by loss to follow-up, couple dissolution, or study termination. Finally, we replicated two highly cited analyses of the Rakai data on simulated data to identify biases underlying the discrepancies between previous estimates and our own. From the Rakai data, we estimated RHacute = 5.3 (95% credibility interval [95% CrI]: 0

  13. Optimal protein library design using recombination or point mutations based on sequence-based scoring functions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pantazes, Robert J; Saraf, Manish C; Maranas, Costas D

    2007-08-01

    In this paper, we introduce and test two new sequence-based protein scoring systems (i.e. S1, S2) for assessing the likelihood that a given protein hybrid will be functional. By binning together amino acids with similar properties (i.e. volume, hydrophobicity and charge) the scoring systems S1 and S2 allow for the quantification of the severity of mismatched interactions in the hybrids. The S2 scoring system is found to be able to significantly functionally enrich a cytochrome P450 library over other scoring methods. Given this scoring base, we subsequently constructed two separate optimization formulations (i.e. OPTCOMB and OPTOLIGO) for optimally designing protein combinatorial libraries involving recombination or mutations, respectively. Notably, two separate versions of OPTCOMB are generated (i.e. model M1, M2) with the latter allowing for position-dependent parental fragment skipping. Computational benchmarking results demonstrate the efficacy of models OPTCOMB and OPTOLIGO to generate high scoring libraries of a prespecified size.

  14. Reassessment of HIV-1 acute phase infectivity: accounting for heterogeneity and study design with simulated cohorts.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Steve E Bellan

    2015-03-01

    Full Text Available The infectivity of the HIV-1 acute phase has been directly measured only once, from a retrospectively identified cohort of serodiscordant heterosexual couples in Rakai, Uganda. Analyses of this cohort underlie the widespread view that the acute phase is highly infectious, even more so than would be predicted from its elevated viral load, and that transmission occurring shortly after infection may therefore compromise interventions that rely on diagnosis and treatment, such as antiretroviral treatment as prevention (TasP. Here, we re-estimate the duration and relative infectivity of the acute phase, while accounting for several possible sources of bias in published estimates, including the retrospective cohort exclusion criteria and unmeasured heterogeneity in risk.We estimated acute phase infectivity using two approaches. First, we combined viral load trajectories and viral load-infectivity relationships to estimate infectivity trajectories over the course of infection, under the assumption that elevated acute phase infectivity is caused by elevated viral load alone. Second, we estimated the relative hazard of transmission during the acute phase versus the chronic phase (RHacute and the acute phase duration (dacute by fitting a couples transmission model to the Rakai retrospective cohort using approximate Bayesian computation. Our model fit the data well and accounted for characteristics overlooked by previous analyses, including individual heterogeneity in infectiousness and susceptibility and the retrospective cohort's exclusion of couples that were recorded as serodiscordant only once before being censored by loss to follow-up, couple dissolution, or study termination. Finally, we replicated two highly cited analyses of the Rakai data on simulated data to identify biases underlying the discrepancies between previous estimates and our own. From the Rakai data, we estimated RHacute = 5.3 (95% credibility interval [95% CrI]: 0.79-57 and dacute

  15. Yellow flag scores in a compensable New Zealand cohort suffering acute low back pain

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Karen Grimmer-Somers

    2008-12-01

    Full Text Available Karen Grimmer-Somers1, Mathew Prior1, Jim Robertson21Centre for Allied Health Evidence, University of South Australia, City East Campus, North Tce, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia; 2New Zealand Accident Compensation Corporation, Auckland, New ZealandBackground: Despite its high prevalence, most acute low back pain (ALBP is nonspecific, self-limiting with no definable pathology. Recurrence is prevalent, as is resultant chronicity. Psychosocial factors (yellow flags comprising depression and anxiety, negative pain beliefs, job dissatisfaction are associated with the development of chronic LBP.Methods: A national insurer (Accident Compensation Corporation, New Zealand [NZ], in conjunction with a NZ primary health organization, piloted a strategy for more effective management of patients with ALBP, by following the NZ ALBP Guideline. The guidelines recommend the use of a psychosocial screening instrument (Yellow Flags Screening Instrument, a derivative of Örebro Musculoskeletal Pain Questionnaire. This instrument was recommended for administration on the second visit to a general medical practitioner (GP. This paper tests whether published cut-points of yellow flag scores to predict LBP claims length and costs were valid in this cohort.Results: Data was available for 902 claimants appropriately enrolled into the pilot. 25% claimants consulted the GP once only, and thus were not requested to provide a yellow flag score. Yellow flag scores were provided by 48% claimants who consumed two or more GP services. Approximately 60% LBP presentations resolved within five GP visits. Yellow flag scores were significantly and positively associated with treatment costs and service use, although the association was nonlinear. Claimants with moderate yellow flag scores were similarly likely to incur lengthy claims as claimants with at-risk scores.Discussion: Capturing data on psychosocial factors for compensable patients with ALBP has merit in predicting

  16. Angiopoietin-2 Is an Early Indicator of Acute Pancreatic-Renal Syndrome in Patients with Acute Pancreatitis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mateusz Sporek

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available Within the first week of the disease, acute kidney injury (AKI is among the most common causes of mortality in acute pancreatitis (AP. Recently, serum angiopoietin-2 (Ang-2 has been associated with hyperdynamic state of the systemic circulation. The aim of this study was to examine the associations between Ang-2 and the clinical AP severity during the first 72 hours of the disease, and organ disfunction, including AKI. Methods. Study included patients admitted to the surgery ward, diagnosed with AP. AKI was diagnosed according to KDIGO guidelines and renal failure according to modified Marshall scoring system. Ang-2 was determined in serum with ELISA. Results. AP was classified as mild (MAP in 71% of patients, moderately severe (MSAP in 22%, and severe (SAP in 8%. During the first 72 hours of AP, 11 patients developed AKI and 6 developed renal failure. Ang-2 at 24, 48, and 72 hours following the onset of AP symptoms significantly predicted SAP and MSAP, as well as AKI and renal failure. Also, Ang-2 significantly correlated with acute phase proteins as well as with the indicators of renal disfunction. Conclusions. Serum Ang-2 may be a relevant predictor of AP severity, in particular of the development of AP-renal syndrome.

  17. Soluble CD163 is increased in patients with acute pancreatitis independent of disease severity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Karrasch, Thomas; Brünnler, Tanja; Hamer, Okka W; Schmid, Karin; Voelk, Markus; Herfarth, Hans; Buechler, Christa

    2015-10-01

    Macrophages are crucially involved in the pathophysiology of acute pancreatitis. Soluble CD163 (sCD163) is specifically released from macrophages and systemic levels are increased in inflammatory diseases. Here, sCD163 was measured in serum of 50 patients with acute pancreatitis to find out possible associations with disease activity. Admission levels of systemic sCD163 were nearly three-fold higher in patients with acute pancreatitis compared to controls. In patients sCD163 did not correlate with C-reactive protein and leukocyte count as established markers of inflammation. Levels were not associated with disease severity assessed by the Schroeder score, Balthazar score, Acute Physiology, Age, and Chronic Health Evaluation (Apache) II score and peripancreatic necrosis score. Soluble CD163 was not related to complications of acute pancreatitis. These data show that serum sCD163 is increased in acute pancreatitis indicating activation of macrophages but is not associated with disease severity and outcome. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  18. C-reactive protein: an aid for diagnosis of acute appendicitis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ahmed, N.

    2017-01-01

    Delayed or wrong diagnosis of acute appendicitis in patients results in complications like perforation, gangrene, etc. which carries a significant amount of morbidity and mortality to the patients. Thus, timely diagnosis of acute appendicitis is crucial to prevent these complications. Recently, it was found that serum C-reactive protein (CRP) individually can be a useful marker, thus in resource limited settings (i.e., access to ultrasonography) simple laboratory investigation can be of extreme utility for the diagnosis of acute appendicitis. Current study aimed to ascertain and determine the role of C Reactive Protein (CRP) as a complementary test to decrease the rate of negative appendectomies in tertiary care hospitals of Pakistan. Methods: Using non-probability consecutive sampling, 112 patients with the initial diagnosis of acute appendicitis on history and clinical examination were enrolled. A blood sample was taken for serum level of CRP. Results: Mean age was 20.8+-8.6 years and 51 (45.5 %) patients were males. Pathologic review revealed 100 cases (89.3%) of acute appendicitis, 4 patients (3.6%) had perforated appendix while 8 patients (7.1%) had normal appendix. Sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive value and diagnostic accuracy of C reactive protein >24 mg/lit taking histology as gold standard came out 25.9%, 100%, 100%, 9.4% and 31.25% respectively. Conclusion: It was concluded that CRP >48 mg/lit is an indication of perforated appendix and when the surgeon is in fix whether to go conservatively or apply some intervention, CRP can be a good diagnostic aid. (author)

  19. The HEART score is useful to predict cardiovascular risks and reduces unnecessary cardiac imaging in low-risk patients with acute chest pain.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dai, Siping; Huang, Bo; Zou, Yunliang; Guo, Jianbin; Liu, Ziyong; Pi, Dangyu; Qiu, Yunhong; Xiao, Chun

    2018-06-01

    The present study was to investigate whether the HEART score can be used to evaluate cardiovascular risks and reduce unnecessary cardiac imaging in China.Acute coronary syndrome patients with the thrombosis in myocardial infarction risk score risk HEART score group and 2 patients (1.5%) in the high risk HEART score group had cardiovascular events. The sensitivity of HEART score to predict cardiovascular events was 100% and the specificity was 46.7%. The potential unnecessary cardiac testing was 46.3%. Cox proportional hazards regression analysis showed that per one category increase of the HEART score was associated with nearly 1.3-fold risk of cardiovascular events.In the low-risk acute chest pain patients, the HEART score is useful to physicians in evaluating the risk of cardiovascular events within the first 30 days. In addition, the HEART score is also useful in reducing the unnecessary cardiac imaging.

  20. Nasopharyngeal Protein Biomarkers of Acute Respiratory Virus Infection

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Thomas W. Burke

    2017-03-01

    Full Text Available Infection of respiratory mucosa with viral pathogens triggers complex immunologic events in the affected host. We sought to characterize this response through proteomic analysis of nasopharyngeal lavage in human subjects experimentally challenged with influenza A/H3N2 or human rhinovirus, and to develop targeted assays measuring peptides involved in this host response allowing classification of acute respiratory virus infection. Unbiased proteomic discovery analysis identified 3285 peptides corresponding to 438 unique proteins, and revealed that infection with H3N2 induces significant alterations in protein expression. These include proteins involved in acute inflammatory response, innate immune response, and the complement cascade. These data provide insights into the nature of the biological response to viral infection of the upper respiratory tract, and the proteins that are dysregulated by viral infection form the basis of signature that accurately classifies the infected state. Verification of this signature using targeted mass spectrometry in independent cohorts of subjects challenged with influenza or rhinovirus demonstrates that it performs with high accuracy (0.8623 AUROC, 75% TPR, 97.46% TNR. With further development as a clinical diagnostic, this signature may have utility in rapid screening for emerging infections, avoidance of inappropriate antibacterial therapy, and more rapid implementation of appropriate therapeutic and public health strategies.

  1. Prediction of residue-residue contact matrix for protein-protein interaction with Fisher score features and deep learning.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Du, Tianchuan; Liao, Li; Wu, Cathy H; Sun, Bilin

    2016-11-01

    Protein-protein interactions play essential roles in many biological processes. Acquiring knowledge of the residue-residue contact information of two interacting proteins is not only helpful in annotating functions for proteins, but also critical for structure-based drug design. The prediction of the protein residue-residue contact matrix of the interfacial regions is challenging. In this work, we introduced deep learning techniques (specifically, stacked autoencoders) to build deep neural network models to tackled the residue-residue contact prediction problem. In tandem with interaction profile Hidden Markov Models, which was used first to extract Fisher score features from protein sequences, stacked autoencoders were deployed to extract and learn hidden abstract features. The deep learning model showed significant improvement over the traditional machine learning model, Support Vector Machines (SVM), with the overall accuracy increased by 15% from 65.40% to 80.82%. We showed that the stacked autoencoders could extract novel features, which can be utilized by deep neural networks and other classifiers to enhance learning, out of the Fisher score features. It is further shown that deep neural networks have significant advantages over SVM in making use of the newly extracted features. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier Inc.

  2. Pathophysiological aspects of the acute phase response and the anaemia of chronic disease : with a focus on iron metabolism: With a focus on iron metabolism

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    R.A. Feelders (Richard)

    1999-01-01

    textabstractThe acute phase response refers to a coordinated series of reactions in response to a variety of stimuli and involves all major body systems. This generalized host response is characterized by fever, changes in local vascular permeability, modulation of hepatic protein synthesis

  3. Clinical neurological characteristics of ischemic stroke subtypes in acute phase

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    S. I. Shkrobot

    2018-02-01

    Full Text Available Objectives. The aim of the present study was to clarify clinical neurological characteristics and different ischemic stroke subtypes unfavorable course predictors in acute phase. Material and Methods. 482 patients with different ischemic stroke subtypes were observed. Among them there were 125 (25.9 % with cardioembolic infarct (CEI, 119 (24.7 % with large artery atherosclerosis (LAAS infarct, 122 (25.3 % with lacunar stroke (LAC, 116 (24.1 % with stroke of undetermined etiology (UDE. The comparative analysis of clinical picture was performed. The predictors of unfavorable course of acute phase were established. Results. We have found out that severe neurological deficit, high mortality and the worst functional outcome during the first 14 days were observed in patients with CEI and LAAS. The highest frequency of early neurological deterioration (END was detected at LAC (in 22.7 % of patients. There was a relationship between END and presence of transient ischemic attack (TIA in past medical history, the level of systolic blood pressure (SBP at the beginning of the disease and the degree of carotid arteries stenosis on the side of lesion. The patients with LAC had mild neurological deficit and better prognosis compared with other ischemic stroke subtypes. Among the clinical factors that have impact on the CEI, LAAS and UDE acute phase course were: the size of lesion, the level of consciousness on the 1st day, the baseline SBP, patient’s age. At LAAS, the presence of transient ischemic attack (TIA in past medical history and low SBP in the onset of the disease (less than140 mm Hg has an additional prognostic value for an unfavorable functional outcome. The severity of LAC in acute period depended on its localization and size. Localization of LAC in the internal capsule, thalamus and pons were characterized by the highest severity. Conclusions. Clinical neurological features of ischemic stroke depend on its subtype and have some prognostic value

  4. Impact of protein D-containing pneumococcal conjugate vaccines on non-typeable Haemophilus influenzae acute otitis media and carriage.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Clarke, Christopher; Bakaletz, Lauren O; Ruiz-Guiñazú, Javier; Borys, Dorota; Mrkvan, Tomas

    2017-07-01

    Protein D-containing vaccines may decrease acute otitis media (AOM) burden and nasopharyngeal carriage of non-typeable Haemophilus influenzae (NTHi). Protein D-containing pneumococcal conjugate vaccine PHiD-CV (Synflorix, GSK Vaccines) elicits robust immune responses against protein D. However, the phase III Clinical Otitis Media and PneumoniA Study (COMPAS), assessing PHiD-CV efficacy against various pneumococcal diseases, was not powered to demonstrate efficacy against NTHi; only trends of protective efficacy against NTHi AOM in children were shown. Areas covered: This review aims to consider all evidence available to date from pre-clinical and clinical phase III studies together with further evidence emerging from post-marketing studies since PHiD-CV has been introduced into routine clinical practice worldwide, to better describe the clinical utility of protein D in preventing AOM due to NTHi and its impact on NTHi nasopharyngeal carriage. Expert commentary: Protein D is an effective carrier protein in conjugate vaccines and evidence gathered from pre-clinical, clinical and observational studies suggest that it also elicits immune response that can help to reduce the burden of AOM due to NTHi. There remains a need to develop improved vaccines for prevention of NTHi disease, which could be achieved by combining protein D with other antigens.

  5. Quantitative relationships between thallium-201 estimated myocardial infarct size and left ventricular function in the acute or convalescent phase of the first attack of myocardial infarction

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kataoka, Hajime (Kagoshima Univ. (Japan). Faculty of Medicine); Ueda, Keiji; Sakai, Makoto (and others)

    1983-07-01

    Correlations between left ventricular (LV) function and infarct size estimated by computer-assisted thallium (Tl)-201 scintigraphy were studied in 16 patients in the acute or convalescent phase of the first attack of transmural myocardial infarction (MI). Tl-201 estimation of the infarct size was done using a ''corrected'' circumferential profile method, by which the total defect score could be obtained. The LV function was evaluated by radionuclide angiography, echocardiography and cardiac catheterization study. The following results were obtained: 1) A close inverse relationship was found between the defect score and the ejection fraction (r = -0.649, p < 0.01). 2) The linear correlation coefficient was 0.540 (p < 0.05) between the defect score and the pulmonary arterial end-diastolic pressure and -0.616 (p < 0.02) between the defect score and the stroke volume index. There was no significant correlation between the defect score and the cardiac index. 3) There was a linear correlation between the defect score and the LV end-diastolic dimension (r = -0.852, p < 0.001). However, there was no relation between the defect score and the left atrial dimension. When the LV indices were compared between the small (S) and the large (L) defect score group, the L defect group had faster heart rate, larger LV chamber size and the smaller stroke volume index than the S defect group. However, there was no significant difference in the cardiac index between these 2 groups. These results suggest that the LV dilatation in acute or convalescent phase of the first attack of transmural MI is an ominous sign because it was usually accompanied by large infarct size. The present study also indicates that LV dilatation accompanying a large infarct does not satisfactorily compensate for LV dysfunction by Frank-Starling mechanism.

  6. Prediction of left ventricular functional recovery in patients with acute myocardial infarction using single photon emission computed tomography with thallium-201 and iodine-123-beta-methyl-p-iodophenyl-pentadecanoic acid

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hashimoto, Akiyoshi; Nakata, Tomoaki; Nagao, Kazuhiko

    1995-01-01

    The relationships between myocardial perfusion, fatty acid metabolism, and cardiac function were investigated using dual single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) with thallium and iodine-123-β-methyl-p-iodophenyl-pentadecanoic acid ( 123 I-BMIPP) during the acute ( 10±1 days) and recovery (60±14 days) phases in 29 patients with acute myocardial infarction. There were 18 patients who underwent successful primary coronary angioplasty (PTCA group) and 11 patients who received conservative therapy (non PTCA group). Thallium and BMIPP uptakes were scored visually by a 4-point system and left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) was calculated by radionuclide ventriculography. Although significant positive correlations between thallium and 123 I-BMIPP scores were observed during both phases, BMIPP scores were significantly lower than thallium scores in both acute and recovery phases in the PTCA group. No significant difference in thallium and 123 I-BMIPP scores was observed at the recovery phase in the non PTCA group. LVEF significantly correlated with thallium and 123 I-BMIPP scores in both phases in the PTCA group. Furthermore, the difference between thallium and 123 I-BMIPP scores during the acute phase significantly correlated with the improvement of LVEF during the follow-up period in the PTCA group (y=0.92x-0.77, r=0.65, p 123 I-BMIPP SPECT is increased by reperfusion therapy and persists at least until the recovery phase of myocardial infarction. The recovery of left ventricular function depends on the extent of the mismatched uptake, indicating a predictor for functional recovery following acute myocardial infarction. (author)

  7. Chemotherapeutic treatment reduces circulating levels of surfactant protein-D in children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Rathe, Mathias; Sorensen, Grith L; Skov Wehner, Peder

    2017-01-01

    with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). PROCEDURE: In a prospective study, 43 children receiving treatment for ALL were monitored for mucosal toxicity from diagnosis through the induction phase of treatment. Serial blood draws were taken to determine the levels of SP-D, interleukin-6 (IL-6), C......BACKGROUND: Surfactant protein D (SP-D) is a host defense molecule of the innate immune system that enhances pathogen clearance and modulates inflammatory responses. We hypothesized that circulating SP-D levels are associated with chemotherapy-induced mucositis and infectious morbidity in children...

  8. Acute differential effects of dietary protein quality on postprandial lipemia in obese non-diabetic subjects

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Holmer-Jensen, Jens; Mortensen, Lene Sundahl; Astrup, Arne

    2013-01-01

    Non-fasting triglyceridemia is much closer associated to cardiovascular risk compared to fasting triglyceridemia. We hypothesized that there would be acute differential effects of four common dietary proteins (cod protein, whey isolate, gluten, and casein) on postprandial lipemia in obese non......-diabetic subjects. To test the hypothesis we conducted a randomized, acute clinical intervention study with crossover design. We supplemented a fat rich mixed meal with one of four dietary proteins i.e. cod protein, whey protein, gluten or casein. Eleven obese non-diabetic subjects (age: 40-68, body mass index: 30...... concentration in the chylomicron rich fraction (P = .0293). Thus, we have demonstrated acute differential effects on postprandial metabolism of four dietary proteins supplemented to a fat rich mixed meal in obese non-diabetic subjects. Supplementation with whey protein caused lower postprandial lipemia compared...

  9. Serum Zinc Level and Its Correlation with Vesikari System Scoring in Acute Pediatric Diarrhea.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Eskander, Ayman E; Sherif, Lobna S; Nabih, Mohammad; Baroudy, Nevine R El; Marcos, Ghobrial C; Badawy, Ehsan A; Refay, Amira S El

    2017-08-15

    Diarrhea remains the most common infectious disease worldwide. Zinc has been studied extensively recently for its potential effect on prevention, control and treatment of acute diarrhoea. This study was designed to correlate the level of zinc with the severity of pediatric diarrhoea estimated by Vesikari Scoring System. The present study included 80 children aged two months to 30 months from those suffering from the acute diarrheal episode and admitted to Pediatric Hospital "Abo El Rish" Cairo University. Serum Zinc level was assessed by a colorimetric method with a spectrophotometer. Zinc deficiency was detected in 45 (56.2%) patient of the studied group Significant negative correlations were found between serum zinc level and severity of dehydration and duration of hospitalization (p Zinc level has an essential role in acute pediatric diarrhoea. Zinc therapy should be considered beside Oral rehydration salts (ORS) to achieve maximum impact on diarrheal diseases; clinical trials are recommended to support the zinc supplementation in developing countries.

  10. The Ultrasound pattern sum score - UPSS. A new method to differentiate acute and subacute neuropathies using ultrasound of the peripheral nerves.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Grimm, Alexander; Décard, Bernhard F; Axer, Hubertus; Fuhr, Peter

    2015-11-01

    Ultrasound differentiation of neuropathies is a great challenge. We, therefore, suggest a standardized score to operationalize differentiation between several acute and subacute onset neuropathies. We retrospectively analyzed the ultrasound data of 61 patients with acute or subacute neuropathies, e.g. chronic immune-mediated neuropathies, Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS), and axonal/vasculitic neuropathies. We compared these data to 28 healthy controls. Based on these results an ultrasound pattern sum score (UPSS) with three sub-scores (UPS-A for the sensorimotor nerves, UPS-B for the cervical roots and the vagal nerve and UPS-C for the sural nerve) was developed. Afterwards, the applicability of the score was prospectively validated in 10 patients with chronic neuropathies and in 14 patients with unknown acute and subacute PNP before performing additional tests. UPS-A and UPSS were significantly higher in CIDP than in other neuropathies and controls (p85%. Vasculitic neuropathies showed an intermediate type of UPSS compared to other axonal neuropathies (ppower to the method of the peripheral nerve ultrasound. Copyright © 2015 International Federation of Clinical Neurophysiology. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  11. Three-Phase Bone Scintigraphic Diagnosis of Acute Transient Synovitis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chung, Soo Kyo; Lee, Myung Hee; Kim, Choon Yul; Bahk, Yong Whee

    1985-01-01

    Acute transient synovitis of the hip presents clinically pain and limping. But in the majority of the cases, definite positive findings are not manifest in roentgenogram in its early phase. However radionuclide bone imaging combines with the assessment of vascularization and bone tracer uptake is of great value in solving this diagnostic problem. The materials for this study consisted of 29 children with acute transient synovitis of the hip, characterized by symptoms and physical signs of an arthritis, negative X-ray findings and disappearance of all symptoms and signs within a short period of time. They were twenty males and 9 females and age ranged from 1 to 12 years. We took pelvic roentgenogram in AP and frog-leg views. After intravenous bolus injection of 10 to 15 mCi of 99m Tc-methylene diphosphonate, 24 sequential image of the pelvis was taken at 2-second interval for blood flow study. The scintigrams were made using a gamma camera with high resolution parallel hole collimator. Blood pool imaging was obtained at 2 minutes after tracer administration. After 3 hours, static images were taken and then close-up image of the hip using pin-hole collimator was followed. The results were as follows: 1) Bone scintigram was much more sensitive than conventional roentgenogram in diagnosis of acute transient synovitis of the hip. 2) Three-phase imagings showed increased vascular activities in blood pool scintigrams in 96%. 3) Pin-hole imaging showed increased tracer uptake in the regional bones of the hip, particularly in the medial aspect of femoral head and acetabulum. 4) We confirmed that three-phase imaging reinforced with pin-hale technique were very useful in diagnose of acute transient synovitis of the hip.

  12. Physics-based scoring of protein-ligand interactions: explicit polarizability, quantum mechanics and free energies.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bryce, Richard A

    2011-04-01

    The ability to accurately predict the interaction of a ligand with its receptor is a key limitation in computer-aided drug design approaches such as virtual screening and de novo design. In this article, we examine current strategies for a physics-based approach to scoring of protein-ligand affinity, as well as outlining recent developments in force fields and quantum chemical techniques. We also consider advances in the development and application of simulation-based free energy methods to study protein-ligand interactions. Fuelled by recent advances in computational algorithms and hardware, there is the opportunity for increased integration of physics-based scoring approaches at earlier stages in computationally guided drug discovery. Specifically, we envisage increased use of implicit solvent models and simulation-based scoring methods as tools for computing the affinities of large virtual ligand libraries. Approaches based on end point simulations and reference potentials allow the application of more advanced potential energy functions to prediction of protein-ligand binding affinities. Comprehensive evaluation of polarizable force fields and quantum mechanical (QM)/molecular mechanical and QM methods in scoring of protein-ligand interactions is required, particularly in their ability to address challenging targets such as metalloproteins and other proteins that make highly polar interactions. Finally, we anticipate increasingly quantitative free energy perturbation and thermodynamic integration methods that are practical for optimization of hits obtained from screened ligand libraries.

  13. Prestroke CHA2DS2-VASc Score and Severity of Acute Stroke in Patients with Atrial Fibrillation: findings from RAF Study

    OpenAIRE

    Acciarresi, Monica; Paciaroni, Maurizio; Agnelli, Giancarlo; Falocci, Nicola; Caso, Valeria; Becattini, Cecilia; Marcheselli, Simona; Rueckert, Christina; Pezzini, Alessandro; Morotti, Andrea; Costa, Paolo; Padovani, Alessandro; Csiba, László; Szabó, Lilla; Sohn, Sung-Il

    2017-01-01

    Background and Purpose:\\ud \\ud The aim of this study was to investigate for a possible association between both prestroke CHA2DS2-VASc score and the severity of stroke at presentation, as well as disability and mortality at 90 days, in patients with acute stroke and atrial fibrillation (AF).\\ud Methods:\\ud \\ud This prospective study enrolled consecutive patients with acute ischemic stroke, AF, and assessment of prestroke CHA2DS2-VASc score. Severity of stroke was assessed on admission using t...

  14. THE INFLUENCE OF PATHOGENETIC THERAPY ON THE LEVER OF CYTOKINES IN PATIENTS WITH ACUTE BRUCELLOSIS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    N. I. Kovalevich

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available The purpose of the study was to determine the level of proinflammatory cytokines: IL-12, IL-8 and IFNγ, neopterin and lipopolysaccharide-binding protein in the serum of patients with acute brucellosis before and after antibiotic therapy. The clinical data from 32 patients with laboratory-confirmed diagnosis — “acute brucellosis” admitted to the diagnosis, treatment and examination of occupational diseases brucellosis GBUZ SC “City Clinical Hospital No. 2”, the city of Stavropol were used in the study. The concentrations IL-12, IL-8, IFNγ cytokines and acute-phase proteins in serum was determined by ELISA. In the acute phase of brucellosis infection (before treatment had high levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines IL-8 and IFNγ, but despite holding a course of antibiotic treatment in the serum of patients with preserved high levels of IL-8, indicative of active inflammation in the absence of clinical manifestations. IL-12 level, a key cytokine in the initiation of lymphocyte-dependent immune response was lower than in the control group. Evaluation of the cytokine status (IL-8, IL-12, IL-18 and proteins of acute inflammation phase (neopterin and lipopolysaccharide-binding protein will provide valuable information for monitoring the effect of pharmacotherapy of acute brucellosis. Indicators of lipopolysaccharide-binding protein and neopterin in the serum of patients with brucellosis should be considered as a marker of inflammatory activity and as a predictor of outcome of acute brucellosis.

  15. Comparison of patient-reported acute urinary and sexual toxicity scores in a 6- versus 2-fraction course of high-dose-rate prostate brachytherapy monotherapy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ragab, Omar; Park, Sang-June; Zhang, Mingle; Wang, Jason; Velez, Maria; Demanes, David J.; Banerjee, Robyn; Patel, Shyamal; Kamrave, Mitchell

    2018-01-01

    To identify differences in acute urinary and sexual toxicity between a 6-fraction and 2-fraction high-dose-rate brachytherapy monotherapy regimen and correlate dosimetric constraints to short-term toxicity. A single institution retrospective study of 116 men with prostate cancer treated with HDR monotherapy from 2010 to 2015 was conducted. Eighty-one men had 7.25 Gy × 6-fractions and 35 men had 13.5 Gy × 2-fractions. Patients had two CT-planned implants spaced 1–2 weeks apart. Patient baseline characteristics, International Prostate Symptom Scores (IPSS) and Sexual Health Inventory for Men (SHIM) scores were collected pre-treatment and 3, 6 and 12 months post-implantation. Mixed effect modelling was undertaken to compare baseline, 1–6 month and 7–12 month scores between groups. Poisson regression analysis was performed to correlate dosimetric constraints with acute toxicity. There was no difference between baseline and post-implantation IPSS scores between 6-fraction and 2-fraction groups. SHIM scores for men treated with 6-fractions had a steeper decline at 1–6 months, but resolved at 7–12 months. Pre-treatment alpha-blocker use correlated with worse short-term acute urinary toxicity. Worsened SHIM score correlated with increasing age, diabetes mellitus and androgen-deprivation therapy. In a dosimetric analysis of outcomes, prostate V150 dose and bladder wall (D01.cc, D1cc, D2cc) dose correlated with increased IPSS score. No increased acute genitourinary or sexual dysfunction has been observed in men when transitioning from 6-fraction to 2-fraction HDR monotherapy. A dosimetric correlation was found between the V150 and bladder wall doses for acute urinary toxicity. Future research should continue to standardize and validate dose constraints for prostate HDR monotherapy patients.

  16. Purification and Identification of Membrane Proteins from Urinary Extracellular Vesicles using Triton X-114 Phase Partitioning.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hu, Shuiwang; Musante, Luca; Tataruch, Dorota; Xu, Xiaomeng; Kretz, Oliver; Henry, Michael; Meleady, Paula; Luo, Haihua; Zou, Hequn; Jiang, Yong; Holthofer, Harry

    2018-01-05

    Urinary extracellular vesicles (uEVs) have become a promising source for biomarkers accurately reflecting biochemical changes in kidney and urogenital diseases. Characteristically, uEVs are rich in membrane proteins associated with several cellular functions like adhesion, transport, and signaling. Hence, membrane proteins of uEVs should represent an exciting protein class with unique biological properties. In this study, we utilized uEVs to optimize the Triton X-114 detergent partitioning protocol targeted for membrane proteins and proceeded to their subsequent characterization while eliminating effects of Tamm-Horsfall protein, the most abundant interfering protein in urine. This is the first report aiming to enrich and characterize the integral transmembrane proteins present in human urinary vesicles. First, uEVs were enriched using a "hydrostatic filtration dialysis'' appliance, and then the enriched uEVs and lysates were verified by transmission electron microscopy. After using Triton X-114 phase partitioning, we generated an insoluble pellet fraction and aqueous phase (AP) and detergent phase (DP) fractions and analyzed them with LC-MS/MS. Both in- and off-gel protein digestion methods were used to reveal an increased number of membrane proteins of uEVs. After comparing with the identified proteins without phase separation as in our earlier publication, 199 different proteins were detected in DP. Prediction of transmembrane domains (TMDs) from these protein fractions showed that DP had more TMDs than other groups. The analyses of hydrophobicity revealed that the GRAVY score of DP was much higher than those of the other fractions. Furthermore, the analysis of proteins with lipid anchor revealed that DP proteins had more lipid anchors than other fractions. Additionally, KEGG pathway analysis showed that the DP proteins detected participate in endocytosis and signaling, which is consistent with the expected biological functions of membrane proteins. Finally

  17. Prediction of acute pancreatitis risk based on PIP score in children with cystic fibrosis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Terlizzi, V; Tosco, A; Tomaiuolo, R; Sepe, A; Amato, N; Casale, A; Mercogliano, C; De Gregorio, F; Improta, F; Elce, A; Castaldo, G; Raia, V

    2014-09-01

    Currently no tools to predict risk of acute (AP) and recurrent pancreatitis (ARP) in children with cystic fibrosis (CF) are available. We assessed the prevalence of AP/ARP and tested the potential role of Pancreatic Insufficiency Prevalence (PIP) score in a cohort of children with CF. We identified two groups of children, on the basis of presence/absence of AP/ARP, who were compared for age at diagnosis, clinical features, genotypes and sweat chloride level. PIP score was calculated for each patient. 10/167 (5.9%) experienced at least one episode of AP during follow up; 10/10 were pancreatic sufficient (PS). Patients with AP/ARP showed a PIP score ≤0.25 more frequently (6/10) than patients without AP/ARP. The odds ratio (95% CI) of developing pancreatitis was 4.54 (1.22-16.92) for patients with PIP 0.25 (p 0.0151). PIP score was correlated with sweat chloride test (p < 0.01). PIP score, PS status and normal/borderline sweat chloride levels could be applied to predict pancreatitis development in children with CF. ARP could lead to pancreatic insufficiency. Copyright © 2014 European Cystic Fibrosis Society. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  18. The rat acute-phase protein {alpha}{sub 2}-macroglobulin plays a central role in amifostine-mediated radioprotection

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Mirjana, Mihailovic; Goran, Poznanovic; Nevena, Grdovic; Melita, Vidakovic; Svetlana, Dinic; Ilijana, Grigorov; Desanka, Bogojevic, E-mail: mista@ibiss.bg.ac.r [Department of Molecular Biology, Institute for Biological Research ' Sinisa Stankovic' , University of Belgrade, Bulevar despota Stefana 142, 11060 Belgrade (Serbia)

    2010-09-15

    Previously we reported that elevated circulating concentrations of the acute-phase (AP) protein {alpha}{sub 2}-macroglobulin ({alpha}{sub 2}M), either as typically occurring in pregnant female rats or after administration to male rats, provides radioprotection, displayed as 100% survival of experimental animals exposed to total-body irradiation with 6.7 Gy (LD{sub 50/30}) x-rays, that is as effective as that afforded by the synthetic radioprotector amifostine. The finding that amifostine administration induces a 45-fold increase in {alpha}{sub 2}M in the circulation led us to hypothesise that {alpha}{sub 2}M assumes an essential role in both natural and amifostine-mediated radioprotection in the rat. In the present work we examined the activation of cytoprotective mechanisms in rat hepatocytes after the exogenous administration of {alpha}{sub 2}M and amifostine. Our results showed that the IL6/JAK/STAT3 hepatoprotective signal pathway, described in a variety of liver-injury models, upregulated the {alpha}{sub 2}M gene in amifostine-pretreated animals. In both {alpha}{sub 2}M- and amifostine-pretreated rats we observed the activation of the Akt signalling pathways that mediate cellular survival. At the cellular level this was reflected as a significant reduction of irradiation-induced DNA damage that allowed for the rapid and complete restoration of liver mass and ultimately at the level of the whole organism the complete restoration of body weight. We conclude that the selective upregulation of {alpha}{sub 2}M plays a central role in amifostine-provided radioprotection.

  19. Protein structural model selection by combining consensus and single scoring methods.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Zhiquan He

    Full Text Available Quality assessment (QA for predicted protein structural models is an important and challenging research problem in protein structure prediction. Consensus Global Distance Test (CGDT methods assess each decoy (predicted structural model based on its structural similarity to all others in a decoy set and has been proved to work well when good decoys are in a majority cluster. Scoring functions evaluate each single decoy based on its structural properties. Both methods have their merits and limitations. In this paper, we present a novel method called PWCom, which consists of two neural networks sequentially to combine CGDT and single model scoring methods such as RW, DDFire and OPUS-Ca. Specifically, for every pair of decoys, the difference of the corresponding feature vectors is input to the first neural network which enables one to predict whether the decoy-pair are significantly different in terms of their GDT scores to the native. If yes, the second neural network is used to decide which one of the two is closer to the native structure. The quality score for each decoy in the pool is based on the number of winning times during the pairwise comparisons. Test results on three benchmark datasets from different model generation methods showed that PWCom significantly improves over consensus GDT and single scoring methods. The QA server (MUFOLD-Server applying this method in CASP 10 QA category was ranked the second place in terms of Pearson and Spearman correlation performance.

  20. Acute fluoride poisoning alters myocardial cytoskeletal and AMPK signaling proteins in rats.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Panneerselvam, Lakshmikanthan; Raghunath, Azhwar; Perumal, Ekambaram

    2017-02-15

    Our previous findings revealed that increased oxidative stress, apoptosis and necrosis were implicated in acute fluoride (F - ) induced cardiac dysfunction apart from hypocalcemia and hyperkalemia. Cardiac intermediate filaments (desmin and vimentin) and cytoskeleton linker molecule vinculin plays an imperative role in maintaining the architecture of cardiac cytoskeleton. In addition, AMPK is a stress activated kinase that regulates the energy homeostasis during stressed state. The present study was aimed to examine the role of cytoskeletal proteins and AMPK signaling molecules in acute F - induced cardiotoxicity in rats. In order to study this, male Wistar rats were treated with single oral doses of 45 and 90mg/kgF - for 24h. Acute F - intoxicated rats showed declined cytoskeletal protein expression of desmin, vimentin and vinculin in a dose dependent manner compared to control. A significant increase in phosphorylation of AMPKα (Thr172), AMPKß1 (Ser108) and Acetyl-coA carboxylase (ACC) (Ser79) in the myocardium and associated ATP deprivation were found in acute F - intoxicated rats. Further, ultra-structural studies confirmed myofibril lysis with interruption of Z lines, dilated sarcoplasmic reticulum and damaged mitochondrion were observed in both the groups of F - intoxicated rats. Taken together, these findings reveal that acute F - exposure causes sudden heart failure by altering the expression of cytoskeletal proteins and AMPK signaling molecules. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  1. Bcl-2 Protein Expression in Egyptian Acute Myeloid Leukemia

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    El-Shakankiry, N.; El-Sayed, Gh.M.M.; El-Maghraby, Sh.; Moneer, M.M.

    2009-01-01

    Objective: The primary cause of treatment failure in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is the emergence of both resistant disease and early relapse. The bcl-2 gene encodes a 26-kDa protein that promotes cell survival by blocking programmed cell death (apoptosis). In the present study, bcl-2 protein expression was evaluated in newly diagnosed AML patients and correlated with the induction of remission and overall survival (OS), in an attempt to define patients who might benefit from modified therapeutic strategies. Patients and methods: Pretreatment cellular bcl-2 protein expression was measured in bone marrow samples obtained from 68 patients of newly diagnosed acute myeloid leukemia and 10 healthy controls by western blotting. Results: The mean bcl-2 protein expression was significantly higher in patients (0.68610.592) compared to controls (0.313±0.016) (p=0.002). The overall survival for patients with mean bcl-2 expression of less, and more than or equal to 0.315, was 67% and 56%, respectively, with no significant difference between the two groups 0»=0.86). Conclusion: Even though we did not observe a significant difference in overall survival between patients with high and low levels of bcl-2, modulation of this protein might still be considered as an option for enhancing the effectiveness of conventional chemotherapy.

  2. Effect of smoking on acute phase reactants, stress hormone ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    smoking, vitamin C status, and the acute phase and stress hormone responses in ... the longest symptom for the groups of non-smokers and smokers were 6.8 and ..... N, Nestorovic V (2013) Changes in vitamin C and oxi- dative stress status ...

  3. Risk stratification in non-ST elevation acute coronary syndromes: Risk scores, biomarkers and clinical judgment

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    David Corcoran

    2015-09-01

    Clinical guidelines recommend an early invasive strategy in higher risk NSTE-ACS. The Global Registry of Acute Coronary Events (GRACE risk score is a validated risk stratification tool which has incremental prognostic value for risk stratification compared with clinical assessment or troponin testing alone. In emergency medicine, there has been a limited adoption of the GRACE score in some countries (e.g. United Kingdom, in part related to a delay in obtaining timely blood biochemistry results. Age makes an exponential contribution to the GRACE score, and on an individual patient basis, the risk of younger patients with a flow-limiting culprit coronary artery lesion may be underestimated. The future incorporation of novel cardiac biomarkers into this diagnostic pathway may allow for earlier treatment stratification. The cost-effectiveness of the new diagnostic pathways based on high-sensitivity troponin and copeptin must also be established. Finally, diagnostic tests and risk scores may optimize patient care but they cannot replace patient-focused good clinical judgment.

  4. Isoelectrofocusing analysis of plasma proteins in dogs irradiated with γ-rays in different doses

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Li Jinping; Ma Liren

    1986-01-01

    The plasma proteins in dogs irradiated with 2.65, 3.75, 5 and 10 Gy of γ-rays were analysed by isoelectrofocusing. Two groups of proteins, which the author named acute phase reactive proteins (A 1 pI = 4.3, A 2 pI = 4.8), were increased during the acute phase of disease. The levels of these proteins were found to be relative to the ultimate fate of the dogs. The causes of the changes of these proteins are discussed

  5. Effects of balneotherapy on the reactants of acute inflammation phase in Ankylosing spondylitis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Stamenković Bojana

    2009-01-01

    Full Text Available Introduction. Ankylosing spondylitis (AS is a chronic inflammatory disease that affects sacroiliac joints, spinal column and peripheral joints. Beside medication therapy, physical and balneotherapy play an important role in its complex treatment. Objective. The aim of the research was to establish serum concentrations of C-reactive protein (CRP, α 1-acid glycoprotein (α 1-AGP, ceruloplasmine (CP and erythrocyte sedimentation rate (SE before and after the balneotherapy in ankylosing spondylitis. Methods. The research included 50 AS patients according to the revised New York criteria, of mean age 43 years, who were treated for 14 days on the average at the Clinic for Rheumatology of the Institute 'Niška Banja'. All the patients received medications and balneotherapy (radioactive oligomineral baths, peloid, massage, kinesitherapy; the serum concentrations of CRP, α1-AGP, CP and SE were measured before and after balneotherapy. Serum proteins were determined using original Nor Partigen plates Boehringer. Erythrocyte sedimentation rate was measured by Westergreen method. Balneotherapy was applied individually, intensively or mildly, depending on the AS stage and activity phase. Results. After dosed balneotherapy, a significant decrease in the concentrations of CP (p<0.05, α1-AGP (p<0.01 and CRP (p<0.05 was registered in the serums of AS patients. ESR was not significantly reduced. Conclusion. The research proved that α 1-acid glycoprotein, ceruloplasmine and C-reactive protein represent more sensitive inflammation markers as compared to erythrocyte sedimentation rate. The identification of acute phase reactants is important in the evaluation of dosed balneotherapy efficiency in the treatment of ankylosing spondylitis.

  6. A new risk scoring model for prediction of poor coronary collateral circulation in acute non-ST-elevation myocardial infarction.

    Science.gov (United States)

    İleri, Mehmet; Güray, Ümit; Yetkin, Ertan; Gürsoy, Havva Tuğba; Bayır, Pınar Türker; Şahin, Deniz; Elalmış, Özgül Uçar; Büyükaşık, Yahya

    2016-01-01

    We aimed to investigate the clinical features associated with development of coronary collateral circulation (CCC) in patients with acute non-ST-elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI) and to develop a scoring model for predicting poor collateralization at hospital admission. The study enrolled 224 consecutive patients with NSTEMI admitted to our coronary care unit. Patients were divided into poor (grade 0 and 1) and good (grade 2 and 3) CCC groups. In logistic regression analysis, presence of diabetes mellitus, total white blood cell (WBC) and neutrophil counts and neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR) were found as independent positive predictors of poor CCC, whereas older age (≥ 70 years) emerged as a negative indicator. The final scoring model was based on 5 variables which were significant at p risk score ≤ 1, 29 had good CCC (with a 97% negative predictive value). On the other hand, 139 patients had risk score ≥ 4; out of whom, 130 (with a 93.5% positive predictive value) had poor collateralization. Sensitivity and specificity of the model in predicting poor collateralization in patients with scores ≤ 1 and ≥ 4 were 99.2% (130/131) and +76.3 (29/38), respectively. This study represents the first prediction model for degree of coronary collateralization in patients with acute NSTEMI.

  7. Endogenous acute phase serum amyloid A lacks pro-inflammatory activity, contrasting the two recombinant variants that activate human neutrophils through different receptors

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Karin eChristenson

    2013-04-01

    Full Text Available Most notable among the acute phase proteins is serum amyloid A (SAA, levels of which can increase 1000-fold during infections, aseptic inflammation, and/or trauma. Chronically elevated SAA levels are associated with a wide variety of pathological conditions, including obesity and rheumatic diseases. Using a recombinant hybrid of the two human SAA isoforms (SAA1 and 2 that does not exist in vivo, numerous in vitro studies have given rise to the notion that acute phase SAA is a pro-inflammatory molecule with cytokine-like properties. It is however unclear whether endogenous acute phase SAA per se mediates pro-inflammatory effects. We tested this in samples from patients with inflammatory arthritis and in a transgenic mouse model that expresses human SAA1. Endogenous human SAA did not drive production of pro-inflammatory IL-8/KC in either of these settings. Human neutrophils derived from arthritis patients displayed no signs of activation, despite being exposed to severely elevated SAA levels in circulation, and SAA-rich sera also failed to activate cells in vitro. In contrast, two recombinant SAA variants (the hybrid SAA and SAA1 both activated human neutrophils, inducing L-selectin shedding, production of reactive oxygen species, and production of IL-8. The hybrid SAA was approximately 100-fold more potent than recombinant SAA1. Recombinant hybrid SAA and SAA1 activated neutrophils through different receptors, with recombinant SAA1 being a ligand for formyl peptide receptor 2 (FPR2. We conclude that even though recombinant SAAs can be valuable tools for studying neutrophil activation, they do not reflect the nature of the endogenous protein.

  8. Differential expression of myocardial heat shock proteins in rats acutely exposed to fluoride.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Panneerselvam, Lakshmikanthan; Raghunath, Azhwar; Perumal, Ekambaram

    2017-09-01

    Acute fluoride (F - ) toxicity is known to cause severe cardiac complications and leads to sudden heart failure. Previously, we reported that increased myocardial oxidative damage, apoptosis, altered cytoskeleton and AMPK signaling proteins associated with energy deprivation in acute F - induced cardiac dysfunction. The present study was aimed to decipher the status of myocardial heat shock proteins (Hsps-Hsp27, Hsp32, Hsp40, Hsp60, Hsp70, Hsp90) and heat shock transcription factor 1 (Hsf1) in acute F - -intoxicated rats. In order to study the expression of myocardial Hsps, male Wistar rats were treated with single oral doses of 45 and 90 mg/kg F - for 24 h. The expression levels of myocardial Hsps were determined using RT-PCR, western blotting, and immunohistochemical studies. Acute F - -intoxicated rats showed elevated levels of both the transcripts and protein expression of Hsf1, Hsp27, Hsp32, Hsp60, and Hsp70 when compared to control. In addition, the expression levels of Hsp40 and Hsp90 were significantly declined in a dose-dependent fashion in F - -treated animals. Our result suggests that differential expression of Hsps in the rat myocardium could serve as a balance between pro-survival and death signal during acute F - -induced heart failure.

  9. HEART score performance in Asian and Caucasian patients presenting to the emergency department with suspected acute coronary syndrome.

    Science.gov (United States)

    de Hoog, Vince C; Lim, Swee Han; Bank, Ingrid Em; Gijsberts, Crystel M; Ibrahim, Irwani B; Kuan, Win Sen; Ooi, Shirley Bs; Chua, Terrance Sj; Tai, E Shyong; Gao, Fei; Pasterkamp, Gerard; den Ruijter, Hester M; Doevendans, Pieter A; Wildbergh, Thierry X; Mosterd, Arend; Richards, A Mark; de Kleijn, Dominique Pv; Timmers, Leo

    2017-03-01

    The HEART score is a simple and effective tool to predict short-term major adverse cardiovascular events in patients suspected of acute coronary syndrome. Patients are assigned to three risk categories using History, ECG, Age, Risk factors and Troponin (HEART). The purpose is early rule out and discharge is considered safe for patients in the low risk category. Its performance in patients of Asian ethnicity is unknown. We evaluated the performance of the HEART score in patients of Caucasian, Chinese, Indian and Malay ethnicity. The HEART score was assessed retrospectively in 3456 patients presenting to the emergency department with suspected acute coronary syndrome (1791 Caucasians, 1059 Chinese, 344 Indians, 262 Malays), assigning them into three risk categories. The incidence of major adverse cardiovascular events within six weeks after presentation was similar between the ethnic groups. A smaller proportion of Caucasians was in the low risk category compared with Asians (Caucasians 35.8%, Chinese 43.5%, Indians 45.3%, Malays 44.7%, p<0.001). The negative predictive value of a low HEART score was comparable across the ethnic groups, but lower than previously reported (Caucasians 95.3%, Chinese 95.0%, Indians 96.2%, Malays 96.6%). Also the c-statistic for the HEART score was not significantly different between the groups. These results show that the overall performance of the HEART score is equal among Caucasian and Asian ethnic groups. The event rate in the low risk group, however, was higher than reported in previous studies, which queries the safety of early discharge of patients in the low risk category.

  10. Diagnostic Value of the Updated Diamond and Forrester Score to Predict Coronary Artery Disease in Patients with Acute-Onset Chest Pain

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Sørgaard, Mathias; Linde, Jesper James; Kofoed, Klaus Fuglsang

    2016-01-01

    OBJECTIVES: In the recently updated clinical guidelines from the European Society of Cardiology on the management of stable coronary artery disease (CAD), the updated Diamond Forrester score has been included as a pretest probability (PTP) score to select patients for further diagnostic testing. ...... useful tool in risk-stratifying patients with acute-onset chest pain at a low-to-intermediate risk of having CAD. Adding a stress test to PTP does not appear to offer significant diagnostic benefit.......OBJECTIVES: In the recently updated clinical guidelines from the European Society of Cardiology on the management of stable coronary artery disease (CAD), the updated Diamond Forrester score has been included as a pretest probability (PTP) score to select patients for further diagnostic testing. We...... investigated the validity of the new guidelines in a population of patients with acute-onset chest pain. METHODS: We examined 527 consecutive patients with either an exercise-ECG stress test or single-photon emission computed tomography, and subsequently coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA). We...

  11. Levels of acute phase proteins remain stable after ischemic stroke

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Paik Myunghee C

    2006-10-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Inflammation and inflammatory biomarkers play an important role in atherosclerosis and cardiovascular disease. Little information is available, however, on time course of serum markers of inflammation after stroke. Methods First ischemic stroke patients ≥40 years old had levels of high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP, serum amyloid A (SAA, and fibrinogen measured in plasma samples drawn at 1, 2, 3, 7, 14, 21 and 28 days after stroke. Levels were log-transformed as needed, and parametric and non-parametric statistical tests were used to test for evidence of a trend in levels over time. Levels of hsCRP and SAA were also compared with levels in a comparable population of stroke-free participants. Results Mean age of participants with repeated measures (n = 21 was 65.6 ± 11.6 years, and 13 (61.9% were men, and 15 (71.4% were Hispanic. Approximately 75% of patients (n = 15 had mild strokes (NIH Stroke Scale score 0–5. There was no evidence of a time trend in levels of hsCRP, SAA, or fibrinogen for any of the markers during the 28 days of follow-up. Mean log(hsCRP was 1.67 ± 1.07 mg/L (median hsCRP 6.48 mg/L among stroke participants and 1.00 ± 1.18 mg/L (median 2.82 mg/L in a group of 1176 randomly selected stroke-free participants from the same community (p = 0.0252. Conclusion Levels of hsCRP are higher in stroke patients than in stroke-free subjects. Levels of inflammatory biomarkers associated with atherosclerosis, including hsCRP, appear to be stable for at least 28 days after first ischemic stroke.

  12. Acute Heat Stress Changes Protein Expression in the Testes of a Broiler-Type Strain of Taiwan Country Chickens.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Shih-Han; Cheng, Chuen-Yu; Chen, Chao-Jung; Chan, Hong-Lin; Chen, Hsin-Hsin; Tang, Pin-Chi; Chen, Chih-Feng; Lee, Yen-Pai; Huang, San-Yuan

    2018-03-19

    Heat stress leads to decreased fertility in roosters. This study investigated the global protein expression in response to acute heat stress in the testes of a broiler-type strain of Taiwan country chickens (TCCs). Twelve 45-week-old roosters were randomly allocated to the control group maintained at 25°C, and three groups subjected to acute heat stress at 38°C for 4 h, with 0, 2, and 6 h of recovery, respectively. Testis samples were collected for hematoxylin and eosin staining, apoptosis assay, and protein analysis. The results revealed 101 protein spots that differed significantly from the control following exposure to acute heat stress. The proteins that were differentially expressed participated mainly in protein metabolism and other metabolic processes, responses to stimuli, apoptosis, cellular organization, and spermatogenesis. Proteins that negatively regulate apoptosis were downregulated and proteins involved in autophagy and major heat shock proteins (HSP90α, HSPA5, and HSPA8) were upregulated in the testes of heat-stressed chickens. In conclusion, acute heat stress causes a change in protein expression in the testes of broiler-type B strain TCCs and may thus impair cell morphology, spermatogenesis, and apoptosis. The expression of heat shock proteins increased to attenuate the testicular injury induced by acute heat stress.

  13. Anti-thrombin III, Protein C, and Protein S deficiency in acute coronary syndrome

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Dasnan Ismail

    2002-06-01

    Full Text Available The final most common pathway for the majority of coronary artery disease is occlusion of a coronary vessel. Under normal conditions, antithrombin III (AT III, protein C, and protein S as an active protein C cofactor, are natural anticoagulants (hemostatic control that balances procoagulant activity (thrombin antithrombin complex balance to prevent thrombosis. If the condition becomes unbalanced, natural anticoagulants and the procoagulants can lead to thrombosis. Thirty subjects with acute coronary syndrome (ACS were studied for the incidence of antithrombin III (AT III, protein C, and protein S deficiencies, and the result were compare to the control group. Among patients with ACS, the frequency of distribution of AT-III with activity < 75% were 23,3% (7 of 30, and only 6,7% ( 2 of 30 in control subject. No one of the 30 control subject have protein C activity deficient, in ACS with activity < 70% were 13,3% (4 of 30. Fifteen out of the 30 (50% control subjects had protein S activity deficiency, while protein S deficiency activity < 70% was found 73.3.% (22 out of 30. On linear regression, the deterministic coefficient of AT-III activity deficiency to the development ACS was 13,25 %, and the deterministic coefficient of protein C activity deficient to the development of ACS was 9,06 %. The cut-off point for AT-III without protein S deficiency expected to contribute to the development of vessel disease was 45%. On discriminant analysis, protein C activity deficiency posed a risk for ACS of 4,5 greater than non deficient subjects, and AT-III activity deficiency posed a risk for ACS of 3,5 times greater than non deficient subjects. On binary logistic regression, protein S activity acted only as a reinforcing factor of AT-III activity deficiency in the development of ACS. Protein C and AT III deficiency can trigger ACS, with determinant coefficients of 9,06% and 13,25% respectively. Low levels of protein C posed a greater risk of

  14. Increased platelet aggregation and turnover in the acute phase of ST-elevation myocardial infarction

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Jensen, Kristian Løkke Funck; Dalsgaard, Jens; Grove, Erik Lerkevang

    2013-01-01

    Newly produced platelets are present in the acute phase of ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). This may influence the antiplatelet effect of aspirin and clopidogrel administered prior to primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PPCI). The aims of this study were to investigate the anti...... turnover may partly explain the reduced efficacy of antiplatelet drugs in the acute phase of STEMI....... the antiplatelet effect of aspirin and clopidogrel and evaluate platelet turnover in the acute phase of STEMI compared to a stable phase 3 months later. In this observational follow-up study on 48 STEMI patients transferred for PPCI, loading doses of aspirin (300 mg) and clopidogrel (600 mg) were given orally...... in the ambulance. Blood samples were obtained immediately prior to PPCI, at 4 and 12 hours after administration of bolus doses and at follow-up after 3 months. Residual platelet aggregation was evaluated by Multiplate® and VerifyNow® aggregometry. Platelet turnover was evaluated by automated flow cytometry...

  15. Pulmonary response to surface‐coated nanotitanium dioxide particles includes induction of acute phase response genes, inflammatory cascades, and changes in microRNAs: A toxicogenomic study

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Halappanavar, Sabina; Jackson, Petra; Williams, Andrew

    2011-01-01

    with acute phase, inflammation and immune response 5 days post exposure with concomitant changes in several miRNAs. The role of these miRNAs in pulmonary response to inhaled particles is unknown and warrants further research. Environ. Mol. Mutagen., 2011. © 2011 Wiley‐Liss, Inc....... in increased levels of mRNA for acute phase markers serum amyloid A‐1 (Saa1) and serum amyloid A‐3 (Saa3), several C‐X‐C and C‐C motif chemokines, and cytokine tumor necrosis factor genes. Protein analysis of Saa1 and 3 showed selective upregulation of Saa3 in lung tissues. Sixteen miRNAs were induced by more...... than 1.2‐fold (adjusted P‐value changes in the expression of genes associated...

  16. Alterations of proteins in MDCK cells during acute potassium deficiency.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Peerapen, Paleerath; Ausakunpipat, Nardtaya; Chanchaem, Prangwalai; Thongboonkerd, Visith

    2016-06-01

    Chronic K(+) deficiency can cause hypokalemic nephropathy associated with metabolic alkalosis, polyuria, tubular dilatation, and tubulointerstitial injury. However, effects of acute K(+) deficiency on the kidney remained unclear. This study aimed to explore such effects by evaluating changes in levels of proteins in renal tubular cells during acute K(+) deficiency. MDCK cells were cultivated in normal K(+) (NK) (K(+)=5.3 mM), low K(+) (LK) (K(+)=2.5 mM), or K(+) depleted (KD) (K(+)=0 mM) medium for 24 h and then harvested. Cellular proteins were resolved by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis (2-DE) and visualized by SYPRO Ruby staining (5 gels per group). Spot matching and quantitative intensity analysis revealed a total 48 protein spots that had significantly differential levels among the three groups. Among these, 46 and 30 protein spots had differential levels in KD group compared to NK and LK groups, respectively. Comparison between LK and NK groups revealed only 10 protein spots that were differentially expressed. All of these differentially expressed proteins were successfully identified by Q-TOF MS and/or MS/MS analyses. The altered levels of heat shock protein 90 (HSP90), ezrin, lamin A/C, tubulin, chaperonin-containing TCP1 (CCT1), and calpain 1 were confirmed by Western blot analysis. Global protein network analysis showed three main functional networks, including 1) cell growth and proliferation, 2) cell morphology, cellular assembly and organization, and 3) protein folding in which the altered proteins were involved. Further investigations on these networks may lead to better understanding of pathogenic mechanisms of low K(+)-induced renal injury. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  17. Using the Relevance Vector Machine Model Combined with Local Phase Quantization to Predict Protein-Protein Interactions from Protein Sequences

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ji-Yong An

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available We propose a novel computational method known as RVM-LPQ that combines the Relevance Vector Machine (RVM model and Local Phase Quantization (LPQ to predict PPIs from protein sequences. The main improvements are the results of representing protein sequences using the LPQ feature representation on a Position Specific Scoring Matrix (PSSM, reducing the influence of noise using a Principal Component Analysis (PCA, and using a Relevance Vector Machine (RVM based classifier. We perform 5-fold cross-validation experiments on Yeast and Human datasets, and we achieve very high accuracies of 92.65% and 97.62%, respectively, which is significantly better than previous works. To further evaluate the proposed method, we compare it with the state-of-the-art support vector machine (SVM classifier on the Yeast dataset. The experimental results demonstrate that our RVM-LPQ method is obviously better than the SVM-based method. The promising experimental results show the efficiency and simplicity of the proposed method, which can be an automatic decision support tool for future proteomics research.

  18. Extensive changes in innate immune gene expression in obese Göttingen minipigs do not lead to changes in concentrations of circulating cytokines and acute phase proteins

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Højbøge, Tina Rødgaard; Skovgaard, Kerstin; Moesgaard, S. G.

    2014-01-01

    not been studied in Göttingen minipigs. Therefore, we studied the expression of innate immune genes in liver and adipose tissues as well as serum concentrations of cytokines and acute phase proteins in obese vs. lean Göttingen minipigs. In the liver, of 35 investigated genes, the expression of nine...... was significantly different in obese pigs (three up-regulated, six down-regulated). Of 33 genes in adipose tissues, obesity was associated with changed expression of 12 genes in the visceral adipose tissue (VAT) (three up-regulated), 11 in the abdominal retroperitoneal adipose tissue (RPAT) (seven of these up......-regulated) and eight in the subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT) from the neck (five of which were up-regulated). Obesity-associated expression changes were observed for three genes in all adipose tissues, namely chemokine (C-C motif) ligand 3-like 1 (up-regulated), CD200 molecule (down-regulated) and interleukin 1...

  19. A new score for the diagnosis of acute coronary syndrome in acute chest pain with non-diagnostic ECG and normal troponin.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Boubaker, Hamdi; Grissa, Mohamed Habib; Beltaief, Kaouther; Amor, Mohamed Haj; Mdimagh, Zouhaier; Boukhris, Amor; Ben Amor, Mehdi; Dridi, Zohra; Letaief, Mondher; Bouida, Wahid; Boukef, Riadh; Najjar, Fadhel; Nouira, Semir

    2015-10-01

    Acute coronary syndrome (ACS) represents a difficult diagnostic challenge in patients with undifferentiated chest pain. There is a need for a valid clinical score to improve diagnostic accuracy. To compare the performance of a model combining the Thrombolysis in Myocardial Infarction (TIMI) score and a score describing chest pain (ACS diagnostic score: ACSD score) with that of both scores alone in the diagnosis of ACS in ED patients with chest pain associated with a non-diagnostic ECG and normal troponin. In this observational cohort study, we enrolled 809 patients admitted to a chest pain unit with normal ECG and normal troponin. They were prospectively evaluated in order to calculate TIMI score, chest pain characteristics score and ACSD score. Diagnosis of ACS was the primary outcome and defined on the basis of 2 cardiologists after reviewing the patient medical records and follow-up data. Mortality and major cardiovascular events were followed for 1 month for patients discharged directly from ED. Discriminative power of scores was evaluated by the area under the ROC curve. ACS was confirmed in 90 patients (11.1%). The area under the ROC curve for ACSD score was 0.85 (95% CI 0.80 to 0.90) compared with 0.74 (95% CI 0.67 to 0.81) for TIMI and 0.79 (95% CI 0.74 to 0.84) for chest pain characteristics score. A threshold value of 9 appeared to optimise sensitivity (92%) and negative predictive value (99%) without excessively compromising specificity (62%) and positive predictive value (23%). The ACSD score showed a good discrimination performance and an excellent negative predictive value which allows safely ruling out ACS in ED patients with undifferentiated chest pain. Our findings should be validated in a larger multicentre study. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://group.bmj.com/group/rights-licensing/permissions.

  20. Dietary β-glucan stimulate complement and C-reactive protein acute phase responses in common carp (Cyprinus carpio) during an Aeromonas salmonicida infection.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pionnier, Nicolas; Falco, Alberto; Miest, Joanna; Frost, Patrick; Irnazarow, Ilgiz; Shrive, Annette; Hoole, Dave

    2013-03-01

    The effect of β-glucans as feed additive on the profile of C-reactive protein (CRP) and complement acute phase responses was studied in common carp Cyprinus carpio after exposition to a bacterial infection with Aeromonas salmonicida. Carp were orally administered with β-glucan (MacroGard®) for 14 days with a daily β-glucan intake of 6 mg per kg body weight. Fish were then intraperitoneally injected with either PBS or 1 × 10⁸ bacteria per fish and sampled at time 0, 6, 12, 24, 48, 72, 96 and 120 h post-injection (p.i.) for serum and head kidney, liver and mid-gut tissues. CRP levels and complement activity were determined in the serum samples whilst the gene expression profiles of CRP and complement related genes (crp1, crp2, c1r/s, bf/c2, c3 and masp2) were analysed in the tissues by quantitative PCR. Results obtained showed that oral administration of β-glucan for 14 days significantly increased serum CRP levels up to 2 fold and serum alternative complement activity (ACP) up to 35 fold. The bacterial infection on its own (i.e. not combined with a β-glucan feeding) did have significant effects on complement response whilst CRP was not detectably induced during the carp acute phase reaction. However, the combination of the infection and the β-glucan feeding did show significant effects on both CRP and complement profiles with higher serum CRP levels and serum ACP activity in the β-glucan fed fish than in the control fed fish. In addition, a distinct organ and time dependent expression profile pattern was detected for all the selected genes: a peak of gene expression first occurred in the head kidney tissue (6 h p.i. or 12 h p.i.), then an up-regulation in the liver several hours later (24 h p.i.) and finally up- or down-regulations in the mid-gut at 24 h p.i. and 72 h p.i. In conclusion, the results of this study suggest that MacroGard® stimulated CRP and complement responses to A. salmonicida infection in common carp. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All

  1. Increased KPI containing amyloid precursor protein in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis brains.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Beilin, Orit; Karussis, Dimitrios M; Korczyn, Amos D; Gurwitz, David; Aronovich, Ramona; Mizrachi-Kol, Rachel; Chapman, Joab

    2007-04-16

    Amyloid precursor protein can be translated from three alternatively spliced mRNAs. We measured levels of amyloid precursor protein isoforms containing the Kunitz protease inhibitor domain (KPIAPP), and amyloid precursor protein without the Kunitz protease inhibitor domain (KPIAPP) in brain homogenates of acute experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis mice. At the preclinical phase of the disease, both KPIAPP and KPIAPP levels were significantly higher in homogenates from brains of autoimmune encephalomyelitis mice, whereas at the acute phase of the disease only KPIAPP remained significantly elevated compared with controls. At the recovery phase, no differences were observed between the groups. The early and isoform-specific elevation of KPIAPP in autoimmune encephalomyelitis mice suggests a possible role for amyloid precursor protein in the immune response mediating the disease.

  2. PROGRESSIVE ALTERATION OF SERUM PROTEINS IN RATS SEVERAL MONTHS AFTER AN ACUTE OR PROTRACTED IRRADIATION

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ghys, R.; Reuter, A.

    1963-06-15

    Delayed changes of the serum proteins in male Sprague Dawley rats that survived the acute radiation syndrome were investigated. Doses of Co/sup 60/ gamma ranging from LD/sub O/ to LD/sub 50/ were given to rats six to eight weeks of age. Paper electrophoreses and microdosage of proteins by the buiret method were performed on plasma proteins for 206 rats: 29 with acute irradiation; 73 chronic irradiation; 44 acute irradiation following cold acclimatization; and 80 normal animals. No significant variations in the total serum proteins were found in andy one group. Alpha globulins were found to be slightly above normal in some irradiated rats, but there was no significant variation in the BETA globulin fraction. Gamma globulins showed a marked and consistent increase following irradiation. Thus for observed protein chandges in irradiated rats have not proven to be dose dependent. It is suggested that the changes may provide a link between early irradiation syndrome and late effects. (H.M.G.)

  3. The Pancreatitis Activity Scoring System predicts clinical outcomes in acute pancreatitis: findings from a prospective cohort study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Buxbaum, James; Quezada, Michael; Chong, Bradford; Gupta, Nikhil; Yu, Chung Yao; Lane, Christianne; Da, Ben; Leung, Kenneth; Shulman, Ira; Pandol, Stephen; Wu, Bechien

    2018-03-15

    .8, 4.5]) as well as prolongation of hospitalization by a mean of 1.5 (1.3-1.7) days. For the prediction of moderately severe/severe pancreatitis, the PASS score (AUC = 0.71) was comparable to the more established Ranson's (AUC = 0.63), Glasgow (AUC = 0.72), Panc3 (AUC = 0.57), and HAPS (AUC = 0.54) scoring systems. Discharge PASS score >60 was associated with early readmission (OR 5.0 [2.4, 10.7]). The PASS score is associated with important clinical outcomes in acute pancreatitis. The ability of the score to forecast important clinical events at different points in the disease course suggests that it is a valid measure of activity in patients with acute pancreatitis.

  4. Validity of samul's paediatric appendicitis score (pas) in the diagnosis of acute appendicitis in children

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rehman, S.; Butt, M. Q.

    2014-01-01

    Objective: To validate the paediatric appendicitis score for the diagnosis of acute appendicitis in children using histopathology as a gold standard. Study Design: Case control study. Place and Duration of Study: Military Hospital (MH) and Combined Military Hospital (CMH) Rawalpindi, Pakistan from Dec 2009 to Jul 2010. Patients and Methods: Eighty five children 1-7year old who came to our tertiary surgical department with the chief complaint of abdominal pain of less than 7 days duration were included in the study. Paediatric appendicitis score (PAS) components including fever > 380 C, anorexia, nausea/vomiting, cough/percussion/hopping tenderness, right-lower-quadrant tenderness, migration of pain, leukocytosis > 10,000 (109/1) and polymorphonuclear - neutrophilia > 7500 (109/1) were assessed and recorded on admission, but the sum was not calculated until later and the score did not play any role in the management of the patient. The diagnosis of appendicitis was made by the trainees and consultants clinically and with the aid of routine sonography of abdomen. After appendicetomies, resected specimens were sent for histopathological examination. Pre-operative PAS, histopathology report of resected appendix were endorsed on patient's performa. A two by two table was used to determine sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values and diagnostic efficacy of PAS. Results: Sensitivity of PAS was 92.16%, specificity 88.23%, positive predictive value 92.16%, negative predictive value 88.23% and the diagnostic efficacy 90.59%. Conclusion: PAS is a highly sensitive test with fair degree of specificity in diagnosing acute appendicitis in children and its routine usage may improve the diagnostic accuracy. (author)

  5. Combined Value of Red Blood Cell Distribution Width and Global Registry of Acute Coronary Events Risk Score for Predicting Cardiovascular Events in Patients with Acute Coronary Syndrome Undergoing Percutaneous Coronary Intervention.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhao, Na; Mi, Lan; Liu, Xiaojun; Pan, Shuo; Xu, Jiaojiao; Xia, Dongyu; Liu, Zhongwei; Zhang, Yong; Xiang, Yu; Yuan, Zuyi; Guan, Gongchang; Wang, Junkui

    2015-01-01

    Global Registry of Acute Coronary Events (GRACE) risk score and red blood cell distribution width (RDW) content can both independently predict major adverse cardiac events (MACEs) in patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS). We investigated the combined predictive value of RDW and GRACE risk score for cardiovascular events in patients with ACS undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) for the first time. We enrolled 480 ACS patients. During a median follow-up time of 37.2 months, 70 (14.58%) patients experienced MACEs. Patients were divided into tertiles according to the baseline RDW content (11.30-12.90, 13.00-13.50, 13.60-16.40). GRACE score was positively correlated with RDW content. Multivariate Cox analysis showed that both GRACE score and RDW content were independent predictors of MACEs (hazard ratio 1.039; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.024-1.055; p risk of MACEs increased with increasing RDW content (p value of combining RDW content and GRACE risk score was significantly improved, also shown by the net reclassification improvement (NRI = 0.352, p value of RDW and GRACE risk score yielded a more accurate predictive value for long-term cardiovascular events in ACS patients who underwent PCI as compared to each measure alone.

  6. Acute guttate psoriasis patients have positive streptococcus hemolyticus throat cultures and elevated antistreptococcal M6 protein titers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhao, Guang; Feng, Xiaoling; Na, Aihua; Yongqiang, Jiang; Cai, Qing; Kong, Jian; Ma, Huijun

    2005-02-01

    To further study the role of Streptococci hemolyticus infection and streptococcal M6 protein in the pathogenesis of acute guttate psoriasis, streptococcal cultures were taken from the throats of 68 patients with acute guttate psoriasis. PCR technique was applied to detect M6 protein encoding DNA from those cultured streptococci. Pure M6 protein was obtained by Sephacry/S-200HR and Mono-Q chromatography from proliferated Streptococcus hemolyticus. Antistreptococcal M6 protein titers were measured in the serum of patients with acute guttate psoriasis, plaque psoriasis and healthy controls by ELISA. A high incidence of Streptococcus hemolyticus culture was observed in the guttate psoriatic group compared with the plaque psoriasis and control groups. Fourteen strains of Streptococcus hemolyticus were cultured from the throats of 68 acute guttate psoriasis patients. Of these, 5 strains contain DNA encoding the M6 protein gene as confirmed by PCR technique. More than 85% purification of M6 protein was obtained from Streptococcus pyogenes. Applying our pure M6 protein with the ELISA methods, we found that the titer of antistreptococcal M6 protein was significantly higher in the serum of guttate psoriasis patients than in the control or plaque psoriasis groups (P M6 protein in their sera.

  7. The effects of combined therapy of rheumatoid arthritis on the acute phase reactants.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rexhepi, Sylejman; Rexhepi, Mjellma; Sahatçiu-Meka, Vjollca; Pllana, Ejup; Dragusha, Gani; Gashi, Masar; Rexhepi, Blerta

    2009-01-01

    The paper presents the results of studies of acute phase reactants in the 60 treated patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Patients were divided into two groups, depending on the applied treatment: group I (n = 30) was treated with methotrexate, sulfasalazine and hydroxychloroquine, and group II (n = 30) with methotrexate. The results of our study shows that there is a statistically significant reduction in the value of acute phase reactants and clinical parameters after treatment in both investigated groups of patients, and also a significant statistical difference between the first and second group of treated patients.

  8. Changes in plasma homocyst(e)ine in the acute phase after stroke.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Howard, Virginia J; Sides, Elizabeth G; Newman, George C; Cohen, Stanley N; Howard, George; Malinow, M Rene; Toole, James F

    2002-02-01

    Elevated plasma homocyst(e)ine [H(e)] concentration has been associated with an increased risk of stroke. Although the literature suggests that H(e) increases from the acute to the convalescent phase after a stroke, it is not known whether H(e) changes within the acute period. A prospective, multicenter study was conducted to examine changes in H(e) during the 2 weeks after an incident stroke. Blood samples were collected at days 1, 3, 5, 7, and between 10 and 14 days after the stroke. Seventy-six participants (51 men) were enrolled from 9 sites from February 1997 through June 1998. Mean age was 65.6 years, and subjects had at least two H(e) measurements. The estimated mean H(e) level at baseline was 11.3+/-0.5 micromol/L, which increased consistently to a mean of 12.0+/-0.05, 12.4+/-0.5, 13.3+/-0.5, and 13.7+/-0.7 micromol/L at days 3, 5, 7, and 10 to 14, respectively. The magnitude of the change in H(e) was not affected by age, sex, smoking status, alcohol use, history of hypertension or diabetes, or Rankin Scale Score. ; These data suggest that the clinical interpretation of H(e) after stroke and the eligibility for clinical trials assessing treatment for elevated H(e) levels require an adjustment in time since stroke to properly interpret the observed H(e) levels.

  9. Delirium risk stratification in consecutive unselected admissions to acute medicine: validation of a susceptibility score based on factors identified externally in pooled data for use at entry to the acute care pathway.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pendlebury, Sarah T; Lovett, Nicola G; Smith, Sarah C; Wharton, Rose; Rothwell, Peter M

    2017-03-01

    recognition of prevalent delirium and prediction of incident delirium may be difficult at first assessment. We therefore aimed to validate a pragmatic delirium susceptibility (for any, prevalent and incident delirium) score for use in front-line clinical practice in a consecutive cohort of older acute medicine patients. consecutive patients aged ≥65 years over two 8-week periods (2010-12) were screened prospectively for delirium using the Confusion Assessment Method (CAM), and delirium was diagnosed using the DSM IV criteria. The delirium susceptibility score was the sum of weighted risk factors derived using pooled data from UK-NICE guidelines: age >80 = 2, cognitive impairment (cognitive score below cut-off/dementia) = 2, severe illness (systemic inflammatory response syndrome) = 1, infection = 1, visual impairment = 1. Score reliability was determined by the area under the receiver operating curve (AUC). among 308 consecutive patients aged ≥65 years (mean age/SD = 81/8 years, 164 (54%) female), AUC was 0.78 (95% CI 0.71-0.84) for any delirium; 0.71 (0.64-0.79), for prevalent delirium; 0.81 (0.70-0.92), for incident delirium; odds ratios (ORs) for risk score 5-7 versus delirium, 8.1 (2.2-29.7), P = 0.002 for prevalent delirium, and 25.0 (3.0-208.9) P = 0.003 for incident delirium, with corresponding relative risks of 5.4, 4.7 and 13. Higher risk scores were associated with frailty markers, increased care needs and poor outcomes. the externally derived delirium susceptibility score reliably identified prevalent and incident delirium using clinical data routinely available at initial patient assessment and might therefore aid recognition of vulnerability in acute medical admissions early in the acute care pathway. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the British Geriatrics Society.

  10. Prognostic value of sustained elevated C-reactive protein levels in patients with acute aortic intramural hematoma.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kitai, Takeshi; Kaji, Shuichiro; Kim, Kitae; Ehara, Natsuhiko; Tani, Tomoko; Kinoshita, Makoto; Furukawa, Yutaka

    2014-01-01

    The appropriate management of aortic intramural hematoma is still controversial, because a variety of aortic events can arise during follow-up in some patients. However, simplified identification of these patients remains challenging. The present study aimed to determine the prognostic significance of serial C-reactive protein measurements for the prediction of adverse events in patients with acute aortic intramural hematoma. A total of 180 patients with aortic intramural hematoma were retrospectively reviewed. The C-reactive protein data were obtained at admission and 2 days, 1 week, and 2 weeks from the onset, and the maximum value was obtained during the acute phase. Adverse aorta-related events were defined by a composite of aortic rupture, aortic aneurysm, and surgical or endovascular aortic repair. The C-reactive protein value was 3.0 ± 4.6, 8.7 ± 5.9, 9.0 ± 5.5, and 5.7 ± 4.5 mg/dL on admission and 2 days, 1 week, and 2 weeks from the onset, respectively. The maximal value of C-reactive protein was 12.4 ± 6.3 mg/dL at a mean of 4 days from the onset. Patients with elevated C-reactive protein levels (≥7.2 mg/dL) at 2 weeks had significantly greater rates of aorta-related events (P analysis, an elevated C-reactive protein level at 2 weeks (hazard ratio, 3.16; P value compared with the development of an ulcer-like projection (chi-square, 16.94 for ulcer-like projection only vs 34.32 with the addition of C-reactive protein at 2 weeks, P < .001). C-reactive protein was a simple and useful marker providing incremental prognostic information compared with the development of an ulcer-like projection in patients with aortic intramural hematoma. Copyright © 2014 The American Association for Thoracic Surgery. Published by Mosby, Inc. All rights reserved.

  11. Enhance the performance of current scoring functions with the aid of 3D protein-ligand interaction fingerprints.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Jie; Su, Minyi; Liu, Zhihai; Li, Jie; Li, Yan; Wang, Renxiao

    2017-07-18

    In structure-based drug design, binding affinity prediction remains as a challenging goal for current scoring functions. Development of target-biased scoring functions provides a new possibility for tackling this problem, but this approach is also associated with certain technical difficulties. We previously reported the Knowledge-Guided Scoring (KGS) method as an alternative approach (BMC Bioinformatics, 2010, 11, 193-208). The key idea is to compute the binding affinity of a given protein-ligand complex based on the known binding data of an appropriate reference complex, so the error in binding affinity prediction can be reduced effectively. In this study, we have developed an upgraded version, i.e. KGS2, by employing 3D protein-ligand interaction fingerprints in reference selection. KGS2 was evaluated in combination with four scoring functions (X-Score, ChemPLP, ASP, and GoldScore) on five drug targets (HIV-1 protease, carbonic anhydrase 2, beta-secretase 1, beta-trypsin, and checkpoint kinase 1). In the in situ scoring test, considerable improvements were observed in most cases after application of KGS2. Besides, the performance of KGS2 was always better than KGS in all cases. In the more challenging molecular docking test, application of KGS2 also led to improved structure-activity relationship in some cases. KGS2 can be applied as a convenient "add-on" to current scoring functions without the need to re-engineer them, and its application is not limited to certain target proteins as customized scoring functions. As an interpolation method, its accuracy in principle can be improved further with the increasing knowledge of protein-ligand complex structures and binding affinity data. We expect that KGS2 will become a practical tool for enhancing the performance of current scoring functions in binding affinity prediction. The KGS2 software is available upon contacting the authors.

  12. Low-carbohydrate, high-protein score and mortality in a northern Swedish population-based cohort.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nilsson, L M; Winkvist, A; Eliasson, M; Jansson, J-H; Hallmans, G; Johansson, I; Lindahl, B; Lenner, P; Van Guelpen, B

    2012-06-01

    Long-term effects of carbohydrate-restricted diets are unclear. We examined a low-carbohydrate, high-protein (LCHP) score in relation to mortality. This is a population-based cohort study on adults in the northern Swedish county of Västerbotten. In 37,639 men (1460 deaths) and 39,680 women (923 deaths) from the population-based Västerbotten Intervention Program, deciles of energy-adjusted carbohydrate (descending) and protein (ascending) intake were added to create an LCHP score (2-20 points). Sex-specific hazard ratios (HR) were calculated by Cox regression. Median intakes of carbohydrates, protein and fat in subjects with LCHP scores 2-20 ranged from 61.0% to 38.6%, 11.3% to 19.2% and 26.6% to 41.5% of total energy intake, respectively. High LCHP score (14-20 points) did not predict all-cause mortality compared with low LCHP score (2-8 points), after accounting for saturated fat intake and established risk factors (men: HR for high vs low 1.03 (95% confidence interval (CI) 0.88-1.20), P for continuous = 0.721; women: HR for high vs low 1.10 (95% CI 0.91-1.32), P for continuous = 0.229). For cancer and cardiovascular disease, no clear associations were found. Carbohydrate intake was inversely associated with all-cause mortality, though only statistically significant in women (multivariate HR per decile increase 0.95 (95% CI 0.91-0.99), P = 0.010). Our results do not support a clear, general association between LCHP score and mortality. Studies encompassing a wider range of macronutrient consumption may be necessary to detect such an association.

  13. The limits of adaptation of functional protein synthesis to severe undernutrition

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Forrester, T.; Jahoor, F.; Reeds, P.

    1996-01-01

    This project was designed to investigate the limits of adaptation of protein metabolism in the stree of severe childhood malnutrition, representing as it does chronic dietary insufficiency of macronutrients and superimposed infection. The tasks included measurement of concentrations and rates of synthesis of nutrient transport proteins and hepatic acute phase proteins inseverely malnourished children during their acute illness and a recovery

  14. A New Marker to Determine Prognosis of Acute Pancreatitis: PLR and NLR Combination

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kaplan Mustafa

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available Background: We aimed to investigate the prognostic importance of platelet-lymphocyte ratio (PLR and neutro - phil-lymphocyte ratio(NLR combination for patients diagnosed with acute pancreatitis and its relationship with mortality. Methods: This retrospective study was included 142 patients diagnosed with acute pancreatitis. Ranson, Atlanta and BISAP 0h, 24h and 48h scores of the patients were calculated by examining their patient files. The patients were divided into three groups as low-risk, medium-risk and high-risk patients according to their PLR and NLR levels. Results: The number of patients with acute pancreatitis complications such as necrotizing pancreatitis, acute renal failure, sepsis and cholangitis was significantly higher in the high-risk group compared to other groups. Mortality rate was found to be 90% in the high-risk group, 16% in the medium-risk group, and 1.9% in the low-risk group. The number of patients with a Ranson score of 5 and 6, a severe Atlanta score, a BISAP 0h score of 3 and 4, a BISAP 24h and 48h score of 4 and 5 was higher in the high-risk group compared to other groups. PLR-NLR combination, Atlanta and Ranson scores, and C-reactive protein level were determined to be independent risk factors predicting mortality in stepwise regression model. PLR-NLR combination had the highest area under curve value in terms of predicting acute claspancreatitis prognosis and had a similar diagnostic discrimination with other scoring systems. Conclusion: In our study it was found that PLR-NLR combination had a similar prognostic importance with other scoring systems used to determine acute pancreatitis prognosis.

  15. Correlation between the serum and tissue levels of oxidative stress markers and the extent of inflammation in acute appendicitis

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dumlu, Ersin Gürkan; Tokaç, Mehmet; Bozkurt, Birkan; Yildirim, Murat Baki; Ergin, Merve; Yalçin, Abdussamed; Kiliç, Mehmet

    2014-01-01

    OBJECTIVES: To determine the serum and tissue levels of markers of impaired oxidative metabolism and correlate these levels with the histopathology and Alvarado score of acute appendicitis patients. METHOD: Sixty-five acute appendicitis patients (mean age, 31.4±12.06 years; male/female, 30/35) and 30 healthy control subjects were studied. The Alvarado score was recorded. Serum samples were obtained before surgery and 12 hours postoperatively to examine the total antioxidant status, total oxidant status, paraoxonase, stimulated paraoxonase, arylesterase, catalase, myeloperoxidase, ceruloplasmin, oxidative stress markers (advanced oxidized protein products and total thiol level) and ischemia-modified albumin. Surgical specimens were also evaluated. RESULTS: The diagnoses were acute appendicitis (n = 37), perforated appendicitis (n = 8), phlegmonous appendicitis (n = 12), perforated+phlegmonous appendicitis (n = 4), or no appendicitis (n = 4). The Alvarado score of the acute appendicitis group was significantly lower than that of the perforated+phlegmonous appendicitis group (p = 0.004). The serum total antioxidant status, total thiol level, advanced oxidized protein products, total oxidant status, catalase, arylesterase, and ischemia-modified albumin levels were significantly different between the acute appendicitis and control groups. There was no correlation between the pathological extent of acute appendicitis and the tissue levels of the markers; additionally, there was no correlation between the tissue and serum levels of any of the parameters. CONCLUSIONS: The imbalance of oxidant/antioxidant systems plays a role in the pathogenesis acute appendicitis. The Alvarado score can successfully predict the presence and extent of acute appendicitis. PMID:25518019

  16. A new Leukemia Prognostic Scoring System for refractory/relapsed adult acute myelogeneous leukaemia patients: a GOELAMS study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chevallier, P; Labopin, M; Turlure, P; Prebet, T; Pigneux, A; Hunault, M; Filanovsky, K; Cornillet-Lefebvre, P; Luquet, I; Lode, L; Richebourg, S; Blanchet, O; Gachard, N; Vey, N; Ifrah, N; Milpied, N; Harousseau, J-L; Bene, M-C; Mohty, M; Delaunay, J

    2011-06-01

    A simplified prognostic score is presented based on the multivariate analysis of 138 refractory/relapsed acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) patients (median age 55 years, range: 19-70) receiving a combination of intensive chemotherapy+Gemtuzumab as salvage regimen. Overall, 2-year event-free survival (EFS) and overall survival (OS) were 29±4% and 36±4%, respectively. Disease status (relapse Leukemia Prognostic Scoring System was then validated on an independent cohort of 111 refractory/relapsed AML patients. This new simplified prognostic score, using three clinical and biological parameters routinely applied, allow to discriminate around two third of the patients who should benefit from a salvage intensive regimen in the setting of refractory/relapsed AML patients. The other one third of the patients should receive investigational therapy.

  17. The Protein Digestibility-Corrected Amino Acid Score (PDCAAS) - A concept for describing protein quality in foods and food ingredients: A critical review

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Schaafsma, G.

    2005-01-01

    Protein Digestibility-Corrected Amino Score (PDCAAS) is discussed. PDCAAS is now widely used as a routine assay for protein quality evaluation, replacing the more traditional biological methods [e.g., measurement of the Protein Efficiency Ratio (PER) in rats]. PDCAAS is based on comparison of the

  18. Development of the siriraj clinical asthma score.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vichyanond, Pakit; Veskitkul, Jittima; Rienmanee, Nuanphong; Pacharn, Punchama; Jirapongsananuruk, Orathai; Visitsunthorn, Nualanong

    2013-09-01

    Acute asthmatic attack in children commonly occurs despite the introduction of effective controllers such as inhaled corticosteroids and leukotriene modifiers. Treatment of acute asthmatic attack requires proper evaluation of attack severity and appropriate selection of medical therapy. In children, measurement of lung function is difficult during acute attack and thus clinical asthma scoring may aid physician in making further decision regarding treatment and admission. We enrolled 70 children with acute asthmatic attack with age range from 1 to 12 years (mean ± SD = 51.5 ± 31.8 months) into the study. Twelve selected asthma severity items were assessed by 2 independent observers prior to administration of salbutamol nebulization (up to 3 doses at 20 minutes interval). Decision for further therapy and admission was made by emergency department physician. Three different scoring systems were constructed from items with best validity. Sensitivity, specificity and accuracy of these scores were assessed. Inter-rater reliability was assessed for each score. Review of previous scoring systems was also conducted and reported. Three severity items had poor validity, i.e., cyanosis, depressed cerebral function, and I:E ratio (p > 0.05). Three items had poor inter-rater reliability, i.e., breath sound quality, air entry, and I:E ratio. These items were omitted and three new clinical scores were constructed from the remaining items. Clinical scoring system comprised retractions, dyspnea, O2 saturation, respiratory rate and wheezing (rangeof score 0-10) gave the best accuracy and inter-rater variability and were chosen for clinical use-Siriraj Clinical Asthma Score (SCAS). A Clinical Asthma Score that is simple, relatively easy to administer and with good validity and variability is essential for treatment of acute asthma in children. Several good candidate scores have been introduced in the past. We described the development of the Siriraj Clinical Asthma Score (SCAS) in

  19. Comparison of RISK-PCI, GRACE, TIMI risk scores for prediction of major adverse cardiac events in patients with acute coronary syndrome.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jakimov, Tamara; Mrdović, Igor; Filipović, Branka; Zdravković, Marija; Djoković, Aleksandra; Hinić, Saša; Milić, Nataša; Filipović, Branislav

    2017-12-31

    To compare the prognostic performance of three major risk scoring systems including global registry for acute coronary events (GRACE), thrombolysis in myocardial infarction (TIMI), and prediction of 30-day major adverse cardiovascular events after primary percutaneous coronary intervention (RISK-PCI). This single-center retrospective study involved 200 patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) who underwent invasive diagnostic approach, ie, coronary angiography and myocardial revascularization if appropriate, in the period from January 2014 to July 2014. The GRACE, TIMI, and RISK-PCI risk scores were compared for their predictive ability. The primary endpoint was a composite 30-day major adverse cardiovascular event (MACE), which included death, urgent target-vessel revascularization (TVR), stroke, and non-fatal recurrent myocardial infarction (REMI). The c-statistics of the tested scores for 30-day MACE or area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) with confidence intervals (CI) were as follows: RISK-PCI (AUC=0.94; 95% CI 1.790-4.353), the GRACE score on admission (AUC=0.73; 95% CI 1.013-1.045), the GRACE score on discharge (AUC=0.65; 95% CI 0.999-1.033). The RISK-PCI score was the only score that could predict TVR (AUC=0.91; 95% CI 1.392-2.882). The RISK-PCI scoring system showed an excellent discriminative potential for 30-day death (AUC=0.96; 95% CI 1.339-3.548) in comparison with the GRACE scores on admission (AUC=0.88; 95% CI 1.018-1.072) and on discharge (AUC=0.78; 95% CI 1.000-1.058). In comparison with the GRACE and TIMI scores, RISK-PCI score showed a non-inferior ability to predict 30-day MACE and death in ACS patients. Moreover, RISK-PCI was the only scoring system that could predict recurrent ischemia requiring TVR.

  20. The human interactome knowledge base (hint-kb): An integrative human protein interaction database enriched with predicted protein–protein interaction scores using a novel hybrid technique

    KAUST Repository

    Theofilatos, Konstantinos A.

    2013-07-12

    Proteins are the functional components of many cellular processes and the identification of their physical protein–protein interactions (PPIs) is an area of mature academic research. Various databases have been developed containing information about experimentally and computationally detected human PPIs as well as their corresponding annotation data. However, these databases contain many false positive interactions, are partial and only a few of them incorporate data from various sources. To overcome these limitations, we have developed HINT-KB (http://biotools.ceid.upatras.gr/hint-kb/), a knowledge base that integrates data from various sources, provides a user-friendly interface for their retrieval, cal-culatesasetoffeaturesofinterest and computesaconfidence score for every candidate protein interaction. This confidence score is essential for filtering the false positive interactions which are present in existing databases, predicting new protein interactions and measuring the frequency of each true protein interaction. For this reason, a novel machine learning hybrid methodology, called (Evolutionary Kalman Mathematical Modelling—EvoKalMaModel), was used to achieve an accurate and interpretable scoring methodology. The experimental results indicated that the proposed scoring scheme outperforms existing computational methods for the prediction of PPIs.

  1. Additional phase information from UV damage of selenomethionine labelled proteins

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Sanctis, Daniele de [ESRF, Structural Biology Group, 6 rue Jules Horowitz, 38043 Grenoble Cedex (France); Tucker, Paul A.; Panjikar, Santosh, E-mail: panjikar@embl-hamburg.de [EMBL Hamburg Outstation, c/o DESY, Notkestrasse 85, D-22603 Hamburg (Germany)

    2011-05-01

    Successful examples of ultraviolet radiation-damage-induced phasing with anomalous scattering from selenomethionine protein crystals have been demonstrated. Currently, selenium is the most widely used phasing vehicle for experimental phasing, either by single anomalous scattering or multiple-wavelength anomalous dispersion (MAD) procedures. The use of the single isomorphous replacement anomalous scattering (SIRAS) phasing procedure with selenomethionine containing proteins is not so commonly used, as it requires isomorphous native data. Here it is demonstrated that isomorphous differences can be measured from intensity changes measured from a selenium labelled protein crystal before and after UV exposure. These can be coupled with the anomalous signal from the dataset collected at the selenium absorption edge to obtain SIRAS phases in a UV-RIPAS phasing experiment. The phasing procedure for two selenomethionine proteins, the feruloyl esterase module of xylanase 10B from Clostridium thermocellum and the Mycobacterium tuberculosis chorismate synthase, have been investigated using datasets collected near the absorption edge of selenium before and after UV radiation. The utility of UV radiation in measuring radiation damage data for isomorphous differences is highlighted and it is shown that, after such measurements, the UV-RIPAS procedure yields comparable phase sets with those obtained from the conventional MAD procedure. The results presented are encouraging for the development of alternative phasing approaches for selenomethionine proteins in difficult cases.

  2. Predictive value of c-reactive protein for thrombolytic therapy in acute myocardial infarction

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Majeed, N.; Bashir, F.

    2014-01-01

    The serum levels of C-reactive protein on admission may predict the efficacy of reperfusion in patients with acute myocardial infarction. Objectives: This study was conducted to know the predictive value of CRP for success of thrombolysis and to know the prognostic value of C-reactive protein in patients having acute myocardial infarction. Study Design: It was single center, open labeled cross sectional study. Materials and Methods: Sixty patients of acute myocardial infarction diagnosed on clinical and ECG criteria, who received thrombolytic therapy with strepto- kinase, were included in the study. The diagnosis of acute rnyocardial infarction was made on clinical para meters and ECG criteria. The ECG changes were noted before starting thrombolysis. The baseline sample for C-reactive protein (CRP,) was taken before starting thrombolysis. The time duration between onset of symptoms and start of thrombolysis was also noted. The thrombolysis was done with streptokinase infusion, 1.5 million units diluted in 100ml normal saline, intravenously over one hour. The ECG was repeated after six hours of completion of thrombolysis and, changes were noted and compared with ECG changes before thrombolysis. Now second sample for C-reactive protein (CRP2) was taken after six hours of completion of thrombolysis. CRP was measured by a high sensitivity assay which can accurately measure basal levels of CRP throughout the currently accepted cardiovascular risk assessment range (0.20 - 10.0 mg/L). According to ECG findings after thrombolysis, all patients were divided into two groups. Group A was considered as successful group to thrombolysis, in whom ECG changes were settled. Group B was considered as unsuccessful group to thrombolysis, in whom ECG changes remained same as before thrombolysis. Both values of C-reactive protein, CRP, and CRP2 were compared in both groups group A and group B. Results: Plasma CRP values before and after thrombolysis had strong predictive value for

  3. Statistical distributions of optimal global alignment scores of random protein sequences

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tang Jiaowei

    2005-10-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background The inference of homology from statistically significant sequence similarity is a central issue in sequence alignments. So far the statistical distribution function underlying the optimal global alignments has not been completely determined. Results In this study, random and real but unrelated sequences prepared in six different ways were selected as reference datasets to obtain their respective statistical distributions of global alignment scores. All alignments were carried out with the Needleman-Wunsch algorithm and optimal scores were fitted to the Gumbel, normal and gamma distributions respectively. The three-parameter gamma distribution performs the best as the theoretical distribution function of global alignment scores, as it agrees perfectly well with the distribution of alignment scores. The normal distribution also agrees well with the score distribution frequencies when the shape parameter of the gamma distribution is sufficiently large, for this is the scenario when the normal distribution can be viewed as an approximation of the gamma distribution. Conclusion We have shown that the optimal global alignment scores of random protein sequences fit the three-parameter gamma distribution function. This would be useful for the inference of homology between sequences whose relationship is unknown, through the evaluation of gamma distribution significance between sequences.

  4. Prostate hypofractionated radiation therapy with injection of hyaluronic acid: acute toxicities in a phase 2 study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chapet, Olivier; Decullier, Evelyne; Bin, Sylvie; Faix, Antoine; Ruffion, Alain; Jalade, Patrice; Fenoglietto, Pascal; Udrescu, Corina; Enachescu, Ciprian; Azria, David

    2015-03-15

    Hypofractionated radiation therapy (RT) in prostate cancer can be developed only if the risk of rectal toxicity is controlled. In a multicenter phase 2 trial, hypofractionated irradiation was combined with an injection of hyaluronic acid (HA) to preserve the rectal wall. Tolerance of the injection and acute toxicity rates are reported. The study was designed to assess late grade 2 toxicity rates. The results described here correspond to the secondary objectives. Acute toxicity was defined as occurring during RT or within 3 months after RT and graded according to the Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events version 4.0. HA tolerance was evaluated with a visual analog scale during the injection and 30 minutes after injection and then by use of the Common Terminology Criteria at each visit. From 2010 to 2012, 36 patients with low-risk to intermediate-risk prostate cancer were included. The HA injection induced a mean pain score of 4.6/10 ± 2.3. Thirty minutes after the injection, 2 patients still reported pain (2/10 and 3/10), which persisted after the intervention. Thirty-three patients experienced at least 1 acute genitourinary toxicity and 20 patients at least 1 acute gastrointestinal toxicity. Grade 2 toxicities were reported for 19 patients with urinary obstruction, frequency, or both and for 1 patient with proctitis. No grade 3 or 4 toxicities were reported. At the 3-month visit, 4 patients described grade 2 obstruction or frequency, and no patients had any grade 2 gastrointestinal toxicities. The injection of HA makes it possible to deliver hypofractionated irradiation over 4 weeks with a dose per fraction of > 3 Gy, with limited acute rectal toxicity. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  5. Prostate Hypofractionated Radiation Therapy With Injection of Hyaluronic Acid: Acute Toxicities in a Phase 2 Study

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chapet, Olivier; Decullier, Evelyne; Bin, Sylvie; Faix, Antoine; Ruffion, Alain; Jalade, Patrice; Fenoglietto, Pascal; Udrescu, Corina; Enachescu, Ciprian; Azria, David

    2015-01-01

    Purpose: Hypofractionated radiation therapy (RT) in prostate cancer can be developed only if the risk of rectal toxicity is controlled. In a multicenter phase 2 trial, hypofractionated irradiation was combined with an injection of hyaluronic acid (HA) to preserve the rectal wall. Tolerance of the injection and acute toxicity rates are reported. Methods and Materials: The study was designed to assess late grade 2 toxicity rates. The results described here correspond to the secondary objectives. Acute toxicity was defined as occurring during RT or within 3 months after RT and graded according to the Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events version 4.0. HA tolerance was evaluated with a visual analog scale during the injection and 30 minutes after injection and then by use of the Common Terminology Criteria at each visit. Results: From 2010 to 2012, 36 patients with low-risk to intermediate-risk prostate cancer were included. The HA injection induced a mean pain score of 4.6/10 ± 2.3. Thirty minutes after the injection, 2 patients still reported pain (2/10 and 3/10), which persisted after the intervention. Thirty-three patients experienced at least 1 acute genitourinary toxicity and 20 patients at least 1 acute gastrointestinal toxicity. Grade 2 toxicities were reported for 19 patients with urinary obstruction, frequency, or both and for 1 patient with proctitis. No grade 3 or 4 toxicities were reported. At the 3-month visit, 4 patients described grade 2 obstruction or frequency, and no patients had any grade 2 gastrointestinal toxicities. Conclusions: The injection of HA makes it possible to deliver hypofractionated irradiation over 4 weeks with a dose per fraction of > 3 Gy, with limited acute rectal toxicity

  6. Prostate Hypofractionated Radiation Therapy With Injection of Hyaluronic Acid: Acute Toxicities in a Phase 2 Study

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Chapet, Olivier, E-mail: olivier.chapet@chu-lyon.fr [Department of Radiation Oncology, Hospices Civils de Lyon, Centre Hospitalier Lyon Sud, Pierre Benite (France); EMR3738, Université Lyon 1, Lyon (France); Decullier, Evelyne; Bin, Sylvie [Pole Information Médicale Evaluation Recherche, Hospices Civils de Lyon, Lyon (France); Université Lyon 1, Lyon (France); EA SIS, Université de Lyon, Lyon (France); Faix, Antoine [Department of Urology, Clinique Beausoleil, Montpellier (France); Ruffion, Alain [Université Lyon 1, Lyon (France); Department of Urology, Hospices Civils de Lyon, Centre Hospitalier Lyon Sud, Pierre Benite (France); Jalade, Patrice [Department of Medical Physics, Hospices Civils de Lyon, Centre Hospitalier Lyon Sud, Pierre Benite (France); Fenoglietto, Pascal [Department of Radiation Oncology and Physics, Institut du Cancer de Montpellier, Montpellier (France); Udrescu, Corina; Enachescu, Ciprian [Department of Radiation Oncology, Hospices Civils de Lyon, Centre Hospitalier Lyon Sud, Pierre Benite (France); Azria, David [Department of Radiation Oncology and Physics, Institut du Cancer de Montpellier, Montpellier (France)

    2015-03-15

    Purpose: Hypofractionated radiation therapy (RT) in prostate cancer can be developed only if the risk of rectal toxicity is controlled. In a multicenter phase 2 trial, hypofractionated irradiation was combined with an injection of hyaluronic acid (HA) to preserve the rectal wall. Tolerance of the injection and acute toxicity rates are reported. Methods and Materials: The study was designed to assess late grade 2 toxicity rates. The results described here correspond to the secondary objectives. Acute toxicity was defined as occurring during RT or within 3 months after RT and graded according to the Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events version 4.0. HA tolerance was evaluated with a visual analog scale during the injection and 30 minutes after injection and then by use of the Common Terminology Criteria at each visit. Results: From 2010 to 2012, 36 patients with low-risk to intermediate-risk prostate cancer were included. The HA injection induced a mean pain score of 4.6/10 ± 2.3. Thirty minutes after the injection, 2 patients still reported pain (2/10 and 3/10), which persisted after the intervention. Thirty-three patients experienced at least 1 acute genitourinary toxicity and 20 patients at least 1 acute gastrointestinal toxicity. Grade 2 toxicities were reported for 19 patients with urinary obstruction, frequency, or both and for 1 patient with proctitis. No grade 3 or 4 toxicities were reported. At the 3-month visit, 4 patients described grade 2 obstruction or frequency, and no patients had any grade 2 gastrointestinal toxicities. Conclusions: The injection of HA makes it possible to deliver hypofractionated irradiation over 4 weeks with a dose per fraction of > 3 Gy, with limited acute rectal toxicity.

  7. The liquid protein phase in crystallization: a case study—intact immunoglobulins

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kuznetsov, Yurii G.; Malkin, Alexander J.; McPherson, Alexander

    2001-11-01

    A common observation by protein chemists has been the appearance, for many proteins in aqueous solutions, of oil like droplets, or in more extreme cases the formation of a second oil like phase. These may accompany the formation of precipitate in "salting out" or "salting in' procedures, but more commonly appear in place of any precipitate. Such phase separations also occur, with even greater frequency, in the presence of polymeric precipitants such as polyethyleneglycol (PEG). In general the appearance of a second liquid phase has been taken as indicative of protein aggregation, though an aggregate state distinctly different from that characteristic of amorphous precipitate. While the latter is thought to be composed of linear and branched assemblies, polymers of a sort, the oil phase suggests a more compact, three-dimensional, but fluid state. An important property of an alternate, fluid phase is that it can mediate transitions between other states, for example, between protein molecules free in solution and protein molecules immobilized in amorphous precipitate or crystals. The "liquid protein" phase can be readily observed in many crystallization experiments either prior to the appearance of visible crystals, or directly participating in the crystal growth process. In some cases the relationship between the liquid phase and developing crystals is intimate. Crystals grow directly from the liquid phase, or appear only after the visible formation of the liquid phase. We describe here our experience with a class of macromolecules, immunoglobulins, and particularly IDEC-151, an IgG specific for CD4 on human lymphocytes. This protein has been crystallized from a Jeffamine-LiSO 4 mother liquor and, its crystallization illustrates many of the features associated with the liquid protein, or protein rich phase.

  8. Comparison of the TIMI and the GRACE risk scores with the extent of coronary artery disease in patients with non-ST-elevation acute coronary syndrome

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mahmood, M.; Achakzai, A.S.; Akhtar, P.; Zaman, K.S.

    2013-01-01

    Objective: To compare the accuracy of the Global Registry of Acute Coronary Events risk score and the Thrombolysis In Myocardial Infarction risk score in predicting the extent of coronary artery disease in patients with non-ST segment elevation acute coronary syndrome. Methods: The cross-sectional study comprising 406 consecutive patients was conducted at the National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases, Karachi, from August 2010 to March 2011. For all patients, the GRACE and TIMI RS's relevant scores on the two indices were calculated on admission using specified variables. The patients underwent coronary angiography to determine the extent of the disease. A significant level was defined as >70% stenosis in any major epicardial artery or >50% stenosis in the left main coronary artery. SPSS 19 was used for statistical analysis. Results: Both the indices showed good predictive value in identifying the extent of the disease. A Thrombolysis In Myocardial Infarction score >4 and Global Registry of Acute Coronary Events score >133 was significantly associated with 3vessel disease and left main disease, while for the former score <4 and latter score <133 was associated with normal or non-obstructive coronary disease (p<0.01). On comparison of the two risk scores, the discriminatory accuracy of the latter was significantly superior to the former in predicting 2vessel, 3vessel and left main diseases (p<0.05). Conclusion: Although both the indices were helpful in predicting the extent of the disease, the Global Registry showed better performance and was more strongly associated with multi-vessel and left main coronary artery disease. (author)

  9. The Brain and Spinal Injury Center score: a novel, simple, and reproducible method for assessing the severity of acute cervical spinal cord injury with axial T2-weighted MRI findings.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Talbott, Jason F; Whetstone, William D; Readdy, William J; Ferguson, Adam R; Bresnahan, Jacqueline C; Saigal, Rajiv; Hawryluk, Gregory W J; Beattie, Michael S; Mabray, Marc C; Pan, Jonathan Z; Manley, Geoffrey T; Dhall, Sanjay S

    2015-10-01

    signal abnormality during the acute phase of the injury. The new score improves on current MRI-based prognostic descriptions for SCI by reflecting functionally and anatomically significant patterns of intramedullary T2 signal abnormality in the axial plane.

  10. Evaluation of variability in high-resolution protein structures by global distance scoring

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Risa Anzai

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available Systematic analysis of the statistical and dynamical properties of proteins is critical to understanding cellular events. Extraction of biologically relevant information from a set of high-resolution structures is important because it can provide mechanistic details behind the functional properties of protein families, enabling rational comparison between families. Most of the current structural comparisons are pairwise-based, which hampers the global analysis of increasing contents in the Protein Data Bank. Additionally, pairing of protein structures introduces uncertainty with respect to reproducibility because it frequently accompanies other settings for superimposition. This study introduces intramolecular distance scoring for the global analysis of proteins, for each of which at least several high-resolution structures are available. As a pilot study, we have tested 300 human proteins and showed that the method is comprehensively used to overview advances in each protein and protein family at the atomic level. This method, together with the interpretation of the model calculations, provide new criteria for understanding specific structural variation in a protein, enabling global comparison of the variability in proteins from different species.

  11. Evaluation of variability in high-resolution protein structures by global distance scoring.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Anzai, Risa; Asami, Yoshiki; Inoue, Waka; Ueno, Hina; Yamada, Koya; Okada, Tetsuji

    2018-01-01

    Systematic analysis of the statistical and dynamical properties of proteins is critical to understanding cellular events. Extraction of biologically relevant information from a set of high-resolution structures is important because it can provide mechanistic details behind the functional properties of protein families, enabling rational comparison between families. Most of the current structural comparisons are pairwise-based, which hampers the global analysis of increasing contents in the Protein Data Bank. Additionally, pairing of protein structures introduces uncertainty with respect to reproducibility because it frequently accompanies other settings for superimposition. This study introduces intramolecular distance scoring for the global analysis of proteins, for each of which at least several high-resolution structures are available. As a pilot study, we have tested 300 human proteins and showed that the method is comprehensively used to overview advances in each protein and protein family at the atomic level. This method, together with the interpretation of the model calculations, provide new criteria for understanding specific structural variation in a protein, enabling global comparison of the variability in proteins from different species.

  12. [Predictive values of different critical scoring systems for mortality in patients with severe acute respiratory failure supported by extracorporeal membrane oxygenation].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, R; Sun, B; Li, X Y; He, H Y; Tang, X; Zhan, Q Y; Tong, Z H

    2016-09-01

    To investigate the predictive values of different critical scoring systems for mortality in patients with severe acute respiratory failure (ARF) supported by venovenous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VV-ECMO). Forty-two patients with severe ARF supported by VV-ECMO were enrolled from November 2009 to July 2015.There were 25 males and 17 females. The mean age was (44±18) years (rang 18-69 years). Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation (APACHE) Ⅱ, Ⅲ, Ⅳ, Simplified Acute Physiology Score Ⅱ (SAPS) Ⅱ, Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA), ECMO net, PRedicting dEath for SEvere ARDS on VVECMO (PRESERVE), and Respiratory ECMO Survival Prediction (RESP) scores were collected within 6 hours before VV-ECMO support. The patients were divided into the survivors group (n=17) and the nonsurvivors group (n=25) by survival at 180 d after receiving VV-ECMO. The patient clinical characteristics and aforementioned scoring systems were compared between groups. Scoring systems for predicting prognosis were assessed using the area under the receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) curve. The Kaplan-Meier method was used to draw the surviving curve, and the survival of the patients was analyzed by the Log-rank test. The risk factors were assessed for prognosis by multiple logistic regression analysis. (1) Positive end expiratory pressure (PEEP) 6 hours prior to VV-ECMO support in the survivors group [(9.7±5.0)cmH2O, (1 cmH2O=0.098 kPa)] was lower than that in the nonsurvivors group [(13.2±5.4)cmH2O, t=-2.134, P=0.039]. VV-ECMO combination with continuous renal replacement therapy(CRRT) in the nonsurvivors group (32%) was used more than in the survivors group (6%, χ(2)=4.100, P=0.043). Duration of VV-ECMO support in the nonsurvivors group [(15±13) d] was longer than that in the survivors group [(12±11)d, t=-2.123, P=0.041]. APACHE Ⅱ, APACHE Ⅲ, APACHE Ⅳ, ECMO net, PRESERVE, and RESP scores in the survivors group were superior to the nonsurvivors

  13. Prognostic Accuracy of the GRACE Score in Octogenarians and Nonagenarians with Acute Coronary Syndromes

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Antonio Mauricio dos Santos Cerqueira Junior

    2018-02-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background: The GRACE Score was derived and validated from a cohort in which octogenarians and nonagenarians were poorly represented. Objective: To test the accuracy of the GRACE score in predicting in-hospital mortality of very elderly individuals with acute coronary syndromes (ACS. Methods: Prospective observational study conducted in the intensive coronary care unit of a tertiary center from September 2011 to August 2016. Patients consecutively admitted due to ACS were selected, and the very elderly group was defined by age ≥ 80 years. The GRACE Score was based on admission data and its accuracy was tested regarding prediction of in-hospital death. Statistical significance was defined by p value < 0,05. Results: A total of 994 individuals was studied, 57% male, 77% with non-ST elevation myocardial infarction and 173 (17% very elderly patients. The mean age of the sample was 65 ± 13 years, and the mean age of very elderly patients subgroup was 85 ± 3.7 years. The C-statistics of the GRACE Score in very elderly patients was 0.86 (95% CI = 0.78 - 0.93, with no difference when compared to the value for younger individuals 0.83 (95% CI = 0.75 - 0.91, with p = 0.69. The calibration of the score in very elderly patients was described by χ2 test of Hosmer-Lemeshow = 2.2 (p = 0.98, while the remaining patients presented χ2 = 9.0 (p = 0.35. Logistic regression analysis for death prediction did not show interaction between GRACE Score and variable of very elderly patients (p = 0.25. Conclusion: The GRACE Score in very elderly patients is accurate in predicting in-hospital ACS mortality, similarly to younger patients.

  14. The Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS-coronavirus 3a protein may function as a modulator of the trafficking properties of the spike protein

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tan Yee-Joo

    2005-02-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background A recent publication reported that a tyrosine-dependent sorting signal, present in cytoplasmic tail of the spike protein of most coronaviruses, mediates the intracellular retention of the spike protein. This motif is missing from the spike protein of the severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus (SARS-CoV, resulting in high level of surface expression of the spike protein when it is expressed on its own in vitro. Presentation of the hypothesis It has been shown that the severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus genome contains open reading frames that encode for proteins with no homologue in other coronaviruses. One of them is the 3a protein, which is expressed during infection in vitro and in vivo. The 3a protein, which contains a tyrosine-dependent sorting signal in its cytoplasmic domain, is expressed on the cell surface and can undergo internalization. In addition, 3a can bind to the spike protein and through this interaction, it may be able to cause the spike protein to become internalized, resulting in a decrease in its surface expression. Testing the hypothesis The effects of 3a on the internalization of cell surface spike protein can be examined biochemically and the significance of the interplay between these two viral proteins during viral infection can be studied using reverse genetics methodology. Implication of the hypothesis If this hypothesis is proven, it will indicate that the severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus modulates the surface expression of the spike protein via a different mechanism from other coronaviruses. The interaction between 3a and S, which are expressed from separate subgenomic RNA, would be important for controlling the trafficking properties of S. The cell surface expression of S in infected cells significantly impacts viral assembly, viral spread and viral pathogenesis. Modulation by this unique pathway could confer certain advantages during the replication of the severe

  15. Bacteraemia and acute phase proteins in Nigerian women with ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    C-reactive protein, alpha–2-macroglobulin, transferrin and bacteraemia were studied in women with recurrent abortion and compared with the pregnant women as well as non-pregnant women with no history of abortion (controls). The results showed a significantly reduced level of transferrin but significantly raised levels of ...

  16. NCACO-score: An effective main-chain dependent scoring function for structure modeling

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Dong Xiaoxi

    2011-05-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Development of effective scoring functions is a critical component to the success of protein structure modeling. Previously, many efforts have been dedicated to the development of scoring functions. Despite these efforts, development of an effective scoring function that can achieve both good accuracy and fast speed still presents a grand challenge. Results Based on a coarse-grained representation of a protein structure by using only four main-chain atoms: N, Cα, C and O, we develop a knowledge-based scoring function, called NCACO-score, that integrates different structural information to rapidly model protein structure from sequence. In testing on the Decoys'R'Us sets, we found that NCACO-score can effectively recognize native conformers from their decoys. Furthermore, we demonstrate that NCACO-score can effectively guide fragment assembly for protein structure prediction, which has achieved a good performance in building the structure models for hard targets from CASP8 in terms of both accuracy and speed. Conclusions Although NCACO-score is developed based on a coarse-grained model, it is able to discriminate native conformers from decoy conformers with high accuracy. NCACO is a very effective scoring function for structure modeling.

  17. Introducing a Clustering Step in a Consensus Approach for the Scoring of Protein-Protein Docking Models

    KAUST Repository

    Chermak, Edrisse; De Donato, Renato; Lensink, Marc F.; Petta, Andrea; Serra, Luigi; Scarano, Vittorio; Cavallo, Luigi; Oliva, Romina

    2016-01-01

    Correctly scoring protein-protein docking models to single out native-like ones is an open challenge. It is also an object of assessment in CAPRI (Critical Assessment of PRedicted Interactions), the community-wide blind docking experiment. We introduced in the field the first pure consensus method, CONSRANK, which ranks models based on their ability to match the most conserved contacts in the ensemble they belong to. In CAPRI, scorers are asked to evaluate a set of available models and select the top ten ones, based on their own scoring approach. Scorers' performance is ranked based on the number of targets/interfaces for which they could provide at least one correct solution. In such terms, blind testing in CAPRI Round 30 (a joint prediction round with CASP11) has shown that critical cases for CONSRANK are represented by targets showing multiple interfaces or for which only a very small number of correct solutions are available. To address these challenging cases, CONSRANK has now been modified to include a contact-based clustering of the models as a preliminary step of the scoring process. We used an agglomerative hierarchical clustering based on the number of common inter-residue contacts within the models. Two criteria, with different thresholds, were explored in the cluster generation, setting either the number of common contacts or of total clusters. For each clustering approach, after selecting the top (most populated) ten clusters, CONSRANK was run on these clusters and the top-ranked model for each cluster was selected, in the limit of 10 models per target. We have applied our modified scoring approach, Clust-CONSRANK, to SCORE_SET, a set of CAPRI scoring models made recently available by CAPRI assessors, and to the subset of homodimeric targets in CAPRI Round 30 for which CONSRANK failed to include a correct solution within the ten selected models. Results show that, for the challenging cases, the clustering step typically enriches the ten top ranked

  18. Introducing a Clustering Step in a Consensus Approach for the Scoring of Protein-Protein Docking Models

    KAUST Repository

    Chermak, Edrisse

    2016-11-15

    Correctly scoring protein-protein docking models to single out native-like ones is an open challenge. It is also an object of assessment in CAPRI (Critical Assessment of PRedicted Interactions), the community-wide blind docking experiment. We introduced in the field the first pure consensus method, CONSRANK, which ranks models based on their ability to match the most conserved contacts in the ensemble they belong to. In CAPRI, scorers are asked to evaluate a set of available models and select the top ten ones, based on their own scoring approach. Scorers\\' performance is ranked based on the number of targets/interfaces for which they could provide at least one correct solution. In such terms, blind testing in CAPRI Round 30 (a joint prediction round with CASP11) has shown that critical cases for CONSRANK are represented by targets showing multiple interfaces or for which only a very small number of correct solutions are available. To address these challenging cases, CONSRANK has now been modified to include a contact-based clustering of the models as a preliminary step of the scoring process. We used an agglomerative hierarchical clustering based on the number of common inter-residue contacts within the models. Two criteria, with different thresholds, were explored in the cluster generation, setting either the number of common contacts or of total clusters. For each clustering approach, after selecting the top (most populated) ten clusters, CONSRANK was run on these clusters and the top-ranked model for each cluster was selected, in the limit of 10 models per target. We have applied our modified scoring approach, Clust-CONSRANK, to SCORE_SET, a set of CAPRI scoring models made recently available by CAPRI assessors, and to the subset of homodimeric targets in CAPRI Round 30 for which CONSRANK failed to include a correct solution within the ten selected models. Results show that, for the challenging cases, the clustering step typically enriches the ten top ranked

  19. Electrocardiographic characteristics and clinical features of acute apical infarction. Analysis by a QRS scoring system

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Seino, Yoshihiko; Nagae, Yasuhiro; Kamei, Shinichiro; Koh, Yoshiki; Tanaka, Keiji; Katoh, Takao; Takano, Teruo; Hayakawa, Hirokazu; Okumura, Hidemasa

    1986-11-01

    Two-dimensional echocardiography and thallium-201 myocardial single photon emission computed tomography were used to detect infarct site in 56 consecutive patients with acute myocardial infarction (MI). The pathophysiology of apical MI at acute stage was studied in relation to ECG changes as determined by a QRS scoring system. On the first hospital day, the group with antero-apical MI (AAp group) had long Q-wave durations in leads V/sub 3/ and V/sub 4/, high QRS scores (QRSs) in leads V/sub 4/ and V/sub 5/, high QRSs in total, and large number of Q waves, as compared with the group with anterior MI (A group). On the 7th day, Q-wave durations in leads V/sub 2/ and V/sub 3/, and QRSs in leads V/sub 4/ and V/sub 5/ were significantly larger in AAp group than A group. Although there was no significant difference between the two groups with respect to blood circulation and peak creatine kinase (CK)/CK-MB at the time of admission, left ventricular ejection function was significantly lower in AAp group than A group. No finding was significantly different between the group with infero-apical MI and the group with inferior MI. QRSs in leads V/sub 4/ and V/sub 5/ was a useful means of diagnosing AAp MI. (Namekawa, K.).

  20. Overestimation of Albumin Measured by Bromocresol Green vs Bromocresol Purple Method: Influence of Acute-Phase Globulins.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Garcia Moreira, Vanessa; Beridze Vaktangova, Nana; Martinez Gago, Maria Dolores; Laborda Gonzalez, Belen; Garcia Alonso, Sara; Fernandez Rodriguez, Eloy

    2018-05-22

    Usually serum albumin is measured with dye-binding assay as bromocresol green (BCG) and bromocresol purple (BCP) methods. The aim of this paper was to examine the differences in albumin measurements between the Advia2400 BCG method (AlbBCG), Dimension RxL BCP (AlbBCP) and capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE). Albumin concentrations from 165 serum samples were analysed using AlbBCG, AlbBCP and CZE. CZE was employed to estimate different serum protein fractions. Influence of globulins on albumin concentration discrepancies between methods was estimated as well as the impact of the albumin method on aCa concentrations. Medcalc was employed for statistical analysis, setting a value of P albumin concentrations. AlbBCG were positively biased versus CZE (3.54 g/L). There was good agreement between CZE and ALbBCP (Albumin results from the BCP and BCG methods may result in unacceptable differences and clinical confusion, especially at lower albumin concentrations. Serum acute phase proteins contribute to overestimating the albumin concentration using AlbBCG.

  1. Factors associated with IQ scores in long-term survivors of childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Robison, L.L.; Nesbit, M.E. Jr.; Sather, H.N.; Meadows, A.T.; Ortega, J.A.; Hammond, G.D.

    1984-01-01

    To identify factors which might be associated with intellectual function following treatment for childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia, 50 long-term survivors were studied using the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised. All patients were diagnosed between 1972 and 1974 and were treated on a single clinical trial protocol with identical induction and maintenance chemotherapy plus central nervous system prophylaxis that included cranial radiation. The mean full scale IQ score for the group was 95 (SEM 2.0), with mean verbal IQ of 94.4 and mean performance IQ of 96.9. Factors which were found to be closely associated with a lower IQ score included female sex (in both verbal IQ and full-scale IQ), longer duration of chemotherapy (in performance IQ), and younger age at the time of radiation (in both verbal IQ and full-scale IQ). The age at the time of radiation was found to be significantly correlated with discrepancy between verbal and performance IQ, with younger age being associated with verbal IQ scores higher than performance IQ scores. When analyses were performed within specific subgroups of patients defined by sex and age at the time of radiation, dose of cranial radiation, concomitant intrathecal methotrexate therapy, and duration of therapy were all found to be correlated with a lower level of intellectual function. These preliminary findings provide direction for future studies to help identify high-risk patients

  2. Liver and muscle protein metabolism in cachexia

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Peters, J.A.C.

    2009-01-01

    Up to 50% of cancer patients suffer from progressive weight loss (cachexia). Cachexia is induced by proinflammatory mediators (cytokines), induced by the tumor’s presence. These cytokines induce so-called acute phase protein synthesis by the liver, followed by skeletal muscle protein breakdown.

  3. Optimizing cutoff scores for the Barthel Index and the modified Rankin Scale for defining outcome in acute stroke trials

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Uyttenboogaart, Maarten; Stewart, Roy E; Vroomen, Patrick C A J; De Keyser, Jacques; Luijckx, Gert-Jan

    Background and Purpose - There is little agreement on how to assess outcome in acute stroke trials. Cutoff scores for the Barthel Index (BI) and modified Rankin Scale (mRS) are frequently arbitrarily chosen to dichotomize favorable and unfavorable outcome. We investigated sensitivity and specificity

  4. Virtual histology study of atherosclerotic plaque composition in patients with stable angina and acute phase of acute coronary syndromes without ST segment elevation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ivanović Miloš

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available Introduction. Rupture of vulnerable atherosclerotic plaques is the cause of most acute coronary syndromes (ACS. Postmortem studies which compared stable coronary lesions and atherosclerotic plaques in patients who have died because of ACS indicated high lipid-core content as one of the major determinants of plaque vulnerability. Objective. Our primary goal was to assess the potential relations of plaque composition determined by IVUS-VH (Intravascular Ultrasound - Virtual Histology in patients with stable angina and subjects in acute phase of ACS without ST segment elevation. Methods. The study comprised of 40 patients who underwent preintervention IVUS examination. Tissue maps were reconstructed from radio frequency data using IVUS-VH software. Results. We analyzed 53 lesions in 40 patients. Stable angina was diagnosed in 24 patients (29 lesions, while acute phase of ACS without ST elevation was diagnosed in 16 patients (24 lesions. In the patients in acute phase of ACS without ST segment elevation IVUS-VH examination showed a significantly larger area of the necrotic core at the site of minimal lumen area and a larger mean of the necrotic core volume in the entire lesion comparing to stable angina subjects (1.84±0.90 mm2 vs. 0.96±0.69 mm2; p<0.001 and 20.94±15.79 mm3 vs. 11.54±14.15 mm3; p<0.05 respectively. Conclusion. IVUS-VH detected that the necrotic core was significantly larger in atherosclerotic lesions in patients in acute phase of ACS without ST elevation comparing to the stable angina subjects and that it could be considered as a marker of plaque vulnerability.

  5. Acute versus chronic phase mechanisms in a rat model of CRPS.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wei, Tzuping; Guo, Tian-Zhi; Li, Wen-Wu; Kingery, Wade S; Clark, John David

    2016-01-19

    Tibia fracture followed by cast immobilization in rats evokes nociceptive, vascular, epidermal, and bone changes resembling complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS). In most cases, CRPS has three stages. Over time, this acute picture, allodynia, warmth, and edema observed at 4 weeks, gives way to a cold, dystrophic but still painful limb. In the acute phase (at 4 weeks post fracture), cutaneous immunological and NK1-receptor signaling mechanisms underlying CRPS have been discovered; however, the mechanisms responsible for the chronic phase are still unknown. The purpose of this study is to understand the mechanisms responsible for the chronic phases of CRPS (at 16 weeks post fracture) at both the peripheral and central levels. We used rat tibial fracture/cast immobilization model of CRPS to study molecular, vascular, and nociceptive changes at 4 and 16 weeks post fracture. Immunoassays and Western blotting were carried out to monitor changes in inflammatory response and NK1-receptor signaling in the skin and spinal cord. Skin temperature and thickness were measured to elucidate vascular changes, whereas von Frey testing and unweighting were carried out to study nociceptive changes. All data were analyzed by one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) followed by Neuman-Keuls multiple comparison test to compare among all cohorts. In the acute phase (at 4 weeks post fracture), hindpaw allodynia, unweighting, warmth, edema, and/or epidermal thickening were observed among 90 % fracture rats, though by 16 weeks (chronic phase), only the nociceptive changes persisted. The expression of the neuropeptide signaling molecule substance P (SP), NK1 receptor, inflammatory mediators TNFα, IL-1β, and IL-6 and nerve growth factor (NGF) were elevated at 4 weeks in sciatic nerve and/or skin, returning to normal levels by 16 weeks post fracture. The systemic administration of a peripherally restricted IL-1 receptor antagonist (anakinra) or of anti-NGF inhibited nociceptive behaviors at 4

  6. Therapeutical effect on blood-flow in three-phase scanning in primary malignant tumours and acute osteomyelitis

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kovacic, K; Kusic, Z [Clinical Hospital Sestre Milosrdnice, Zagreb (Croatia). Dept. of Oncology and Nuclear Medicine; Cepulic, M [Children` s Hospital, Zagreb (Croatia)

    1994-10-01

    In the studies where the bone scan was limited only to the late static image, the main disadvantage was its nonspecifity. With three-phase bone scan the number of false positive findings was reduced by some peculiar diseases; for instance, acute hematogenous osteomyelitis. It is well known that various diseases, such as nonunion of the fracture, some surgical interventions, avascular necrosis... can imitate acute osteomyelitis on the static image. These diseases can only be differentiated from inflammation by blood-flow. Therefore, in all patients with the diagnosis of primary bone disease tumor, inflammation, trauma, aseptic necrosis... three-phase bone scintigraphy is performed. Here, only the patients with acute osteomyelitis and primary malignant bone tumors will be presented: the basic scintigram was done before the therapy started, and the second one as a part of the follow-up - in some patients during the therapy and in some after its ending. We noticed that the most reliable part of three-phase bone scan responding to the therapy is angioscintigraphy (blood-flow) and in some cases early static (blood-pool) image. These two phases, especially the first one, are in good correlation with the clinic, in contrast to the third phase which is delayed. From the presented cases it could be concluded that in acute osteomyelitis and primary malignant tumors, blood-flow and blood-pool images are unavoidable phases of the bone scanning when we want to correctly evaluate the effects of the therapy. (author).

  7. Management of pemphigus vulgaris during acute phase

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kar P

    2003-03-01

    Full Text Available We present our experience with 21 patients of pemphigus vulgaris seen over a period of 10 years managed in service hospitals during acute phase of the disease. Age groups of patients ranged from 25-45 years. Eighteen (85.7% were young adults, 30-40 years of age. Fifteen (71.4% were men and 6(28.6% were women. All the cases were hospitalized in ICU, till the acute phase of the disease subsided. Complete hematological profile, urinalysis, serum biochemistry and repeated bacterial cultures from the skin were carried out in all patients at the time of admission and thereafter weekly. The treatment comprised of potassium permanganate lotion bath (1:10000 and 1 framycetin gauze dressing of the denuded areas, maintenance of fluid and electrolyte balance. All suspected infections and septicemia were treated with appropriate antibiotics. The corticosteroids were usually administered as a single dose of prednisolone 1 mg/kg/day. Cyclophosphamide was given at an initial dose of 50mg/day and the dose was escalated to 100mg/day. Once the bulk of the lesions were healed, the dose of corticosteroids was gradually lowered by approximately 50% every two weeks and cyclophosphamide was continued till patients were symptomfree. Out of 21 patients receiving corticosteroids, cyclophosphamide and other supportive therapy, 20(95% had undergone clinical resolution of the disease. During follow up study 15(71.4% patients remained symptom-free and undergone clinical remission. Five patients (23.8% had relapse, out of which 4(19% remained symptom free, after subsequent treatment. There was one death (4.7% in our study.

  8. Selected acute phase CSF factors in ischemic stroke: findings and prognostic value

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    Intskirveli Nino

    2011-03-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Study aimed at investigation of pathogenic role and prognostic value of several selected cerebrospinal fluid acute phase factors that can reflect the severity of ischemic brain damage. Methods Ninety five acute ischemic stroke patients were investigated. Ischemic region visualized at the twenty fourth hour by conventional Magnetic Resonance Imaging. Stroke severity evaluated by National Institute Health Stroke Scale. One month outcome of disease was assessed by Barthel Index. Cerebrospinal fluid was taken at the sixth hour of stroke onset. CSF pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines were studied by Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay. Nitric Oxide and Lipoperoxide radical were measured by Electron Paramagnetic Resonance. CSF Nitrate levels were detected using the Griess reagent. Statistics performed by SPSS-11.0. Results At the sixth hour of stroke onset, cerebrospinal fluid cytokine levels were elevated in patients against controls. Severe stroke patients had increased interleukin-6 content compared to less severe strokes (P Conclusion According to present study the cerebrospinal fluid contents of interleukin-6 and nitrates seem to be the most reliable prognostic factors in acute phase of ischemic stroke.

  9. Acute myotube protein synthesis regulation by IL-6-related cytokines.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gao, Song; Durstine, J Larry; Koh, Ho-Jin; Carver, Wayne E; Frizzell, Norma; Carson, James A

    2017-11-01

    IL-6 and leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF), members of the IL-6 family of cytokines, play recognized paradoxical roles in skeletal muscle mass regulation, being associated with both growth and atrophy. Overload or muscle contractions can induce a transient increase in muscle IL-6 and LIF expression, which has a regulatory role in muscle hypertrophy. However, the cellular mechanisms involved in this regulation have not been completely identified. The induction of mammalian target of rapamycin complex 1 (mTORC1)-dependent myofiber protein synthesis is an established regulator of muscle hypertrophy, but the involvement of the IL-6 family of cytokines in this process is poorly understood. Therefore, we investigated the acute effects of IL-6 and LIF administration on mTORC1 signaling and protein synthesis in C2C12 myotubes. The role of glycoprotein 130 (gp130) receptor and downstream signaling pathways, including phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K)-Akt-mTORC1 and signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3)-suppressor of cytokine signaling 3 (SOCS3), was investigated by administration of specific siRNA or pharmaceutical inhibitors. Acute administration of IL-6 and LIF induced protein synthesis, which was accompanied by STAT3 activation, Akt-mTORC1 activation, and increased SOCS3 expression. This induction of protein synthesis was blocked by both gp130 siRNA knockdown and Akt inhibition. Interestingly, STAT3 inhibition or Akt downstream mTORC1 signaling inhibition did not fully block the IL-6 or LIF induction of protein synthesis. SOCS3 siRNA knockdown increased basal protein synthesis and extended the duration of the protein synthesis induction by IL-6 and LIF. These results demonstrate that either IL-6 or LIF can activate gp130-Akt signaling axis, which induces protein synthesis via mTORC1-independent mechanisms in cultured myotubes. However, IL-6- or LIF-induced SOCS3 negatively regulates the activation of myotube protein synthesis. Copyright © 2017 the

  10. EEG patterns from acute to chronic stroke phases in focal cerebral ischemic rats: correlations with functional recovery.

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    Zhang, Shao-jie; Ke, Zheng; Li, Le; Yip, Shea-ping; Tong, Kai-yu

    2013-04-01

    Monitoring the neural activities from the ischemic penumbra provides critical information on neurological recovery after stroke. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the temporal alterations of neural activities using electroencephalography (EEG) from the acute phase to the chronic phase, and to compare EEG with the degree of post-stroke motor function recovery in a rat model of focal ischemic stroke. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were subjected to 90 min transient middle cerebral artery occlusion surgery followed by reperfusion for seven days (n = 58). The EEG signals were recorded at the pre-stroke phase (0 h), acute phase (3, 6 h), subacute phase (12, 24, 48, 72 h) and chronic phase (96, 120, 144, 168 h) (n = 8). This study analyzed post-stroke seizures and polymorphic delta activities (PDAs) and calculated quantitative EEG parameters such as the alpha-to-delta ratio (ADR). The ADR represented the ratio between alpha power and delta power, which indicated how fast the EEG activities were. Forelimb and hindlimb motor functions were measured by De Ryck's test and the beam walking test, respectively. In the acute phase, delta power increased fourfold with the occurrence of PDAs, and the histological staining showed that the infarct was limited to the striatum and secondary sensory cortex. In the subacute phase, the alpha power reduced to 50% of the baseline, and the infarct progressed to the forelimb cortical region. ADRs reduced from 0.23 ± 0.09 to 0.04 ± 0.01 at 3 h in the acute phase and gradually recovered to 0.22 ± 0.08 at 168 h in the chronic phase. In the comparison of correlations between the EEG parameters and the limb motor function from the acute phase to the chronic phase, ADRs were found to have the highest correlation coefficients with the beam walking test (r = 0.9524, p test (r = 0.8077, p < 0.05). This study measured EEG activities after focal cerebral ischemia and showed that functional recovery was closely correlated with the neural

  11. EEG patterns from acute to chronic stroke phases in focal cerebral ischemic rats: correlations with functional recovery

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhang, Shao-jie; Ke, Zheng; Tong, Kai-yu; Li, Le; Yip, Shea-ping

    2013-01-01

    Monitoring the neural activities from the ischemic penumbra provides critical information on neurological recovery after stroke. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the temporal alterations of neural activities using electroencephalography (EEG) from the acute phase to the chronic phase, and to compare EEG with the degree of post-stroke motor function recovery in a rat model of focal ischemic stroke. Male Sprague–Dawley rats were subjected to 90 min transient middle cerebral artery occlusion surgery followed by reperfusion for seven days (n = 58). The EEG signals were recorded at the pre-stroke phase (0 h), acute phase (3, 6 h), subacute phase (12, 24, 48, 72 h) and chronic phase (96, 120, 144, 168 h) (n = 8). This study analyzed post-stroke seizures and polymorphic delta activities (PDAs) and calculated quantitative EEG parameters such as the alpha-to-delta ratio (ADR). The ADR represented the ratio between alpha power and delta power, which indicated how fast the EEG activities were. Forelimb and hindlimb motor functions were measured by De Ryck's test and the beam walking test, respectively. In the acute phase, delta power increased fourfold with the occurrence of PDAs, and the histological staining showed that the infarct was limited to the striatum and secondary sensory cortex. In the subacute phase, the alpha power reduced to 50% of the baseline, and the infarct progressed to the forelimb cortical region. ADRs reduced from 0.23 ± 0.09 to 0.04 ± 0.01 at 3 h in the acute phase and gradually recovered to 0.22 ± 0.08 at 168 h in the chronic phase. In the comparison of correlations between the EEG parameters and the limb motor function from the acute phase to the chronic phase, ADRs were found to have the highest correlation coefficients with the beam walking test (r = 0.9524, p < 0.05) and De Ryck's test (r = 0.8077, p < 0.05). This study measured EEG activities after focal cerebral ischemia and showed that functional recovery was closely

  12. Delirium in the acute phase after stroke: comparison between methods of detection.

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    Infante, Maria Teresa; Pardini, Matteo; Balestrino, Maurizio; Finocchi, Cinzia; Malfatto, Laura; Bellelli, Giuseppe; Mancardi, Giovanni Luigi; Gandolfo, Carlo; Serrati, Carlo

    2017-06-01

    Delirium is an acute neuropsychiatric syndrome, very common in hospitalized people with medical and neurological conditions. The identification of delirium after stroke is not an easy task and validated psychometric instruments are needed to correctly identify it. We decided to verify if (1) formal training in DSM-V criteria is needed to correctly identify post-stroke delirium, (2) if the use of a brief psychometric instrument such as 4AT improves its identification, (3) the applicability of these scales in the stroke setting. In the first phase of this study we retrospectively studied 102 acute stroke patients in Stroke Units of San Martino Hospital (Genova, Italy) to evaluate delirium with clinical criteria, first by a neurologist without a formal training in DSM-V criteria and after training. Then, we enrolled 100 new acute stroke patients who underwent screening for delirium using 4AT scale and DSM-V criteria. In the first phase, DSM-V criteria training significantly increased the ability to capture delirium (5 vs. 15%). In the second phase, the 4AT was used for delirium screening revealing a 52% of cases of delirium, the same observed by the consensus diagnosis of two senior neurologists (that was 50%). In the second phase, the use of 4AT scale allowed to capture post-stroke delirium as well as the consensus diagnosis by two neurologists. The identification of post-stroke delirium is not an easy task and requires both formal training in DSM-V criteria as well as the application of brief scales, such as the 4AT.

  13. PLASS: Protein-ligand affinity statistical score a knowledge-based force-field model of interaction derived from the PDB

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ozrin, V. D.; Subbotin, M. V.; Nikitin, S. M.

    2004-04-01

    We have developed PLASS (Protein-Ligand Affinity Statistical Score), a pair-wise potential of mean-force for rapid estimation of the binding affinity of a ligand molecule to a protein active site. This scoring function is derived from the frequency of occurrence of atom-type pairs in crystallographic complexes taken from the Protein Data Bank (PDB). Statistical distributions are converted into distance-dependent contributions to the Gibbs free interaction energy for 10 atomic types using the Boltzmann hypothesis, with only one adjustable parameter. For a representative set of 72 protein-ligand structures, PLASS scores correlate well with the experimentally measured dissociation constants: a correlation coefficient R of 0.82 and RMS error of 2.0 kcal/mol. Such high accuracy results from our novel treatment of the volume correction term, which takes into account the inhomogeneous properties of the protein-ligand complexes. PLASS is able to rank reliably the affinity of complexes which have as much diversity as in the PDB.

  14. The MASP family of Trypanosoma cruzi: changes in gene expression and antigenic profile during the acute phase of experimental infection.

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    Sara Lopes dos Santos

    Full Text Available Trypanosoma cruzi is the etiological agent of Chagas disease, a debilitating illness that affects millions of people in the Americas. A major finding of the T. cruzi genome project was the discovery of a novel multigene family composed of approximately 1,300 genes that encode mucin-associated surface proteins (MASPs. The high level of polymorphism of the MASP family associated with its localization at the surface of infective forms of the parasite suggests that MASP participates in host-parasite interactions. We speculate that the large repertoire of MASP sequences may contribute to the ability of T. cruzi to infect several host cell types and/or participate in host immune evasion mechanisms.By sequencing seven cDNA libraries, we analyzed the MASP expression profile in trypomastigotes derived from distinct host cells and after sequential passages in acutely infected mice. Additionally, to investigate the MASP antigenic profile, we performed B-cell epitope prediction on MASP proteins and designed a MASP-specific peptide array with 110 putative epitopes, which was screened with sera from acutely infected mice.We observed differential expression of a few MASP genes between trypomastigotes derived from epithelial and myoblast cell lines. The more pronounced MASP expression changes were observed between bloodstream and tissue-culture trypomastigotes and between bloodstream forms from sequential passages in acutely infected mice. Moreover, we demonstrated that different MASP members were expressed during the acute T. cruzi infection and constitute parasite antigens that are recognized by IgG and IgM antibodies. We also found that distinct MASP peptides could trigger different antibody responses and that the antibody level against a given peptide may vary after sequential passages in mice. We speculate that changes in the large repertoire of MASP antigenic peptides during an infection may contribute to the evasion of host immune responses during the

  15. Mixed-mode reversed phase/positively charged repulsion chromatography for intact protein separation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ding, Ling; Guo, Zhimou; Hu, Zhuo; Liang, Xinmiao

    2017-05-10

    A mixed-mode reversed phase/positively charged repulsion stationary phase C8PN composed of octyl and amino group has been developed for separation of intact protein. Before the separation of proteins, a set of probe compounds were employed to evaluate the chromatographic properties of C8PN, demonstrating typical reversed phase/positively charged repulsion interaction on this stationary phase as estimated. Then the new C8PN stationary phase was used to separate a standard protein mixture on the reversed phase mode. Compared with a commercial C4 stationary phase, it showed different selectivity for some proteins. In order to better understand the properties of C8PN, the effect of acetonitrile content was investigated based on retention equation. Higher values of the equation parameters on C8PN demonstrated that the protein retentions were more sensitive to the change of acetonitrile content. Besides, the influences of buffer salt additives on the protein retentions were also studied. The retention factors of the proteins got larger with the increase of buffer salt concentration, which confirmed the positively charged repulsion interaction on the column. Finally, the C8PN was further applied to separate oxidized- and reduced- forms of Recombinant Human Growth Hormone. Our study indicated the advantages and application potential of mixed-mode reversed phase/positively charged repulsion stationary phase for intact protein separation. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  16. Physical anhedonia in the acute phase of schizophrenia

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    Petridou Eleni

    2006-01-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background The aim of the current study is to investigate the relationship between physical anhedonia and psychopathological parameters, pharmacological parameters or motor side-effects in a sample of inpatients with schizophrenia in an acute episode of their illness. Method Eighty one patients with schizophrenia, consecutively admitted, with an acute episode of their illness, at the Eginition Hospital, Department of Psychiatry, University of Athens, during a one-year period were investigated regarding possible relationships between physical anhedonia, social-demographic data and clinical parameters as well as motor side-effects, induced by antipsychotic agents. All patients were assessed using the Chapman Revised Physical Anhedonia Scale (RPAS, the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS, the Rating Scale for Extrapyramidal Side-Effects (EPSE, the Barnes Akathisia Rating Scale (BARS and the Abnormal Involuntary Movement Scale (AIMS. Simple cross tabulations were initially employed. Subsequently, multiple regression analysis was performed. Results Both positive and negative symptoms were associated with physical anhedonia. A positive association between physical anhedonia and the non-paranoid sub-category of schizophrenia was also proved. Conclusion According to these results, it seems that in the acute phase of schizophrenia, physical anhedonia may be a contributing factor to patient's psychopathology.

  17. Physiologic and systemic acute phase inflammatory responses in young horses repeatedly infected with cyathostomins and Strongylus vulgaris.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Andersen, U V; Reinemeyer, C R; Toft, N; Olsen, S N; Jacobsen, S; Nielsen, M K

    2014-03-17

    Migrating Strongylus vulgaris and encysted cyathostomin larvae cause a localized inflammatory response in horses. It is unknown whether these larvae elicit a systemic acute phase response (APR), evidenced by changes in serum amyloid A (SAA), haptoglobin (Hp), iron (Fe), albumin, or albumin/globulin (A/G) ratio. In this study, 28 horses were randomly allocated to receive either pyrantel tartrate or a pelleted placebo formulation in their daily feed. Concurrent with treatment, all the horses were administered 5000 pyrantel-susceptible cyathostomin infective larvae once daily, 5 days a week, for 24 weeks. Beginning in the fifth week, the horses also received 25 S. vulgaris larvae once weekly for the remainder of the study. At regular biweekly intervals, fecal samples were collected for quantitative egg counts, and whole blood and serum samples were collected for measurement of packed cell volume, total protein, albumin, globulin, A/G ratio, SAA, Hp, and Fe. On days 161-164, all the horses were euthanatized and necropsied. Samples were collected for enumeration of total luminal worm burdens, encysted cyathostomin larval populations, and migrating S. vulgaris larvae. Concentrations of Hp, Fe, and A/G ratio were associated significantly with strongyle burdens. Only treated male horses had significant increases in serum albumin. Larval S. vulgaris did not associate with Fe, whereas Fe was associated negatively with both total cyathostomin burdens and encysted L4s. The A/G ratios differed significantly between the two treatment groups. Significant differences between groups and individual time points were also observed for Hp and Fe, whereas SAA concentrations remained low throughout the study. In general, this study illustrated that experimental inoculations with S. vulgaris and cyathostomins may be associated with changes in Hp, Fe, and serum proteins, but not with SAA. Overall, these changes suggest that mixed strongyle infections elicit a mild acute phase reaction

  18. A prospective phase II trial of EGCG in treatment of acute radiation-induced esophagitis for stage III lung cancer

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhao, Hanxi; Xie, Peng; Li, Xiaolin; Zhu, Wanqi; Sun, Xindong; Sun, Xiaorong; Chen, Xiaoting; Xing, Ligang; Yu, Jinming

    2015-01-01

    Background: Acute radiation-induced esophagitis (ARIE) is one of main toxicities complicated by thoracic radiotherapy, influencing patients’ quality of life and radiotherapy proceeding seriously. It is difficult to be cured rapidly so far. Our phase I trial preliminarily showed that EGCG may be a promising strategy in the treatment of ARIE. Materials and methods: We prospectively enrolled patients with stage III lung cancer from the Shandong Tumor Hospital & Institute in China from January 2013 to September 2014. All patients received concurrent or sequential chemo-radiotherapy, or radiotherapy only. EGCG was administrated once ARIE appeared. EGCG was given with the concentration of 440 μmol/L during radiotherapy and additionally two weeks after radiotherapy. RTOG score, dysphagia and pain related to esophagitis were recorded every week. Results: Thirty-seven patients with stage IIIA and IIIB lung cancer were enrolled in this trial. In comparison to the original, the RTOG score in the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th week after EGCG prescription and the 1st, 2nd week after radiotherapy decreased significantly (P = 0.002, 0.000, 0.000, 0.001, 0.102, 0.000, 0.000, respectively). The pain score of each week was significantly lower than the baseline (P = 0.000, 0.000, 0.000, 0.000, 0.006, 0.000, 0.000, respectively). Conclusion: This trial confirmed that the oral administration of EGCG is an effective and safe method to deal with ARIE. A phase III randomized controlled trial is expected to further corroborate the consequence of EGCG in ARIE treatment

  19. Influence of Acute High Glucose on Protein Abundance Changes in Murine Glomerular Mesangial Cells

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    Michelle T. Barati

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available The effects of acute exposure to high glucose levels as experienced by glomerular mesangial cells in postprandial conditions and states such as in prediabetes were investigated using proteomic methods. Two-dimensional gel electrophoresis and matrix assisted laser desorption ionization time of flight mass spectrometry methods were used to identify protein expression patterns in immortalized rat mesangial cells altered by 2 h high glucose (HG growth conditions as compared to isoosmotic/normal glucose control (NG⁎ conditions. Unique protein expression changes at 2 h HG treatment were measured for 51 protein spots. These proteins could be broadly grouped into two categories: (1 proteins involved in cell survival/cell signaling and (2 proteins involved in stress response. Immunoblot experiments for a protein belonging to both categories, prohibitin (PHB, supported a trend for increased total expression as well as significant increases in an acidic PHB isoform. Additional studies confirmed the regulation of proteasomal subunit alpha-type 2 and the endoplasmic reticulum chaperone and oxidoreductase PDI (protein disulfide isomerase, suggesting altered ER protein folding capacity and proteasomal function in response to acute HG. We conclude that short term high glucose induces subtle changes in protein abundances suggesting posttranslational modifications and regulation of pathways involved in proteostasis.

  20. Computed Tomography Perfusion Alberta Stroke Program Early Computed Tomography Score Is Associated with Hemorrhagic Transformation after Acute Cardioembolic Stroke

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    Lan Liu

    2017-11-01

    Full Text Available Alberta Stroke Program Early Computed Tomography (CT score (ASPECTS has been applied to CT perfusion (CTP with good interrater agreement to predict early ischemic stroke, and it can be useful in decision making in acute ischemic stroke. The aim of the present study was to assess the predictive value of CTP ASPECTS of hemorrhagic transformation (HT in acute cardioembolic stroke. This is a single-enter, retrospective study. All patients hospitalized with acute cardioembolic stroke from January 2008 to September 2013 were included. ASPECTS of baseline non-contrast CT, CTP maps of cerebral blood volume (CBV, cerebral blood flow, and mean transit time were collected from 52 consecutive patients with less than 12-h anterior circulation ischemic stroke. MRI scan was performed within 72 h of symptom onset after index stroke including T2*-weighted gradient echo to identify HT. For bleeding risk assessment, CTP and diffusion-weighted imaging ASPECTS were categorized into 0–7 or 8–10. Baseline characteristics, ASPCETS scores and HT were compared. Eighteen (34.6% patients had HT and four (7.7% developed symptomatic HT. On univariate analysis, the proportion of patients with CBV-ASPECTS 0–7 was significantly higher in HT patients as compared to patients without HT (44 versus 9%, P = 0.005. CBV ASPECTS 0–7 remained independent prognostic factors for HT after adjustment for clinical baseline variables. CBV ASPECTS could be of value to predict HT risk after acute cardioembolic stroke and may be a quick risk assessment approach before reperfusion therapy.

  1. Ultrastructural and biochemical evidence for the presence of mature steroidogenic acute regulatory protein (StAR) in the cytoplasm of human luteal cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sierralta, Walter D; Kohen, Paulina; Castro, Olga; Muñoz, Alex; Strauss, Jerome F; Devoto, Luigi

    2005-10-20

    The distribution of the steroidogenic acute regulatory protein (StAR) inside thecal and granulosa-lutein cells of human corpus luteum (CL) was assessed by immunoelectron microscopy. We found greater levels of StAR immunolabeling in steroidogenic cells from early- and mid-than in late luteal phase CL and lower levels in cells from women treated with a GnRH antagonist in the mid-luteal phase. Immunoelectron microscopy revealed significant levels of StAR antigen in the mitochondria and in the cytoplasm of luteal cells. The 30 kDa mature StAR protein was present in both mitochondria and cytosol (post-mitochondrial) fractions from homogenates of CL at different ages, whereas cytochrome c and mitochondrial HSP70 were detected only in the mitochondrial fraction. Therefore, we hypothesized that either appreciable processing of StAR 37 kDa pre-protein occurs outside the mitochondria, or mature StAR protein is selectively released into the cytoplasm after mitochondrial processing. The presence of mature StAR in the cytoplasm is consonant with the notion that StAR acts on the outer mitochondrial membrane to effect sterol import, and that StAR may interact with other cytoplasmic proteins involved in cholesterol metabolism, including hormone sensitive lipase.

  2. Changes in protein expression in testes of L2 strain Taiwan country chickens in response to acute heat stress.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Shih-Han; Cheng, Chuen-Yu; Chen, Chao-Jung; Chen, Hsin-Hsin; Tang, Pin-Chi; Chen, Chih-Feng; Lee, Yen-Pai; Huang, San-Yuan

    2014-07-01

    Heat stress causes a decrease of fertility in roosters. Yet, the way acute heat stress affects protein expression remains poorly understood. This study investigated differential protein expression in testes of the L2 strain of Taiwan country chickens following acute heat stress. Twelve 45-week-old roosters were allocated into four groups, including control roosters kept at 25 °C, roosters subjected to 38 °C acute heat stress for 4 hours without recovery, with 2 hours of recovery, and with 6 hours of recovery. Testis samples were collected for morphologic assay and protein analysis. Some of the differentially expressed proteins were validated by Western blot and immunohistochemistry. Abnormal and apoptotic spermatogenic cells were observed at 2 hours of recovery after acute heat stress, especially among the spermatocytes. Two-dimensional difference gel electrophoresis revealed that 119 protein spots were differentially expressed in chicken testes following heat stress, and peptide mass fingerprinting revealed that these spots contained 92 distinct proteins. In the heat-stressed samples, the heat shock proteins, chaperonin containing t-complex, and proteasome subunits were downregulated, and glutathione S-transferase, transgelin, and DJ-1 were upregulated. Our results demonstrate that acute heat stress impairs the processes of translation, protein folding, and protein degradation, and thus results in apoptosis and interferes with spermatogenesis. On the other hand, the increased expression of antioxidant enzymes, including glutathione S-transferase and DJ-1, may attenuate heat-induced damage. These findings may have implications for breeding chickens that can tolerate more extreme conditions. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  3. Usefulness of acute phase proteins in differentiating between feline infectious peritonitis and other diseases in cats with body cavity effusions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hazuchova, Katarina; Held, Susanne; Neiger, Reto

    2017-08-01

    Objectives The aim of this study was to evaluate the measurement of acute phase proteins (APPs) as a diagnostic tool to differentiate between feline infectious peritonitis (FIP) and other diseases in cats with body cavity effusions. Methods Cats with pleural, abdominal or pericardial effusion were prospectively enrolled. Cats were classified as having or not having FIP based on immunohistochemistry (if available) or a sophisticated statistical method using machine learning methodology with concepts from game theory. Cats without FIP were further subdivided into three subgroups: cardiac disease, neoplasia and other diseases. Serum amyloid A (SAA), haptoglobin (Hp) and α 1 -acid glycoprotein (AGP) were measured in serum and effusion, using assays previously validated in cats. Results Serum and effusion samples were available for the measurement of APPs from 88 and 67 cats, respectively. Concentrations of the APPs in serum and effusion were significantly different in cats with and without FIP ( P <0.001 for all three APPs). The best APP to distinguish between cats with and without FIP was AGP in the effusion; a cut-off value of 1550 µg/ml had a sensitivity and specificity of 93% each for diagnosing FIP. Conclusions and relevance AGP, particularly if measured in effusion, was found to be useful in differentiating between FIP and other diseases, while SAA and Hp were not. The concentration of all three APPs in some diseases (eg, septic processes, disseminated neoplasia) was as high as in cats with FIP; therefore, none of these can be recommended as a single diagnostic test for FIP.

  4. Predictive values of urine paraquat concentration, dose of poison, arterial blood lactate and APACHE II score in the prognosis of patients with acute paraquat poisoning.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Xiao-Wei; Ma, Tao; Li, Lu-Lu; Qu, Bo; Liu, Zhi

    2017-07-01

    The present study investigated the predictive values of urine paraquat (PQ) concentration, dose of poison, arterial blood lactate and Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation (APACHE) II score in the prognosis of patients with acute PQ poisoning. A total of 194 patients with acute PQ poisoning, hospitalized between April 2012 and January 2014 at the First Affiliated Hospital of P.R. China Medical University (Shenyang, China), were selected and divided into survival and mortality groups. Logistic regression analysis, receiver operator characteristic (ROC) curve analysis and Kaplan-Meier curve were applied to evaluate the values of urine paraquat (PQ) concentration, dose of poison, arterial blood lactate and (APACHE) II score for predicting the prognosis of patients with acute PQ poisoning. Initial urine PQ concentration (C0), dose of poison, arterial blood lactate and APACHE II score of patients in the mortality group were significantly higher compared with the survival group (all Ppoison and arterial blood lactate correlated with mortality risk of acute PQ poisoning (all Ppoison, arterial blood lactate and APACHE II score in predicting the mortality of patients within 28 days were 0.921, 0.887, 0.808 and 0.648, respectively. The AUC of C0 for predicting early and delayed mortality were 0.890 and 0.764, respectively. The AUC values of urine paraquat concentration the day after poisoning (Csec) and the rebound rate of urine paraquat concentration in predicting the mortality of patients within 28 days were 0.919 and 0.805, respectively. The 28-day survival rate of patients with C0 ≤32.2 µg/ml (42/71; 59.2%) was significantly higher when compared with patients with C0 >32.2 µg/ml (38/123; 30.9%). These results suggest that the initial urine PQ concentration may be the optimal index for predicting the prognosis of patients with acute PQ poisoning. Additionally, dose of poison, arterial blood lactate, Csec and rebound rate also have referential significance.

  5. Prestroke CHA2DS2-VASc Score and Severity of Acute Stroke in Patients with Atrial Fibrillation: Findings from RAF Study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Acciarresi, Monica; Paciaroni, Maurizio; Agnelli, Giancarlo; Falocci, Nicola; Caso, Valeria; Becattini, Cecilia; Marcheselli, Simona; Rueckert, Christina; Pezzini, Alessandro; Morotti, Andrea; Costa, Paolo; Padovani, Alessandro; Csiba, Laszló; Szabó, Lilla; Sohn, Sung-Il; Tassinari, Tiziana; Abdul-Rahim, Azmil H; Michel, Patrik; Cordier, Maria; Vanacker, Peter; Remillard, Suzette; Alberti, Andrea; Venti, Michele; D'Amore, Cataldo; Scoditti, Umberto; Denti, Licia; Orlandi, Giovanni; Chiti, Alberto; Gialdini, Gino; Bovi, Paolo; Carletti, Monica; Rigatelli, Alberto; Putaala, Jukka; Tatlisumak, Turgut; Masotti, Luca; Lorenzini, Gianni; Tassi, Rossana; Guideri, Francesca; Martini, Giuseppe; Tsivgoulis, Georgios; Vadikolias, Kostantinos; Liantinioti, Chrissoula; Corea, Francesco; Del Sette, Massimo; Ageno, Walter; De Lodovici, Maria Luisa; Bono, Giorgio; Baldi, Antonio; D'Anna, Sebastiano; Sacco, Simona; Carolei, Antonio; Tiseo, Cindy; Imberti, Davide; Zabzuni, Dorjan; Doronin, Boris; Volodina, Vera; Consoli, Domenico; Galati, Franco; Pieroni, Alessio; Toni, Danilo; Monaco, Serena; Baronello, Mario Maimone; Barlinn, Kristian; Pallesen, Lars-Peder; Kepplinger, Jessica; Bodechtel, Ulf; Gerber, Johannes; Deleu, Dirk; Melikyan, Gayane; Ibrahim, Faisal; Akhtar, Naveed; Mosconi, Maria Giulia; Lees, Kennedy R

    2017-06-01

    The aim of this study was to investigate for a possible association between both prestroke CHA 2 DS 2 -VASc score and the severity of stroke at presentation, as well as disability and mortality at 90 days, in patients with acute stroke and atrial fibrillation (AF). This prospective study enrolled consecutive patients with acute ischemic stroke, AF, and assessment of prestroke CHA 2 DS 2 -VASc score. Severity of stroke was assessed on admission using the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) score (severe stroke: NIHSS ≥10). Disability and mortality at 90 days were assessed by the modified Rankin Scale (mRS <3 or ≥3). Multiple logistic regression was used to correlate prestroke CHA 2 DS 2 -VASc and severity of stroke, as well as disability and mortality at 90 days. Of the 1020 patients included in the analysis, 606 patients had an admission NIHSS score lower and 414 patients higher than 10. At 90 days, 510 patients had mRS ≥3. A linear correlation was found between the prestroke CHA 2 DS 2 -VASc score and severity of stroke (P = .001). On multivariate analysis, CHA 2 DS 2 -VASc score correlated with severity of stroke (P = .041) and adverse functional outcome (mRS ≥3) (P = .001). A logistic regression with the receiver operating characteristic graph procedure (C-statistics) evidenced an area under the curve of .60 (P = .0001) for severe stroke. Furthermore, a correlation was found between prestroke CHA 2 DS 2 -VASc score and lesion size. In patients with AF, in addition to the risk of stroke, a high CHA 2 DS 2 -VASc score was independently associated with both stroke severity at onset and disability and mortality at 90 days. Copyright © 2017 National Stroke Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  6. Multiple drug resistance protein (MDR-1, multidrug resistance-related protein (MRP and lung resistance protein (LRP gene expression in childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Elvis Terci Valera

    Full Text Available CONTEXT: Despite the advances in the cure rate for acute lymphoblastic leukemia, approximately 25% of affected children suffer relapses. Expression of genes for the multiple drug resistance protein (MDR-1, multidrug resistance-related protein (MRP, and lung resistance protein (LRP may confer the phenotype of resistance to the treatment of neoplasias. OBJECTIVE: To analyze the expression of the MDR-1, MRP and LRP genes in children with a diagnosis of acute lymphoblastic leukemia via the semiquantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR, and to determine the correlation between expression and event-free survival and clinical and laboratory variables. DESIGN: A retrospective clinical study. SETTING: Laboratory of Pediatric Oncology, Department of Pediatrics, Faculdade de Medicina de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, Brazil. METHODS: Bone marrow aspirates from 30 children with a diagnosis of acute lymphoblastic leukemia were assessed for the expression of messenger RNA for the MDR-1, MRP and LRP genes by semi-quantitative RT-PCR. RESULTS: In the three groups studied, only the increased expression of LRP was related to worsened event-free survival (p = 0.005. The presence of the common acute lymphoblastic leukemia antigen (CALLA was correlated with increased LRP expression (p = 0.009 and increased risk of relapse or death (p = 0.05. The relative risk of relapse or death was six times higher among children with high LRP expression upon diagnosis (p = 0.05, as confirmed by multivariate analysis of the three genes studied (p = 0.035. DISCUSSION: Cell resistance to drugs is a determinant of the response to chemotherapy and its detection via RT-PCR may be of clinical importance. CONCLUSIONS: Evaluation of the expression of genes for resistance to antineoplastic drugs in childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia upon diagnosis, and particularly the expression of the LRP gene, may be of clinical relevance, and should be the

  7. Effects of dietary energy level and intake of corn by-product-based diets on newly received growing cattle: antibody production, acute phase protein response, stress, and immunocompetency of healthy and morbid animals.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Spore, Tyler J; Montgomery, Sean P; Titgemeyer, Evan C; Hanzlicek, Gregg A; Vahl, Chris I; Nagaraja, Tiruvoor G; Cavalli, Kevin T; Hollenbeck, William R; Wahl, Ross A; Blasi, Dale A

    2018-04-14

    Effects of dietary energy level and intake of corn by-product-based diets on antibody production, acute phase protein response, stress, and immunocompetency of healthy and morbid newly received growing cattle were evaluated. Four dietary treatments were formulated to supply 0.99, 1.10, 1.21, and 1.32 Mcal NEg/ kg DM and were offered at 100%, 95%, 90%, and 85% of ad libitum based on 0.99/100 treatment intake, respectively. Thirty-two pens were utilized with approximately 12 animals/pen. Four animals from each pen (32/dietary treatment) were randomly selected and used to serve as a subset to monitor immune function and acute phase proteins following a split-plot design. In addition, two animals were randomly and independently selected from each pen (16/dietary treatment) and used to measure fecal cortisol metabolite. Additionally, animals removed from the pen one (M1), two (M2), or three (M3) times and classified as morbid were bled in conjunction with a healthy control (H) removed at the same time and the serum analyzed for the same parameters. A quadratic response to time (P bovine viral diarrhea type 1 (BVD-I) and infectious bovine rhinotracheitis (IBR; P levels by day 27. Titer levels for BVD-I and IBR were lowest on arrival, higher on day 14, and significantly higher on day 27. Titers for bovine viral diarrhea type 2 (BVD-II) responded linearly (P levels on arrival and highest levels on day 27. Haptoglobin was elevated in morbid animals compared to healthy pen mates (P levels for BVD-I and IBR were also higher in healthy animals compared to animals pulled for morbidity (P energy receiving diets based on fermentable fiber from by-products can be fed to newly received growing cattle without negative effects on antibody production toward vaccines, inflammation, or overall stress. In addition, haptoglobin concentrations and titer levels for BVD-I and IBR viruses are higher in healthy animals compared to sick animals.

  8. Effect of acute maternal starvation on tyrosine metabolism and protein synthesis in fetal sheep

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Krishnamurti, C.R.; Schaefer, A.L.

    1984-01-01

    To determine the effects of acute maternal starvation on intrauterine growth, tyrosine concentration and specific activity values in plasma, intracellular free and protein bound pools were determined in catheterized ovine fetuses following an 8 h continuous infusion of L-[2,3,5,6 3 H] or L-[U- 14 C] tyrosine into the ewe and fetus respectively at 115-125 days of gestation. From the kinetic data the rates of whole body and tissue fractional protein synthesis were calculated. Although placental protein synthesis was not significantly changed as a result of acute maternal starvation, fetal whole body protein synthesis was reduced from 63 g/d/kg in the fed to 25 g/d/kg in the starved condition. There was also a 10 fold reduction in the net placental transfer of tyrosine to the fetus in the starved ewes. In addition, a three fold increase was observed in the quantity of tyrosine used for oxidation by the fetuses of starved ewes, changing from 5.2% of tyrosine net utilization in the fed to 13.7% in the starved condition. Significant reductions in tissue fractional protein synthesis rates were also seen in the liver, brain, lung kidney and GIT tissues from 78, 37, 65, 45 and 71%/d respectively in the fed to 12, 10, 23, 22 and 35%/d in the fetuses of starved ewes. The data indicate that during acute maternal starvation the sheep fetus utilizes more tyrosine for oxidation and less for anabolic purposes which is reflected in a decrease both in whole body and tissue fractional rates of protein synthesis

  9. External validation of the APPS, a new and simple outcome prediction score in patients with the acute respiratory distress syndrome

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Bos, Lieuwe D.; Schouten, Laura R.; Cremer, Olaf L.; Ong, David S. Y.; Schultz, Marcus J.; Frencken, Jos F.; Bonten, Marc; Klein Klouwenberg, Peter M. C.; Ong, David; van Hooijdonk, Roosmarijn T. M.; Huson, Mischa A.; Schouten, Laura R. A.; Straat, Marleen; van Vught, Lonneke A.; Wiewel, Maryse A.; Witteveen, Esther; Glas, Gerie J.; Wieske, Luuk; van der Poll, Tom

    2016-01-01

    A recently developed prediction score based on age, arterial oxygen partial pressure to fractional inspired oxygen ratio (PaO2/FiO2) and plateau pressure (abbreviated as 'APPS') was shown to accurately predict mortality in patients diagnosed with the acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). After

  10. Fibrates down-regulate IL-1-stimulated C-reactive protein gene expression in hepatocytes by reducing nuclear p50-NFκB-C/EBP-β complex formation

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Kleemann, R.; Gervois, P.P.; Verschuren, L.; Staels, B.; Princen, H.M.G.; Kooistra, T.

    2003-01-01

    C-reactive protein (CRP) is a major acute-phase protein in humans. Elevated plasma CRP levels are a risk factor for cardiovascular disease. CRP is predominantly expressed in hepatocytes and is induced by interleukin-1 (IL-1) and IL-6 under inflammatory situations, such as the acute phase. Fibrates

  11. Acute phase protein mRNA expressions and enhancement of antioxidant defense system in Black-meated Silkie Fowls supplemented with clove (Eugenia caryophyllus extracts under the influence of chronic heat stress

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Alhassan Usman Bello

    2016-11-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background The current study investigates the anti-stress effects of clove (Eugenia caryophyllus extracts (0, 200, 400, and 600 mg/kg on serum antioxidant biomarkers, immune response, immunological organ growth index, and expression levels of acute phase proteins (APPs; ovotransferrin (OVT, ceruloplasmin (CP, ceruloplasmin (AGP, C-reactive protein (CRP, and serum amyloid-A (SAA mRNA in the immunological organs of 63-d-old male black-meated Silkie fowls subjected to 21 d chronic heat stress at 35 ± 2 °C. Results The results demonstrated that clove extract supplementation in the diet of Silkie fowls subjected to elevated temperature (ET improve growth performance, immune responses, and suppressed the activities of glutathion peroxidase (GSH-Px, superoxide dismutase (SOD, catalase (CAT, and thioredoxin reductase (TXNRD; reduced serum malonaldehyde (MDA and glutathione (GSH concentrations when compared with fowls raised under thermoneutral condition (TC. Upon chronic heat stress and supplementation of clove extracts, the Silkie fowls showed a linear increase in GSH-Px, SOD, CAT, and TXNRD activities (P = 0.01 compared with fowls fed diets without clove extract. ET decreased (P < 0.05 the growth index of the liver, spleen, bursa of Fabricius and thymus. However, the growth index of the liver, spleen, bursa of Fabricius and thymus increased significantly (P < 0.05 which corresponded to an increase in clove supplemented levels. The expression of OVT, CP, AGP, CRP, and SAA mRNA in the liver, spleen, bursa of Fabricius and thymus were elevated (P < 0.01 by ET compared with those maintained at TC. Nevertheless, clove mitigates heat stress-induced overexpression of OVT, CP, AGP, CRP and SAA mRNA in the immune organs of fowls fed 400 mg clove/kg compared to other groups. Conclusions The results showed that clove extracts supplementation decreased oxidative stress in the heat-stressed black-meated fowls by alleviating

  12. The level of neuron-specific enolase and S-100 protein in the cerebrospinal fluid of patients with acute bacterial meningitis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    A. V. Sokhan

    2016-08-01

    Full Text Available Aim. To evaluate the diagnostic and prognostic role of neuron-specific enolase (NSE and S-100 protein levels in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF of patients with acute bacterial meningitis in the course of the disease. Materials and Methods. 54 cases of acute bacterial meningitis were analyzed, among them – 26 with pneumococcal and 28 with meningococcal etiology. Patients were divided into groups depending on the severity and etiology of disease. In addition to routine laboratory methods, we analyzed the CSF levels of S-100 protein and NSE at admission and after 10 – 12 days of treatment. 12 patients with acute respiratory infections and meningism were examined as a comparison group. Results. In all patients with acute bacterial meningitis CSF NSE and protein S-100 levels were significantly higher than in the control group (P <0,05. CSF neuro specific proteins level was in direct dependence on severity of the disease, and in patients with severe disease was significantly higher than in patients with moderate severity and in the control group (P <0,01. After 10 – 12 days of treatment, the level of the NSE and S-100 protein decreased, but in severe cases was still higher than in the control group (P <0,05. Conclusions. Increased cerebrospinal fluid NSE and S – 100 protein levels shows the presence and value of neurons and glial cells damage in patients with acute bacterial meningitis. CSF S-100 protein and neuron-specific enolase levels help to determine the severity of neurons destruction and glial cells in patients with acute bacterial meningitis. Level of neurospecific protein is in direct proportion to the severity of the disease and is the highest in patients with severe cases (P<0,05. It confirms the diagnostic and prognostic value of CSF neurospecific protein determination in patients with bacterial meningitis.

  13. Acute differential effects of milk-derived dietary proteins on postprandial lipaemia in obese non-diabetic subjects

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Holmer-Jensen, Jens; Hartvigsen, Merete; Mortensen, L.S.

    2012-01-01

    Postprandial lipaemia is an established risk factor for atherosclerosis. To investigate the acute effect of four milk-derived dietary proteins (alpha-lactalbumin, whey isolate, caseinoglycomacropeptide and whey hydrolysate) on postprandial lipaemia, we have conducted a randomized, acute, single...

  14. Malnutrition in the acutely ill patient: is it more than just protein and ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Review Article: Malnutrition in the acutely ill patient: is it more than just protein and energy? 2011;24(3) ... illness/injury, significant mortality occurs after critically ill patients are discharged from ... a manner similar to that of administering an antibiotic or drug. .... delivery (median of 0.8 g/kg/day protein (after day 3) for the study.

  15. Editorial: dose-dependent ZnO particle-induced acute phase response in humans warrants re-evaluation of occupational exposure limits for metal oxides

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Vogel, Ulla Birgitte; Cassee, Flemming R.

    2018-01-01

    in autonomic imbalance and particle-induced pulmonary inflammation and acute phase response.The acute phase response is the systemic response to acute and chronic inflammatory states caused by for example bacterial infection, virus infection, trauma and infarction. It is characterized by differential...... studies and SAA has been causally related to the formation of plaques in the aorta in animal studies.In a recent paper in Particle and Fibre Toxicology, Christian Monse et al. provide evidence that inhalation of ZnO nanoparticles induces dose-dependent acute phase response in humans at dose levels well...

  16. Scoring functions for protein-protein interactions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Moal, Iain H; Moretti, Rocco; Baker, David; Fernández-Recio, Juan

    2013-12-01

    The computational evaluation of protein-protein interactions will play an important role in organising the wealth of data being generated by high-throughput initiatives. Here we discuss future applications, report recent developments and identify areas requiring further investigation. Many functions have been developed to quantify the structural and energetic properties of interacting proteins, finding use in interrelated challenges revolving around the relationship between sequence, structure and binding free energy. These include loop modelling, side-chain refinement, docking, multimer assembly, affinity prediction, affinity change upon mutation, hotspots location and interface design. Information derived from models optimised for one of these challenges can be used to benefit the others, and can be unified within the theoretical frameworks of multi-task learning and Pareto-optimal multi-objective learning. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  17. Combined Value of Red Blood Cell Distribution Width and Global Registry of Acute Coronary Events Risk Score for Predicting Cardiovascular Events in Patients with Acute Coronary Syndrome Undergoing Percutaneous Coronary Intervention.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Na Zhao

    Full Text Available Global Registry of Acute Coronary Events (GRACE risk score and red blood cell distribution width (RDW content can both independently predict major adverse cardiac events (MACEs in patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS. We investigated the combined predictive value of RDW and GRACE risk score for cardiovascular events in patients with ACS undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI for the first time. We enrolled 480 ACS patients. During a median follow-up time of 37.2 months, 70 (14.58% patients experienced MACEs. Patients were divided into tertiles according to the baseline RDW content (11.30-12.90, 13.00-13.50, 13.60-16.40. GRACE score was positively correlated with RDW content. Multivariate Cox analysis showed that both GRACE score and RDW content were independent predictors of MACEs (hazard ratio 1.039; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.024-1.055; p < 0.001; 1.699; 1.294-2.232; p < 0.001; respectively. Furthermore, Kaplan-Meier analysis demonstrated that the risk of MACEs increased with increasing RDW content (p < 0.001. For GRACE score alone, the area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC curve for MACEs was 0.749 (95% CI: 0.707-0.787. The area under the ROC curve for MACEs increased to 0.805 (0.766-0.839, p = 0.034 after adding RDW content. The incremental predictive value of combining RDW content and GRACE risk score was significantly improved, also shown by the net reclassification improvement (NRI = 0.352, p < 0.001 and integrated discrimination improvement (IDI = 0.023, p = 0.002. Combining the predictive value of RDW and GRACE risk score yielded a more accurate predictive value for long-term cardiovascular events in ACS patients who underwent PCI as compared to each measure alone.

  18. Peptide-tagged proteins in aqueous two-phase systems

    OpenAIRE

    Nilsson, Anna

    2002-01-01

    This thesis deals with proteins containing peptide tags for improved partitioning in aqueous two-phase systems. Qualitatively the peptide-tagged protein partitioning could be predicted from peptide data, i.e. partitioning trends found for peptides were also found for the peptide-tagged proteins. However, full effect of the tag as expected from peptide partitioning was not found in the tagged protein. When alkyl-ethylene oxide surfactant was included in a two-polymer system, almost full effect...

  19. Pharmaceutical Perspective on Opalescence and Liquid-Liquid Phase Separation in Protein Solutions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Raut, Ashlesha S; Kalonia, Devendra S

    2016-05-02

    Opalescence in protein solutions reduces aesthetic appeal of a formulation and can be an indicator of the presence of aggregates or precursor to phase separation in solution signifying reduced product stability. Liquid-liquid phase separation of a protein solution into a protein-rich and a protein-poor phase has been well-documented for globular proteins and recently observed for monoclonal antibody solutions, resulting in physical instability of the formulation. The present review discusses opalescence and liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS) for therapeutic protein formulations. A brief discussion on theoretical concepts based on thermodynamics, kinetics, and light scattering is presented. This review also discusses theoretical concepts behind intense light scattering in the vicinity of the critical point termed as "critical opalescence". Both opalescence and LLPS are affected by the formulation factors including pH, ionic strength, protein concentration, temperature, and excipients. Literature reports for the effect of these formulation factors on attractive protein-protein interactions in solution as assessed by the second virial coefficient (B2) and the cloud-point temperature (Tcloud) measurements are also presented. The review also highlights pharmaceutical implications of LLPS in protein solutions.

  20. A chest radiograph scoring system in patients with severe acute respiratory infection: a validation study

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Taylor, Emma; Haven, Kathryn; Reed, Peter; Bissielo, Ange; Harvey, Dave; McArthur, Colin; Bringans, Cameron; Freundlich, Simone; Ingram, R. Joan H.; Perry, David; Wilson, Francessa; Milne, David; Modahl, Lucy; Huang, Q. Sue; Gross, Diane; Widdowson, Marc-Alain; Grant, Cameron C.

    2015-01-01

    The term severe acute respiratory infection (SARI) encompasses a heterogeneous group of respiratory illnesses. Grading the severity of SARI is currently reliant on indirect disease severity measures such as respiratory and heart rate, and the need for oxygen or intensive care. With the lungs being the primary organ system involved in SARI, chest radiographs (CXRs) are potentially useful for describing disease severity. Our objective was to develop and validate a SARI CXR severity scoring system. We completed validation within an active SARI surveillance project, with SARI defined using the World Health Organization case definition of an acute respiratory infection with a history of fever, or measured fever of ≥ 38 °C; and cough; and with onset within the last 10 days; and requiring hospital admission. We randomly selected 250 SARI cases. Admission CXR findings were categorized as: 1 = normal; 2 = patchy atelectasis and/or hyperinflation and/or bronchial wall thickening; 3 = focal consolidation; 4 = multifocal consolidation; and 5 = diffuse alveolar changes. Initially, four radiologists scored CXRs independently. Subsequently, a pediatrician, physician, two residents, two medical students, and a research nurse independently scored CXR reports. Inter-observer reliability was determined using a weighted Kappa (κ) for comparisons between radiologists; radiologists and clinicians; and clinicians. Agreement was defined as moderate (κ > 0.4–0.6), good (κ > 0.6–0.8) and very good (κ > 0.8–1.0). Agreement between the two pediatric radiologists was very good (κ = 0.83, 95 % CI 0.65–1.00) and between the two adult radiologists was good (κ = 0.75, 95 % CI 0.57–0. 93). Agreement of the clinicians with the radiologists was moderate-to-good (pediatrician:κ = 0.65; pediatric resident:κ = 0.69; physician:κ = 0.68; resident:κ = 0.67; research nurse:κ = 0.49, medical students: κ = 0.53 and κ = 0.56). Agreement between clinicians was good-to-very good

  1. PROTEOSE INTOXICATIONS AND INJURY OF BODY PROTEIN : V. THE INCREASE IN NON-PROTEIN NITROGEN OF THE BLOOD IN ACUTE INFLAMMATORY PROCESSES AND ACUTE INTOXICATIONS.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cooke, J V; Whipple, G H

    1918-08-01

    Sterile abscess formation in the dog is accompanied by a large increase in output of urinary nitrogen and also by a small but definite increase in the blood non-protein nitrogen. All this nitrogenous material of course is derived from body protein injury and autolysis. Septic inflammation in the dog (pleurisy, pneumonia, peritonitis, etc.) likewise shows a distinct rise in the blood non-protein nitrogen. This rise is not often so great as that frequently observed in the intoxication of intestinal obstruction. Many acute infections in man (septicemia, peritonitis, pneumonia, etc.) show a definite rise in the non-protein nitrogen and urea nitrogen of the blood; some cases show a very great rise above normal (over 100 mg. of non-protein nitrogen per 100 cc. of blood). There may be no anatomical change in the kidney beyond the familiar picture of cloudy swelling. This does not exclude the possibility of some transient functional derangement of the kidney epithelium. Certain obscure intoxications in man may show a considerable rise in the non-protein nitrogen of the blood, indicating a large amount of protein disintegration. These findings must be taken into account in any clinical analysis and interpretation of high non-protein nitrogen of the blood in pathological conditions.

  2. Characterization and scoring of skin changes in severe acute malnutrition in children between 6 months and 5 years of age

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Heilskov, S; Vestergaard, Christian; Babirekere, E

    2015-01-01

    BACKGROUND: Severe acute malnutrition is a life-threatening condition. It can be associated with severe skin changes, first properly described by Williams in 1933. The aetiology of these skin changes is still unknown and their character has never been systematically described in dermatological...... objective was to identify the skin changes characteristic of children with severe acute malnutrition and to develop a clinical score that describes the morphology and severity in dermatological terms. We also investigated if any of the different skin changes were connected to prognosis. MATERIALS...... AND METHODS: At Mulago Hospital, Mwanamugimu (Department of Paediatrics and Child Health), Uganda, 120 children were included over a period of six months and observed when treated for severe acute malnutrition. Skin changes were registered through clinical examination and photo documentation and associated...

  3. Predictive value of daily living score in acute respiratory failure of COPD patients requiring invasive mechanical ventilation pilot study

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Langlet Ketty

    2012-10-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Mechanical ventilation (MV is imperative in many forms of acute respiratory failure (ARF in COPD patients. Previous studies have shown the difficulty to identify parameters predicting the outcome of COPD patients treated by invasive MV. Our hypothesis was that a non specialized score as the activities daily living (ADL score may help to predict the outcome of these patients. Methods We studied the outcome of 25 COPD patients admitted to the intensive care unit for ARF requiring invasive MV. The patients were divided into those weaning success (group A n = 17, 68% or failure (group B n = 8, 32%. We investigated the correlation between the ADL score and the outcome and mortality. Results The ADL score was higher in group A (5.1 ±1.1 vs 3.7 ± 0.7 in group B, p  Conclusion Our pilot study demonstrates that the ADL score is predictive of weaning success and mortality at 6 months, suggesting that the assessment of daily activities should be an important component of ARF management in COPD patients.

  4. [Pulmonary function of children with acute leukemia in maintenance phase of chemotherapy].

    Science.gov (United States)

    de Macêdo, Thalita Medeiros Fernandes; Campos, Tania Fernandes; Mendes, Raquel Emanuele de França; França, Danielle Corrêa; Chaves, Gabriela Suéllen da Silva; de Mendonça, Karla Morganna Pereira Pinto

    2014-12-01

    The aim of this study was to assess the pulmonary function of children with acute leukemia. Cross-sectional observational analytical study that enrolled 34 children divided into groups A (17 with acute leukemia in the maintenance phase of chemotherapy) and B (17 healthy children). The groups were matched for sex, age and height. Spirometry was measured using a spirometer Microloop Viasys(®) in accordance with American Thoracic Society and European Respiratory Society guidelines. Maximal respiratory pressures were measured with an MVD300 digital manometer (Globalmed(®)). Maximal inspiratory pressures and maximal expiratory pressures were measured from residual volume and total lung capacity, respectively. Group A showed a significant decrease in maximal inspiratory pressures when compared to group B. No significant difference was found between the spirometric values of the two groups, nor was there any difference between maximal inspiratory pressure and maximal expiratory pressure values in group A compared to the lower limit values proposed as reference. Children with acute leukemia, myeloid or lymphoid, during the maintenance phase of chemotherapy exhibited unchanged spirometric variables and maximal expiratory pressure; However, there was a decrease in inspiratory muscle strength. Copyright © 2014 Associação de Pediatria de São Paulo. Publicado por Elsevier Editora Ltda. All rights reserved.

  5. Predictive value of daily living score in acute respiratory failure of COPD patients requiring invasive mechanical ventilation pilot study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Langlet, Ketty; Van Der Linden, Thierry; Launois, Claire; Fourdin, Caroline; Cabaret, Philippe; Kerkeni, Nadia; Barbe, Coralie; Lebargy, François; Deslée, Gaetan

    2012-10-18

    Mechanical ventilation (MV) is imperative in many forms of acute respiratory failure (ARF) in COPD patients. Previous studies have shown the difficulty to identify parameters predicting the outcome of COPD patients treated by invasive MV. Our hypothesis was that a non specialized score as the activities daily living (ADL) score may help to predict the outcome of these patients. We studied the outcome of 25 COPD patients admitted to the intensive care unit for ARF requiring invasive MV. The patients were divided into those weaning success (group A n = 17, 68%) or failure (group B n = 8, 32%). We investigated the correlation between the ADL score and the outcome and mortality. The ADL score was higher in group A (5.1 ±1.1 vs 3.7 ± 0.7 in group B, p success and mortality at 6 months, suggesting that the assessment of daily activities should be an important component of ARF management in COPD patients.

  6. Monoolein lipid phases as incorporation and enrichment materials for membrane protein crystallization.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ellen Wallace

    Full Text Available The crystallization of membrane proteins in amphiphile-rich materials such as lipidic cubic phases is an established methodology in many structural biology laboratories. The standard procedure employed with this methodology requires the generation of a highly viscous lipidic material by mixing lipid, for instance monoolein, with a solution of the detergent solubilized membrane protein. This preparation is often carried out with specialized mixing tools that allow handling of the highly viscous materials while minimizing dead volume to save precious membrane protein sample. The processes that occur during the initial mixing of the lipid with the membrane protein are not well understood. Here we show that the formation of the lipidic phases and the incorporation of the membrane protein into such materials can be separated experimentally. Specifically, we have investigated the effect of different initial monoolein-based lipid phase states on the crystallization behavior of the colored photosynthetic reaction center from Rhodobacter sphaeroides. We find that the detergent solubilized photosynthetic reaction center spontaneously inserts into and concentrates in the lipid matrix without any mixing, and that the initial lipid material phase state is irrelevant for productive crystallization. A substantial in-situ enrichment of the membrane protein to concentration levels that are otherwise unobtainable occurs in a thin layer on the surface of the lipidic material. These results have important practical applications and hence we suggest a simplified protocol for membrane protein crystallization within amphiphile rich materials, eliminating any specialized mixing tools to prepare crystallization experiments within lipidic cubic phases. Furthermore, by virtue of sampling a membrane protein concentration gradient within a single crystallization experiment, this crystallization technique is more robust and increases the efficiency of identifying productive

  7. The Intracranial-B2LEED3S Score and the Risk of Intracranial Hemorrhage in Ischemic Stroke Patients Under Antiplatelet Treatment

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Amarenco, Pierre; Sissani, Leila; Labreuche, Julien; Vicaut, Eric; Bousser, Marie Germaine; Chamorro, Angel; Fisher, Marc; Ford, Ian; Fox, Kim M; Hennerici, Michael G; Mattle, Heinrich; Rothwell, Peter M; Steg, Philippe Gabriel; Diener, Hans-Christoph; Sacco, Ralph L; Greving, Jacoba P; Algra, Ale

    2017-01-01

    BACKGROUND: Chronic antiplatelet therapy in the post-acute phase of non-cardioembolic ischemic stroke is limited by the risk of intracranial hemorrhage (ICH) complications. METHODS: We developed an ICH risk score based on the PERFORM trial cohort (n = 19,100), which included patients with a

  8. Serum Matrix Metalloproteinase-9 and Cognitive Impairment After Acute Ischemic Stroke.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhong, Chongke; Bu, Xiaoqing; Xu, Tan; Guo, Libing; Wang, Xuemei; Zhang, Jintao; Cui, Yong; Li, Dong; Zhang, Jianhui; Ju, Zhong; Chen, Chung-Shiuan; Chen, Jing; Zhang, Yonghong; He, Jiang

    2018-01-06

    The impact of serum matrix metalloproteinases-9 (MMP-9) on cognitive impairment after ischemic stroke is unclear. We aimed to investigate the association between serum MMP-9 in the short-term acute phase of ischemic stroke and cognitive impairment at 3 months. Our study was based on a subsample from the CATIS (China Antihypertensive Trial in Acute Ischemic Stroke); a total of 558 patients with serum MMP-9 levels from 7 of 26 participating sites of the trial were included in this analysis. Cognitive impairment severity was categorized as severe, mild, or none (Mini-Mental State Examination score, impairment was defined as a score of impairment and 153 (27.4%) had severe cognitive impairment at 3 months. After adjustment for age, National Institutes of Health stroke score, education, and other covariates, the odds ratio for the highest quartile of serum MMP-9 compared with the lowest quartile was 3.20 (95% confidence interval, 1.87-5.49) for cognitive impairment. Multiple-adjusted spline regression model showed a linear association between MMP-9 levels and cognitive impairment ( P impairment was defined by Montreal Cognitive Assessment score. Increased serum MMP-9 levels in the short-term phase of ischemic stroke were associated with 3-month cognitive impairment, independently of established risk factors. © 2018 The Authors. Published on behalf of the American Heart Association, Inc., by Wiley.

  9. Impaired mitochondrial respiration and protein nitration in the rat hippocampus after acute inhalation of combustion smoke

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lee, Heung M.; Reed, Jason; Greeley, George H.; Englander, Ella W.

    2009-01-01

    Survivors of massive inhalation of combustion smoke endure critical injuries, including lasting neurological complications. We have previously reported that acute inhalation of combustion smoke disrupts the nitric oxide homeostasis in the rat brain. In this study, we extend our findings and report that a 30-minute exposure of awake rats to ambient wood combustion smoke induces protein nitration in the rat hippocampus and that mitochondrial proteins are a sensitive nitration target in this setting. Mitochondria are central to energy metabolism and cellular signaling and are critical to proper cell function. Here, analyses of the mitochondrial proteome showed elevated protein nitration in the course of a 24-hour recovery following exposure to smoke. Mass spectrometry identification of several significantly nitrated mitochondrial proteins revealed diverse functions and involvement in central aspects of mitochondrial physiology. The nitrated proteins include the ubiquitous mitochondrial creatine kinase, F1-ATP synthase α subunit, dihydrolipoamide dehydrogenase (E3), succinate dehydrogenase Fp subunit, and voltage-dependent anion channel (VDAC1) protein. Furthermore, acute exposure to combustion smoke significantly compromised the respiratory capacity of hippocampal mitochondria. Importantly, elevated protein nitration and reduced mitochondrial respiration in the hippocampus persisted beyond the time required for restoration of normal oxygen and carboxyhemoglobin blood levels after the cessation of exposure to smoke. Thus, the time frame for intensification of the various smoke-induced effects differs between blood and brain tissues. Taken together, our findings suggest that nitration of essential mitochondrial proteins may contribute to the reduction in mitochondrial respiratory capacity and underlie, in part, the brain pathophysiology after acute inhalation of combustion smoke

  10. Age- and Sex-Associated Effects on Acute-Phase Proteins in Göttingen Minipigs

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Christoffersen, Berit Ø; Jensen, Søren J.; Ludvigsen, Trine P

    2015-01-01

    , 16, 24 and 40-48 wk) of male and female Göttingen minipigs. In addition, minipigs were tested under 2 housing conditions, after acute LPS challenge, and after diet-induced obesity with and without mild diabetes. Changing the pigs to a new environment induced significant increases in CRP, PMAP...

  11. The limits of adaptation of functional protein synthesis to sever undernutrition

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jahoor, F.; Bhattiprolu, S.; Reeds, P.; Forrester, T.; Boyne, M.

    1994-01-01

    Our goal is to determine how the stress of infections alters the adaptation to reduced food intake in children. We think that an important element is the need for hepatic synthesis of rapidly turning over acute-phase proteins, a critical factor in overall maintenance of host defenses. When the child's prior intake has been adequate, even though growth may temporarily cease, the presence of adequate amino acid stores in tissues allows the hepatic response to stress to be maintained at the same time as an adequate rate of synthesis of nutrient transport proteins. However, when the immune system is activated in a children whose nutrition is already suboptimal the ability of the liver to synthesize nutrient transport proteins is compromised thereby further impeding nutrient utilization. We will use stable isotope tracer methodology to determine the effects of severe protein energy malnutrition, with and without infection, on the rates of synthesis of nutrient transport proteins and acute-phase proteins in undernourished children at three time points during treatment; in the early resuscitative period, after appetite has returned, and at the end of the catch-up growth phase when normal growth has resumed. (author). 12 refs, 1 fig., 1 tab

  12. The limits of adaptation of functional protein synthesis to sever undernutrition

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Jahoor, F; Bhattiprolu, S; Reeds, P [Baylor Coll. of Medicine, Houston, TX (United States). Children` s Nutrition Research Centre; Forrester, T; Boyne, M [West Indies Univ., Mona (Jamaica). Tropical Metabolism Research Unit

    1994-12-31

    Our goal is to determine how the stress of infections alters the adaptation to reduced food intake in children. We think that an important element is the need for hepatic synthesis of rapidly turning over acute-phase proteins, a critical factor in overall maintenance of host defenses. When the child`s prior intake has been adequate, even though growth may temporarily cease, the presence of adequate amino acid stores in tissues allows the hepatic response to stress to be maintained at the same time as an adequate rate of synthesis of nutrient transport proteins. However, when the immune system is activated in a children whose nutrition is already suboptimal the ability of the liver to synthesize nutrient transport proteins is compromised thereby further impeding nutrient utilization. We will use stable isotope tracer methodology to determine the effects of severe protein energy malnutrition, with and without infection, on the rates of synthesis of nutrient transport proteins and acute-phase proteins in undernourished children at three time points during treatment; in the early resuscitative period, after appetite has returned, and at the end of the catch-up growth phase when normal growth has resumed. (author). 12 refs, 1 fig., 1 tab.

  13. Complement lysis activity in autologous plasma is associated with lower viral loads during the acute phase of HIV-1 infection.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Michael Huber

    2006-11-01

    Full Text Available BACKGROUND: To explore the possibility that antibody-mediated complement lysis contributes to viremia control in HIV-1 infection, we measured the activity of patient plasma in mediating complement lysis of autologous primary virus. METHODS AND FINDINGS: Sera from two groups of patients-25 with acute HIV-1 infection and 31 with chronic infection-were used in this study. We developed a novel real-time PCR-based assay strategy that allows reliable and sensitive quantification of virus lysis by complement. Plasma derived at the time of virus isolation induced complement lysis of the autologous virus isolate in the majority of patients. Overall lysis activity against the autologous virus and the heterologous primary virus strain JR-FL was higher at chronic disease stages than during the acute phase. Most strikingly, we found that plasma virus load levels during the acute but not the chronic infection phase correlated inversely with the autologous complement lysis activity. Antibody reactivity to the envelope (Env proteins gp120 and gp41 were positively correlated with the lysis activity against JR-FL, indicating that anti-Env responses mediated complement lysis. Neutralization and complement lysis activity against autologous viruses were not associated, suggesting that complement lysis is predominantly caused by non-neutralizing antibodies. CONCLUSIONS: Collectively our data provide evidence that antibody-mediated complement virion lysis develops rapidly and is effective early in the course of infection; thus it should be considered a parameter that, in concert with other immune functions, steers viremia control in vivo.

  14. Relationship between C-Reactive Protein and Body Mass Index in ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Background. C-reactive protein is an acute-phase protein synthesized in the liver and its release is stimulated by cytokines (interleukin 6 and tumour necrosis factor alpha). Baseline levels of C-reactive protein in apparently healthy men and women predict long-term risk of a first myocardial infarction. In older men and ...

  15. Effects of Treatment Intensification on Acute Local Toxicity During Radiotherapy for Head and Neck Cancer: Prospective Observational Study Validating CTCAE, Version 3.0, Scoring System

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Palazzi, Mauro; Tomatis, Stefano; Orlandi, Ester; Guzzo, Marco; Sangalli, Claudia; Potepan, Paolo; Fantini, Simona; Bergamini, Cristiana; Gavazzi, Cecilia; Licitra, Lisa; Scaramellini, Gabriele; Cantu', Giulio; Olmi, Patrizia

    2008-01-01

    Purpose: To quantify the incidence and severity of acute local toxicity in head and neck cancer patients treated with radiotherapy (RT), with or without chemotherapy (CHT), using the Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events, version 3.0 (CTCAE v3.0), scoring system. Methods and Materials: Between 2004 and 2006, 149 patients with head and neck cancer treated with RT at our center were prospectively evaluated for local toxicity during treatment. On a weekly basis, patients were monitored and eight toxicity items were recorded according to the CTCAE v3.0 scoring system. Of the 149 patients, 48 (32%) were treated with RT alone (conventional fractionation), 82 (55%) with concomitant CHT and conventional fractionation RT, and 20 (13%) with accelerated-fractionation RT and CHT. Results: Severe (Grade 3-4) adverse events were recorded in 28% (mucositis), 33% (dysphagia), 40% (pain), and 12% (skin) of patients. Multivariate analysis showed CHT to be the most relevant factor independently predicting for worse toxicity (mucositis, dysphagia, weight loss, salivary changes). In contrast, previous surgery, RT acceleration and older age, female gender, and younger age, respectively, predicted for a worse outcome of mucositis, weight loss, pain, and dermatitis. The T-score method confirmed that conventional RT alone is in the 'low-burden' class (T-score = 0.6) and suggests that concurrent CHT and conventional fractionation RT is in the 'high-burden' class (T-score = 1.15). Combined CHT and accelerated-fractionation RT had the highest T-score at 1.9. Conclusions: The CTCAE v3.0 proved to be a reliable tool to quantify acute toxicity in head and neck cancer patients treated with various treatment intensities. The effect of CHT and RT acceleration on the acute toxicity burden was clinically relevant

  16. Genetic parameters for energy balance, fat /protein ratio, body condition score and disease traits in German Holstein cows.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Buttchereit, N; Stamer, E; Junge, W; Thaller, G

    2012-08-01

    Various health problems in dairy cows have been related to the magnitude and duration of the energy deficit post partum. Energy balance indicator traits like fat/protein ratio in milk and body condition score could be used in selection programmes to help predicting breeding values for health traits, but currently there is a lack of appropriate genetic parameters. Therefore, genetic correlations among energy balance, fat/protein ratio, and body condition score, and mastitis, claw and leg diseases, and metabolic disorders were estimated using linear and threshold models on data from 1693 primiparous cows recorded within the first 180 days in milk. Average daily energy balance, milk fat/protein ratio and body condition score were 8 MJ NEL, 1.13 and 2.94, respectively. Disease frequencies (% cows with at least one case) were 24.6% for mastitis, 9.7% for metabolic disorders and 28.2% for claw and leg diseases. Heritability estimates were 0.06, 0.30 and 0.34 for energy balance, fat/protein ratio and body condition score, respectively. For the disease traits, heritabilities ranged between 0.04 and 0.15. The genetic correlations were, in general, associated with large standard errors, but, although not significant, the results suggest that an improvement of overall health can be expected if energy balance traits are included into future breeding programmes. A low fat/protein ratio might serve as an indicator for metabolic stability and health of claw and legs. Between body condition and mastitis, a significant negative correlation of -0.40 was estimated. The study provides a new insight into the role energy balance traits can play as auxiliary traits for robustness of dairy cows. It was concluded that both, fat/protein ratio and body condition score, are potential variables to describe how well cows can adapt to the challenge of early lactation. However, the genetic parameters should be re-estimated on a more comprehensive data set. © 2011 Blackwell Verlag GmbH.

  17. Comparison of three scoring systems for risk stratification in elderly patients wıth acute upper gastrointestinal bleeding.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kalkan, Çağdaş; Soykan, Irfan; Karakaya, Fatih; Tüzün, Ali; Gençtürk, Zeynep Bıyıklı

    2017-04-01

    Acute gastrointestinal bleeding is a potentially life-threatening condition that requires rapid assessment and dynamic management. Several scoring systems are used to predict mortality and rebleeding in such cases. The aim of the present study was to compare three scoring systems for predicting short-term mortality, rebleeding, duration of hospitalization and the need for blood transfusion in elderly patients with upper gastrointestinal bleeding. The present study included 335 elderly patients with upper gastrointestinal bleeding. Pre- and post-endoscopic Rockall, Glasgow-Blatchford and AIMS65 scores were calculated. The ability of these scores to predict rebleeding, mortality, duration of hospitalization and the need for blood transfusion was determined. Pre- (4.5) and post-endoscopic (7.5) Rockall scores were superior to the Glasgow-Blatchford (12.5) score for predicting mortality (P = 0.006 and P = 0.015). Likewise, pre- (4.5) and post-endoscopic Rockall scores were superior to the respective Glasgow-Blatchford scores for predicting rebleeding (P = 0.013 and P = 0.03). There was an association between duration of hospitalization and mortality; as the duration of hospitalization increased the mortality rate increased. In all, 94% of patients hospitalized for a mean of 5 days were alive versus 56.1% of those hospitalized for 20 days, and 20.2% of those hospitalized for 40 days. In elderly patients with upper gastrointestinal bleeding, the Rockall score is clinically more useful for predicting mortality and rebleeding than the Glasgow-Blatchford and AIMS65 scores; however, for predicting duration of hospitalization and the need for blood transfusion, the Glasgow-Blatchford score is superior to the Rockall and AIMS65 scores. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2017; 17: 575-583. © 2016 Japan Geriatrics Society.

  18. The Effects of Diesel Exhaust and Stress on the Acute Phase Response and Symptoms in the Chemically Intolerant

    National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

    Fiedler, Nancy L; Laumbach, Robert; Kipen, Howard; Lioy, Paul; Zhang, Lunfeng

    2004-01-01

    Purpose: The proposed study is designed to test a model of Gulf War Illness, in which simultaneous acute exposures to DE and psychological stress cause increased symptoms via the acute phase response (APR...

  19. Get phases from arsenic anomalous scattering: de novo SAD phasing of two protein structures crystallized in cacodylate buffer.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Xiang Liu

    Full Text Available The crystal structures of two proteins, a putative pyrazinamidase/nicotinamidase from the dental pathogen Streptococcus mutans (SmPncA and the human caspase-6 (Casp6, were solved by de novo arsenic single-wavelength anomalous diffraction (As-SAD phasing method. Arsenic (As, an uncommonly used element in SAD phasing, was covalently introduced into proteins by cacodylic acid, the buffering agent in the crystallization reservoirs. In SmPncA, the only cysteine was bound to dimethylarsinoyl, which is a pentavalent arsenic group (As (V. This arsenic atom and a protein-bound zinc atom both generated anomalous signals. The predominant contribution, however, was from the As anomalous signals, which were sufficient to phase the SmPncA structure alone. In Casp6, four cysteines were found to bind cacodyl, a trivalent arsenic group (As (III, in the presence of the reducing agent, dithiothreitol (DTT, and arsenic atoms were the only anomalous scatterers for SAD phasing. Analyses and discussion of these two As-SAD phasing examples and comparison of As with other traditional heavy atoms that generate anomalous signals, together with a few arsenic-based de novo phasing cases reported previously strongly suggest that As is an ideal anomalous scatterer for SAD phasing in protein crystallography.

  20. Particle-induced pulmonary acute phase response may be the causal link between particle inhalation and cardiovascular disease

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Saber, Anne T.; Jacobsen, Nicklas R.; Jackson, Petra

    2014-01-01

    Inhalation of ambient and workplace particulate air pollution is associated with increased risk of cardiovascular disease. One proposed mechanism for this association is that pulmonary inflammation induces a hepatic acute phase response, which increases risk of cardiovascular disease. Induction...... epidemiological studies. In this review, we present and review emerging evidence that inhalation of particles (e.g., air diesel exhaust particles and nanoparticles) induces a pulmonary acute phase response, and propose that this induction constitutes the causal link between particle inhalation and risk...

  1. [Correlation between dental pulp demyelination degree and pain visual analogue scale scores data under acute and chronic pulpitis].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Korsantiia, N B; Davarashvili, X T; Gogiashvili, L E; Mamaladze, M T; Tsagareli, Z G; Melikadze, E B

    2013-05-01

    The aim of study is the analysis of pulp nerve fibers demyelination degree and its relationship with Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) score that may be measured as objective criteria. Material and methods of study. Step I: electron micrografs of dental pulp simples with special interest of myelin structural changes detected in 3 scores system, obtained from 80 patients, displays in 4 groups: 1) acute and 2) chronic pulpitis without and with accompined systemic deseases, 20 patients in each group. Dental care was realized in Kutaisi N1 Dental clinic. Step II - self-reported VAS used for describing dental pain. All data were performed by SPSS 10,0 version statistics including Spearmen-rank and Mann-Whitny coefficients for examine the validity between pulp demyelination degree and pain intensity in verbal, numbered and box scales. Researched Data were shown that damaged myelin as focal decomposition of membranes and Schwann cells hyperthrophia correspond with acute dental pain intensity as Spearman index reported in VAS numbered Scales, myelin and axoplasm degeneration as part of chronic gangrenous pulpitis disorders are in direct correlation with VAS in verbal, numbered and behavioral Rating Scales. In fact, all morphological and subjective data, including psychomotoric assessment of dental painin pulpitis may be used in dental practice for evaluation of pain syndrome considered personal story.

  2. Automated de novo phasing and model building of coiled-coil proteins.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rämisch, Sebastian; Lizatović, Robert; André, Ingemar

    2015-03-01

    Models generated by de novo structure prediction can be very useful starting points for molecular replacement for systems where suitable structural homologues cannot be readily identified. Protein-protein complexes and de novo-designed proteins are examples of systems that can be challenging to phase. In this study, the potential of de novo models of protein complexes for use as starting points for molecular replacement is investigated. The approach is demonstrated using homomeric coiled-coil proteins, which are excellent model systems for oligomeric systems. Despite the stereotypical fold of coiled coils, initial phase estimation can be difficult and many structures have to be solved with experimental phasing. A method was developed for automatic structure determination of homomeric coiled coils from X-ray diffraction data. In a benchmark set of 24 coiled coils, ranging from dimers to pentamers with resolutions down to 2.5 Å, 22 systems were automatically solved, 11 of which had previously been solved by experimental phasing. The generated models contained 71-103% of the residues present in the deposited structures, had the correct sequence and had free R values that deviated on average by 0.01 from those of the respective reference structures. The electron-density maps were of sufficient quality that only minor manual editing was necessary to produce final structures. The method, named CCsolve, combines methods for de novo structure prediction, initial phase estimation and automated model building into one pipeline. CCsolve is robust against errors in the initial models and can readily be modified to make use of alternative crystallographic software. The results demonstrate the feasibility of de novo phasing of protein-protein complexes, an approach that could also be employed for other small systems beyond coiled coils.

  3. The Ability of the Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation (APACHE IV Score to Predict Mortality in a Single Tertiary Hospital

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jae Woo Choi

    2017-08-01

    Full Text Available Background The Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation (APACHE II model has been widely used in Korea. However, there have been few studies on the APACHE IV model in Korean intensive care units (ICUs. The aim of this study was to compare the ability of APACHE IV and APACHE II in predicting hospital mortality, and to investigate the ability of APACHE IV as a critical care triage criterion. Methods The study was designed as a prospective cohort study. Measurements of discrimination and calibration were performed using the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC and the Hosmer-Lemeshow goodness-of-fit test respectively. We also calculated the standardized mortality ratio (SMR. Results The APACHE IV score, the Charlson Comorbidity index (CCI score, acute respiratory distress syndrome, and unplanned ICU admissions were independently associated with hospital mortality. The calibration, discrimination, and SMR of APACHE IV were good (H = 7.67, P = 0.465; C = 3.42, P = 0.905; AUROC = 0.759; SMR = 1.00. However, the explanatory power of an APACHE IV score >93 alone on hospital mortality was low at 44.1%. The explanatory power was increased to 53.8% when the hospital mortality was predicted using a model that considers APACHE IV >93 scores, medical admission, and risk factors for CCI >3 coincidentally. However, the discriminative ability of the prediction model was unsatisfactory (C index <0.70. Conclusions The APACHE IV presented good discrimination, calibration, and SMR for hospital mortality.

  4. Acute phase proteins: a potential approach for diagnosing chronic infection by Trypanosoma vivax Proteínas de fase aguda: uma possível abordagem para diagnóstico de infecção crônica por Trypanosoma vivax

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Katyane de Sousa Almeida

    2012-06-01

    Full Text Available The present study aimed to assess potential changes in acute phase proteins in sheep experimentally infected with Trypanosoma vivax. There were studied eight male sheep, four used as controls and four infected with 10(5 T. vivax trypomastigotes. Blood samples were collected at two points times before infection and then at 5,7, 9, 11, 13, 15, 20, 30, 45, 60, 75, 90, 105 and 120 days post-infection (dpi. Blood samples were centrifuged and allotted, and acute phase proteins were then separated by electrophoresis on acrylamide gel containing sodium dodecyl sulfate. Protein concentrations were determined by computer-assisted densitometry. Total protein was determined by colorimetric biuret method. Trypanosomes were counted daily using a 5 mL aliquot of blood smear on a glass slide under a 22 × 22 mm coverslip. Parasites were counted in 100 microscopic fields (40× magnification, and then multiplied by a correction factor. The results were expressed as parasites per mL of blood. For statistical analyses, we used the Wilcoxon test at 5% significance level. There was found a reduction in several acute phase proteins and increase in antitrypsin and transferrin. This finding can be used for the diagnosis of T. vivax infection, especially in chronic infection.O objetivo do presente estudo foi verificar possíveis alterações nas proteínas de fase aguda em ovinos infectados experimentalmente com Trypanosoma vivax. Para tanto, foram utilizados oito ovinos machos, sendo quatro usados como controle e quatro infectados com 10(5 tripomastigotas de T. vivax. Colheram-se amostras de sangue em dois tempos antes da infecção e, posteriormente, aos 5, 7, 9, 11, 13, 15, 20, 30, 45, 60, 75, 90, 105 e 120 dias após a infecção (dpi; após centrifugação e aliquotização das amostras. As proteínas de fase aguda foram separadas por eletroforese em gel de acrilamida, contendo dodecil sulfato de sódio, e suas concentrações foram determinadas através de

  5. The Effects of Diesel Exhaust and Stress on the Acute Phase Response and Symptoms in the Chemically Intolerant

    National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

    Fiedler, Nancy; Leumbach, Robert; Kipen, Howard; Lioy, Paul; Zhang, Jungfeng; Lehrer, Paul

    2006-01-01

    .... The purpose of the proposed study is to test a model for chemical sensitivity in GWV in which simultaneous acute exposures to DE and psychological stress cause increased symptoms via the acute phase response (APR...

  6. 'Living a life in shades of grey': experiencing depressive symptoms in the acute phase after stroke.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kouwenhoven, Siren E; Kirkevold, Marit; Engedal, Knut; Kim, Hesook S

    2012-08-01

    The aim of the present study was to describe the lived experience of stroke survivors suffering from depressive symptoms in the acute phase; addressing the following questions: (a) what is the nature of depression as experienced by post-stroke patients in the acute phase? (b) what is it like to live with depression within the first weeks following stroke? Post-stroke depression occurs in at least one quarter of stroke survivors and is linked to poorer outcomes. This qualitative study is methodologically grounded in hermeneutic phenomenology, influenced by van Manen and Ricoeur. A descriptive, qualitative design was used applying in-depth interviews as the method of data collection with nine participants. The data collection took place in 2008. The material revealed two main themes that generate the feeling and description of 'living a life in shades of grey': (a) being trapped and (b) losing oneself. 'Shades of grey' could be understood as being confined in a new life-world and losing oneself as the person one knew. The participants confirmed suffering from depressive symptoms, but depression was not seen as meaningful on its own. They related their experiences of post-stroke depression in the acute phase to the losses they experienced. Nurses ought to take into account the depth of the life changes that stroke survivors may experience. There is a need for continued empirical research on how nurses may help and support stroke survivors dealing with depressive symptoms in the acute phase after stroke and how depressive symptoms develop over time. © 2011 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

  7. Effects of Acute Endurance Exercise on Plasma Protein Profiles of Endurance-Trained and Untrained Individuals over Time

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Marius Schild

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available Acute physical exercise and repeated exercise stimuli affect whole-body metabolic and immunologic homeostasis. The aim of this study was to determine plasma protein profiles of trained (EET, n=19 and untrained (SED, n=17 individuals at rest and in response to an acute bout of endurance exercise. Participants completed a bicycle exercise test at an intensity corresponding to 80% of their VO2max. Plasma samples were taken before, directly after, and three hours after exercise and analyzed using multiplex immunoassays. Seventy-eight plasma variables were included in the final analysis. Twenty-nine variables displayed significant acute exercise effects in both groups. Seven proteins differed between groups, without being affected by acute exercise. Among these A2Macro and IL-5 were higher in EET individuals while leptin showed elevated levels in SED individuals. Fifteen variables revealed group and time differences with elevated levels for IL-3, IL-7, IL-10, and TNFR2 in EET individuals. An interaction effect could be observed for nine variables including IL-6, MMP-2, MMP-3, and muscle damage markers. The proteins that differ between groups indicate a long-term exercise effect on plasma protein concentrations. These findings might be of importance in the development of exercise-based strategies in the prevention and therapy of chronic metabolic and inflammatory diseases and for training monitoring.

  8. A user-friendly risk-score for predicting in-hospital cardiac arrest among patients admitted with suspected non ST-elevation acute coronary syndrome - The SAFER-score.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Faxén, Jonas; Hall, Marlous; Gale, Chris P; Sundström, Johan; Lindahl, Bertil; Jernberg, Tomas; Szummer, Karolina

    2017-12-01

    To develop a simple risk-score model for predicting in-hospital cardiac arrest (CA) among patients hospitalized with suspected non-ST elevation acute coronary syndrome (NSTE-ACS). Using the Swedish Web-system for Enhancement and Development of Evidence-based care in Heart disease Evaluated According to Recommended Therapies (SWEDEHEART), we identified patients (n=242 303) admitted with suspected NSTE-ACS between 2008 and 2014. Logistic regression was used to assess the association between 26 candidate variables and in-hospital CA. A risk-score model was developed and validated using a temporal cohort (n=126 073) comprising patients from SWEDEHEART between 2005 and 2007 and an external cohort (n=276 109) comprising patients from the Myocardial Ischaemia National Audit Project (MINAP) between 2008 and 2013. The incidence of in-hospital CA for NSTE-ACS and non-ACS was lower in the SWEDEHEART-derivation cohort than in MINAP (1.3% and 0.5% vs. 2.3% and 2.3%). A seven point, five variable risk score (age ≥60 years (1 point), ST-T abnormalities (2 points), Killip Class >1 (1 point), heart rate Model discrimination was good in the derivation cohort (c-statistic 0.72) and temporal validation cohort (c-statistic 0.74), and calibration was reasonable with a tendency towards overestimation of risk with a higher sum of score points. External validation showed moderate discrimination (c-statistic 0.65) and calibration showed a general underestimation of predicted risk. A simple points score containing five variables readily available on admission predicts in-hospital CA for patients with suspected NSTE-ACS. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  9. Gene expression profiling of porcine skeletal muscle in the early recovery phase following acute physical activity

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Hansen, Jeanette; Conley, Lene; Hedegaard, Jakob

    2012-01-01

    Acute physical activity elicits changes in gene expression in skeletal muscles to promote metabolic changes and to repair exercise-induced muscle injuries. In the present time-course study, pigs were submitted to an acute bout of treadmill running until near exhaustion to determine the impact...... associated with proteolytic events, such as the muscle-specific E3 ubiquitin ligase atrogin-1, were significantly upregulated, suggesting that protein breakdown, prevention of protein aggregation and stabilization of unfolded proteins are important processes for restoration of cellular homeostasis. We also...... detected an upregulation of genes that are associated with muscle cell proliferation and differentiation, including MUSTN1, ASB5 and CSRP3, possibly reflecting activation, differentiation and fusion of satellite cells to facilitate repair of muscle damage. In addition, exercise increased expression...

  10. The Introduction of Adult Appendicitis Score Reduced Negative Appendectomy Rate.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sammalkorpi, H E; Mentula, P; Savolainen, H; Leppäniemi, A

    2017-09-01

    Implementation of a clinical risk score into diagnostics of acute appendicitis may provide accurate diagnosis with selective use of imaging studies. The aim of this study was to prospectively validate recently described diagnostic scoring system, Adult Appendicitis Score, and evaluate its effects on negative appendectomy rate. Adult Appendicitis Score stratifies patients into three groups: high, intermediate, and low risk of appendicitis. The score was implemented in diagnostics of adult patients suspected of acute appendicitis in two university hospitals. We analyzed the effects of Adult Appendicitis Score on diagnostic accuracy, imaging studies, and treatment. The study population was compared with a reference population of 829 patients suspected of acute appendicitis originally enrolled for the study of construction of the Adult Appendicitis Score. This study enrolled 908 patients of whom 432 (48%) had appendicitis. The score stratified 49% of all appendicitis patients into high-risk group with specificity of 93.3%. In the low-risk group, prevalence of appendicitis was 7%. The histologically confirmed negative appendectomy rate decreased from 18.2% to 8.7%, pAppendicitis Score is a reliable tool for stratification of patients into selective imaging, which results in low negative appendectomy rate.

  11. Empirical scoring functions for advanced protein-ligand docking with PLANTS.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Korb, Oliver; Stützle, Thomas; Exner, Thomas E

    2009-01-01

    In this paper we present two empirical scoring functions, PLANTS(CHEMPLP) and PLANTS(PLP), designed for our docking algorithm PLANTS (Protein-Ligand ANT System), which is based on ant colony optimization (ACO). They are related, regarding their functional form, to parts of already published scoring functions and force fields. The parametrization procedure described here was able to identify several parameter settings showing an excellent performance for the task of pose prediction on two test sets comprising 298 complexes in total. Up to 87% of the complexes of the Astex diverse set and 77% of the CCDC/Astex clean listnc (noncovalently bound complexes of the clean list) could be reproduced with root-mean-square deviations of less than 2 A with respect to the experimentally determined structures. A comparison with the state-of-the-art docking tool GOLD clearly shows that this is, especially for the druglike Astex diverse set, an improvement in pose prediction performance. Additionally, optimized parameter settings for the search algorithm were identified, which can be used to balance pose prediction reliability and search speed.

  12. Acute and long-term treatment of late-life major depressive disorder: duloxetine versus placebo.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Robinson, Michael; Oakes, Tina Myers; Raskin, Joel; Liu, Peng; Shoemaker, Scarlett; Nelson, J Craig

    2014-01-01

    To compare the efficacy of duloxetine with placebo on depression in elderly patients with major depressive disorder. Multicenter, 24-week (12-week short-term and 12-week continuation), randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind trial. United States, France, Mexico, Puerto Rico. Age 65 years or more with major depressive disorder diagnosis (one or more previous episode); Mini-Mental State Examination score ≥20; Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale total score ≥20. Duloxetine 60 or 120 mg/day or placebo; placebo rescue possible. Primary-Maier subscale of the 17-item Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAMD-17) at week 12. Secondary-Geriatric Depression Scale, HAMD-17 total score, cognitive measures, Brief Pain Inventory (BPI), Numeric Rating Scales (NRS) for pain, Clinical Global Impression-Severity scale, Patient Global Impression of Improvement in acute phase and acute plus continuation phase of treatment. Compared with placebo, duloxetine did not show significantly greater improvement from baseline on Maier subscale at 12 weeks, but did show significantly greater improvement at weeks 4, 8, 16, and 20. Similar patterns for Geriatric Depression Scale and Clinical Global Impression-Severity scale emerged, with significance also seen at week 24. There was a significant treatment effect for all BPI items and 4 of 6 NRS pain measures in the acute phase, most BPI items and half of the NRS measures in the continuation phase. More duloxetine-treated patients completed the study (63% versus 55%). A significantly higher percentage of duloxetine-treated patients versus placebo discontinued due to adverse event (15.3% versus 5.8%). Although the antidepressant efficacy of duloxetine was not confirmed by the primary outcome, several secondary measures at multiple time points suggested efficacy. Duloxetine had significant and meaningful beneficial effects on pain. Copyright © 2014 American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights

  13. DisoMCS: Accurately Predicting Protein Intrinsically Disordered Regions Using a Multi-Class Conservative Score Approach.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Zhiheng Wang

    Full Text Available The precise prediction of protein intrinsically disordered regions, which play a crucial role in biological procedures, is a necessary prerequisite to further the understanding of the principles and mechanisms of protein function. Here, we propose a novel predictor, DisoMCS, which is a more accurate predictor of protein intrinsically disordered regions. The DisoMCS bases on an original multi-class conservative score (MCS obtained by sequence-order/disorder alignment. Initially, near-disorder regions are defined on fragments located at both the terminus of an ordered region connecting a disordered region. Then the multi-class conservative score is generated by sequence alignment against a known structure database and represented as order, near-disorder and disorder conservative scores. The MCS of each amino acid has three elements: order, near-disorder and disorder profiles. Finally, the MCS is exploited as features to identify disordered regions in sequences. DisoMCS utilizes a non-redundant data set as the training set, MCS and predicted secondary structure as features, and a conditional random field as the classification algorithm. In predicted near-disorder regions a residue is determined as an order or a disorder according to the optimized decision threshold. DisoMCS was evaluated by cross-validation, large-scale prediction, independent tests and CASP (Critical Assessment of Techniques for Protein Structure Prediction tests. All results confirmed that DisoMCS was very competitive in terms of accuracy of prediction when compared with well-established publicly available disordered region predictors. It also indicated our approach was more accurate when a query has higher homologous with the knowledge database.The DisoMCS is available at http://cal.tongji.edu.cn/disorder/.

  14. Leucogram and serum acute phase protein concentrations in queens submitted to conventional or videolaparoscopic ovariectomy Leucograma e concentrações séricas de proteínas de fase aguda de gatas submetidas à ovariectomia convencional ou por videolaparoscopia

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    A.E. Alves

    2010-02-01

    Full Text Available Thirty health queens were submitted to ovariectomy by conventional technique or by videolaparoscopy. In order to study the intensity of inflammatory response by means of acute phase protein analysis and white blood cell count, serum samples were taken before and until 144 hours after the surgical procedures. The protein concentrations that were significantly increased 24 hours after surgical procedures were: ceruloplasmin, hemopexin, haptoglobin, and α1-acid glycoprotein, 69.8%, 103.5%, 117.3%, and 199.0%, respectively, for conventional ovariectomy; and 22.3%, 46.1%, 79.8%, and 74.6%, respectively, for laparoscopic ovariectomy. Therefore, inflammatory response was more intense in queens submitted to conventional ovariectomy. Results indicate that the increase or decrease in acute phase proteins, as well as in white blood cells count, may be useful in the evaluation of inflammatory response induced by these surgical procedures.Trinta gatas, saudáveis, foram submetidas à ovariectomia pela técnica convencional e por videolaparoscopia. Amostras de sangue foram obtidas com o objetivo de verificar a intensidade da resposta inflamatória por meio da análise das concentrações de proteinas de fase aguda e contagem de leucócitos antes e até 144 horas após procedimento cirúrgico. As proteínas que apresentaram aumento significativo 24 horas após a cirurgia foram: ceruloplasmina, hemopexina, haptoglobina e α1-glicoproteína ácida, 69,8%, 103,5%, 117,3% e 199,0%, respectivamente, para ovariectomia convencional, e 22,3%, 46,1%, 79,8% e 74,6%, respectivamente, para ovariectomia por videolaparoscopia. A resposta inflamatória foi mais evidente nas gatas submetidas à ovariectomia convencional. Os resultados mostram aumento e diminuição na concentração de proteínas de fase aguda e na contagem de leucócitos, podendo ser utilizados na avaliação da resposta inflamatória induzida por procedimentos cirúrgicos.

  15. The Impact of Protein Structure and Sequence Similarity on the Accuracy of Machine-Learning Scoring Functions for Binding Affinity Prediction.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Hongjian; Peng, Jiangjun; Leung, Yee; Leung, Kwong-Sak; Wong, Man-Hon; Lu, Gang; Ballester, Pedro J

    2018-03-14

    It has recently been claimed that the outstanding performance of machine-learning scoring functions (SFs) is exclusively due to the presence of training complexes with highly similar proteins to those in the test set. Here, we revisit this question using 24 similarity-based training sets, a widely used test set, and four SFs. Three of these SFs employ machine learning instead of the classical linear regression approach of the fourth SF (X-Score which has the best test set performance out of 16 classical SFs). We have found that random forest (RF)-based RF-Score-v3 outperforms X-Score even when 68% of the most similar proteins are removed from the training set. In addition, unlike X-Score, RF-Score-v3 is able to keep learning with an increasing training set size, becoming substantially more predictive than X-Score when the full 1105 complexes are used for training. These results show that machine-learning SFs owe a substantial part of their performance to training on complexes with dissimilar proteins to those in the test set, against what has been previously concluded using the same data. Given that a growing amount of structural and interaction data will be available from academic and industrial sources, this performance gap between machine-learning SFs and classical SFs is expected to enlarge in the future.

  16. Is Customization in Antidepressant Prescribing Associated with Acute-Phase Treatment Adherence?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Merrick, Elizabeth L; Hodgkin, Dominic; Panas, Lee; Soumerai, Stephen B; Ritter, Grant

    2012-03-01

    OBJECTIVES: The objective was to explore whether prescribing variation is associated with duration of antidepressant use during the acute phase of treatment. Improving quality of care and increasing the extent to which treatment is patient-centered and customized are interrelated goals. Prescribing variation may be considered a marker of customization, and could be associated with better antidepressant treatment adherence. METHODS: A cross-sectional secondary data analysis examining the association between providers' antidepressant prescribing variation and patient continuity of antidepressant treatment. The data source was two states' Medicaid claims for dual-eligible Medicaid/Medicare patients. The sample included 383 patients with new episodes of antidepressant treatment, representing 70 providers with at least four patients in the sample. We tested two alternate measures of prescribing concentration: 1) share of prescriber's initial antidepressant prescribing accounted for by the two most common regimens, and 2) Herfindahl index. The HEDIS performance measure of effective acute-phase treatment (at least 84 out of 114 days with antidepressant) was the dependent variable. KEY FINDINGS: In multivariate analyses, the concentration measure based on the top two regimens was significant and inversely related to duration adequacy (p customized care.

  17. Outcome of Acute Pancreatic and Peripancreatic Collections Occurring in Patients With Acute Pancreatitis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Manrai, Manish; Kochhar, Rakesh; Gupta, Vikas; Yadav, Thakur Deen; Dhaka, Narendra; Kalra, Naveen; Sinha, Saroj K; Khandelwal, Niranjan

    2018-02-01

    To study the outcome of acute collections occurring in patients with acute pancreatitis BACKGROUND:: There are limited data on natural history of acute collections arising after acute pancreatitis (AP). Consecutive patients of AP admitted between July 2011 and December 2012 were evaluated by imaging for development of acute collections as defined by revised Atlanta classification. Imaging was repeated at 1 and 3 months. Spontaneous resolution, evolution, and need for intervention were assessed. Of the 189 patients, 151 patients (79.9%) had acute collections with severe disease and delayed hospitalization being predictors of acute collections. Thirty-six patients had acute interstitial edematous pancreatitis, 8 of whom developed acute peripancreatic fluid collections, of which 1 evolved into pseudocyst. Among the 153 patients with acute necrotizing pancreatitis, 143 (93.4%) developed acute necrotic collection (ANC). Twenty-three of 143 ANC patients died, 21 had resolved collections, whereas 84 developed walled-off necrosis (WON), with necrosis >30% (P = 0.010) and Computed Tomographic Severity Index score ≥7 (P = 0.048) predicting development of WON. Of the 84 patients with WON, 8 expired, 53 patients required an intervention, and 23 were managed conservatively. Independent predictors of any intervention among all patients were Computed Tomographic Severity Index score ≥7 (P 7 days (P = 0.04). Patients with severe AP and delayed hospitalization more often develop acute collections. Pancreatic pseudocysts are a rarity in acute interstitial pancreatitis. A majority of patients with necrotising pancreatitis will develop ANC, more than half of whom will develop WON. Delay in hospitalization and higher baseline necrosis score predict need for intervention.

  18. [Risk scores for the development of venous thromboembolism in ambulatory patients and in patients hospitalized for acute medical disease].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Junod, A

    2015-10-28

    The recognition of an increased risk of VTE following surgery has initiated a similar investigation in: 1) Ambulatory subjects. In this group, the Qthrombosis score has identified 8 to 11 risk factors. The incidence of VTE is of the order of 0,15%/year. 2) The patients admitted to hospital for an acute medical disease. Nine scores are available for analysis. Results are difficult to interpret because of confusing factors: the inclusion of symptomatic VTE only or both symptomatic and asymptomatic VTE; the uncontrolled prescription of thromboprophylaxis. VTE incidence over 3 months varies between 15 and 0,5%, but is around 1% in the most recent studies. New studies, with a more rigorous methodological approach, are needed.

  19. Measurement of renal blood flow by phase-contrast magnetic resonance imaging during septic acute kidney injury: a pilot investigation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Prowle, John R; Molan, Maurice P; Hornsey, Emma; Bellomo, Rinaldo

    2012-06-01

    In septic patients, decreased renal perfusion is considered to play a major role in the pathogenesis of acute kidney injury. However, the accurate measurement of renal blood flow in such patients is problematic and invasive. We sought to overcome such obstacles by measuring renal blood flow in septic patients with acute kidney injury using cine phase-contrast magnetic resonance imaging. Pilot observational study. University-affiliated general adult intensive care unit. Ten adult patients with established septic acute kidney injury and 11 normal volunteers. Cine phase-contrast magnetic resonance imaging measurement of renal blood flow and cardiac output. The median age of the study patients was 62.5 yrs and eight were male. At the time of magnetic resonance imaging, eight patients were mechanically ventilated, nine were on continuous hemofiltration, and five required vasopressors. Cine phase-contrast magnetic resonance imaging examinations were carried out without complication. Median renal blood flow was 482 mL/min (range 335-1137) in septic acute kidney injury and 1260 mL/min (range 791-1750) in healthy controls (p = .003). Renal blood flow indexed to body surface area was 244 mL/min/m2 (range 165-662) in septic acute kidney injury and 525 mL/min/m2 (range 438-869) in controls (p = .004). In patients with septic acute kidney injury, median cardiac index was 3.5 L/min/m2 (range 1.6-8.7), and median renal fraction of cardiac output was only 7.1% (range 4.4-10.8). There was no rank correlation between renal blood flow index and creatinine clearance in patients with septic acute kidney injury (r = .26, p = .45). Cine phase-contrast magnetic resonance imaging can be used to noninvasively and safely assess renal perfusion during critical illness in man. Near-simultaneous accurate measurement of cardiac output enables organ blood flow to be assessed in the context of the global circulation. Renal blood flow seems consistently reduced as a fraction of cardiac output in

  20. P-glycoprotein and multidrug resistance protein activities in relation to treatment outcome in acute myeloid leukemia

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    de Vries, EGE; van Putten, WLJ; Verdonck, LF; Ossenkoppele, GJ; Verhoef, GEG; Vellenga, E

    Despite treatment with intensive chemotherapy, a considerable number of patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) die from their disease due to the occurrence of resistance. Overexpression of the transporter proteins P-glycoprotein (P-gp) and multidrug resistance protein (MRP) 1 has been identified

  1. PAI-1 4G/5G and MTHFR C677T polymorphisms increased the accuracy of two prediction scores for the risk of acute lower extremity deep vein thrombosis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pop, Tudor Radu; Vesa, Ştefan Cristian; Trifa, Adrian Pavel; Crişan, Sorin; Buzoianu, Anca Dana

    2014-01-01

    This study investigates the accuracy of two scores in predicting the risk of acute lower extremity deep vein thrombosis. The study included 170 patients [85 (50%) women and 85 (50%) men] who were diagnosed with acute lower extremity deep vein thrombosis (DVT) with duplex ultrasonography. Median age was 62 (52.75; 72) years. The control group consisted of 166 subjects [96 (57.8%) women and 70 (42.2%) men], without DVT, matched for age (± one year) to those in the group with DVT. The patients and controls were selected from those admitted to the internal medicine, cardiology and geriatrics wards within the Municipal Hospital of Cluj-Napoca, Romania, between October 2009 and June 2011. Clinical, demographic and lab data were recorded for each patient. For each patient we calculated the prior risk of DVT using two prediction scores: Caprini and Padua. According to the Padua score only 93 (54.7%) patients with DVT had been at high risk of developing DVT, while 48 (28.9%) of controls were at high risk of developing DVT. When Padua score included PAI-1 4G/5G and MTHFR C677T polymorphisms, the sensitivity increased at 71.7%. Using the Caprini score, we determined that 147 (86.4%) patients with DVT had been at high risk of developing DVT, while 103 (62%) controls were at high risk of developing DVT. A Caprini score higher than 5 was the strongest predictor of acute lower extremity DVT risk. The Caprini prediction score was more sensitive than the Padua score in assessing the high risk of DVT in medical patients. PAI-1 4G/5G and MTHFR C677T polymorphisms increased the sensitivity of Padua score.

  2. Hepatic expression of the GH/JAK/STAT/IGF pathway, acute-phase response signalling and complement system are affected in mouse offspring by prenatal and early postnatal exposure to maternal high-protein diet.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vanselow, Jens; Kucia, Marzena; Langhammer, Martina; Koczan, Dirk; Rehfeldt, Charlotte; Metges, Cornelia C

    2011-12-01

    Effects of pre- and early postnatal exposure to maternal high-protein diets are not well understood. Transcription profiling was performed in male mouse offspring exposed to maternal high-protein diet during pregnancy and/or lactation to identify affected hepatic molecular pathways. Dams were fed isoenergetic diets with control (20% w/w) or high protein levels (40%). The hepatic expression profiles were evaluated by differential microarray analysis 3 days (d3) and 3 weeks (d21) after birth. Offspring from three different high-protein dietary groups, HP (d3, high-protein diet during pregnancy), HPHP (d21, high-protein diet during pregnancy and lactation) and CHP (d21, control diet during pregnancy and high-protein diet during lactation), were compared with age-matched offspring from dams fed control diet. Offspring body and liver mass of all high-protein groups were decreased. Prenatal high-protein diet affected hepatic expression of genes mapping to the acute response/complement system and the GH/JAK/STAT/IGF signalling pathways. Maternal exposure to high-protein diet during lactation affected hepatic gene expression of the same pathways but additionally affected genes mapping to protein, fatty acid, hexose and pyruvate metabolism. (1) Genes of the acute response/complement system and GH/JAK/STAT/IGF pathways were down-regulated in offspring of dams exposed to high-protein diets during pregnancy and/or lactation. (2) Genes related to nutrient and energy metabolism, however, were only affected when high-protein diet was administered during lactation. (3) Modulation of the GH/JAK/STAT/IGF pathway might be responsible for reduced body and liver masses by maternal high-protein diet.

  3. Low protein Z plasma level is a risk factor for acute myocardial infarction in coronary atherosclerosis disease patients

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Baoxin; Li, Yong; Luo, Jiachen; Dai, Liming; Zhao, Jinlong; Li, Hongqiang; Jie, Qiqiang; Wang, Dongzhi; Huang, Xin; Wei, Yidong

    2016-01-01

    Objectives To examine plasma protein Z (PZ) levels in acute myocardial infarction (AMI) and chronic coronary atherosclerosis disease (CCAD) patients without history of AMI and explore its potential clinical significance. Methods Plasma PZ concentrations were measured in 90 AMI patients (Group A), 87 CCAD patients without AMI history who remained free of major clinical events at least one year (Group B), and 88 clinically healthy controls (Group C). Results PZ was found to be significantly lower (PC (2001.7 ± 733.0 ng/mL) groups and in A+B compared with C Group (A+B 1663.1±570.0, PC groups (P=0.081). PZ level was significantly correlated with concentration of creatine kinase MB, high sensitive-cardiac troponin T, high sensitive C reactive protein, D-dimer and coagulation factor II and may be a useful predictor for AMI (OR: 1.38, 95% CI: 1.13-1.77, P=0.03). Subgroup analysis showed PZ concentration below the lowest tertile (< 1398 ng/mL) had a significantly increased risk for AMI and CCAD (OR: 3.39; 95% CI: 1.12-10.31; P=0.03 and OR: 7.39; 95% CI: 2.62-20.79; P<0.001 respectively). Conclusions PZ deficiency is found in AMI patients and could potentially reflect the myocardium injury, local coagulation activation and inflammation response during the acute phase of coronary atherosclerosis disease. PMID:27770663

  4. Trends in C-Reactive Protein Levels Are Associated with Neurological Change Twenty-Four Hours after Thrombolysis for Acute Ischemic Stroke.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gill, Dipender; Sivakumaran, Prasanthi; Wilding, Peter; Love, Madeleine; Veltkamp, Roland; Kar, Arindam

    2016-08-01

    Elevated inflammatory markers such as C-reactive protein (CRP) are associated with worse outcomes in patients thrombolysed for acute ischemic stroke (AIS). To investigate whether changes in CRP levels are associated with neurological change after thrombolysis for AIS. Retrospective analysis of a single-center database of consecutive thrombolysis cases for AIS from October 18, 2011, to June 15, 2015, inclusive. Multivariate regression analysis was used to investigate the relationship between change in CRP 12-24 hours after thrombolysis and change in NIHSS (National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale) score 24 hours after thrombolysis. The other potentially confounding predictor variables included in the model were CRP on admission and NIHSS score before thrombolysis. Complete data were available for 108 out of possible 435 eligible patients. Increases in CRP levels 12-24 hours after thrombolysis were negatively associated with reduction in NIHSS score 24 hours after thrombolysis (coefficient .08, 95% confidence interval .031-.129, P = .002). Thus, on average, for every 12.5 mg/L additional increase in CRP 12-24 hours after thrombolysis, NIHSS score at 24 hours improved by 1 point less. While it was previously known that elevated CRP levels are associated with worse outcomes in patients thrombolysed for AIS, the current work demonstrates that changes in CRP levels after thrombolysis also relate to neurological change, and thus may have scope for use as prognostic markers. Copyright © 2016 National Stroke Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  5. Assessment of Takotsubo (ampulla) cardiomyopathy using 99mTc-tetrofosmin myocardial SPECT. Comparison with acute coronary syndrome

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ito, Kazuki; Katoh, Shuji

    2003-01-01

    We assessed Takotsubo (ampulla) cardiomyopathy compared with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) using two-dimensional echocardiography and 99m Tc-tetrofosmin myocardial SPECT. We examined 10 patients with Takotsubo cardiomyopathy and 16 with ACS at the time of emergency admission (acute phase), at three to nine days after the attack (subacute phase) and at one month after the attack (chronic phase). The left ventricle was divided into nine regions on echocardiograms and SPECT images, and the degree of abnormalities in each region was scored in five grades from normal (0) to severely abnormal (4). Coronary angiography revealed total or subtotal occlusion in patients with ACS but no stenotic legions in those with Takotsubo cardiomyopathy. The amount of ST segment elevation (mm) was 7.9±3.4 in patients with Takotsubo cardiomyopathy and 7.3±3.7 in those with ACS (N.S.). Abnormal wall motion scores on echocardiograms were 13.8±4.4, 4.4±3.8 and 1.8±2.3 during the acute, subacute and chronic phases in patients with Takotsubo cardiomyopathy, and 13.9±4.0, 11.7±3.7, 7.6±4.2, respectively in patients with ACS. The value of MB fraction of creatine phosphokinase (IU/l) was 34±23 in patients with Takotsubo cardiomyopathy and 326±98 in those with ACS (p 99m Tc-tetrofosmin myocardial SPECT were 11.4±3.2, 3.2±3.3 and 0.7±1.1 during the acute, subacute and chronic phases respectively, in patients with Takotsubo cardiomyopathy, and 15.8±4.1, 13.5±4.4, 8.2±4.4, respectively, in those with ACS. The numbers of myocardial segments that did not uptake 99m Tc-tetrofosmin during the acute phase were 0.5±0.8 and 3.6±2.8 in patients with Takotsubo cardiomyopathy and ACS, respectively. Impaired coronary microcirculation might be a causative mechanism of Takotsubo cardiomyopathy. (author)

  6. Acute hyperhydration reduces athlete biological passport OFF-hr score

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Bejder Rasmussen, Jacob; Hoffmann, M F; Ashenden, M

    2016-01-01

    Anecdotal evidence suggests that athletes hyperhydrate to mask prohibited substances in urine and potentially counteract suspicious fluctuations in blood parameters in the athlete biological passport (ABP). It is examined if acute hyperhydration changes parameters included in the ABP. Twenty...... ingestion, and 54% (n = 19), 45%, and 47% (n = 19) were identified 40, 60, and 80 min, respectively, after ingestion. In conclusion, acute hyperhydration reduces ABP OFF-hr and reduces ABP sensitivity....

  7. Modulation of the acute phase response in feedlot steers supplemented with Saccharomyces cerevisiae

    Science.gov (United States)

    This study was designed to determine the effect of supplementing feedlot steers with Saccharomyces cerevisiae CNCM I-1079 (SC) on the acute phase response to a lipopolysaccharide (LPS) challenge. Steers (n = 18; 266 ± 4 kilograms body weight) were separated into three treatment groups (n = 6/treatm...

  8. Nursing diagnoses and interventions for post-acute-phase battered women.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Carlson-Catalano, J

    1998-01-01

    To identify nursing diagnoses and interventions applicable for post-acute-phase battered women. Eight battered women were interviewed twice for 2 hours. Gordon's functional health patterns provided the framework for data collection. Fifty-three nursing diagnoses and 52 nursing interventions were indicated in the data; 24 nursing diagnoses and 26 nursing interventions were present in all participants' data. With the use of comprehensive interventions, nurses can make a major contribution to society by enabling battered women to move to a more protected lifestyle.

  9. Decreased PARP and procaspase-2 protein levels are associated with cellular drug resistance in childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    A. Holleman (Amy); M.L. den Boer (Monique); K.M. Kazemier (Karin); H.B. Beverloo (Berna); A.R.M. von Bergh (Anne); G.E. Janka-Schaub (Gritta); R. Pieters (Rob)

    2005-01-01

    textabstractDrug resistance in childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) and acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is associated with impaired ability to induce apoptosis. To elucidate causes of apoptotic defects, we studied the protein expression of Apaf-1, procaspases-2, -3, -6, -7,

  10. Trajectories of sleep changes during the acute phase of traumatic brain injury: A 7-day actigraphy study

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hsiao-Yean Chiu

    2013-09-01

    Conclusion: Poor sleep efficiency and longer sleep duration are common symptoms in acute TBI patients. Both head injury severity and age predicted the trajectories of daytime and 24-hour sleep duration during the acute phase of TBI, whereas gender predicted the trajectories of 24-hour sleep duration in the mild TBI subgroup.

  11. CD26: A Prognostic Marker of Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia in Children in the Post Remission Induction Phase.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mehde, Atheer Awad; Yusof, Faridah; Adel Mehdi, Wesen; Zainulabdeen, Jwan Abdulmohsin

    2015-01-01

    ALL is an irredeemable disease due to the resistance to treatment. There are several influences which are involved in such resistance to chemotherapy, including oxidative stress as a result of the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and presence of hypodiploid cells. Cluster of differentiation 26 (CD26), also known as dipeptidyl peptidase-4, is a 110 kDa, multifunctional, membrane-bound glycoprotein. The aim of this study was to evaluate the clinical significance of serum CD26 in patients with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia patients in the post remission induction phase, as well as the relationship between CD26 activity and the oxidative stress status. CD26, total antioxidant status (TAS), total oxidant status (TOS), and oxidative stress index (OSI), in addition to activity of related enzymes myeloperoxidase, glutathione- s-transferase and xanthine oxidase, were analysed in sixty children with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia in the post remission induction phase. The study showed significant elevation in CD26, TOS and OSI levels in patients with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia in the post remission induction phase in comparison to healthy control samples. In contrast, myeloperoxidase, glutathione-s-transferase and xanthine oxidase activities were decreased significantly. A significant correlation between CD26 concentration and some oxidative stress parameters was evident in ALL patients. Serum levels of CD26 appear to be useful as a new biomarker of oxidative stress in children with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia in the post remission induction phase, and levels of antioxidants must be regularly estimated during the treatment of children with ALL.

  12. Identification of Acute Phase Proteins and Assays Applicable in Nondomesticated Mammals

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Bertelsen, M. F.; Kjelgaard-Hansen, M.; Grøndahl, C.

    2009-01-01

    potential APPs-serum amyloid A (SAA), C-reactive protein (CRP), and haptoglobin (Hp)-was evaluated in eight species. For SAA, a turbidimetric immunoassay (TIA) demonstrated significant detective abilities ill the Asian elephant (Elaphas maximus), impala (Aepyceros melampus), musk ox (Ovibos moschatus...

  13. Evaluation of Respiratory Muscle Strength in the Acute Phase of Stroke: The Role of Aging and Anthropometric Variables.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Luvizutto, Gustavo José; Dos Santos, Maria Regina Lopes; Sartor, Lorena Cristina Alvarez; da Silva Rodrigues, Josiela Cristina; da Costa, Rafael Dalle Molle; Braga, Gabriel Pereira; de Oliveira Antunes, Letícia Cláudia; Souza, Juli Thomaz; de Carvalho Nunes, Hélio Rubens; Bazan, Silméia Garcia Zanati; Bazan, Rodrigo

    2017-10-01

    During hospitalization, stroke patients are bedridden due to neurologic impairment, leading to loss of muscle mass, weakness, and functional limitation. There have been few studies examining respiratory muscle strength (RMS) in the acute phase of stroke. This study aimed to evaluate the RMS of patients with acute stroke compared with predicted values and to relate this to anthropometric variables, risk factors, and neurologic severity. This is a cross-sectional study in the acute phase of stroke. After admission, RMS was evaluated by maximal inspiratory pressure (MIP) and maximal expiratory pressure (MEP); anthropometric data were collected; and neurologic severity was evaluated by the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale. The analysis of MIP and MEP with predicted values was performed by chi-square test, and the relationship between anthropometric variables, risk factors, and neurologic severity was determined through multiple linear regression followed by residue analysis by the Shapiro-Wilk test; P < .05 was considered statistically significant. In the 32 patients studied, MIP and MEP were reduced when compared with the predicted values. MIP declined significantly by 4.39 points for each 1 kg/m 2 increase in body mass index (BMI), and MEP declined significantly by an average of 3.89 points for each 1 kg/m 2 increase in BMI. There was no statistically significant relationship between MIP or MEP and risk factors, and between MIP or MIP and neurologic severity in acute phase of stroke. There is a reduction of RMS in the acute phase of stroke, and RMS was lower in individuals with increased age and BMI. Copyright © 2017 National Stroke Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  14. [Antipsychotic Treatment of the Adult Patient in the Acute Phase of Schizophrenia].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bohórquez Peñaranda, Adriana; Gómez Restrepo, Carlos; García Valencia, Jenny; Jaramillo González, Luis Eduardo; de la Hoz, Ana María; Arenas, Álvaro; Tamayo Martínez, Nathalie

    2014-01-01

    To determine the efficacy and safety of different antipsychotic drugs in the management of patients diagnosed with schizophrenia in the acute phase. To formulate evidence-based recommendations on the antipsychotic (AP) drug management strategies for the treatment of the adult diagnosed with schizophrenia in the acute phase. Clinical practice guidelines were prepared, using the guidelines of the Methodology Guide of the Ministry of Health and Social Protection, in order to identify, synthesise, and evaluate the evidence and formulate recommendations as regards the management and follow-up of adult patients diagnosed with schizophrenia. The evidence of the NICE 82 guideline was adopted and updated, which answered the question on the management of the acute phase of adults with a diagnosis of schizophrenia. The evidence and its level were presented to the Guideline Development Group (GDG) in order to formulate recommendations following the methodology proposed by the GRADE approach. Clozapine, olanzapine, risperidone, ziprasidone, amisulpride, paliperidone, haloperidol, quetiapine, and aripiprazole were more effective than placebo for the majority of psychotic symptoms and the abandonment of treatment, but asenapine was not. Paliperidone, risperidone, quetiapine, clozapine, and olanzapine showed significant increases in weight compared to placebo. Haloperidol, risperidone, ziprasidone, and paliperidone had a higher risk of extrapyramidal symptoms than placebo. There was a significant risk of sedation or drowsiness with, risperidone, haloperidol, ziprasidone, quetiapine, olanzapine, and clozapine in the comparisons with placebo. Of the results of the comparisons between AP, it was shown that clozapine and paliperidone had a clinically significant effect compared to haloperidol and quetiapine, respectively. Olanzapine and risperidone had a lower risk of abandoning the treatment in general, and due to adverse reactions in two comparisons of each one, haloperidol was the

  15. Improved predictive value of GRACE risk score combined with platelet reactivity for 1-year cardiovascular risk in patients with acute coronary syndrome who underwent coronary stent implantation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Shan; Liu, Hongbin; Liu, Jianfeng; Wang, Haijun

    2016-11-01

    Both high platelet reactivity (HPR) and Global Registry of Acute Coronary Events (GRACE) risk score have moderate predictive value for major adverse cardiovascular disease (CVD) events in patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) who underwent percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), whereas the prognostic significance of GRACE risk score combined with platelet function testing remains unclear. A total of 596 patients with non-ST elevation ACS who underwent PCI were enrolled. The P2Y 12 reaction unit (PRU) value was measured by VerifyNow P2Y 12 assay and GRACE score was calculated by GRACE risk 2.0 calculator. Patients were stratified by a pre-specified cutoff value of PRU 230 and GRACE score 140 to assess 1-year risk of cardiovascular death, non-fatal myocardial infarction (MI), and stent thrombosis. Seventy-two (12.1%) patients developed CVD events during 1-year follow-up. Patients with CVD events had a higher PRU value (244.6 ± 50.9 vs. 203.7 ± 52.0, p risk independently. Compared to patients with normal platelet reactivity (NPR) and GRACE score risk (HR: 5.048; 95% CI: 2.268-11.237; p risk score yielded superior risk predictive capacity beyond GRACE score alone, which is shown by improved c-statistic value (0.871, p = 0.002) as well as net reclassification improvement (NRI 0.263, p risk of adverse CVD events. The combination of platelet function testing and GRACE score predicted 1-year CVD risk better.

  16. Anterior Cruciate Ligament OsteoArthritis Score (ACLOAS)

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Roemer, Frank W; Frobell, Richard; Lohmander, Stefan

    2014-01-01

    OBJECTIVE: To develop a whole joint scoring system, the Anterior Cruciate Ligament OsteoArthritis Score (ACLOAS), for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-based assessment of acute anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury and follow-up of structural sequelae, and to assess its reliability. DESIGN...

  17. Hyperglycemia in nondiabetic patients during the acute phase of stroke

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Daniel Agustin Godoy

    2012-02-01

    Full Text Available OBJECTIVE: To determine patterns of hyperglycemic (HG control in acute stroke. METHODS: Anonymous survey through Internet questionnaire. Participants included Latin-American physicians specialized in neurocritical care. RESULTS: The response rate was 74%. HG definition varied widely. Fifty per cent considered it when values were >140 mg/dL (7.8 mmol/L. Intravenous (IV regular insulin was the drug of choice for HG correction. One fifth of the respondents expressed adherence to a protocol. Intensive insulin therapy (IIT was used by 23%. Glucose levels were measured in all participants at admission. Routine laboratory test was the preferred method for monitoring. Reactive strips were more frequently used when monitoring was intensive. Most practitioners (56.7% monitored glucose more than two times daily throughout the Intensive Care Unit stay. CONCLUSIONS: There is considerable variability and heterogeneity in the management of elevated blood glucose during acute phase of stroke by the surveyed Latin-American physicians.

  18. Psychometric properties of the Cumulated Ambulation Score

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Ferriero, Giorgio; Kristensen, Morten T; Invernizzi, Marco

    2018-01-01

    INTRODUCTION: In the geriatric population, independent mobility is a key factor in determining readiness for discharge following acute hospitalization. The Cumulated Ambulation Score (CAS) is a potentially valuable score that allows day-to-day measurements of basic mobility. The CAS was developed...... and validated in older patients with hip fracture as an early postoperative predictor of short-term outcome, but it is also used to assess geriatric in-patients with acute medical illness. Despite the fast- accumulating literature on the CAS, to date no systematic review synthesizing its psychometric properties....... Of 49 studies identified, 17 examined the psychometric properties of the CAS. EVIDENCE SYNTHESIS: Most papers dealt with patients after hip fracture surgery, and only 4 studies assessed the CAS psychometric characteristics also in geriatric in-patients with acute medical illness. Two versions of CAS...

  19. Serum levels of chicken mannan-binding lectin (MBL) during virus infections; indication that chicken MBL is an acute phase reactant

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Nielsen, O.L.; Jensenius, J. C.; Jørgensen, Poul Henrik

    1999-01-01

    Mannan-binding lectin (MBL) is a serum collectin which is believed to be an opsonin of the innate immune defence against various microorganisms. MBL is a minor acute phase reactant in man. We investigated the concentration of serum MBL in chickens infected with infectious bronchitis virus (IBV...... levels returned to normal values 6-10 days after infection. The results indicated that MBL is a minor acute phase reactant in chickens....

  20. Validation of the modified Ranson versus Glasgow score for pancreatitis in a Singaporean population.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tan, Yong Hui Alvin; Rafi, Shumaila; Tyebally Fang, Mirriam; Hwang, Stephen; Lim, Ee Wen; Ngu, James; Tan, Su-Ming

    2017-09-01

    The characteristics of patients with acute pancreatitis in multi-ethnic Singapore differ from that of the populations used in formulating the modified Ranson and Glasgow scores. The use of these scoring systems has not previously been validated in the Singaporean setting. This study aims to validate and compare the prognostic use of the modified Ranson and Glasgow scores, and to determine the superiority of one score over the other in predicting the outcome for acute pancreatitis in the Singaporean population. This is a 3-year retrospective study of patients diagnosed with acute pancreatitis at our centre. Patients with chronic pancreatitis, acute on chronic pancreatitis, iatrogenic pancreatitis, pancreatic cancer as well as those with incomplete Ranson or Glasgow scores were excluded from the study. Case notes and computer records were reviewed for local complications of pancreatitis and organ failure. Receiver operator characteristic (ROC) curves of the Ranson and Glasgow scores were plotted for the prediction of severity and mortality. Between January 2010 and December 2012, 230 cases were diagnosed with acute pancreatitis. A majority of the patients had mild pancreatitis (n = 194, 84.3%), and the overall 30-day mortality rate was 3.5% (n = 8). ROC of the Ranson and Glasgow scoring systems for mortality showed an area under curve (AUC) of 0.854 (P = 0.001) and 0.776 (P = 0.008), respectively. For severity, the AUC for the modified Ranson and Glasgow score was calculated to be 0.694 and 0.668, respectively. The ROC curves of Ranson and Glasgow scores for mortality are comparable with that published in earlier studies. In a Singaporean population, the Ranson score is more accurate in the prediction of mortality. However, both scoring systems are poor predictors for severity of acute pancreatitis. © 2015 Royal Australasian College of Surgeons.

  1. Identification of Arsenic Direct-Binding Proteins in Acute Promyelocytic Leukaemia Cells

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    Tao Zhang

    2015-11-01

    Full Text Available The identification of arsenic direct-binding proteins is essential for determining the mechanism by which arsenic trioxide achieves its chemotherapeutic effects. At least two cysteines close together in the amino acid sequence are crucial to the binding of arsenic and essential to the identification of arsenic-binding proteins. In the present study, arsenic binding proteins were pulled down with streptavidin and identified using a liquid chromatograph-mass spectrometer (LC-MS/MS. More than 40 arsenic-binding proteins were separated, and redox-related proteins, glutathione S-transferase P1 (GSTP1, heat shock 70 kDa protein 9 (HSPA9 and pyruvate kinase M2 (PKM2, were further studied using binding assays in vitro. Notably, PKM2 has a high affinity for arsenic. In contrast to PKM2, GSTP1and HSPA9 did not combine with arsenic directly in vitro. These observations suggest that arsenic-mediated acute promyelocytic leukaemia (APL suppressive effects involve PKM2. In summary, we identified several arsenic binding proteins in APL cells and investigated the therapeutic mechanisms of arsenic trioxide for APL. Further investigation into specific signal pathways by which PKM2 mediates APL developments may lead to a better understanding of arsenic effects on APL.

  2. Screening Characteristics of TIMI Score in Predicting Acute Coronary Syndrome Outcome; a Diagnostic Accuracy Study

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    Mostafa Alavi-Moghaddam

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Introduction: In cases with potential diagnosis of ischemic chest pain, screening high risk patients for adverse outcomes would be very helpful. The present study was designed aiming to determine the diagnostic accuracy of thrombolysis in myocardial infarction (TIMI score in Patients with potential diagnosis of ischemic chest pain.Method: This diagnostic accuracy study was designed to evaluate the screening performance characteristics of TIMI score in predicting 30-day outcomes of mortality, myocardial infarction (MI, and need for revascularization in patients presenting to ED with complaint of typical chest pain and diagnosis of unstable angina or Non-ST elevation MI.Results: 901 patients with the mean age of 58.17 ± 15.00 years (19-90 were studied (52.9% male. Mean TIMI score of the studied patients was 0.97 ± 0.93 (0-5 and the highest frequency of the score belonged to 0 to 2 with 37.2%, 35.3%, and 21.4%, respectively. In total, 170 (18.8% patients experienced the outcomes evaluated in this study. Total sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive value, and positive and negative likelihood ratio of TIMI score were 20 (95% CI: 17 – 24, 99 (95% CI: 97 – 100, 98 (95% CI: 93 – 100, 42 (95% CI: 39 – 46, 58 (95% CI: 14 – 229, and 1.3 (95% CI: 1.2 – 1.4, respectively. Area under the ROC curve of this system for prediction of 30-day mortality, MI, and need for revascularization were 0.51 (95% CI: 0.47 – 0.55, 0.58 (95% CI: 0.54 – 0.62 and 0.56 (95% CI: 0.52 – 0.60, respectively.Conclusion: Based on the findings of the present study, it seems that TIMI score has a high specificity in predicting 30-day adverse outcomes of mortality, MI, and need for revascularization following acute coronary syndrome. However, since its sensitivity, negative predictive value, and negative likelihood ratio are low, it cannot be used as a proper screening tool for ruling out low risk patients in ED.

  3. Managing acute alcohol withdrawal with Homoeopathy: A prospective, observational, multicentre exploratory study

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    Debadatta Nayak

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available Background: Alcohol dependence is a common social problem which may be associated with other risk factors and co-morbidities. Abrupt cessation of alcohol intake may provoke an acute alcohol withdrawal phase with varying degrees of signs and symptoms. In conventional medical system, specific pharmacological interventions are used for management of Acute Alcohol Withdrawal (AAW. There exists a need to explore safe and holistic treatment of AAW. The present work reports the results of a prospective, observational, exploratory, multicentre trial (2008-2011 to assess the role of Homoeopathy in AAW. Materials and Methods: Individualised Homoeopathy was given to 112 patients reporting with AAW. The clinical assessment was done for 05 days using Clinical Institute Withdrawal Assessment Scale of Alcohol-Revised (CIWA-Ar. Post-withdrawal phase, quality of life of patients was assessed at end of 01 st , 03 rd and 06 th month using World Health Organisation quality of life (WHOQOL- BREF. Results and Analysis: There was a significant decrease in CIWA-Ar mean scores and increase in quality of life score (P < 0.001. The most common remedies used were Arsenicum album, Lycopodium clavatum, Belladonna, Nux vomica and Pulsatilla. Conclusion: The results of current observational pilot study suggest the promising use of Homoeopathy in the management of acute alcohol withdrawal. Further studies with large sample size and rigorous design are warranted.

  4. Predictive value of CHADS2 and CHA2DS2-VASc scores for acute myocardial infarction in patients with atrial fibrillation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pang, Hui; Han, Bing; Fu, Qiang; Zong, Zhenkun

    2017-07-05

    The presence of acute myocardial infarction (AMI) confers a poor prognosis in atrial fibrillation (AF), associated with increased mortality dramatically. This study aimed to evaluate the predictive value of CHADS 2 and CHA 2 DS 2 -VASc scores for AMI in patients with AF. This retrospective study enrolled 5140 consecutive nonvalvular AF patients, 300 patients with AMI and 4840 patients without AMI. We identified the optimal cut-off values of the CHADS 2 and CHA 2 DS 2 -VASc scores each based on receiver operating characteristic curves to predict the risk of AMI. Both CHADS 2 score and CHA 2 DS 2 -VASc score were associated with an increased odds ratio of the prevalence of AMI in patients with AF, after adjustment for hyperlipidaemia, hyperuricemia, hyperthyroidism, hypothyroidism and obstructive sleep apnea. The present results showed that the area under the curve (AUC) for CHADS 2 score was 0.787 with a similar accuracy of the CHA 2 DS 2 -VASc score (AUC 0.750) in predicting "high-risk" AF patients who developed AMI. However, the predictive accuracy of the two clinical-based risk scores was fair. The CHA 2 DS 2 -VASc score has fair predictive value for identifying high-risk patients with AF and is not significantly superior to CHADS 2 in predicting patients who develop AMI.

  5. Late Protein Synthesis-Dependent Phases in CTA Long-Term Memory: BDNF Requirement

    Science.gov (United States)

    Martínez-Moreno, Araceli; Rodríguez-Durán, Luis F.; Escobar, Martha L.

    2011-01-01

    It has been proposed that long-term memory (LTM) persistence requires a late protein synthesis-dependent phase, even many hours after memory acquisition. Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is an essential protein synthesis product that has emerged as one of the most potent molecular mediators for long-term synaptic plasticity. Studies in the rat hippocampus have been shown that BDNF is capable to rescue the late-phase of long-term potentiation as well as the hippocampus-related LTM when protein synthesis was inhibited. Our previous studies on the insular cortex (IC), a region of the temporal cortex implicated in the acquisition and storage of conditioned taste aversion (CTA), have demonstrated that intracortical delivery of BDNF reverses the deficit in CTA memory caused by the inhibition of IC protein synthesis due to anisomycin administration during early acquisition. In this work, we first analyze whether CTA memory storage is protein synthesis-dependent in different time windows. We observed that CTA memory become sensible to protein synthesis inhibition 5 and 7 h after acquisition. Then, we explore the effect of BDNF delivery (2 μg/2 μl per side) in the IC during those late protein synthesis-dependent phases. Our results show that BDNF reverses the CTA memory deficit produced by protein synthesis inhibition in both phases. These findings support the notion that recurrent rounds of consolidation-like events take place in the neocortex for maintenance of CTA memory trace and that BDNF is an essential component of these processes. PMID:21960964

  6. Late protein synthesis-dependent phases in CTA long-term memory: BDNF requirement

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Araceli eMartínez-Moreno

    2011-09-01

    Full Text Available It has been proposed that long-term memory persistence requires a late protein synthesis-dependent phase, even many hours after memory acquisition. Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF is an essential protein synthesis product that has emerged as one of the most potent molecular mediators for long-term synaptic plasticity. Studies in the rat hippocampus have been shown that BDNF is capable to rescue the late-phase of long-term potentiation as well as the hippocampus-related long-term memory when protein synthesis was inhibited. Our previous studies on the insular cortex (IC, a region of the temporal cortex implicated in the acquisition and storage of conditioned taste aversion (CTA, have demonstrated that intracortical delivery of BDNF reverses the deficit in CTA memory caused by the inhibition of IC protein synthesis due to anisomycin administration during early acquisition. In this work, we first analyze whether CTA memory storage is protein synthesis dependent in different time-windows. We observed that CTA memory become sensible to protein synthesis inhibition 5 and 7 hours after acquisition. Then, we explore the effect of BDNF delivery (2 μg/2 μl per side in the IC during those late protein synthesis-dependent phases. Our results show that BDNF reverses the CTA memory deficit produced by protein synthesis inhibition in both phases. These findings support the notion that recurrent rounds of consolidation-like events take place in the neocortex for maintenance of CTA memory trace and that BDNF is an essential component of these processes.

  7. Late Protein Synthesis-Dependent Phases in CTA Long-Term Memory: BDNF Requirement.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Martínez-Moreno, Araceli; Rodríguez-Durán, Luis F; Escobar, Martha L

    2011-01-01

    It has been proposed that long-term memory (LTM) persistence requires a late protein synthesis-dependent phase, even many hours after memory acquisition. Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is an essential protein synthesis product that has emerged as one of the most potent molecular mediators for long-term synaptic plasticity. Studies in the rat hippocampus have been shown that BDNF is capable to rescue the late-phase of long-term potentiation as well as the hippocampus-related LTM when protein synthesis was inhibited. Our previous studies on the insular cortex (IC), a region of the temporal cortex implicated in the acquisition and storage of conditioned taste aversion (CTA), have demonstrated that intracortical delivery of BDNF reverses the deficit in CTA memory caused by the inhibition of IC protein synthesis due to anisomycin administration during early acquisition. In this work, we first analyze whether CTA memory storage is protein synthesis-dependent in different time windows. We observed that CTA memory become sensible to protein synthesis inhibition 5 and 7 h after acquisition. Then, we explore the effect of BDNF delivery (2 μg/2 μl per side) in the IC during those late protein synthesis-dependent phases. Our results show that BDNF reverses the CTA memory deficit produced by protein synthesis inhibition in both phases. These findings support the notion that recurrent rounds of consolidation-like events take place in the neocortex for maintenance of CTA memory trace and that BDNF is an essential component of these processes.

  8. IgG responses to Pneumococcal and Haemophilus influenzae protein antigens are not impaired in children with a history of recurrent acute otitis media.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wiertsema, Selma P; Corscadden, Karli J; Mowe, Eva N; Zhang, Guicheng; Vijayasekaran, Shyan; Coates, Harvey L; Mitchell, Timothy J; Thomas, Wayne R; Richmond, Peter C; Kirkham, Lea-Ann S

    2012-01-01

    Vaccines including conserved antigens from Streptococcus pneumoniae and nontypeable Haemophilus influenzae (NTHi) have the potential to reduce the burden of acute otitis media. Little is known about the antibody response to such antigens in young children with recurrent acute otitis media, however, it has been suggested antibody production may be impaired in these children. We measured serum IgG levels against 4 pneumococcal (PspA1, PspA 2, CbpA and Ply) and 3 NTHi (P4, P6 and PD) proteins in a cross-sectional study of 172 children under 3 years of age with a history of recurrent acute otitis media (median 7 episodes, requiring ventilation tube insertion) and 63 healthy age-matched controls, using a newly developed multiplex bead assay. Children with a history of recurrent acute otitis media had significantly higher geometric mean serum IgG levels against NTHi proteins P4, P6 and PD compared with healthy controls, whereas there was no difference in antibody levels against pneumococcal protein antigens. In both children with and without a history of acute otitis media, antibody levels increased with age and were significantly higher in children colonised with S. pneumoniae or NTHi compared with children that were not colonised. Proteins from S. pneumoniae and NTHi induce serum IgG in children with a history of acute otitis media. The mechanisms in which proteins induce immunity and potential protection requires further investigation but the dogma of impaired antibody responses in children with recurrent acute otitis media should be reconsidered.

  9. IgG responses to Pneumococcal and Haemophilus influenzae protein antigens are not impaired in children with a history of recurrent acute otitis media.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Selma P Wiertsema

    Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Vaccines including conserved antigens from Streptococcus pneumoniae and nontypeable Haemophilus influenzae (NTHi have the potential to reduce the burden of acute otitis media. Little is known about the antibody response to such antigens in young children with recurrent acute otitis media, however, it has been suggested antibody production may be impaired in these children. METHODS: We measured serum IgG levels against 4 pneumococcal (PspA1, PspA 2, CbpA and Ply and 3 NTHi (P4, P6 and PD proteins in a cross-sectional study of 172 children under 3 years of age with a history of recurrent acute otitis media (median 7 episodes, requiring ventilation tube insertion and 63 healthy age-matched controls, using a newly developed multiplex bead assay. RESULTS: Children with a history of recurrent acute otitis media had significantly higher geometric mean serum IgG levels against NTHi proteins P4, P6 and PD compared with healthy controls, whereas there was no difference in antibody levels against pneumococcal protein antigens. In both children with and without a history of acute otitis media, antibody levels increased with age and were significantly higher in children colonised with S. pneumoniae or NTHi compared with children that were not colonised. CONCLUSIONS: Proteins from S. pneumoniae and NTHi induce serum IgG in children with a history of acute otitis media. The mechanisms in which proteins induce immunity and potential protection requires further investigation but the dogma of impaired antibody responses in children with recurrent acute otitis media should be reconsidered.

  10. [The association between plasma neurotransmitters levels and depression in acute hemorrhagic stroke].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yuan, Huai-wu; Zhang, Ning; Wang, Chun-xue; Shi, Yu-zhi; Qi, Dong; Luo, Ben-yan; Wang, Yong-jun

    2013-08-01

    To explore the relation between plasma neurotransmitters (Glutamic acid, GAA; γ-aminobutyric acid, GABA; 5-hydroxytryptamine, 5-HT; and noradrenaline, NE) and depression in acute hemorrhagic stroke. Objectives were screened from consecutive hospitalized patients with acute stroke. Fasting blood samples were taken on the day next to hospital admission, and neurotransmitters were examined by the liquid chromatography-high resolution mass spectrometry (LC-HRMS). The fourth edition of Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV) was used to diagnose depression at two weeks after onset of stroke. The modified Ranking Scale (mRS) was followed up at 1 year. Pearson test was used to analyse the correlation between serum concentration of neurotransmitters and the Hamilton Depression scale-17-items (HAMD-17) score. Logistic regression was used to analyse the relation of serum concentration of neurotransmitters and depression and outcome of stroke. One hundred and eighty-one patients were included in this study. GABA significantly decreased [6.1(5.0-8.2) µg/L vs 8.1(6.3-14.7) µg/L, P depression in hemorrhagic stroke, and there was no significant difference in GAA, 5-HT, or NE. GABA concentration was negatively correlated with HAMD-17 score (r = -0.131, P depression in acute phase of hemorrhagic stroke was reduced by 5.6% (OR 0.944, 95%CI 0.893-0.997). While concentration of serum GAA rose by 1 µg/L, risk of worse outcome at 1 year was raised by 0.1%, although a statistic level was on marginal status (OR 1.001, 95%CI 1.000-1.002). In patients with depression in the acute phase of hemorrhagic stroke, there was a significant reduction in plasma GABA concentration. GABA may have a protective effect on depression in acute phase of hemorrhagic stroke. Increased concentrations of serum GAA may increase the risk of worse outcomes at 1 year after stroke.

  11. Relationship between gastro-intestinal complaints and endotoxaemia, cytokine release and the acute-phase reaction during and after a long-distance triathlon in highly trained men.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jeukendrup, A E; Vet-Joop, K; Sturk, A; Stegen, J H; Senden, J; Saris, W H; Wagenmakers, A J

    2000-01-01

    The aim of the present study was to establish whether gastro-intestinal (GI) complaints observed during and after ultra-endurance exercise are related to gut ischaemia-associated leakage of endotoxins [lipopolysaccharide (LPS)] into the circulation and associated cytokine production. Therefore we collected blood samples from 29 athletes before, immediately after, and 1, 2 and 16 h after a long-distance triathlon for measurement of LPS, tumour necrosis factor-alpha and interleukin-6 (IL-6). As the cytokine response would trigger an acute-phase response, characteristic variables of these responses were also measured, along with creatine kinase (CK) to obtain an indicator of muscle damage. There was a high incidence (93% of all participants) of GI symptoms; 45% reported severe complaints and 7% of the participants abandoned the race because of severe GI distress. Mild endotoxaemia (5-15 pg/ml) was evident in 68% of the athletes immediately after the race, as also indicated by a reduction in IgG anti-LPS levels. In addition, we observed production of IL-6 (27-fold increase immediately after the race), leading to an acute-phase response (20-fold increase in C-reactive protein and 12% decrease in pre-albumin 16 h after the race). The extent of endotoxaemia was not correlated with the GI complaints or the IL-6 response, but did show a correlation with the elevation in C-reactive protein (r(s) 0.389; P=0.037). Creatine kinase levels were increased significantly immediately post-race, and increased further in the follow-up period. Creatine kinase levels did not correlate with those of either IL-6 or C-reactive protein. It is therefore concluded that LPS does enter the circulation after ultra-endurance exercise and may, together with muscle damage, be responsible for the increased cytokine response and hence GI complaints in these athletes.

  12. Diagnostic accuracy of guys Hospital stroke score (allen score) in acute supratentorial thrombotic/haemorrhagic stroke

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zulfiqar, A.; Toori, K. U.; Khan, S. S.; Hamza, M. I. M.; Zaman, S. U.

    2006-01-01

    A consecutive series of 103 patients, 58% male with mean age of 62 year (range 40-75 years), admitted with supratentorial stroke in our teaching hospital were studied. All patients had Computer Tomography scan brain done after clinical evaluation and application of Allen stroke score. Computer Tomography Scan confirmed thrombotic stroke in 55 (53%) patients and haemorrhagic stroke in 48 (47%) patients. Out of the 55 patients with definitive thrombotic stroke on Computer Tomography Scan, Allen stroke score suggested infarction in 67%, haemorrhage in 6% and remained inconclusive in 27% of cases. In 48 patients with definitive haemorrhagic stroke on Computer Tomography Scan, Allen stroke score suggested haemorrhage in 60%, infarction in 11% and remained inconclusive in 29% of cases. The overall accuracy of Allen stroke score was 66%. (author)

  13. Study of Stationary Phase Metabolism Via Isotopomer Analysis of Amino Acids from an Isolated Protein

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Shaikh, AfshanS.; Tang, YinjieJ.; Mukhopadhyay, Aindrila; Martin, Hector Garcia; Gin, Jennifer; Benke, Peter; Keasling, Jay D.

    2009-09-14

    Microbial production of many commercially important secondary metabolites occurs during stationary phase, and methods to measure metabolic flux during this growth phase would be valuable. Metabolic flux analysis is often based on isotopomer information from proteinogenic amino acids. As such, flux analysis primarily reflects the metabolism pertinent to the growth phase during which most proteins are synthesized. To investigate central metabolism and amino acids synthesis activity during stationary phase, addition of fully 13C-labeled glucose followed by induction of green fluorescent protein (GFP) expression during stationary phase was used. Our results indicate that Escherichia coli was able to produce new proteins (i.e., GFP) in the stationary phase, and the amino acids in GFP were mostly from degraded proteins synthesized during the exponential growth phase. Among amino acid biosynthetic pathways, only those for serine, alanine, glutamate/glutamine, and aspartate/asparagine had significant activity during the stationary phase.

  14. Region-specific differences in bioenergetic proteins and protein response to acute high fat diet in brains of low and high capacity runner rats.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gan, Li; Ma, Delin; Li, Min; Yang, Fu-Chen; Rogers, Robert S; Wheatley, Joshua L; Koch, Lauren G; Britton, Steven L; Thyfault, John P; Geiger, Paige C; Stanford, John A

    2018-05-01

    Aerobic capacity is a strong predictor of mortality. Low capacity runner (LCR) rats exhibit reduced mitochondrial function in peripheral organs. A high fat diet (HFD) can worsen metabolic phenotype in LCR rats. Little is known about metabolic changes in the brains of these rats, however. This study examined protein markers of mitochondrial function and metabolism as a function of aerobic running capacity and an acute HFD in four brain regions: the striatum, hippocampus, hypothalamus, and substantia nigra. After 3 days HFD or chow diets, we measured peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ coactivator 1α (PGC1-α), nuclear respiratory factors 1 (Nrf-1), mitochondrial transcription factor A (TFAM), and phosphorylated (activated) AMP-activated protein kinase (p-AMPK) protein levels in the four brain regions. LCR rats exhibited lower levels of mitochondrial proteins (PGC1-α, Nrf-1, TFAM), and greater p-AMPK, in striatum, but not in the other brain regions. Mitochondrial protein levels were greater in HFD LCR striatum, while p-AMPK was lower in this group. Markers of lower mitochondrial biogenesis and increased metabolic demand were limited to the LCR striatum, which nevertheless maintained the capacity to respond to an acute HFD challenge. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  15. National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale-Time Score Predicts Outcome after Endovascular Therapy in Acute Ischemic Stroke: A Retrospective Single-Center Study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Todo, Kenichi; Sakai, Nobuyuki; Kono, Tomoyuki; Hoshi, Taku; Imamura, Hirotoshi; Adachi, Hidemitsu; Kohara, Nobuo

    2016-05-01

    Outcomes after successful endovascular therapy in acute ischemic stroke are associated with onset-to-reperfusion time (ORT) and the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) score. In intravenous recombinant tissue plasminogen activator therapy, the NIHSS-time score, calculated by multiplying onset-to-treatment time with the NIHSS score, has been shown to predict clinical outcomes. In this study, we assessed whether a similar combination of the ORT and the NIHSS score can be applied to predict the outcomes after endovascular therapy. We retrospectively reviewed the charts of 128 consecutive ischemic stroke patients with successful reperfusion after endovascular therapy. We analyzed the association of the ORT, the NIHSS score, and the NIHSS-time score with good outcome (modified Rankin Scale score ≤ 2 at 3 months). Good outcome rates for patients with NIHSS-time scores of 84.7 or lower, scores higher than 84.7 up to 127.5 or lower, and scores higher than 127.5 were 72.1%, 44.2%, and 14.3%, respectively (P < .01). Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that the NIHSS-time score was an independent predictor of good outcomes (odds ratio, .372; 95% confidence interval, .175-.789) after adjusting for age, sex, internal carotid artery occlusion, plasma glucose level, ORT, and NIHSS score. The NIHSS-time score can predict good clinical outcomes after endovascular treatment. Copyright © 2016 National Stroke Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  16. C-reactive protein as a marker of periodontal disease.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kanaparthy, Rosaiah; Kanaparthy, Aruna; Mahendra, Muktishree

    2012-01-01

    Periodontal subgingival pathogens affect local and systemic immune and inflammatory response and cause the release of cytokines; this results in periodontal destruction and initiation of an acute phase systemic inflammatory response characterized by the release of C-reactive proteins (CRP). This study set out to evaluate the serum concentration of CRP that can be used as a marker of periodontal disease as well as a risk indicator for cardiovascular disease. Based on their periodontal status, 45 patients were divided into three groups. The following clinical parameters were recorded: plaque index, gingival index, bleeding index, probing pocket depth, and clinical attachment levels. Scoring was done on six tooth surfaces for all teeth. For the CRP assessment, blood samples were collected from subjects at the time of clinical examination. The results indicated an increase in serum CRP levels in patients with generalized aggressive periodontitis and chronic periodontitis as compared to controls.

  17. Protein source and quality in therapeutic foods affect the immune response and outcome in severe acute malnutrition

    Science.gov (United States)

    Protein is a vital component of therapeutic foods designed to treat severe acute malnutrition (SAM) in children; however there are still unknowns about the quality and quantity of the proteins to use in these foods. This review examines two recent studies investigating several different qualities an...

  18. Cortisol evaluation during the acute phase of traumatic brain injury-A prospective study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bensalah, Meriem; Donaldson, Malcolm; Aribi, Yamina; Iabassen, Malek; Cherfi, Lyes; Nebbal, Mustapha; Medjaher, Meriem; Haffaf, ElMehdi; Abdennebi, Benaissa; Guenane, Kamel; Djermane, Adel; Kemali, Zahra; OuldKablia, Samia

    2018-05-01

    Biochemical diagnosis of adrenal insufficiency (AI) is difficult in the context of traumatic brain injury (TBI). To assess the frequency and predictive factors of AI in victims of TBI from Algiers. Between November 2009 and December 2013, TBI victims had a single 8-9 am serum cortisol measurement during the acute postinjury period (0-7 days). AI was defined according to basal cortisol levels of 83, 276 and 414 nmol/L. Variables studied were TBI severity according to Glasgow coma scale, duration of intubation and coma, pupillary status, hypotension, anaemia, brain imaging findings, diabetes insipidus and medication. Insulin tolerance test was performed during the recovery phase, defining AI as peak cortisol 414 nmol/L. Hydrocortisone replacement is advised in TBI patients with morning cortisol <276 nmol/L or those <414 nmol/L with additional risk factors for AI. As acute and subsequent AI are poorly correlated, patients with moderate/severe TBI require adrenal re-evaluation during the recovery phase. © 2018 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  19. Acute and phase-shifting effects of ocular and extraocular light in human circadian physiology

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Rüger, Melanie; Gordijn, Marijke C.M.; Beersma, Domien G.M.; de Vries, Bonnie; Daan, Serge

    2003-01-01

    Light can influence physiology and performance of humans in two distinct ways. It can acutely change the level of physiological and behavioral parameters, and it can induce a phase shift in the circadian oscillators underlying variations in these levels. Until recently, both effects were thought to

  20. Clinical study on HAT and SEDAN score scales and related risk factors for predicting hemorrhagic transformation following thrombolysis in acute ischemic stroke

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Heng WEI

    2015-03-01

    Full Text Available Objective To investigate the value of HAT and SEDAN score scales in predicting hemorrhagic transformation (HT following the recombinant tissue-type plasminogen activator (rt-PA intravenous thrombolysis in acute ischemic stroke patients and risk factors affecting HT.  Methods A total of 143 patients with acute ischemic stroke underwent rt-PA intravenous thrombolysis within 4.50 h of onset and their clinical data were collected. According to head CT after thrombolysis, patients were divided into HT group (18 cases and non-HT group (125 cases. Single factor analysis was used to assess differences in HAT and SEDAN score scales and related risk factors of ischemic stroke in 2 groups, and further Logistic regression analysis was used to investigate independent predictors of HT. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC curve was used to evaluate the sensitivity and specificity of HAT and SEDAN score scales in predicting HT.  Results Univariate Logistic regression analysis showed that history of atrial fibrillation (AF, admission systolic blood pressure (SBP, admission blood glucose level, early low density of head CT, thrombolytic time window, National Institute of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS, HAT and SEDAN scores were all risk factors for HT after thrombolysis (P < 0.05, for all. Multivariate Logistic regression analysis showed that history of AF (OR = 1.677, 95% CI: 1.332-2.111; P = 0.000, admission SBP (OR = 1.102, 95% CI: 1.009-1.204; P = 0.031, admission blood glucose level (OR = 1.870, 95% CI: 1.119-3.125; P = 0.017, thrombolysis time window (OR = 1.030, 95%CI: 1.009-1.052; P = 0.005, NIHSS score (OR = 1.574, 95%CI: 1.186-2.090; P = 0.002, HAT score (OR = 2.515, 95%CI: 1.273-4.970;P = 0.008 and SEDAN score (OR = 2.413, 95%CI: 1.123-5.185; P = 0.024 were risk factors for HT after thrombolysis. ROC curve analysis showed that HAT score could predict HT with 94.40% sensitivity and 41.60% specificity, and area under curve (AUC was 0.70. SEDAN

  1. Hybrid Assistive Limb (HAL) Rehabilitation in Patients with Acute Hemorrhagic Stroke.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ogata, Toshiyasu; Abe, Hiroshi; Samura, Kazuhiro; Hamada, Omi; Nonaka, Masani; Iwaasa, Mitsutoshi; Higashi, Toshio; Fukuda, Hiroyuki; Shiota, Etsuji; Tsuboi, Yoshio; Inoue, Tooru

    2015-01-01

    The efficacy of hybrid assistive limb (HAL) rehabilitation in the acute phase of stroke remains unclear. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the outcomes of patients with acute intracranial hemorrhage (ICH) who were treated with or without HAL rehabilitation. Among 270 patients with acute ICH from 2009 to 2014, 91 patients with supratentorial ICH were included in this retrospective study. Of these, 14 patients (HAL group) received HAL rehabilitation at approximately 1 week after ICH occurrence, while the remaining 77 patients received usual rehabilitation without HAL (N-HAL group). We obtained various patient data from the hospitals where the patients were moved to for further rehabilitation. Statistical comparisons were performed for the characteristics of the ICH patients, and outcomes between the HAL and N-HAL groups. There were no differences in outcomes between the HAL and N-HAL groups. However, patients with right ICH in the HAL group exhibited a significant association with a functional independence measure (FIM) score of ≥ 110 compared with patients in the N-HAL group (HAL group: 81.8%, N-HAL group: 43.9%, P = 0.04). In patients with right ICH, HAL rehabilitation was associated with improved outcomes as evaluated by the FIM score. Thus, HAL rehabilitation may improve outcomes of acute ICH in appropriately selected patients.

  2. No effect of menstrual cycle on myofibrillar and connective tissue protein synthesis in contracting skeletal muscle

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Miller, B.F.; Hansen, M.; Olesen, J.L.

    2006-01-01

    We tested the hypothesis that acute exercise would stimulate synthesis of myofibrillar protein and intramuscular collagen in women and that the phase of the menstrual cycle at which the exercise took place would influence the extent of the change. Fifteen young, healthy female subjects were studied...... in the follicular (FP, n=8) or the luteal phase (LP, n=7, n=1 out of phase) 24 h after an acute bout of one-legged exercise (60 min of kicking at 67% W(max)), samples being taken from the vastus lateralis in both the exercised and resting legs. Rates of synthesis of myofibrillar and muscle collagen proteins were...... measured by incorporation of [(13)C]leucine. Myofibrillar protein synthesis (means+/-SD; rest FP: 0.053+/-0.009%/h, LP: 0.055+/-0.013%/h) was increased at 24-h postexercise (FP: 0.131+/-0.018%/h, Psynthesis...

  3. UTILITY OF THE DECAF SCORE IN PREDICTING IN HOSPITAL OUTCOME IN PATIENTS WITH ACUTE EXACERBATION OF CHRONIC OBSTRUCTIVE PULMONARY DISEASE IN A TERTIARY CARE HOSPITAL OF SOUTHERN INDIA

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ravi Chethan Kumar A. N

    2017-09-01

    Full Text Available BACKGROUND Acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease being an all too common cause for hospital admissions Worldwide poses a logistical stress for the treating physicians and hospital administration with regards to morbidity and mortality rates. Identifying upon admission those at higher risk of dying in-hospital could be useful for triaging patients to the appropriate level of care, determining the aggressiveness of therapies and timing safe discharges. The aim of this study was to evaluate the utilisation of the DECAF score in predicting in hospital outcome in patients with acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (AECOPD in a Tertiary Care Hospital of Southern India. MATERIALS AND METHODS Patients admitted with COPD exacerbations in K.R. Hospital, Mysore Medical College And Research Institute, Mysuru in between the May 2017 and July 2017 were taken has study subjects. A total of 80 patients were taken into the study. The duration of hospital stay, ICU admission and deaths were noted. DECAF score is applied to all study subjects and the severity of AECOPD is graded at the time of admission. The data collected and complied were then analysed for the correlation between score and subsequent management and overall outcome. RESULTS Total of 80 patients were recruited in the study. Mean age for male was 66.47, female was 70.86. Length of hospital stay was more in patients with decaf score more than 3 (average hospital stay 10 days. Patients with DECAF score of 2, 70.4% required inhalations oxygen, remaining 29.6% were managed with only bronchodilators whereas patients with DECAF score of 5 (max score in our study group there was a 100% initiation of assisted ventilation 33.3% received NIV ventilation while 66.6% required endotracheal intubation with ventilator support. In present study, 85 percent patients were survived. Total 6 patients (7.5% had died, belonging to high risk DECAF group (score 3 to 6

  4. A-MUPS score to differentiate patients with somatic symptom disorder from those with medical disease for complaints of non-acute pain.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Suzuki, Shingo; Ohira, Yoshiyuki; Noda, Kazutaka; Ikusaka, Masatomi

    2017-01-01

    To develop a clinical score to discriminate patients with somatic symptom disorder (SSD) from those with medical disease (MD) for complaints of non-acute pain. We retrospectively examined the clinical records of consecutive patients with pain for a duration of ≥1 month in our department from April 2003 to March 2015. We divided the subjects according to the diagnoses of definite SSD (as diagnosed and tracked by psychiatrists in our hospital), probable SSD (without evaluation by psychiatrists in our hospital), matched MD (randomly matched two patients by age, sex, and pain location for each definite SSD patient), unmatched MD, other mental disease, or functional somatic syndrome (FSS). We investigated eight clinical factors for definite SSD and matched MD, and developed a diagnostic score to identify SSD. We subsequently validated the model with cases of probable SSD and unmatched MD. The number of patients with definite SSD, probable SSD, matched MD, unmatched MD, other mental disease, and FSS was 104 (3.5%), 214 (7.3%), 197 (6.7%), 742 (25%), 708 (24%), and 978 (33%), respectively. In a conditional logistic regression analysis, the following five factors were included as independent predictors of SSD: Analgesics ineffective, Mental disorder history, Unclear provocative/palliative factors, Persistence without cessation, and Stress feelings/episodes (A-MUPS). The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) of the model was 0.900 (95% CI: 0.864-0.937, p <0.001), and the McFadden's pseudo- R -squared was 0.709. For internal validation, the AUC between probable SSD and unmatched MD was 0.930 (95% CI: 0.910-0.950, p <0.001). The prevalence and the likelihood ratio of SSD increased as the score increased. The A-MUPS score was useful for discriminating patients with SSD from those with MD for complaints of non-acute pain, although external validation and refinement should be needed.

  5. High inter-tester reliability of the new mobility score in patients with hip fracture

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Kristensen, M.T.; Bandholm, T.; Foss, N.B.

    2008-01-01

    OBJECTIVE: To assess the inter-tester reliability of the New Mobility Score in patients with acute hip fracture. DESIGN: An inter-tester reliability study. SUBJECTS: Forty-eight consecutive patients with acute hip fracture at a median age of 84 (interquartile range, 76-89) years; 40 admitted from...... their own home and 8 from nursing homes to an acute orthopaedic hip fracture unit at a university hospital. METHODS: The New Mobility Score, which evaluates the prefracture functional level with a score from 0 (not able to walk at all) to 9 (fully independent), was assessed by 2 independent physiotherapists...... the prefracture functional level in patients with acute hip fracture Udgivelsesdato: 2008/7...

  6. Albumin administration is associated with acute kidney injury in cardiac surgery: a propensity score analysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Frenette, Anne Julie; Bouchard, Josée; Bernier, Pascaline; Charbonneau, Annie; Nguyen, Long Thanh; Rioux, Jean-Philippe; Troyanov, Stéphan; Williamson, David R

    2014-11-14

    The risk of acute kidney injury (AKI) with the use of albumin-containing fluids compared to starches in the surgical intensive care setting remains uncertain. We evaluated the adjusted risk of AKI associated with colloids following cardiac surgery. We performed a retrospective cohort study of patients undergoing on-pump cardiac surgery in a tertiary care center from 2008 to 2010. We assessed crystalloid and colloid administration until 36 hours after surgery. AKI was defined by the RIFLE (risk, injury, failure, loss and end-stage kidney disease) risk and Acute Kidney Injury Network (AKIN) stage 1 serum creatinine criterion within 96 hours after surgery. Our cohort included 984 patients with a baseline glomerular filtration rate of 72 ± 19 ml/min/1.73 m(2). Twenty-three percent had a reduced left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), thirty-one percent were diabetics and twenty-three percent underwent heart valve surgery. The incidence of AKI was 5.3% based on RIFLE risk and 12.0% based on the AKIN criterion. AKI was associated with a reduced LVEF, diuretic use, anemia, heart valve surgery, duration of extracorporeal circulation, hemodynamic instability and the use of albumin, pentastarch 10% and transfusions. There was an important dose-dependent AKI risk associated with the administration of albumin, which also paralleled a higher prevalence of concomitant risk factors for AKI. To address any indication bias, we derived a propensity score predicting the likelihood to receive albumin and matched 141 cases to 141 controls with a similar risk profile. In this analysis, albumin was associated with an increased AKI risk (RIFLE risk: 12% versus 5%, P = 0.03; AKIN stage 1: 28% versus 13%, P = 0.002). We repeated this methodology in patients without postoperative hemodynamic instability and still identified an association between the use of albumin and AKI. Albumin administration was associated with a dose-dependent risk of AKI and remained significant using a propensity

  7. A randomized controlled trial on early physiotherapy intervention versus usual care in acute care unit for elderly: potential benefits in light of dietary intakes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Blanc-Bisson, C; Dechamps, A; Gouspillou, G; Dehail, P; Bourdel-Marchasson, I

    2008-01-01

    To evaluate effects of early intensive physiotherapy during acute illness on post hospitalization activity daily living autonomy (ADL). Prospective randomized controlled trial of intensive physiotherapy rehabilitation on day 1 to 2 after admission until clinical stability or usual care. acute care geriatric medicine ward. A total of 76 acutely ill patients, acutely bedridden or with reduced mobility but who were autonomous for mobility within the previous 3 months. Patients in palliative care or with limiting mobility pathology were excluded. Mean age was 85.4 (SD 6.6) years. At admission, at clinical stability and one month later: anthropometry, energy and protein intakes, hand grip strength, ADL scores, and baseline inflammatory parameters. An exploratory principal axis analysis was performed on the baseline characteristics and general linear models were used to explore the course of ADL and nutritional variables. A 4-factor solution was found explaining 71.7% of variance with a factor "nutrition", a factor "function" (18.8% of variance) for ADL, handgrip strength, bedridden state, energy and protein intakes, serum albumin and C-reactive protein concentrations; a factor "strength" and a fourth factor . During follow-up, dietary intakes, handgrip strength, and ADL scores improved but no changes occurred for anthropometric variables. Intervention was associated only with an increase in protein intake. Better improvement in ADL was found in intervention group when model was adjusted on "function" factor items. Physical intervention programs should be proposed according to nutritional intakes with the aim of preventing illness induced disability.

  8. Corticomuscular coherence in the acute and subacute phase after stroke

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Larsen, Lisbeth Hoejkjaer; Zibrandtsen, Ivan Chrilles; Wienecke, Troels

    2017-01-01

    –6 weeks after stroke, but no change was observed in CMC or IMC. Conclusions CMC and IMC were reduced in patients in the early phase after stroke. However, changes in coherence do not appear to be an efficient marker for early recovery of hand function following stroke. Significance This is the first study......Objective Stroke is one of the leading causes of physical disability due to damage of the motor cortex or the corticospinal tract. In the present study we set out to investigate the role of adaptations in the corticospinal pathway for motor recovery during the subacute phase after stroke. Methods...... We examined 19 patients with clinically diagnosed stroke and 18 controls. The patients had unilateral mild to moderate weakness of the hand. Each patient attended two sessions at approximately 3 days (acute) and 38 days post stroke (subacute). Task-related changes in the communication between motor...

  9. Can serum concentration of C-reactive protein, albumin and body ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    ... of acute phase proteins and a fall in CD4+T-cell counts and body weight. ... subjects (control) attending the HIV/AIDS Clinic in Nnamdi Azikiwe Teaching Hospital, ... while their weights were measured using high precision weighing balance.

  10. Correlations for the partition behavior of proteins in aqueous two-phase systems

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Schmidt, A.S.; Andrews, B.A.; Asenjo, J.A.

    1996-01-01

    to its high hydrophilicity. In the case of subtilisin and trypsin inhibitor, their high concentrations in the top phase were due to their hydrophobic nature (hydrophobic interaction with PEG) and small size (negligible steric exclusion). The maximum concentration in the bottom phase for trypsin inhibitor...... of the overall protein concentration, by the ratio between the ''saturation'' equations of the two individual phases. Better correlations were obtained when an empirical sigmoidal Boltzmann equation was fitted to the data, since in virtually all cases the partition coefficient is constant at low protein...

  11. A configuration space of homologous proteins conserving mutual information and allowing a phylogeny inference based on pair-wise Z-score probabilities.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bastien, Olivier; Ortet, Philippe; Roy, Sylvaine; Maréchal, Eric

    2005-03-10

    Popular methods to reconstruct molecular phylogenies are based on multiple sequence alignments, in which addition or removal of data may change the resulting tree topology. We have sought a representation of homologous proteins that would conserve the information of pair-wise sequence alignments, respect probabilistic properties of Z-scores (Monte Carlo methods applied to pair-wise comparisons) and be the basis for a novel method of consistent and stable phylogenetic reconstruction. We have built up a spatial representation of protein sequences using concepts from particle physics (configuration space) and respecting a frame of constraints deduced from pair-wise alignment score properties in information theory. The obtained configuration space of homologous proteins (CSHP) allows the representation of real and shuffled sequences, and thereupon an expression of the TULIP theorem for Z-score probabilities. Based on the CSHP, we propose a phylogeny reconstruction using Z-scores. Deduced trees, called TULIP trees, are consistent with multiple-alignment based trees. Furthermore, the TULIP tree reconstruction method provides a solution for some previously reported incongruent results, such as the apicomplexan enolase phylogeny. The CSHP is a unified model that conserves mutual information between proteins in the way physical models conserve energy. Applications include the reconstruction of evolutionary consistent and robust trees, the topology of which is based on a spatial representation that is not reordered after addition or removal of sequences. The CSHP and its assigned phylogenetic topology, provide a powerful and easily updated representation for massive pair-wise genome comparisons based on Z-score computations.

  12. A configuration space of homologous proteins conserving mutual information and allowing a phylogeny inference based on pair-wise Z-score probabilities

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Maréchal Eric

    2005-03-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Popular methods to reconstruct molecular phylogenies are based on multiple sequence alignments, in which addition or removal of data may change the resulting tree topology. We have sought a representation of homologous proteins that would conserve the information of pair-wise sequence alignments, respect probabilistic properties of Z-scores (Monte Carlo methods applied to pair-wise comparisons and be the basis for a novel method of consistent and stable phylogenetic reconstruction. Results We have built up a spatial representation of protein sequences using concepts from particle physics (configuration space and respecting a frame of constraints deduced from pair-wise alignment score properties in information theory. The obtained configuration space of homologous proteins (CSHP allows the representation of real and shuffled sequences, and thereupon an expression of the TULIP theorem for Z-score probabilities. Based on the CSHP, we propose a phylogeny reconstruction using Z-scores. Deduced trees, called TULIP trees, are consistent with multiple-alignment based trees. Furthermore, the TULIP tree reconstruction method provides a solution for some previously reported incongruent results, such as the apicomplexan enolase phylogeny. Conclusion The CSHP is a unified model that conserves mutual information between proteins in the way physical models conserve energy. Applications include the reconstruction of evolutionary consistent and robust trees, the topology of which is based on a spatial representation that is not reordered after addition or removal of sequences. The CSHP and its assigned phylogenetic topology, provide a powerful and easily updated representation for massive pair-wise genome comparisons based on Z-score computations.

  13. Protein and Peptide Gas-phase Structure Investigation Using Collision Cross Section Measurements and Hydrogen Deuterium Exchange

    Science.gov (United States)

    Khakinejad, Mahdiar

    measurements and gas-phase HDX studies at the amino acid residue level, for the first time a drift tube is connected to a linear ion trap (LIT) with electron transfer dissociation (ETD) capability[19, 20]. In this manner CCS and per-residue deuterium uptake measurements for a model peptide carried out successfully[19]. In this study, the gas-phase conformations of electrosprayed ions of the model peptide KKDDDDIIKIIK have been examined. Using ion structures obtained from molecular dynamics (MD) simulation and considering charge-site/exchange-site density the level of the maximum total deuterium uptake for the gas-phase ions is explained. Also a new hydrogen accessibility scoring (HAS) model that includes two distance calculations (charge site to carbonyl group and carbonyl group to exchange site) is applied to the in-silico structures to describe the expected HDX behavior for these structures. Further investigation to improve the accuracy of the model is accomplished by a "per-residue" HDX kinetics study of the model peptide [21]. In this study, the ion residence time and the deuterium uptake of each residue is measured at different partial pressures of D2O. Subsequently the contribution each residue to the overall HDX rate of the intact peptide ion is calculated. These rate contributions of the residues exhibit a better fit to HAS than their maximum deuterium uptake. Proteins and peptides with very frequent acidic residue in their sequence provide very poor signal levels when employing positive polarity ESI. Also, the comparison of protonated and deprotonated ions of these biomolecules offers the potential to provide a better structural characterization [22]. Per-residue deuterium uptake values resulting from collision-induced dissociation (CID) of the model peptide KKDDDDIIKIIK were used to investigated the degree of hydrogen deuterium scrambling for deprotonated ions [23]. Remarkably, limited isotopic scrambling was observed in this study of this small model peptide. This

  14. Acute post-exercise myofibrillar protein synthesis is not correlated with resistance training-induced muscle hypertrophy in young men.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mitchell, Cameron J; Churchward-Venne, Tyler A; Parise, Gianni; Bellamy, Leeann; Baker, Steven K; Smith, Kenneth; Atherton, Philip J; Phillips, Stuart M

    2014-01-01

    Muscle hypertrophy following resistance training (RT) involves activation of myofibrillar protein synthesis (MPS) to expand the myofibrillar protein pool. The degree of hypertrophy following RT is, however, highly variable and thus we sought to determine the relationship between the acute activation of MPS and RT-induced hypertrophy. We measured MPS and signalling protein activation after the first session of resistance exercise (RE) in untrained men (n = 23) and then examined the relation between MPS with magnetic resonance image determined hypertrophy. To measure MPS, young men (24±1 yr; body mass index  = 26.4±0.9 kg•m²) underwent a primed constant infusion of L-[ring-¹³C₆] phenylalanine to measure MPS at rest, and acutely following their first bout of RE prior to 16 wk of RT. Rates of MPS were increased 235±38% (Pmuscle volume and acute rates of MPS measured over 1-3 h (r = 0.02), 3-6 h (r = 0.16) or the aggregate 1-6 h post-exercise period (r = 0.10). Hypertrophy after chronic RT was correlated (r = 0.42, P = 0.05) with phosphorylation of 4E-BP1(Thr37/46) at 1 hour post RE. We conclude that acute measures of MPS following an initial exposure to RE in novices are not correlated with muscle hypertrophy following chronic RT.

  15. Affective symptoms and cognitive functions in the acute phase of Graves' thyrotoxicosis

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Vogel, Asmus; Elberling, Tina V; Hørding, Merete

    2007-01-01

    of cognitive deficits) had decreased significantly, with further normalisation 1-year after treatment initiation. In conclusion, patients had subjective reports of cognitive deficits in the toxic phase of Graves' thyrotoxicosis but comprehensive neuropsychological testing revealed no cognitive impairment......In the acute phase of Graves' thyrotoxicosis patients often have subjective cognitive complaints. Continuing controversy exists about the nature of these symptoms and whether they persist after treatment. This prospective study included 31 consecutively referred, newly diagnosed, and untreated....... No significant differences between the patient and the control group on neuropsychological test performances were found. Thyroid levels did not correlate with the neuropsychological test performances or psychiatric ratings. After reaching euthyroidism the level of affective symptoms (including reports...

  16. Cord Blood Acute Phase Reactants Predict Early Onset Neonatal Sepsis in Preterm Infants.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Leena B Mithal

    Full Text Available Early onset sepsis (EOS is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in preterm infants, yet diagnosis remains inadequate resulting in missed cases or prolonged empiric antibiotics with adverse consequences. Evaluation of acute phase reactant (APR biomarkers in umbilical cord blood at birth may improve EOS detection in preterm infants with intrauterine infection.In this nested case-control study, infants (29.7 weeks gestation, IQR: 27.7-32.2 were identified from a longitudinal cohort with archived cord blood and placental histopathology. Patients were categorized using culture, laboratory, clinical, and antibiotic treatment data into sepsis groups: confirmed sepsis (cEOS, n = 12; presumed sepsis (PS, n = 30; and no sepsis (controls, n = 30. Nine APRs were measured in duplicate from cord blood using commercially available multiplex immunoassays (Bio-Plex Pro™. In addition, placental histopathologic data were linked to biomarker results.cEOS organisms were Escherichia coli, Streptococcus agalactiae, Proteus mirabilis, Haemophilus influenzae and Listeria monocytogenes. C-reactive protein (CRP, serum amyloid A (SAA, haptoglobin (Hp, serum amyloid P and ferritin were significantly elevated in cEOS compared to controls (p<0.01. SAA, CRP, and Hp were elevated in cEOS but not in PS (p<0.01 and had AUCs of 99%, 96%, and 95% respectively in predicting cEOS. Regression analysis revealed robust associations of SAA, CRP, and Hp with EOS after adjustment for covariates. Procalcitonin, fibrinogen, α-2-macroglobulin and tissue plasminogen activator were not significantly different across groups. Placental acute inflammation was associated with APR elevation and was present in all cEOS, 9 PS, and 17 control infants.This study shows that certain APRs are elevated in cord blood of premature infants with EOS of intrauterine origin. SAA, CRP, and Hp at birth have potential diagnostic utility for risk stratification and identification of infants with EOS.

  17. C-reactive protein and pentraxin-3 binding of factor H-like protein 1 differs from complement factor H: Implications for retinal inflammation

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Swinkels, M. (Maurice); Zhang, J.H. (Justine H.); Tilakaratna, V. (Viranga); Black, G. (Graeme); Perveen, R. (Rahat); McHarg, S. (Selina); Inforzato, A. (Antonio); Day, A.J. (Anthony J.); Clark, S.J. (Simon J.)

    2018-01-01

    textabstractRetinal inflammation plays a key role in the progression of age-related macular degeneration (AMD), a condition that leads to loss of central vision. The deposition of the acute phase pentraxin C-reactive protein (CRP) in the macula activates the complement system, thereby contributing

  18. Predictive value of NT-proBNP for 30-day mortality in patients with non-ST-elevation acute coronary syndromes: a comparison with the GRACE and TIMI risk scores.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schellings, Dirk Aam; Adiyaman, Ahmet; Dambrink, Jan-Henk E; Gosselink, At Marcel; Kedhi, Elvin; Roolvink, Vincent; Ottervanger, Jan Paul; Van't Hof, Arnoud Wj

    2016-01-01

    The biomarker N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) predicts outcome in patients with non-ST-elevation acute coronary syndromes (NSTE-ACS). Whether NT-proBNP has incremental prognostic value beyond established risk strategies is still questionable. To evaluate the predictive value of NT-proBNP for 30-day mortality over and beyond the Global Registry of Acute Coronary Events (GRACE) and Thrombolysis In Myocardial Infarction (TIMI) risk scores in patients with NSTE-ACS. Patients included in our ACS registry were candidates. NT-proBNP levels on admission were measured and the GRACE and TIMI risk scores were assessed. We compared the predictive value of NT-proBNP to both risk scores and evaluated whether NT-proBNP improves prognostication by using receiver operator curves and measures of discrimination improvement. A total of 1324 patients were included and 50 patients died during follow-up. On logistic regression analysis NT-proBNP and the GRACE risk score (but not the TIMI risk score) both independently predicted mortality at 30 days. The predictive value of NT-proBNP did not differ significantly compared to the GRACE risk score (area under the curve [AUC]) 0.85 vs 0.87 p =0.67) but was considerably higher in comparison to the TIMI risk score (AUC 0.60 p risk score by adding NT-proBNP did not improve prognostication: AUC 0.86 ( p =0.57), integrated discrimination improvement 0.04 ( p =0.003), net reclassification improvement 0.12 ( p =0.21). In patients with NSTE-ACS, NT-proBNP and the GRACE risk score (but not the TIMI risk score) both have good and comparable predictive value for 30-day mortality. However, incremental prognostic value of NT-proBNP beyond the GRACE risk score could not be demonstrated.

  19. Diet in Patients with Acute Pancreatitis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ye. Ye. Achkasov

    2008-01-01

    Full Text Available Objective: to define a role of various maintenance modes, such as enteral tube feeding (ETF and complete parenteral feeding in different phases of acute pancreatitis (AP. Subjects and materials. The impact of various modes of nutritional support on pancreatic secretory activity and the course of AP was comparatively analyzed in 774 patients (mean age 45.3±4.7 years with AP. The criteria for evaluation of the activities of the pancreas and its inflammatory process activity were considered to be clinical and laboratory parameters (pain, body temperature, hemogram, amylasemia, the degree of dynamic ileus and abdominal inflammatory infiltrate, and the level of gastrointestinal peptides, and ultrasonographic and computed tomographic data. The additional impact of different types of protein-calorie provision on pancreatic secretory activity was studied in 23 patients with external pancreatic fistulas, by using debetometry. Results. ETF was shown to have a stimulating effect on pancreatic secretion and AP worsening when it was used in the early phases of the disease. The optimum time of complete parenteral feeding (days 5—14 after the onset of the disease and the criteria for the possible initiation of ETF were determined. Emphasis was laid on the important role of enteral feeding in a package of therapeutic measures in AP in the phase of pyonecrotic lesions. Conclusion. The proposed nutritional support tactics along with mini-invasive surgical treatments could reduce postoperative and overall mortality rates to 4.2 and 3.7%, respectively. Key words: acute pancreatitis, protein-calorie provision, nutritional support, enteral tube feeding, parenteral feeding, intestinal lavage, pancreatic secretion.

  20. Dual-phase CT for the assessment of acute vascular injuries in high-energy blunt trauma: the imaging findings and management implications.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Iacobellis, Francesca; Ierardi, Anna M; Mazzei, Maria A; Magenta Biasina, Alberto; Carrafiello, Gianpaolo; Nicola, Refky; Scaglione, Mariano

    2016-01-01

    Acute vascular injuries are the second most common cause of fatalities in patients with multiple traumatic injuries; thus, prompt identification and management is essential for patient survival. Over the past few years, multidetector CT (MDCT) using dual-phase scanning protocol has become the imaging modality of choice in high-energy deceleration traumas. The objective of this article was to review the role of dual-phase MDCT in the identification and management of acute vascular injuries, particularly in the chest and abdomen following multiple traumatic injuries. In addition, this article will provide examples of MDCT features of acute vascular injuries with correlative surgical and interventional findings.

  1. Prediction of Early Recurrent Thromboembolic Event and Major Bleeding in Patients With Acute Stroke and Atrial Fibrillation by a Risk Stratification Schema: The ALESSA Score Study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Paciaroni, Maurizio; Agnelli, Giancarlo; Caso, Valeria; Tsivgoulis, Georgios; Furie, Karen L; Tadi, Prasanna; Becattini, Cecilia; Falocci, Nicola; Zedde, Marialuisa; Abdul-Rahim, Azmil H; Lees, Kennedy R; Alberti, Andrea; Venti, Michele; Acciarresi, Monica; D'Amore, Cataldo; Mosconi, Maria Giulia; Cimini, Ludovica Anna; Procopio, Antonio; Bovi, Paolo; Carletti, Monica; Rigatelli, Alberto; Cappellari, Manuel; Putaala, Jukka; Tomppo, Liisa; Tatlisumak, Turgut; Bandini, Fabio; Marcheselli, Simona; Pezzini, Alessandro; Poli, Loris; Padovani, Alessandro; Masotti, Luca; Vannucchi, Vieri; Sohn, Sung-Il; Lorenzini, Gianni; Tassi, Rossana; Guideri, Francesca; Acampa, Maurizio; Martini, Giuseppe; Ntaios, George; Karagkiozi, Efstathia; Athanasakis, George; Makaritsis, Kostantinos; Vadikolias, Kostantinos; Liantinioti, Chrysoula; Chondrogianni, Maria; Mumoli, Nicola; Consoli, Domenico; Galati, Franco; Sacco, Simona; Carolei, Antonio; Tiseo, Cindy; Corea, Francesco; Ageno, Walter; Bellesini, Marta; Colombo, Giovanna; Silvestrelli, Giorgio; Ciccone, Alfonso; Scoditti, Umberto; Denti, Licia; Mancuso, Michelangelo; Maccarrone, Miriam; Orlandi, Giovanni; Giannini, Nicola; Gialdini, Gino; Tassinari, Tiziana; De Lodovici, Maria Luisa; Bono, Giorgio; Rueckert, Christina; Baldi, Antonio; D'Anna, Sebastiano; Toni, Danilo; Letteri, Federica; Giuntini, Martina; Lotti, Enrico Maria; Flomin, Yuriy; Pieroni, Alessio; Kargiotis, Odysseas; Karapanayiotides, Theodore; Monaco, Serena; Baronello, Mario Maimone; Csiba, Laszló; Szabó, Lilla; Chiti, Alberto; Giorli, Elisa; Del Sette, Massimo; Imberti, Davide; Zabzuni, Dorjan; Doronin, Boris; Volodina, Vera; Michel, Patrik; Vanacker, Peter; Barlinn, Kristian; Pallesen, Lars-Peder; Kepplinger, Jessica; Bodechtel, Ulf; Gerber, Johannes; Deleu, Dirk; Melikyan, Gayane; Ibrahim, Faisal; Akhtar, Naveed; Gourbali, Vanessa; Yaghi, Shadi

    2017-03-01

    This study was designed to derive and validate a score to predict early ischemic events and major bleedings after an acute ischemic stroke in patients with atrial fibrillation. The derivation cohort consisted of 854 patients with acute ischemic stroke and atrial fibrillation included in prospective series between January 2012 and March 2014. Older age (hazard ratio 1.06 for each additional year; 95% confidence interval, 1.00-1.11) and severe atrial enlargement (hazard ratio, 2.05; 95% confidence interval, 1.08-2.87) were predictors for ischemic outcome events (stroke, transient ischemic attack, and systemic embolism) at 90 days from acute stroke. Small lesions (≤1.5 cm) were inversely correlated with both major bleeding (hazard ratio, 0.39; P =0.03) and ischemic outcome events (hazard ratio, 0.55; 95% confidence interval, 0.30-1.00). We assigned to age ≥80 years 2 points and between 70 and 79 years 1 point; ischemic index lesion >1.5 cm, 1 point; severe atrial enlargement, 1 point (ALESSA score). A logistic regression with the receiver-operating characteristic graph procedure (C statistic) showed an area under the curve of 0.697 (0.632-0.763; P =0.0001) for ischemic outcome events and 0.585 (0.493-0.678; P =0.10) for major bleedings. The validation cohort consisted of 994 patients included in prospective series between April 2014 and June 2016. Logistic regression with the receiver-operating characteristic graph procedure showed an area under the curve of 0.646 (0.529-0.763; P =0.009) for ischemic outcome events and 0.407 (0.275-0.540; P =0.14) for hemorrhagic outcome events. In acute stroke patients with atrial fibrillation, high ALESSA scores were associated with a high risk of ischemic events but not of major bleedings. © 2017 American Heart Association, Inc.

  2. Alvarado vs Lintula Scoring Systems in Acute Appendicitis | Ojuka ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    The gold standard of diagnosis was histopathology. Data analysis was done using SPSS. The receiver operating characteristics, sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive values and negative predictive values of both scoring systems were then calculated for each of the scoring systems and compared between the two.

  3. A similarity score-based two-phase heuristic approach to solve the dynamic cellular facility layout for manufacturing systems

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kumar, Ravi; Singh, Surya Prakash

    2017-11-01

    The dynamic cellular facility layout problem (DCFLP) is a well-known NP-hard problem. It has been estimated that the efficient design of DCFLP reduces the manufacturing cost of products by maintaining the minimum material flow among all machines in all cells, as the material flow contributes around 10-30% of the total product cost. However, being NP hard, solving the DCFLP optimally is very difficult in reasonable time. Therefore, this article proposes a novel similarity score-based two-phase heuristic approach to solve the DCFLP optimally considering multiple products in multiple times to be manufactured in the manufacturing layout. In the first phase of the proposed heuristic, a machine-cell cluster is created based on similarity scores between machines. This is provided as an input to the second phase to minimize inter/intracell material handling costs and rearrangement costs over the entire planning period. The solution methodology of the proposed approach is demonstrated. To show the efficiency of the two-phase heuristic approach, 21 instances are generated and solved using the optimization software package LINGO. The results show that the proposed approach can optimally solve the DCFLP in reasonable time.

  4. Liquid crystalline phase behavior of protein fibers in water: experiments versus theory.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jung, Jin-Mi; Mezzenga, Raffaele

    2010-01-05

    We have developed a new method allowing the study of the thermodynamic phase behavior of mesoscopic colloidal systems consisting of amyloid protein fibers in water, obtained by heat denaturation and aggregation of beta-lactoglobulin, a dairy protein. The fibers have a cross section of about 5.2 nm and two groups of polydisperse contour lengths: (i) long fibers of 1-20 microm, showing semiflexible behavior, and (ii) short rods of 100-200 nm long, obtained by cutting the long fibers via high-pressure homogenization. At pH 2 without salt, these fibers are highly charged and stable in water. We have studied the isotropic-nematic phase transition for both systems and compared our results with the theoretical values predicted by Onsager's theory. The experimentally measured isotropic-nematic phase transition was found to occur at 0.4% and at 3% for the long and short fibers, respectively. For both systems, this phase transition occurs at concentrations more than 1 order of magnitude lower than what is expected based on Onsager's theory. Moreover, at low enough pH, no intermediate biphasic region was observed between the isotropic phase and the nematic phase. The phase diagrams of both systems (pH vs concentration) showed similar, yet complex and rich, phase behavior. We discuss the possible physical fundamentals ruling the phase diagram as well as the discrepancy we observe for the isotropic-nematic phase transition between our experimental results and the predicted theoretical results. Our work highlights that systems formed by water-amyloid protein fibers are way too complex to be understood based solely on Onsager's theories. Experimental results are revisited in terms of the Flory's theory (1956) for suspensions of rods, which allows accounting for rod-solvent hydrophobic interactions. This theoretical approach allows explaining, on a semiquantitative basis, most of the discrepancies observed between the experimental results and Onsager's predictions. The sources of

  5. Changes in mitochondrial perilipin 3 and perilipin 5 protein content in rat skeletal muscle following endurance training and acute stimulated contraction.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ramos, S V; Turnbull, P C; MacPherson, R E K; LeBlanc, P J; Ward, W E; Peters, S J

    2015-04-01

    What is the central question of this study? The aim was to determine whether mitochondrial protein content of perilipin 3 (PLIN3) and perilipin 5 (PLIN5) is increased following endurance training and whether mitochondrial PLIN5 protein is increased to a greater extent in endurance-trained rats when compared with sedentary rats following acute contraction. What is the main finding and its importance? Mitochondrial PLIN3 but not PLIN5 protein was increased in endurance-trained compared with sedentary rats, suggesting a mitochondrial role for PLIN3 due to chronic exercise. Contrary to our hypothesis, acute mitochondrial PLIN5 protein was similar in both sedentary and endurance-trained rats. Endurance training results in an increased association between skeletal muscle lipid droplets and mitochondria. This association is likely to be important for the expected increase in intramuscular fatty acid oxidation that occurs with endurance training. The perilipin family of lipid droplet proteins, PLIN(2-5), are thought to play a role in skeletal muscle lipolysis. Recently, results from our laboratory demonstrated that skeletal muscle mitochondria contain PLIN3 and PLIN5 protein. Furthermore, 30 min of stimulated contraction induces an increased mitochondrial PLIN5 content. To determine whether mitochondrial content of PLIN3 and PLIN5 is altered with endurance training, Sprague-Dawley rats were randomized into sedentary or endurance-trained groups for 8 weeks of treadmill running followed by an acute (30 min) sciatic nerve stimulation to induce lipolysis. Mitochondrial PLIN3 protein was ∼1.5-fold higher in red gastrocnemius of endurance-trained rats compared with sedentary animals, with no change in mitochondrial PLIN5 protein. In addition, there was an increase in plantaris intramuscular lipid storage. Acute electrically stimulated contraction in red gastrocnemius from sedentary and endurance-trained rats resulted in a similar increase of mitochondrial PLIN5 between

  6. Prediction of early recurrent thromboembolic event and major bleeding in patients with acute stroke and atrial fibrillation by a risk stratification schema: the ALESSA score study

    OpenAIRE

    Paciaroni, Maurizio; Agnelli, Giancarlo; Caso, Valeria; Tsivgoulis, Georgios; Furie, Karen L; Tadi, Prasanna; Becattini, Cecilia; Falocci, Nicola; Zedde, Marialuisa; Abdul-Rahim, Azmil H.; Lees, Kennedy R.; Alberti, Andrea; Venti, Michele; Acciarresi, Monica; D'Amore, Cataldo

    2017-01-01

    Background and Purposes—This study was designed to derive and validate a score to predict early ischemic events and major bleedings after an acute ischemic stroke in patients with atrial fibrillation.\\ud \\ud Methods—The derivation cohort consisted of 854 patients with acute ischemic stroke and atrial fibrillation included in prospective series between January 2012 and March 2014. Older age (hazard ratio 1.06 for each additional year; 95% confidence interval, 1.00–1.11) and severe atrial enlar...

  7. PFP: Automated prediction of gene ontology functional annotations with confidence scores using protein sequence data.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hawkins, Troy; Chitale, Meghana; Luban, Stanislav; Kihara, Daisuke

    2009-02-15

    Protein function prediction is a central problem in bioinformatics, increasing in importance recently due to the rapid accumulation of biological data awaiting interpretation. Sequence data represents the bulk of this new stock and is the obvious target for consideration as input, as newly sequenced organisms often lack any other type of biological characterization. We have previously introduced PFP (Protein Function Prediction) as our sequence-based predictor of Gene Ontology (GO) functional terms. PFP interprets the results of a PSI-BLAST search by extracting and scoring individual functional attributes, searching a wide range of E-value sequence matches, and utilizing conventional data mining techniques to fill in missing information. We have shown it to be effective in predicting both specific and low-resolution functional attributes when sufficient data is unavailable. Here we describe (1) significant improvements to the PFP infrastructure, including the addition of prediction significance and confidence scores, (2) a thorough benchmark of performance and comparisons to other related prediction methods, and (3) applications of PFP predictions to genome-scale data. We applied PFP predictions to uncharacterized protein sequences from 15 organisms. Among these sequences, 60-90% could be annotated with a GO molecular function term at high confidence (>or=80%). We also applied our predictions to the protein-protein interaction network of the Malaria plasmodium (Plasmodium falciparum). High confidence GO biological process predictions (>or=90%) from PFP increased the number of fully enriched interactions in this dataset from 23% of interactions to 94%. Our benchmark comparison shows significant performance improvement of PFP relative to GOtcha, InterProScan, and PSI-BLAST predictions. This is consistent with the performance of PFP as the overall best predictor in both the AFP-SIG '05 and CASP7 function (FN) assessments. PFP is available as a web service at http

  8. Predictors of natively unfolded proteins: unanimous consensus score to detect a twilight zone between order and disorder in generic datasets

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Deiana Antonio

    2010-04-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Natively unfolded proteins lack a well defined three dimensional structure but have important biological functions, suggesting a re-assignment of the structure-function paradigm. To assess that a given protein is natively unfolded requires laborious experimental investigations, then reliable sequence-only methods for predicting whether a sequence corresponds to a folded or to an unfolded protein are of interest in fundamental and applicative studies. Many proteins have amino acidic compositions compatible both with the folded and unfolded status, and belong to a twilight zone between order and disorder. This makes difficult a dichotomic classification of protein sequences into folded and natively unfolded ones. In this work we propose an operational method to identify proteins belonging to the twilight zone by combining into a consensus score good performing single predictors of folding. Results In this methodological paper dichotomic folding indexes are considered: hydrophobicity-charge, mean packing, mean pairwise energy, Poodle-W and a new global index, that is called here gVSL2, based on the local disorder predictor VSL2. The performance of these indexes is evaluated on different datasets, in particular on a new dataset composed by 2369 folded and 81 natively unfolded proteins. Poodle-W, gVSL2 and mean pairwise energy have good performance and stability in all the datasets considered and are combined into a strictly unanimous combination score SSU, that leaves proteins unclassified when the consensus of all combined indexes is not reached. The unclassified proteins: i belong to an overlap region in the vector space of amino acidic compositions occupied by both folded and unfolded proteins; ii are composed by approximately the same number of order-promoting and disorder-promoting amino acids; iii have a mean flexibility intermediate between that of folded and that of unfolded proteins. Conclusions Our results show that

  9. Combined use of aortic dissection detection risk score and D-dimer in the diagnostic workup of suspected acute aortic dissection.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nazerian, Peiman; Morello, Fulvio; Vanni, Simone; Bono, Alessia; Castelli, Matteo; Forno, Daniela; Gigli, Chiara; Soardo, Flavia; Carbone, Federica; Lupia, Enrico; Grifoni, Stefano

    2014-07-15

    Acute aortic dissection (AD) represents a diagnostic conundrum. Validated algorithms are particularly needed to identify patients where AD could be ruled out without aortic imaging. We evaluated the diagnostic accuracy of a strategy combining the aortic dissection detection (ADD) risk score with D-dimer, a sensitive biomarker of AD. Patients from two clinical centers with suspected AD were prospectively enrolled in a registry, from January 2008 to March 2013. The ADD risk score was calculated by retrospective blinded chart review. For D-dimer, a cutoff of 500 ng/ml was applied. AD was diagnosed in 233 of 1035 (22.5%) patients. The ADD risk score was 0 in 322 (31.1%), 1 in 508 (49.1%) and >1 in 205 (19.8%) patients. The sensitivity and the failure rate of D-dimer were 100% and 0% in patients with ADD score 0, versus 97.5% (95% CI 91.4-99.6%) and 4.2% (95% CI 0.7-12.5%) in patients with ADD risk score >1. In patients with ADD risk score ≤ 1, the sensitivity and the failure rate of D-dimer were 98.7% (95% CI 95.3-99.8%) and 0.8% (95% CI 0.1-2.6%). The diagnostic efficiency of D-dimer in patients with ADD risk score 0 and ≤ 1 was 8.9% (95% CI 7.2-10.7%) and 23.6% (95% CI 21.1-26.2%) respectively. In a large cohort of patients with suspected AD, the presence of ADD risk score 0 or ≤ 1 combined with a negative D-dimer accurately and efficiently ruled out AD. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  10. Coronary artery calcium score using electron beam tomography in the patients with acute obstructive coronary arterial disease : comparative study within asymptomatic high-risk group of atherosclerosis and chronic obstructive coronary arterial disease group

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ryu, Seok Jong; Choi, Byoung Wook; Choe, Kyu Ok

    2001-01-01

    To compare, through analysis of the coronary artery calcium (CAC) score and the risk factors for atherosclerosis, the characteristics of acute coronary syndrome between an asymptomatic high-risk group of atherosclerosis patients and a chronic coronary arterial obstructive disease(CAOD) group. The CAC scores of an asymptomatic high-risk group of atherosclerosis patients (group I, n=284), a chronic CAOD croup (group II, n=39) and an acute coronary syndrome group (group III, n=21) were measured by electron beam tomography. Forty-seven patients with CAOD from groups II and III underwent coronary angiography, and we scrutinized age, sex and risk factors including diabetes mellitus, hypertension, obesity, smoking, hypercholesterolemia and low high-density lipoproteinemia. The numbers of stenotic coronary arterial branches and degree of stenosis revealed by coronary angiography were also recorded. We determined the differences between the three groups in terms of CAC score and the risk factors, the relationship between CAC score and risk factors, and the characteristic features of each type of CAOD group. The mean CA score of group III (135.1) was not statistically different from that of group I (135.7) or group II (365.8). Among patients aged below 50, the mean CAC score of group III (127.4) was significantly higher than that of group I (6.2), (p=0.0006). The mean CAC score at the sixth decade was also significantly different between group I(81.5) and group II (266.9). The mean age of group III (54.2 years) was significantly lower than that of group I (58.1 years) (p=0.047) and of group II (60.1) (p=0.022). There was significant correlation between the number of stenotic coronary arterial branches and log(CAC +1) (p<.01). The square root of the CAC score and the maximal degree of stenosis was also well correlated (p<.01). There was no difference in the mean number of risk factors among the three groups, though the incidence of smoking in group III was significantly

  11. Coronary artery calcium score using electron beam tomography in the patients with acute obstructive coronary arterial disease : comparative study within asymptomatic high-risk group of atherosclerosis and chronic obstructive coronary arterial disease group

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ryu, Seok Jong; Choi, Byoung Wook; Choe, Kyu Ok [Yonsei Univ. College of Medicine, Seoul (Korea, Republic of)

    2001-04-01

    To compare, through analysis of the coronary artery calcium (CAC) score and the risk factors for atherosclerosis, the characteristics of acute coronary syndrome between an asymptomatic high-risk group of atherosclerosis patients and a chronic coronary arterial obstructive disease(CAOD) group. The CAC scores of an asymptomatic high-risk group of atherosclerosis patients (group I, n=284), a chronic CAOD croup (group II, n=39) and an acute coronary syndrome group (group III, n=21) were measured by electron beam tomography. Forty-seven patients with CAOD from groups II and III underwent coronary angiography, and we scrutinized age, sex and risk factors including diabetes mellitus, hypertension, obesity, smoking, hypercholesterolemia and low high-density lipoproteinemia. The numbers of stenotic coronary arterial branches and degree of stenosis revealed by coronary angiography were also recorded. We determined the differences between the three groups in terms of CAC score and the risk factors, the relationship between CAC score and risk factors, and the characteristic features of each type of CAOD group. The mean CA score of group III (135.1) was not statistically different from that of group I (135.7) or group II (365.8). Among patients aged below 50, the mean CAC score of group III (127.4) was significantly higher than that of group I (6.2), (p=0.0006). The mean CAC score at the sixth decade was also significantly different between group I(81.5) and group II (266.9). The mean age of group III (54.2 years) was significantly lower than that of group I (58.1 years) (p=0.047) and of group II (60.1) (p=0.022). There was significant correlation between the number of stenotic coronary arterial branches and log(CAC +1) (p<.01). The square root of the CAC score and the maximal degree of stenosis was also well correlated (p<.01). There was no difference in the mean number of risk factors among the three groups, though the incidence of smoking in group III was significantly

  12. The adjusted Global AntiphosPholipid Syndrome Score (aGAPSS) for risk stratification in young APS patients with acute myocardial infarction.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Radin, M; Schreiber, K; Costanzo, P; Cecchi, I; Roccatello, D; Baldovino, S; Bazzan, M; Cuadrado, M J; Sciascia, S

    2017-08-01

    Young adults with acute myocardial infarction are a critical group to examine for the purpose of risk factor stratification and modification. In this study we aimed to assess the clinical utility of the adjusted Global AntiphosPholipid Syndrome Score (aGAPSS) for the risk stratification of acute myocardial infarction in a cohort of young patients with antiphospholipid syndrome (APS). The analysis included 83 consecutive APS patients (≤50years old) who presented with arterial or venous thromboembolic events. Data on cardiovascular risk factors and antiphospholipid antibodies (aPL) positivity were retrospectively collected. The aGAPSS was calculated by adding the points corresponding to the risk factors, based on a linear transformation derived from the ß-regression coefficient as follows: 3 for hyperlipidaemia, 1 for arterial hypertension, 5 for aCL IgG/IgM, 4 for anti-b2 glycoprotein I IgG/IgM and 4 for LA. Higher aGAPSS values were observed in patients with acute myocardial infarction when compared to the others [mean aGAPSS 11.9 (S.D. 4.15, range 4-18) Vs. mean aGAPSS 9.2 (S.D. 5.1, range 1-17); T test: psyndrome compared to patients with a history of peripheral or cerebrovascular arterial thrombotic events [mean aGAPSS 11.9 (S.D. 4.15, range 4-18) Vs. mean aGAPSS 6.7 (S.D. 5.7, range 1-17); T test: P<0.005]. The aGAPSS is based upon a quantitative score and could aid risk stratifying APS patients younger than 50years for the likelihood of developing coronary thrombotic events and may guide pharmacological treatment for high-risk patients. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  13. Multiple scales and phases in discrete chains with application to folded proteins

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sinelnikova, A.; Niemi, A. J.; Nilsson, Johan; Ulybyshev, M.

    2018-05-01

    Chiral heteropolymers such as large globular proteins can simultaneously support multiple length scales. The interplay between the different scales brings about conformational diversity, determines the phase properties of the polymer chain, and governs the structure of the energy landscape. Most importantly, multiple scales produce complex dynamics that enable proteins to sustain live matter. However, at the moment there is incomplete understanding of how to identify and distinguish the various scales that determine the structure and dynamics of a complex protein. Here we address this impending problem. We develop a methodology with the potential to systematically identify different length scales, in the general case of a linear polymer chain. For this we introduce and analyze the properties of an order parameter that can both reveal the presence of different length scales and can also probe the phase structure. We first develop our concepts in the case of chiral homopolymers. We introduce a variant of Kadanoff's block-spin transformation to coarse grain piecewise linear chains, such as the C α backbone of a protein. We derive analytically, and then verify numerically, a number of properties that the order parameter can display, in the case of a chiral polymer chain. In particular, we propose that in the case of a chiral heteropolymer the order parameter can reveal traits of several different phases, contingent on the length scale at which it is scrutinized. We confirm that this is the case with crystallographic protein structures in the Protein Data Bank. Thus our results suggest relations between the scales, the phases, and the complexity of folding pathways.

  14. Protein C activation during the initial phase of experimental acute pancreatitis in the rabbit

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Ottesen, L H; Bladbjerg, E-M; Osman, M

    2000-01-01

    activity), anticoagulant proteins (protein C, antithrombin) and fibrinolytic factors (tissue plasminogen activator, plasminogen activator inhibitor-1) were performed for 5 h. RESULTS: ANP was confirmed by elevated serum amylase, development of ascites, and histological changes of the pancreas. A moderate...

  15. Strategic study on energy-protein requirements for local sheep: 5. Ewes during lactation phase

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    I-W Mathius

    2004-03-01

    Full Text Available Thirty-six Javanese thin-tail ewes in the end of late pregnancy phase were set out to study the energy and crude protein requirements during the first eight-week of lactation phase. The ewes were penned individually in doors and randomly assigned to a 3 x 3 factorial arrangement, consisting of three levels of energy (low, medium and high and three levels of crude protein (low, medium and high diets with four ewes per treatment. The diets were pelleted and offered four times daily in approximately equal amount. Feed intake, nutrient digestibility, body weight and milk production were recorded. Results showed that, total lamb birth weights was not affected, but protein content on the ration treatments significantly altered (P0.05, while crude protein content on the ration highly significantly affected (P<0.01. Based on data recorded, the energy and protein requirements for ewes during lactation phase are highly significantly depended on ewes’ live weight, milk production and the ratio of energy metabolism and crude protein of the ration. It was concluded that in order to fulfil the crude protein and energy needs of the ewes during lactation phase, the ration given should contain crude protein and energy as much as 16% (based on dry matter and 13.4 MJ/kg dry matter respectively.

  16. Oral Administration of Astrovirus Capsid Protein Is Sufficient To Induce Acute Diarrhea In Vivo

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Victoria A. Meliopoulos

    2016-11-01

    Full Text Available The disease mechanisms associated with the onset of astrovirus diarrhea are unknown. Unlike other enteric virus infections, astrovirus infection is not associated with an inflammatory response or cellular damage. In vitro studies in differentiated Caco-2 cells demonstrated that human astrovirus serotype 1 (HAstV-1 capsid protein alone disrupts the actin cytoskeleton and tight junction complex, leading to increased epithelial barrier permeability. In this study, we show that oral administration of purified recombinant turkey astrovirus 2 (TAstV-2 capsid protein results in acute diarrhea in a dose- and time-dependent manner in turkey poults. Similarly to that induced by infectious virus, TAstV-2 capsid-induced diarrhea was independent of inflammation or histological changes but was associated with increased intestinal barrier permeability, as well as redistribution of sodium hydrogen exchanger 3 (NHE3 from the membrane to the cytoplasm of the intestinal epithelium. Unlike other viral enterotoxins that have been identified, astrovirus capsid induces diarrhea after oral administration, reproducing the natural route of infection and demonstrating that ingestion of intact noninfectious capsid protein may be sufficient to provoke acute diarrhea. Based on these data, we hypothesize that the astrovirus capsid acts like an enterotoxin and induces intestinal epithelial barrier dysfunction.

  17. Are Improvements in Cognitive Content and Depressive Symptoms Correlates or Mediators during Acute-Phase Cognitive Therapy for Recurrent Major Depressive Disorder?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vittengl, Jeffrey R; Clark, Lee Anna; Thase, Michael E; Jarrett, Robin B

    2014-01-09

    The cognitive model of depression posits that cognitive therapy's (CT) effect on depressive symptoms is mediated by changes in cognitive content (e.g., automatic negative thoughts dysfunctional attitudes, failure attributions). We tested improvement and normalization of cognitive content among outpatients ( N = 523) with recurrent major depressive disorder treated with acute-phase CT (Jarrett & Thase, 2010; Jarrett et al., 2013). We also tested whether improvement in cognitive content accounted for subsequent changes in depressive symptoms and vice versa. Five measures of content improved substantively from pre- to post-CT (median d = 0.96), and the proportions of patients scoring in "healthy" ranges increased (median 45% to 82%). Evidence for cognitive mediation of symptom reduction was limited (median r = .06), as was evidence for symptom mediation of cognitive content improvement (median r = .07). We discuss measurement and design issues relevant to detection of mediators and consider alternative theories of change.

  18. Acute Toxicity Profile and Compliance to Accelerated Radiotherapy Plus Carbogen and Nicotinamide for Clinical Stage T2–4 Laryngeal Cancer: Results of a Phase III Randomized Trial

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Janssens, Geert O.; Terhaard, Chris H.; Doornaert, Patricia A.; Bijl, Hendrik P.; Ende, Piet van den; Chin, Alim; Pop, Lucas A.; Kaanders, Johannes H.

    2012-01-01

    Purpose: To report the acute toxicity profile and compliance from a randomized Phase III trial comparing accelerated radiotherapy (AR) with accelerated radiotherapy plus carbogen and nicotinamide (ARCON) in laryngeal cancer. Methods and Materials: From April 2001 to February 2008, 345 patients with cT2–4 squamous cell laryngeal cancer were randomized to AR (n = 174) and ARCON (n = 171). Acute toxicity was scored weekly until Week 8 and every 2–4 weeks thereafter. Compliance to carbogen and nicotinamide was reported. Results: Between both treatment arms (AR vs. ARCON) no statistically significant difference was observed for incidence of acute skin reactions (moist desquamation: 56% vs. 58%, p = 0.80), acute mucosal reactions (confluent mucositis: 79% vs. 85%, p = 0.14), and symptoms related to acute mucositis (severe pain on swallowing: 53% vs. 58%, p = 0.37; nasogastric tube feeding: 28% vs. 28%, p = 0.98; narcotic medicines required: 58% vs. 58%, p = 0.97). There was a statistically significant difference in median duration of confluent mucositis in favor of AR (2.0 vs 3.0 weeks, p = 0.01). There was full compliance with carbogen breathing and nicotinamide in 86% and 80% of the patients, with discontinuation in 6% and 12%, respectively. Adjustment of antiemesis prophylaxis was needed in 42% of patients. Conclusion: With the exception of a slight increase in median duration of acute confluent mucositis, the present data reveal a similar acute toxicity profile between both regimens and a good compliance with ARCON for clinical stage T2–4 laryngeal cancers. Treatment outcome and late morbidity will determine the real therapeutic benefit.

  19. Acute-Phase Inflammatory Response to Single-Bout HIIT and Endurance Training: A Comparative Study

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Felix Kaspar

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available Objective. This study compared acute and late effect of single-bout endurance training (ET and high-intensity interval training (HIIT on the plasma levels of four inflammatory cytokines and C-reactive protein and insulin-like growth factor 1. Design. Cohort study with repeated-measures design. Methods. Seven healthy untrained volunteers completed a single bout of ET and HIIT on a cycle ergometer. ET and HIIT sessions were held in random order and at least 7 days apart. Blood was drawn before the interventions and 30 min and 2 days after the training sessions. Plasma samples were analyzed with ELISA for the interleukins (IL, IL-1β, IL-6, and IL-10, monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1, insulin growth factor 1 (IGF-1, and C-reactive protein (CRP. Statistical analysis was with Wilcoxon signed-rank tests. Results. ET led to both a significant acute and long-term inflammatory response with a significant decrease at 30 minutes after exercise in the IL-6/IL-10 ratio (−20%; p=0.047 and a decrease of MCP-1 (−17.9%; p=0.03. Conclusion. This study demonstrates that ET affects the inflammatory response more adversely at 30 minutes after exercise compared to HIIT. However, this is compensated by a significant decrease in MCP-1 at two days associated with a reduced risk of atherosclerosis.

  20. Acute-Phase Inflammatory Response to Single-Bout HIIT and Endurance Training: A Comparative Study

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kaspar, Felix; Jelinek, Herbert F.; Perkins, Steven; Al-Aubaidy, Hayder A.; deJong, Bev; Butkowski, Eugene

    2016-01-01

    Objective. This study compared acute and late effect of single-bout endurance training (ET) and high-intensity interval training (HIIT) on the plasma levels of four inflammatory cytokines and C-reactive protein and insulin-like growth factor 1. Design. Cohort study with repeated-measures design. Methods. Seven healthy untrained volunteers completed a single bout of ET and HIIT on a cycle ergometer. ET and HIIT sessions were held in random order and at least 7 days apart. Blood was drawn before the interventions and 30 min and 2 days after the training sessions. Plasma samples were analyzed with ELISA for the interleukins (IL), IL-1β, IL-6, and IL-10, monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1), insulin growth factor 1 (IGF-1), and C-reactive protein (CRP). Statistical analysis was with Wilcoxon signed-rank tests. Results. ET led to both a significant acute and long-term inflammatory response with a significant decrease at 30 minutes after exercise in the IL-6/IL-10 ratio (−20%; p = 0.047) and a decrease of MCP-1 (−17.9%; p = 0.03). Conclusion. This study demonstrates that ET affects the inflammatory response more adversely at 30 minutes after exercise compared to HIIT. However, this is compensated by a significant decrease in MCP-1 at two days associated with a reduced risk of atherosclerosis. PMID:27212809

  1. Acute-Phase Inflammatory Response to Single-Bout HIIT and Endurance Training: A Comparative Study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kaspar, Felix; Jelinek, Herbert F; Perkins, Steven; Al-Aubaidy, Hayder A; deJong, Bev; Butkowski, Eugene

    2016-01-01

    This study compared acute and late effect of single-bout endurance training (ET) and high-intensity interval training (HIIT) on the plasma levels of four inflammatory cytokines and C-reactive protein and insulin-like growth factor 1. Cohort study with repeated-measures design. Seven healthy untrained volunteers completed a single bout of ET and HIIT on a cycle ergometer. ET and HIIT sessions were held in random order and at least 7 days apart. Blood was drawn before the interventions and 30 min and 2 days after the training sessions. Plasma samples were analyzed with ELISA for the interleukins (IL), IL-1β, IL-6, and IL-10, monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1), insulin growth factor 1 (IGF-1), and C-reactive protein (CRP). Statistical analysis was with Wilcoxon signed-rank tests. ET led to both a significant acute and long-term inflammatory response with a significant decrease at 30 minutes after exercise in the IL-6/IL-10 ratio (-20%; p = 0.047) and a decrease of MCP-1 (-17.9%; p = 0.03). This study demonstrates that ET affects the inflammatory response more adversely at 30 minutes after exercise compared to HIIT. However, this is compensated by a significant decrease in MCP-1 at two days associated with a reduced risk of atherosclerosis.

  2. The role of C-reactive protein and polyarginine in tumor immunotherapy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rizk, S L; Mold, C; Haklin, M; Roseman, D L

    1986-07-01

    C-reactive protein (CRP) is an acute-phase reactant whose serum level rises rapidly in response to tissue injury. C-reactive protein binding to cells can activate the classical complement pathway, and enhance opsonophagocytosis. The polycation poly-L-arginine (PLA) can artificially fix CRP to target cells. The effects of CRP and PLA on tumor growth were evaluated, both independently and synergistically, using the V X 2 tumor line in the rabbit host. Ten normal animals and seven acute-phase animals were bilaterally inoculated with V X 2 cells (control side) and PLA-treated V X 2 cells (experimental side). Tumor growth was significantly retarded on the treatment side (P less than 0.005), in both animal groups. It is concluded that topical PLA is a potent inhibitor of V X 2 tumor growth. Comparison of normal and acute-phase animals revealed no persistent difference in tumor growth for either cell inoculum. Similarly, cell treatment with topical CRP did not inhibit tumor growth, whether PLA was present or not. Thus, circulating and topical CRP did not alter the rate of V X 2 tumor growth. PLA cytotoxicity remains to be evaluated when the agent is administered orthotopically, selectively, or systemically.

  3. Nutrition and acute schistosomiasis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Eridan M. Coutinho

    1992-01-01

    Full Text Available In northeast Brazil, nutritional deficiency diseases and schistosomiasis mansoni overlap. An experimental model, wich reproduces the marasmatic clinical form of protein-energy malnutrition, was developed in this laboratory to study these interactions. Albino Swiss mice were fed with a food association ingested usually by human populations in northeast Brazil. This diet (Regional Basic Diet - RBD has negative effects on the growth, food intake and protein utilization in infected mice (acute phase of murine schistosomiasis. Nitrogen balance studies have also shown that infection with Schistosoma mansoni has apparently no effect on protein intestinal absorption in well nourished mice. However, the lowest absorption ratios have been detected among RBD - fed infected animals, suggesting that suprerimposed schistosome infection aggravated the nutritional status of the undernourished host. The serum proteins electrophoretic pattern, as far as albumins are concerned, is quite similar for non-infected undernourished and infected well-fed animals. So, the significance of albumins as a biochemical indicator of the nutritional status of human populations residing in endemic foci of Manson's schistosomiasis, is discussable.

  4. Nature of protein family signatures: insights from singular value analysis of position-specific scoring matrices.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Akira R Kinjo

    Full Text Available Position-specific scoring matrices (PSSMs are useful for detecting weak homology in protein sequence analysis, and they are thought to contain some essential signatures of the protein families. In order to elucidate what kind of ingredients constitute such family-specific signatures, we apply singular value decomposition to a set of PSSMs and examine the properties of dominant right and left singular vectors. The first right singular vectors were correlated with various amino acid indices including relative mutability, amino acid composition in protein interior, hydropathy, or turn propensity, depending on proteins. A significant correlation between the first left singular vector and a measure of site conservation was observed. It is shown that the contribution of the first singular component to the PSSMs act to disfavor potentially but falsely functionally important residues at conserved sites. The second right singular vectors were highly correlated with hydrophobicity scales, and the corresponding left singular vectors with contact numbers of protein structures. It is suggested that sequence alignment with a PSSM is essentially equivalent to threading supplemented with functional information. In addition, singular vectors may be useful for analyzing and annotating the characteristics of conserved sites in protein families.

  5. Comparative study of ipsilesional and contralesional repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulations for acute infarction.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Watanabe, Kosuke; Kudo, Yosuke; Sugawara, Eriko; Nakamizo, Tomoki; Amari, Kazumitsu; Takahashi, Koji; Tanaka, Osamu; Endo, Miho; Hayakawa, Yuko; Johkura, Ken

    2018-01-15

    Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) is reported to improve chronic post-stoke hemiparesis. However, application of rTMS during the acute phase of post-stroke has not fully been investigated. We investigated the safety and the efficacy of intermittent theta-burst stimulation (iTBS) of the affected motor cortex and 1-Hz stimulation of the unaffected hemisphere during the acute phase in patients with hemiparesis due to capsular infarction. Twenty one patients who met the study criteria were randomly assigned to receive, starting within 7days after stroke onset and for a period of 10days, iTBS of the affected motor cortex hand area (n=8), 1-Hz stimulation of the unaffected motor cortex hand area (n=7), or sham stimulation (n=6). Upper limb motor function was evaluated before rTMS and 12weeks after onset of the stroke. Evaluation was based on the Fugl-Meyer Assessment (FMA), Stroke Impairment Assessment Set (SIAS), Modified Ashworth Scale (MAS), grip strength, and motor evoked potential (MEP) amplitude in the first dorsal interosseous (FDI) muscle. Both iTBS applied to the affected motor cortex hand area and 1-Hz stimulation applied to the unaffected motor cortex hand area enhanced motor recovery. In comparison to sham stimulation, iTBS increased the SIAS finger-function test score, and 1-Hz stimulation decreased the MAS wrist and finger score. Ipsilesional iTBS and contralesional 1-Hz stimulation applied during the acute phase of stroke have different effects: ipsilesional iTBS improves movement of the affected limb, whereas contralesional 1-Hz stimulation reduces spasticity of the affected limb. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  6. Acute phase proteins as diagnostic markers in horses with colic

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Pihl, Tina Holberg; Scheepers, Elrien; Sanz, Macarena

    and fibrinogen to differentiate between horses with infectious non-surgical colic and surgical colic. Materials & Methods:The performance of the APPs was evaluated individually and in combination with clinical examination, as wells as traditional biomarkers in blood (WCC, PCV, TPP, lactate) and peritoneal fluid...... (PF) (haemolysis, WCC, total protein).Admission data collected prospectively from 148 horses with severe colic in one hospital was used to construct multivariate logistic models to predict if a horse had an infectious non-surgical colic. The models were based on 1) clinical evaluation, 2) clinical...... and blood evaluation and 3) clinical, blood and PF evaluation. Each model was independently validated against admission data from 78 horses in another hospital.Results and Discussion:The variables included in the final ‘clinical model’ were: Lethargy, temperature increase from 38◦C, gastric reflux 5-10L...

  7. The Contribution of Serine 194 Phosphorylation to Steroidogenic Acute Regulatory Protein Function

    OpenAIRE

    Sasaki, Goro; Zubair, Mohamad; Ishii, Tomohiro; Mitsui, Toshikatsu; Hasegawa, Tomonobu; Auchus, Richard J.

    2014-01-01

    The steroidogenic acute regulatory protein (StAR) facilitates the delivery of cholesterol to the inner mitochondrial membrane, where the cholesterol side-chain cleavage enzyme catalyzes the initial step of steroid hormone biosynthesis. StAR was initially identified in adrenocortical cells as a phosphoprotein, the expression and phosphorylation of which were stimulated by corticotropin. A number of in vitro studies have implicated cAMP-dependent phosphorylation at serine 194 (S194, S195 in hum...

  8. Moderate alcohol consumption reduces plasma C-reactive protein and fibrinogen levels : a randomized, diet-controlled intervention study

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Sierksma, A.; Gaag, M.S. van der; Kluft, C.; Hendriks, H.F.J.

    2002-01-01

    Objective: To evaluate the effect of moderate alcohol consumption on the acute phase proteins C-reactive protein and fibrinogen. Design: Randomized, diet-controlled, cross-over study. Setting: The study was performed at TNO Nutrition and Food Research, Zeist, The Netherlands. Subjects: Ten

  9. Probing Protein Structure and Folding in the Gas Phase by Electron Capture Dissociation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schennach, Moritz; Breuker, Kathrin

    2015-07-01

    The established methods for the study of atom-detailed protein structure in the condensed phases, X-ray crystallography and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, have recently been complemented by new techniques by which nearly or fully desolvated protein structures are probed in gas-phase experiments. Electron capture dissociation (ECD) is unique among these as it provides residue-specific, although indirect, structural information. In this Critical Insight article, we discuss the development of ECD for the structural probing of gaseous protein ions, its potential, and limitations.

  10. Highly sensitive C-reactive protein and male gender are independently related to the severity of coronary disease in patients with metabolic syndrome and an acute coronary event

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    C.M.C. Monteiro

    2010-03-01

    Full Text Available Patients with metabolic syndrome are at high-risk for development of atherosclerosis and cardiovascular events. The objective of this study was to examine the major determinants of coronary disease severity, including those coronary risk factors associated with metabolic syndrome, during the early period after an acute coronary episode. We tested the hypothesis that inflammatory markers, especially highly sensitive C-reactive protein (hsCRP, are related to coronary atherosclerosis, in addition to traditional coronary risk factors. Subjects of both genders aged 30 to 75 years (N = 116 were prospectively included if they had suffered a recent acute coronary syndrome (acute myocardial infarction or unstable angina pectoris requiring hospitalization and if they had metabolic syndrome diagnosed according to the National Cholesterol Education Program/Adult Treatment Panel III. Patients were submitted to a coronary angiography and the burden of atherosclerosis was estimated by the Gensini score. The severity of coronary disease was correlated (Spearman’s or Pearson’s coefficient with gender (r = 0.291, P = 0.008, age (r = 0.218, P = 0.048, hsCRP (r = 0.256, P = 0.020, ApoB/ApoA ratio (r = 0.233, P = 0.041, and carotid intima-media thickness (r = 0.236, P = 0.041. After multiple linear regression, only male gender (P = 0.046 and hsCRP (P = 0.012 remained independently associated with the Gensini score. In this high-risk population, male gender and high levels of hsCRP, two variables that can be easily obtained, were associated with more extensive coronary disease, identifying patients with the highest potential of developing new coronary events.

  11. Role of CC chemokines (macrophage inflammatory protein-1 beta, monocyte chemoattractant protein-1, RANTES) in acute lung injury in rats

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Bless, N M; Huber-Lang, M; Guo, R F

    2000-01-01

    The role of the CC chemokines, macrophage inflammatory protein-1 beta (MIP-1 beta), monocyte chemotactic peptide-1 (MCP-1), and RANTES, in acute lung inflammatory injury induced by intrapulmonary deposition of IgG immune complexes injury in rats was determined. Rat MIP-1 beta, MCP-1, and RANTES...... were cloned, the proteins were expressed, and neutralizing Abs were developed. mRNA and protein expression for MIP-1 beta and MCP-1 were up-regulated during the inflammatory response, while mRNA and protein expression for RANTES were constitutive and unchanged during the inflammatory response....... Treatment of rats with anti-MIP-1 beta Ab significantly decreased vascular permeability by 37% (p = 0.012), reduced neutrophil recruitment into lung by 65% (p = 0.047), and suppressed levels of TNF-alpha in bronchoalveolar lavage fluids by 61% (p = 0.008). Treatment of rats with anti-rat MCP-1 or anti...

  12. A diagnostic score for the prediction of spontaneous resolution of acute hepatitis C virus infection.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Beinhardt, Sandra; Payer, Berit Anna; Datz, Christian; Strasser, Michael; Maieron, Andreas; Dorn, Livia; Grilnberger-Franz, Evelyn; Dulic-Lakovic, Emina; Stauber, Rudolf; Laferl, Hermann; Aberle, Judith H; Holzmann, Heidemarie; Krall, Christoph; Vogel, Wolfgang; Ferenci, Peter; Hofer, Harald

    2013-11-01

    IL28B polymorphisms, jaundice, decline in HCV-RNA, IP-10, and gender have been proposed to be indicative of spontaneous clearance of acute hepatitis C virus infection. The aim of this study was to define a score enabling the discrimination of patients with spontaneous clearance of HCV from those with development of viral persistence and need for early antiviral treatment. 136 patients (74 male; 35 ± 15 years) were analyzed. From variables predictive of spontaneous clearance, calculated by univariate analysis, three scores were built. Analogous cut-offs were evaluated by computing area under the receiver operating characteristic curves. Candidate variables and cut-offs were: (I) presence of IL28B C/C (p=0.027), (II) age (p=0.031; cut-off: 35 years), (III) peak-bilirubin (p=0.018; cut-off: 6 mg/dl), (IV) HCV-RNA decline within 4 weeks (p2.5 log), (V) serum IP-10 (p=0.003; cut-off: 546 pg/ml), (VI) presence of CD4(+) Th1 cells (p=0.024). Each variable was allocated to 0 or 1 point, an HCV-RNA decline of ≥ 1 log 10 but discrimination between AHC-patients with high potential for spontaneous clearance from candidates for early therapeutic intervention due to marginal chance of spontaneous resolution. Copyright © 2013 European Association for the Study of the Liver. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  13. Molecular adsorbents recirculating system treatment in acute-on-chronic hepatitis patients on the transplant waiting list improves model for end-stage liver disease scores.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Novelli, G; Rossi, M; Pugliese, F; Poli, I; Ruberto, E; Martelli, S; Nudo, F; Morabito, V; Mennini, G; Berloco, P B

    2007-01-01

    The aim of our study was to show an improvement in Model for End-Stage Liver Disease (MELD) score after treatment with Molecular adsorbents recirculating system (MARS) in acute-on-chronic hepatitis (AoCHF) patients. MELD was adopted to determine the prognosis of patients with liver chronic desease. We evaluated the possibility to improve the MELD score of patients awaiting liver transplantation using a liver support device, namely, MARS. From September 1999 to April 2006, we treated 80 patients whose diagnoses were hepatitis C, 41.25%; hepatitis B, 27.5%; alcholic, 17.5%; intoxication, 8.75%; primary biliary cirrhosis, 5%. The overall mean age was 45 years (23 to 62), the cohort included 56 men and 24 women. Inclusion criteria were bilirubin >15 mg/dL; MELD >20; encephalopathy >II; and International Normalized Ratio, >2.1. Other parameters evaluated included ammonia, creatinine, lactate, glutamic oxalic transminase, and guanosine 5'-triphosphate. All patients were treated with a mean of 6-hour cycles of MARS (range, 5 to 8 hours) for a minimum of three treatments and a maximum of 20 treatments over 3 months. Clinical conditions were evaluated by improved hemodynamic parameters, kidney function, liver function, coagulation, neurologic status using the SOFA score, Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS), and Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II Criteria. The MELD score for all categories of living patients showed significant improvements at the end of treatment and at 3-months follow-up, but the small number of patients was a limitation to determine prediction of mortality. Our study shows that MARS treatment improved multiple organ functions-liver, renal, neurologic, and hemodynamic. The improved MELD score gave patients on the transplant waiting list longer survival, allowing them a greater opportunity for liver transplantation.

  14. Identification of the major structural and nonstructural proteins encoded by human parvovirus B19 and mapping of their genes by procaryotic expression of isolated genomic fragments

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Cotmore, S.F.; McKie, V.C.; Anderson, L.J.; Astell, C.R.; Tattersall, P.

    1986-11-01

    Plasma from a child with homozygous sickle-cell disease, sampled during the early phase of an aplastic crisis, contained human parvovirus B19 virions. Plasma taken 10 days later (during the convalescent phase) contained both immunoglobulin M and immunoglobulin G antibodies directed against two viral polypeptides with apparent molecular weights for 83,000 and 58,000 which were present exclusively in the particulate fraction of the plasma taken during the acute phase. These two protein species comigrated at 110S on neutral sucrose velocity gradients with the B19 viral DNA and thus appear to constitute the viral capsid polypeptides. The B19 genome was molecularly cloned into a bacterial plasmid vector. Two expression constructs containing B19 sequences from different halves of the viral genome were obtained, which directed the synthesis, in bacteria, of segments of virally encoded protein. These polypeptide fragments were then purified and used to immunize rabbits. Antibodies against a protein sequence specified between nucleotides 2897 and 3749 recognized both the 83- and 58-kilodalton capsid polypeptides in aplastic plasma taken during the acute phase and detected similar proteins in the similar proteins in the tissues of a stillborn fetus which had been infected transplacentally with B19. Antibodies against a protein sequence encoded in the other half of the B19 genome (nucleotides 1072 through 2044) did not react specifically with any protein in plasma taken during the acute phase but recognized three nonstructural polypeptides of 71, 63, and 52 kilodaltons present in the liver and, at lower levels, in some other tissues of the transplacentally infected fetus.

  15. Identification of the major structural and nonstructural proteins encoded by human parvovirus B19 and mapping of their genes by procaryotic expression of isolated genomic fragments

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cotmore, S.F.; McKie, V.C.; Anderson, L.J.; Astell, C.R.; Tattersall, P.

    1986-01-01

    Plasma from a child with homozygous sickle-cell disease, sampled during the early phase of an aplastic crisis, contained human parvovirus B19 virions. Plasma taken 10 days later (during the convalescent phase) contained both immunoglobulin M and immunoglobulin G antibodies directed against two viral polypeptides with apparent molecular weights for 83,000 and 58,000 which were present exclusively in the particulate fraction of the plasma taken during the acute phase. These two protein species comigrated at 110S on neutral sucrose velocity gradients with the B19 viral DNA and thus appear to constitute the viral capsid polypeptides. The B19 genome was molecularly cloned into a bacterial plasmid vector. Two expression constructs containing B19 sequences from different halves of the viral genome were obtained, which directed the synthesis, in bacteria, of segments of virally encoded protein. These polypeptide fragments were then purified and used to immunize rabbits. Antibodies against a protein sequence specified between nucleotides 2897 and 3749 recognized both the 83- and 58-kilodalton capsid polypeptides in aplastic plasma taken during the acute phase and detected similar proteins in the similar proteins in the tissues of a stillborn fetus which had been infected transplacentally with B19. Antibodies against a protein sequence encoded in the other half of the B19 genome (nucleotides 1072 through 2044) did not react specifically with any protein in plasma taken during the acute phase but recognized three nonstructural polypeptides of 71, 63, and 52 kilodaltons present in the liver and, at lower levels, in some other tissues of the transplacentally infected fetus

  16. Late Protein Synthesis-Dependent Phases in CTA Long-Term Memory: BDNF Requirement

    OpenAIRE

    Martínez-Moreno, Araceli; Rodríguez-Durán, Luis F.; Escobar, Martha L.

    2011-01-01

    It has been proposed that long-term memory persistence requires a late protein synthesis-dependent phase, even many hours after memory acquisition. Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is an essential protein synthesis product that has emerged as one of the most potent molecular mediators for long-term synaptic plasticity. Studies in the rat hippocampus have been shown that BDNF is capable to rescue the late-phase of long-term potentiation as well as the hippocampus-related long-term memo...

  17. The risk assessment score in acute whiplash injury predicts outcome and reflects biopsychosocial factors

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Kasch, Helge; Qerama, Erisela; Kongsted, Alice

    2011-01-01

    One-year prospective study of 141 acute whiplash patients (WLP) and 40 acute ankle-injured controls.......One-year prospective study of 141 acute whiplash patients (WLP) and 40 acute ankle-injured controls....

  18. Changes in cholesterol homeostasis and acute phase response link pulmonary exposure to multi-walled carbon nanotubes to risk of cardiovascular disease

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Poulsen, Sarah S.; Saber, Anne T.; Mortensen, Alicja

    2015-01-01

    has led to concerns that inhalation exposure to MWCNTs might pose similar risks. We analyzed parameters related to cardiovascular disease, including plasma acute phase response (APR) proteins and plasma lipids, in female C57BL/6 mice exposed to a single intratracheal instillation of 0, 18,54 or 162 mu...... levels correlated strongly with pulmonary Saa3 levels. Analysis of global gene expression revealed perturbation of the same biological processes and pathways in liver, including the HMG-CoA reductase pathway. Both MWCNTs induced similar histological hepatic changes, with a tendency towards greater...... response following CNTLarge exposure. Overall, we show that pulmonary exposure to two different MWCNTs induces similar systemic and hepatic responses, including changes in plasma APR, lipid composition, hepatic gene expression and liver morphology. The results link pulmonary exposure to MWCNTs with risk...

  19. Acute exercise and motor memory consolidation

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Thomas, Richard; Korsgaard Johnsen, Line; Geertsen, Svend Sparre

    2016-01-01

    where low to moderate intensities may be more suitable. The aim of this study was to investigate the role of intensity in mediating the effects of acute cardiovascular exercise on motor skill learning. We investigated the effects of different exercise intensities on the retention (performance score...... an important role in modulating the effects that a single bout of cardiovascular exercise has on the consolidation phase following motor skill learning. There appears to be a dose-response relationship in favour of higher intensity exercise in order to augment off-line effects and strengthen procedural memory.......A single bout of high intensity aerobic exercise (~90% VO2peak) was previously demonstrated to amplify off-line gains in skill level during the consolidation phase of procedural memory. High intensity exercise is not always a viable option for many patient groups or in a rehabilitation setting...

  20. Feeding common carp Cyprinus carpio with β-glucan supplemented diet stimulates C-reactive protein and complement immune acute phase responses following PAMPs injection.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pionnier, Nicolas; Falco, Alberto; Miest, Joanna J; Shrive, Annette K; Hoole, Dave

    2014-08-01

    The effect of β-glucan as a feed additive on the serum and gene profile of C-reactive protein (CRP) and complement acute phase responses was ascertained in common carp Cyprinus carpio. In addition effects of subsequent intraperitoneal injections of pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs), i.e. LPS or poly(I:C), to mimic bacterial or viral infection respectively, were studied. Carp were first orally fed with β-glucan (MacroGard®) with a daily β-glucan intake of 6 mg per kg body weight or with control food for 25 days and then injected with PBS containing either LPS (4 mg/kg) or poly(I:C) (5 mg/kg) or PBS alone. Fish were sampled during the 25 days of the feeding period and up to 7 days post-PAMPs injections for serum and liver, head kidney and mid-gut tissues. Oral administration of β-glucan for 25 days significantly increased serum CRP levels and alternative complement activity (ACP). In addition, the subsequent LPS and poly(I:C) challenges significantly affected CRP and complement related gene expression profiles (crp1, crp2, c1r/s, bf/c2, c3 and masp2), with the greatest effects observed in the β-glucan fed fish. However, in fish fed β-glucan the PAMPs injections had less effects on CRP levels and complement activity in the serum than in control fed fish, suggesting that the 25 days of β-glucan immunostimulation was sufficient enough to reduce the effects of LPS and poly(I:C) injections. Results suggest that MacroGard® stimulated CRP and complement responses to PAMPs immunological challenges in common carp thus highlighting the beneficial β-glucan immunostimulant properties. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.