Comparison of serum PCT and CRP levels in patients infected by different pathogenic microorganisms: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Procalcitonin and carbonylated protein concentrations in equine synovial fluid

Early diagnosis of joint diseases is fundamental for prompt and appropriate management, particularly in septic arthritis. Procalcitonin (PCT) and protein carbonylated content (PCC) have been investigated in both human and veterinary medicine. An increase in PCT has been shown in infectious bacterial diseases, while higher levels of PCC have been shown in inflammatory pathologies characterized by oxidative damage. This study evaluated PCT and PCC in plasma and synovial fluid (SF), in healthy and pathological equine joints, affected by different types of arthropathy. Twenty-nine joints were evaluated and underwent orthopedic, radiographic, ultrasonographic and SF evaluation. The joints were divided in three groups: healthy, septic, and non-septic arthritis. PCT and PCC were measured in horse plasma and SF. Data distribution was evaluated and results were expressed as median, quartile values. Statistical differences in SF values among groups and correlations were assessed between plasma and SF of both PCT and PCC. The groups of joint disease included: 8/29 healthy, 13/29 non-septic and 8/29 septic. Significant differences were obtained for SF PCC and plasma PCT between healthy and septic joints, while no differences were found for plasma PCC and SF PCT. A positive correlation was found between plasma and SF PCT. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study reporting PCT in equine SF. SF PCC could be a useful biomarker to differentiate between septic and healthy joints.

Diagnostic value of inflammatory indicators for surgical site infection in patients with breast cancer

Background

Breast cancer is the most commonly diagnostic cancer in women worldwide. The main treatment for these patients is surgery. However, there is a high incidence of surgical site infection (SSI) in breast cancer patients. The aim of this study was to identify effective infection-related diagnostic markers for timely diagnosis and treatment of SSI.

Methods

This retrospective study included 263 breast cancer patients who were treated between July 2018 and March 2023 at the Shandong Cancer Hospital and Institute. We analyzed differences between the SSI group and control group and differences before and during infection in the SSI group. Finally, we tested the distribution of pathogenic microorganisms and their susceptibility to antibiotics.

Results

Compared with preoperative inflammatory indicators, white blood cells (WBC), neutrophils (NEU), absolute neutrophil count to the absolute lymphocyte count (NLR), D2 polymers (D-Dimer) and fibrinogen (FIB) were significantly increased, while lymphocytes (LYM), albumin (ALB) and prealbumin (PA) were significantly decreased in the SSI group. Compared with uninfected patients, WBC, NEU, NLR and FIB were significantly increased, ALB and PA were significantly decreased in SSI patients, while LYM and D-Dimer did not differ significantly. The distribution of infection bacteria in SSI patients showed that the proportion of patients with Staphylococcus aureus infection was as high as 70.41%; of those patients, 19.33% had methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infection. The area under the curves (AUCs) of the receiver operating curves (ROCs) for WBC, NEU, NLR, FIB, ALB and PA were 0.807, 0.811, 0.730, 0.705, 0.663 and 0.796, respectively. The AUCs for other inflammatory indicators were not statistically significant. There was no significant difference in antibiotic resistance for Staphylococcus aureus when compared to that of gram-positive bacteria. The resistance of gram-positive bacteria to ceftriaxone (CRO), cefoxitin (FOX), chloramphenicol (CHL), minocycline (MNO) and tetracycline (TCY) was lower than that of gram-negative bacteria, while the resistance to gentamicin (GEN) was higher.

Conclusion

This study demonstrated that WBC, NEU, NLR, FIB and PA have good predictive value for identifying patients at risk of SSI. The cut-off values of inflammatory indicators can be helpful in the prevention and diagnosis of SSI.

[Construction of a predictive model for performing bronchoalveolar lavage in children with Mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia and pulmonary consolidation]

OBJECTIVES

To investigate the risk factors for performing bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) in children with Mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia (MPP) and pulmonary consolidation, and to construct a predictive model for performing BAL in these children.

METHODS

A retrospective analysis was performed for the clinical data of 202 children with MPP who were hospitalized in the Department of Pediatrics, Changzhou No. 2 People's Hospital Affiliated to Nanjing Medical University, from August 2019 to September 2022. According to whether BAL was performed, they were divided into BAL group with 100 children and non-BAL group with 102 children. A multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to identify the risk factors for performing BAL in MPP children with pulmonary consolidation. Rstudio software (R4.2.3) was used to establish a predictive model for performing BAL, and the receiver operator characteristic (ROC) curve, C-index, and calibration curve were used to assess the predictive performance of the model.

RESULTS

The multivariate logistic regression analysis demonstrated that the fever duration, C-reactive protein levels, D-dimer levels, and presence of pleural effusion were risk factors for performing BAL in MPP children with pulmonary consolidation (P<0.05). A nomogram predictive model was established based on the results of the multivariate logistic regression analysis. In the training set, this model had an area under the ROC curve of 0.915 (95%CI: 0.827-0.938), with a sensitivity of 0.826 and a specificity of 0.875, while in the validation set, it had an area under the ROC curve of 0.983 (95%CI: 0.912-0.996), with a sensitivity of 0.879 and a specificity of 1.000. The Bootstrap-corrected C-index was 0.952 (95%CI: 0.901-0.986), and the calibration curve demonstrated good consistency between the predicted probability of the model and the actual probability of occurrence.

CONCLUSIONS

The predictive model established in this study can be used to assess the likelihood of performing BAL in MPP children with pulmonary consolidation, based on factors such as fever duration, C-reactive protein levels, D-dimer levels, and the presence of pleural effusion. Additionally, the model demonstrates good predictive performance.

Effects of sericin and egg white on the inflammation of damaged skin in mice

Sericin and egg white (EW) have shown the ability to promote wound healing. However, there have been insufficient studies regarding the effects of sericin and EW mixtures on wound healing. This study aimed to investigate the effects of a hybrid sericin and EW solution on wound repair and inflammation-related indicators in mouse skin. In this work, sericin with a low molecular weight was first mixed with homogeneous EW to prepare a hybrid wound dressing. Histology evaluation, the expression of C-reactive protein (CRP) and inflammatory cytokines in mice were tested to determine the effects of this dressing on skin injuries in mice. The results showed that sericin and the hybrid solution of sericin and EW effectively promoted wound healing in mouse skin. The wound recovery rates of mice 12 days after treatment with a medium dose of sericin (0.2 g ml^-1) and the same dosage of sericin with added EW were 1.32 and 1.65 times that of mice treated with phosphate buffer saline as a control, respectively. In addition, the mixture solution was more effective in wound healing than sericin alone. Sericin with EW significantly reduced the expression of CRP and inflammatory cytokines in mice during wound healing. A sericin and EW hybrid solution can effectively shorten the time needed for wound healing and reduce inflammation-related indicators in mice, making it a promising candidate for wound dressing.

Diagnostic value of procalcitonin, hypersensitive C-reactive protein and neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio for bloodstream infections in pediatric tumor patients

OBJECTIVES

Bloodstream infection (BSI) is one of the major causes of death in pediatric tumor patients. Blood samples are relatively easy to obtain and thus provide a ready source of infection-related biological markers for the prompt evaluation of infection risk.

METHODS

A total of 259 pediatric tumor patients were included from May 2019 to March 2022. Patients were divided into BSI group (n=70) and control group (n=189). Clinical and biological data were collected using electronic medical records. Differences in biological markers between BSI group and control group and differences before and during infection in BSI group were analyzed.

RESULTS

The infected group showed higher levels of procalcitonin (PCT) and hypersensitive C-reactive-protein (hsCRP), and lower prealbumin (PA) than the uninfected group. Area under the receiver-operating curve (ROC) curves (AUC) of PCT, hsCRP and NLR (absolute neutrophil count to the absolute lymphocyte count) were 0.756, 0.617 and 0.612. The AUC of other biomarkers was ≤0.6. In addition, PCT, hsCRP, NLR and fibrinogen (Fg) were significantly increased during infection, while PA and lymphocyte (LYM) were significantly decreased. Antibiotic resistant of Gram-positive bacteria to CHL, SXT, OXA and PEN was lower than that of Coagulase-negative Staphylococcus. Resistant of Gram-positive bacteria to CHL was lower, while to SXT was higher than that of Gram-negative bacteria.

CONCLUSIONS

This study explored the utility of biomarkers to assist in diagnosis and found that the PCT had the greatest predictive value for infection in pediatric tumor patients with BSI. Additionally, the PCT, hsCRP, NLR, PA, LYM and Fg were changed by BSI.

Association between IL-38 and inflammatory indicators in patients with bacterial pneumonia

BACKGROUND

IL-38, a recently discovered cytokine of IL-1 family, exerts immunoregulatory activities in multi-type inflammatory diseases. However, its expression level and underlying clinical importance for IL-38 in respiratory bacterial infections remain unknown.

METHODS

Thirty-five patients with bacterial pneumonia and twenty age- and gender- matched healthy individuals were enrolled in the study to determine serum IL-38 concentrations by ELISA. Then, the correlation between serum IL-38 levels and clinical features were analyzed and ROC curve was used to evaluate the potential diagnostic value for bacterial infections. In vitro, LPS-stimulated human respiratory epithelial cell model was employed to explore immunomodulatory mechanism of IL-38 in pulmonary infections.

RESULTS

Elevated serum levels of IL-38 were determined in patients with bacterial pneumonia when compared with healthy controls. In addition, serum IL-38 levels were negatively correlated with clinical inflammation parameters, including WBC count, CRP, PCT and proinflammatory IL-6 and IL-8. In vitro, we demonstrated that recombinant IL-38 was able to remarkably inhibit expression of proinflammatory IL-6, IL-8, IL-1β and TNF-α as well as adhesion molecule ICAM-1, which were partially mediated by attenuated activation of STAT3 and NF-κB signal cascades in BEAS-2B cells. Furthermore, we identified the diagnostic efficiency of IL-38 in discriminating patients with bacterial pneumonia from healthy individuals.

CONCLUSIONS

Our study indicates higher serum IL-38 levels in patients with bacterial pneumonia are involved in anti-inflammatory activities in respiratory infections revealing a critical role of IL-38 in attenuating excessive pulmonary inflammation against exogenous pathogens. More importantly, IL-38 exhibited a potential novel biomarker for bacterial pneumonia. Thus, our data may provide useful insights for both clinical and basic research for bacterial pneumonia diagnosis.

Coinfection with Hypervirulent Klebsiella pneumoniae and Aspergillus flavus in a Critically Ill Patient with Aspergillus Overlap Syndrome: A Case Report

Pulmonary aspergillosis is generally categorized into three groups: allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis, chronic pulmonary aspergillosis and invasive pulmonary aspergillosis. Aspergillus overlap syndromes (AOS) defined as the occurrence of more than one form of aspergillus disease in a single individual is not common. We present a 62-year-old-male patient with tachypnea, hypoxemia and shock after 4 weeks of cough, expectoration and intermittent hemoptysis, and 2 days of hyperpyrexia. Cardiac arrest occurring during tracheal intubation was resuscitated successfully. Laboratory examination showed acute kidney failure and severe myelosuppression with leukopenia and thrombocytopenia. Chest computed tomography (CT) scan showed the cavity with aspergilloma in the right upper lung lobe, a mass of consolidation in the right lower lung lobe and hyperdense shadow bronchiectasis in the left lower lobe. Bronchoscopy showed lots of sputum occluding the opening of the right airway bronchus. Laboratory examination showed significantly increased C-reactive protein (CRP) and procalcitonin concentration, serum (1,3)-β-D-glucan (BDG) and aspergillus immunoglobulin G (IgG) levels were also elevated. The metagenomic next-generation sequencing and sputum cultures revealed Klebsiella pneumoniae and Aspergillus flavus infection. Pulmonary aspergillosis, invasive aspergillosis infection and severe pneumonia were diagnosed. Initial caspofungin and meropenem followed by piperacillin-tazobactam sodium and voriconazole were administrated in combination. Continuous renal replacement therapy and mechanical ventilation were also performed. The patient's condition gradually recovered. Oral antifungal therapy was continued for 1 year after discharge and CT images gradually improved. Coinfections with K. pneumoniae and A. flavus in a patient with AOS will complicate clinical conditions. A search of PubMed showed few reports of similar cases. Clinicians should pay enough attention to the polymicrobial interactions and improve clinical management strategies, especially in critically ill patient with AOS.

Neutrophil CD64 index as a superior indicator for diagnosing, monitoring bacterial infection, and evaluating antibiotic therapy: a case control study

BACKGROUND

Neutrophil CD64 (nCD64) index has been widely studied as an indication of bacteria-infected diseases, but the exact usage of nCD64 index in monitoring infections remains debated. So this study aims to investigate the functionality of nCD64 index in tracking infections' progression and evaluating antibiotic therapy.

METHODS

160 participants (36 healthy controls, 34 culture-negative patients, 56 respiratory tract infected patients, and 34 bloodstream infected patients) were recruited and divided into groups. Data on nCD64 index, T lymphocyte subsets, and conventional indicators, including white blood cell count, neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio, procalcitonin, and C-reactive protein, were tested and compared.

RESULTS

Bacteria-infected patients had significantly higher nCD64 indexes (p < 0.05), especially patients with both bloodstream and respiratory tract infections. The nCD64 index could identify infected patients from culture-negative patients or controls, which conventional indicators cannot achieve. We followed up with 24 infected patients and found that their nCD64 indexes were promptly down-regulated after effective antibiotic therapy (3.16 ± 3.01 vs. 1.20 ± 1.47, p < 0.001).

CONCLUSION

The nCD64 index is a sensitive indicator for clinical diagnosis of bacterial infection, especially in monitoring infection and evaluating antibiotics' efficacy. Therefore, nCD64 has the potential to improve diagnostic accuracy and provide rapid feedback on monitoring disease progression in infected patients.

Should preoperative computed tomography be routine examination for cervicofacial space infections?

Background

Cervicofacial space infections are potentially life-threatening, which require accurate diagnosis, early incision, and adequate drainage. The utilization of computed tomography (CT) in cervicofacial space infections has significantly increased for its advantages in the evaluation of abscesses, its availability, and low cost. However, the clinical value of preoperative CT imaging in cervicofacial space infections remains controversial for its poor specificity, radiation exposure, potential complications, and extra cost. We, therefore, investigated whether CT examination should be used as a routine examination in the treatment of patients with cervicofacial space infections.

Methods

A retrospective study of all patients affected by cervicofacial space infections that received incision and drainage surgery from Jan 2016 to Dec 2020 was performed at West China Hospital of Stomatology at Sichuan University. Patients were divided into two groups: the group with preoperative CT and without preoperative CT. Outcomes, including reoperation rate, missed diagnosis rate, days of symptom relief, length of stay, duration of surgery, and total cost of hospitalization, were analyzed.

Results

Out of n = 153 patients, 108 patients underwent surgery with preoperative CT and 45 patients without preoperative CT. The reoperation rate in the preoperative CT group (6/108, 5.6%) was significantly lower (P = 0.00) than that in the group without preoperative CT (10/45, 22.2%). Significant reduction of missed diagnosis rate (P = 0.00), days of symptom relief (P = 0.01), length of stay(P = 0.03), and duration of surgery (P = 0.01) were detected in the preoperative CT group. The results demonstrated that the utilization of preoperative CT can reduce the missed diagnosis rate and repeated surgery complications.

Conclusions

We recommend preoperative CT as a routine examination in cervicofacial space infections.

Unraveling the Nature of Antibiotics: Is It a Cure or a New Hurdle to the Patient Treatment?

Antimicrobial resistance is an increasing problem worldwide that has been exacerbated by antibiotic misuse worldwide. Growing antibiotic resistance can be attributed to as well as leads to severe infections, complications, prolonged hospital admissions, and higher mortality. One of the most important goals of administering antimicrobials is to avoid establishing antibiotic resistance during therapy. This can be done by drastically lowering worldwide antimicrobial usage, both in present and future. While current management methods to legislate antimicrobials and educate the healthcare community on the challenges are beneficial, they do not solve the problem of attaining an overall reduction in antimicrobial usage in humans. Application of rapid microbiological diagnostics for identification and antimicrobial susceptibility testing, use of inflammation markers to guide initiation and duration of therapies, reduction of standard antibiotic course durations, individualization of antibiotic treatments, and dosing considering pharmacokinetics are all possible strategies to optimize antibiotic use in everyday clinical practice and reduce the risk of inducing bacterial resistance. Furthermore, to remove any impediments to proper prescribing, strategies to improve antibiotic prescribing and antibiotic stewardship programs should enable clinical reasoning and enhance the prescribing environment. In addition, the well-established association between antimicrobial usage and resistance should motivate efforts to develop antimicrobial treatment regimens that facilitate the evolution of resistance. This review discusses the role of antibiotics, their current application in human medicine, and how the resistance has evolved to the existing antibiotics based on the existing literature.

A Clinical Diagnostic Study: Fibulin-2 is a Novel Promising Biomarker for Predicting Infection

Introduction

Infection remains a major cause of morbidity and mortality in hospital. As uncontrolled early infection may develop into systemic infection and eventually progress to sepsis, it is important to address infection at an early stage. Furthermore, early detection and prompt diagnosis of infection are the basis of clinical intervention. However, as a result of the interference of complex aetiologies, including fever and trauma, problems regarding the sensitivity and specificity of current diagnostic indices remain, such as for C-reactive protein (CRP), procalcitonin (PCT), white blood cells (WBC), neutrophil ratio (NEU%), interleukin-6 (IL-6) and D-dimer. As a result, there is an urgent need to develop new biomarkers to diagnose infection.

Methods

From January to October 2021, consecutive patients in the emergency department (ED) were recruited to investigate the feasibility of fibulin-2 as a diagnostic indicator of early infection. Fibulin-2 concentrations in plasma were determined with enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The performance of fibulin-2 for predicting infection was analysed by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves.

Results

We found that the plasma fibulin-2 level was elevated in patients with infection compared with those without infection. ROC curve analysis showed that the area under the curve (AUC) for fibulin-2 was 0.712. For all patients included, the diagnostic ability of fibulin-2 (AUC 0.712) performed as well as CRP (AUC 0.667) and PCT (AUC 0.632), and better than WBC (AUC 0.620), NEU% (AUC 0.619), IL-6 (AUC 0.561) and D-dimer (AUC 0.630). In patients with fever, fibulin-2 performed as well as PCT and better than the other biomarkers in infection diagnosis. In particular, fibulin-2 performed better than all these biomarkers in patients with trauma.

Conclusion

Fibulin-2 is a novel promising diagnostic biomarker for predicting infection.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s40121-022-00622-y.

Usefulness of procalcitonin (PCT), C-reactive protein (CRP), and white blood cell (WBC) levels in the differential diagnosis of acute bacterial, viral, and mycoplasmal respiratory tract infections in children

Background

There is a lack of studies comparing PCT, CRP and WBC levels in the differential diagnosis of acute bacterial, viral, and mycoplasmal respiratory tract infections. It is necessary to explore the correlation between above markers and different types of ARTI.

Methods

108 children with confirmed bacterial infection were regarded as group A, 116 children with virus infection were regarded as group B, and 122 children with mycoplasmal infection were regarded as group C. The levels of PCT, CRP and WBC of the three groups were detected and compared.

Results

The levels of PCT, CRP and WBC in group A were significantly higher than those in groups B and C (p < 0.05). The positive rate of combined detection of PCT, CRP and WBC was significant higher than that of single detection. There was no significant difference in PCT, CRP and WBC levels between the group of G⁺ bacterial infection and G⁻ bacterial infection (p > 0.05). ROC curve results showed that the AUC of PCT, CRP and WBC for the diagnosis of bacterial respiratory infections were 0.65, 0.55, and 0.58, respectively.

Conclusions

PCT, CRP and WBC can be combined as effective indicators for the identification of acute bacterial or no-bacterial infections in children. The levels of PCT and CRP have higher differential diagnostic value than that of WBC in infection, and the combined examination of the three is more valuable in clinic.

Impacts of different intensities of exercise on inflammation and hypoxia markers in low altitude

Background

This study aims to determine and compare the effects of exercise modalities with different intensities on the secretion of key inflammation and hypoxia markers in amateur athletes.

Methods

Twenty-three athletes with a mean age of 20.1 years, living at low altitude (1850 m) participated in this study. The participants' maximal oxygen consumption values (VO₂ max) were determined with an incremental cycle exercise test as 54.15 ± 6.14 mL kg min⁻¹. Athletes performed four protocols: at rest, 50% VO₂ max, 75% VO₂ max and 100% VO₂ max (until exhaustion) with one-week intervals. 50% VO₂ max, 75% VO₂ max sessions were performed continuously for 30 min on a bicycle ergometer and 100% VO₂ max session was performed by cycling until exhaustion. Blood samples were obtained at rest and immediately after each exercise session. Serum tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), C-reactive protein (CRP), interleukin-10 (IL-10), and hypoxia inducible factor-1 alpha (HIF-1α) levels were measured.

Results

There were significant differences in serum TNF-α levels in 75% VO₂ max and 100% VO₂ max sessions (489.03 ± 368.37 and 472.70 ± 365.21 ng/L, respectively) compared to rest conditions (331.65 ± 293.52 ng/L). Serum CRP levels of 50% VO₂ max and 75% VO₂ max sessions (1.19 ± 0.50; 1.07 ± 0.52 mg/L) were significantly higher than the rest condition (0.74 ± 0.35 mg/L). There were significant differences in serum IL-10 levels of rest condition and 50% VO₂ max; 50% VO₂ max, and 100% VO₂ max sessions (328.09 ± 128.87; 446.36 ± 142.84; 347.44 ± 135.69; 324.88 ± 168.06 pg/mL). Serum HIF-1α levels were significantly higher in 75% VO2 max session compared to rest (1.26 ± 0.16; 1.08 ± 0.19 ng/mL) (P < 0.05 for all comparisons).

Conclusions

Both inflammatory and anti-inflammatory pathway is induced on different exercise intensities. Exercise protocols performed until exhaustion may lead to activation of inflammatory pathways and hypoxia-induced damage.

Values of serum PCT, suPAR combined with severity scores for evaluating prognosis of septic shock patients

Background: To explore the values of serum procalcitonin (PCT), soluble urokinase-type plasminogen activator receptor (suPAR) combined with APACHE II and SOFA scores for evaluating the prognosis of septic shock patients.

Materials and Methods: A total of 118 eligible patients admitted from August 2017 to January 2021 were divided into survival and death groups. Serum PCT and suPAR levels were detected. APACHE II and SOFA scores were evaluated. A combination predictor pre1 was constructed. The predictive efficacy of the indicator alone or in combination was compared using receiver operating characteristic curve. Risk factors leading to death were analyzed, and a predictive model was established.

Results: Serum PCT and suPAR levels as well as APACHE II and SOFA scores of death group significantly exceeded those of the survival group (P<0.05). PCT, suPAR, SOFA and APACHE II scores were valuable for predicting death. The area under curve (AUC) constructed by predictor pre1 for predicting death was largest. PCT, suPAR, APACHE II, and SOFA scores were independent risk factors for death. The model had AUC of 0.828, with the sensitivity of 86.54%, specificity of 89.03%, and accuracy of 82.47%. The death risk predicted by the model had a high concurrence with the actual one.

Conclusion: PCT, suPAR, APACHE II, and SOFA scores are closely related to the prognosis of septic shock patients. The combined predictor pre1 is more effective than a single index for predicting prognosis. The combined prediction model of septic shock based on PCT, suPAR, APACHE II, and SOFA scores has higher predictive efficiency.

Clinical utility of procalcitonin and its association with pathogenic microorganisms

In this review, we summarize the relationship of PCT with pathogens, evaluate the clinical utility of PCT in the diagnosis of clinical diseases, condition monitoring and evaluation, and guiding medical decision-making, and explore current knowledge on the mechanisms by which pathogens cause changes in PCT levels. The lipopolysaccharides of the microorganisms stimulate cytokine production in host cells, which in turn stimulates production of serum PCT. Pathogens have different virulence mechanisms that lead to variable host inflammatory responses, and differences in the specific signal transduction pathways result in variable serum PCT concentrations. The mechanisms of signal transduction have not been fully elucidated. Further studies are necessary to ascertain the PCT fluctuation range of each pathogen. PCT levels are helpful in distinguishing between certain pathogens, in deciding if antibiotics are indicated, and in monitoring response to antibiotics.

Effect of Anti-Infective Reconstituted Bone Xenograft Combined with External Fixator on Serum CRP and PCT Levels and Prognosis of Patients with Bone Infection after Lower Extremity Long Bone Trauma

Bone infection is one of the common complications of orthopedic surgery. After bone trauma occurs in the human body, the infection of Staphylococcus aureus and Gram-negative bacteria into the fracture area can lead to double infection of the soft tissue and bone tissue at the fracture site, leading to a variety of complications, mostly in the lower extremities. Bone infection easily causes bone destruction, bone nonunion, and bone defect, seriously affecting the quality of life of patients. The traditional treatment method of bone infection is to control the infection first and then repair the bone graft, but this method has a long course, poor efficacy, and high disability rate. In this study, anti-infective reconstituted bone xenograft (ARBX) combined with external fixation was used to treat patients with posttraumatic bone infections of the long bones of the lower extremities, to explore its efficacy, and to analyze its effects on serum CRP, PCT levels, and prognosis. Our results showed that ARBX combined with the external fixator had a good effect on the treatment of patients with bone infection after lower extremity long bone trauma, which could effectively enhance the repair and functional recovery of the limb bone, significantly alleviate the infection degree of patients, reduce the inflammatory response of the body, and have a good prognosis.

Application of sputum suction by fiberoptic bronchoscope in patients with severe pneumonia and its effect on inflammatory factors

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the application of sputum suction by fiberoptic bronchoscope to patients with severe pneumonia and its effect on inflammatory factors.

METHODS

One hundred and three patients with severe pneumonia were randomly divided into the control group (n=52) and the observation group (n=51). Both groups were given anti-infection, antitussive and expectoration treatment. The observation group was treated with sputum suction by fiberoptic bronchoscope. The control group was treated with a vibration sputum extractor. The clinical efficacy, clinically related indexes, inflammatory factors, blood gas indexes and the Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation (APACHE II) score of the two groups were compared.

RESULTS

After the treatment, the total effective rate of the observation group was higher than that of the control group; the length of stay in ICU, mechanical ventilation time and duration of antibiotics of the observation group were shorter than those of the control group (all P<0.05). After the treatment, the serum levels of CRP, TNF-α and PCT and APACHE II scores in the two groups were all decreased, while PaO2, SaO2 and OI were increased; the changes in the observation group were more significant than the control group (all P<0.05).

CONCLUSION

Sputum suction and lavage by fiberoptic bronchoscope can significantly control the body's inflammatory reaction state in patients with severe pneumonia, improve their blood oxygen and promote the treatment effect.

Safety and Therapeutic Efficacy of Thymoquinone-Loaded Liposomes against Drug-Sensitive and Drug-Resistant Acinetobacter baumannii

In the present study, we investigated the activity of free thymoquinone (TQ) or liposomal thymoquinone (Lip-TQ) in comparison to standard antibiotic amoxicillin (AMX) against the drug-sensitive and drug-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii. A liposomal formulation of TQ was prepared and characterized and its toxicity was evaluated by analyzing the hematological, liver and kidney function parameters. TQ was effective against both drug-sensitive and drug-resistant A. baumannii as shown by the findings of drug susceptibility testing and time kill kinetics. Moreover, the therapeutic efficacy of TQ or Lip-TQ against A. baumannii was assessed by the survival rate and the bacterial load in the lung tissues of treated mice. The mice infected with drug-sensitive A. baumannii exhibited a 90% survival rate on day 30 post treatment with Lip-TQ at a dose of 10 mg/kg, whereas the mice treated with AMX (10 mg/kg) had a 100% survival rate. On the other hand, the mice infected with drug-resistant A. baumannii had a 70% survival rate in the group treated with Lip-TQ, whereas AMX was ineffective against drug-resistant A. baumannii and all the mice died within day 30 after the treatment. Moreover, Lip-TQ treatment effectively reduced the bacterial load in the lung tissues of the mice infected with the drug-sensitive and drug-resistant A. baumannii. Moreover, the blood of the mice treated with Lip-TQ had reduced levels of inflammation markers, leukocytes and neutrophils. The results of the present study suggest that Lip-TQ may prove to be an effective therapeutic formulation in the treatment of the drug-sensitive or drug-resistant A. baumannii infection as well.

Effect of vacuum sealing drainage on healing time and inflammation-related indicators in patients with soft tissue wounds

The aim of this study was to investigate the therapeutic effects of vacuum sealing drainage (VSD) on wound repair time and inflammation-related indicators in patients with soft-tissue wounds in comparison with traditional treatment. From January 2018 to January 2020, 130 enrolled patients with soft-tissue wounds were randomly divided into two groups: VSD group (65 cases) and routine dressing change (RDC) group (65 cases). The inflammation-related indicators including erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), C-reactive protein (CRP), white blood cell (WBC), and procalcitonin (PCT) of preoperative stage and postoperative day 3 (POD 3) and POD 7 were recorded. Wound healing was observed 3 and 7 days after treatment, and the clinical efficacy, changes in the wound (coverage rate and thickness of granulation tissue and bacterial clearance rate), wound-cleaning time, wound-healing time, and hospital stay time were recorded after treatment as well. No significant difference was observed in terms of the baseline between the two groups. On POD 3 and POD 7, CRP, WBC, and PCT levels in the VSD group were lower than those in the RDC group, while ESR levels were higher, with significant differences (P < .05). After treatment, the wound-cleaning time, wound-healing time, and hospital length of stay of the VSD group were all lower than those of the RDC group, with significant differences (P < .05). VSD has a significant effect on the treatment of patients with soft-tissue wounds, which can effectively shorten the time of wound healing and reduce inflammation-related indicators. Compared with traditional RDC, VSD is more worthy of clinical application.

Heparin-binding protein and procalcitonin in the diagnosis of pathogens causing community-acquired pneumonia in adult patients: a retrospective study

The performance of inflammatory markers in community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) caused by different pathogens has not been fully studied. We sought to find the differences in the concentrations of procalcitonin (PCT) and heparin-binding protein (HBP) between patients with CAP caused by different pathogens. We enrolled 162 patients with CAP, divided into three groups on the basis of bacterial (n = 108), fungal (n = 21) and viral (n = 33) infection. Complete leukocyte counts and the concentration of HBP and PCT were measured, and the differences were compared with nonparametric tests. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to evaluate the significant differences in the sensitivity and specificity of the indicators. The leukocyte and neutrophils counts and the concentrations of HBP and PCT in the viral group were significantly lower than those in the other two groups (p < 0.001). The area under the ROC curve (AUC) of the concentration of HBP and PCT as well as leukocyte and neutrophils counts were 0.927, 0.892, 0.832 and 0.806 for distinguishing bacterial from viral infection, respectively. The best cut-off value was 20.05 ng/mL for HBP, with a sensitivity of 0.861 and specificity of 0.939. The best cut-off value was 0.195 ng/mL for PCT, with a sensitivity of 0.991 and specificity of 0.636. The best cut-off value was 5.195 × 10⁹/L and 4.000 × 10⁹/L for leukocyte and neutrophils counts, with sensitivity of 0.694 and 0.880 and specificity of 0.667 and 0.636, respectively. The AUC of HBP, PCT and leukocyte and neutrophil counts for distinguishing fungal from viral infection were 0.851, 0.883, 0.835 and 0.830, respectively. The best cut-off values were 29.950 ng/mL, 0.560 ng/mL, 5.265 × 10⁹/L and 3.850 × 10⁹/L, with sensitivity of 0.667, 0.714, 0.905 and 0.952 and specificity of 0.970, 0.879 0.667 and 0.606, respectively. There were no significant differences in the three indicators between the bacterial and fungal infection groups. The concentration of CRP showed no significant differences among the three groups. Consequently, the stronger immune response characterized by higher inflammation markers including HBP and PCT can help distinguish bacterial and fungal CAP from viral CAP.

Prognostic Value of Procalcitonin and C-Reactive Protein in 1608 Critically Ill Patients with Severe Influenza Pneumonia

Background: Procalcitonin (PCT) and C-Reactive protein (CRP) are well-established sepsis biomarkers. The association of baseline PCT levels and mortality in pneumonia remains unclear, and we still do not know whether biomarkers levels could be related to the causative microorganism (GPC, GNB). The objective of this study is to address these issues. Methods: a retrospective observational cohort study was conducted in 184 Spanish ICUs (2009–2018). Results: 1608 patients with severe influenza pneumonia with PCT and CRP available levels on admission were included, 1186 with primary viral pneumonia (PVP) and 422 with bacterial Co-infection (BC). Those with BC presented higher PCT levels (4.25 [0.6–19.5] versus 0.6 [0.2–2.3]ng/mL) and CRP (36.7 [20.23–118] versus 28.05 [13.3–109]mg/dL) as compared to PVP (p < 0.001). Deceased patients had higher PCT (ng/mL) when compared with survivors, in PVP (0.82 [0.3–2.8]) versus 0.53 [0.19–2.1], p = 0.001) and BC (6.9 [0.93–28.5] versus 3.8 [0.5–17.37], p = 0.039). However, no significant association with mortality was observed in the multivariate analysis. The PCT levels (ng/mL) were significantly higher in polymicrobial infection (8.4) and GPC (6.9) when compared with GNB (1.2) and Aspergillus (1.7). The AUC-ROC of PCT for GPC was 0.67 and 0.32 for GNB. The AUROC of CRP was 0.56 for GPC and 0.39 for GNB. Conclusions: a single PCT/CRP value at ICU admission was not associated with mortality in severe influenza pneumonia. None of the biomarkers have enough discriminatory power to be used for predicting the causative microorganism of the co-infection.

Ability of procalcitonin to distinguish between bacterial and nonbacterial infection in severe acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary syndrome in the ICU

Background

To assess the ability of procalcitonin (PCT) to distinguish between bacterial and nonbacterial causes of patients with severe acute exacerbation of COPD (AECOPD) admitted to the ICU, we conducted a retrospective analysis of two prospective studies including 375 patients with severe AECOPD with suspected lower respiratory tract infections. PCT levels were sequentially assessed at the time of inclusion, 6 h after and at day 1, using a sensitive immunoassay. The patients were classified according to the presence of a documented bacterial infection (including bacterial and viral coinfection) (BAC + group), or the absence of a documented bacterial infection (i.e., a documented viral infection alone or absence of a documented pathogen) (BAC- group). The accuracy of PCT levels in predicting bacterial infection (BAC + group) vs no bacterial infection (BAC- group) at different time points was evaluated by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis.

Results

Regarding the entire cohort (n = 375), at any time, the PCT levels significantly differed between groups (Kruskal–Wallis test, p < 0.001). A pairwise comparison showed that PCT levels were significantly higher in patients with bacterial infection (n = 94) than in patients without documented pathogens (n = 218) (p < 0.001). No significant difference was observed between patients with bacterial and viral infection (n = 63). For example, the median PCT-H₀ levels were 0.64 ng/ml [0.22–0.87] in the bacterial group vs 0.24 ng/ml [0.15–0.37] in the viral group and 0.16 ng/mL [0.11–0.22] in the group without documented pathogens. With a c-index of 0.64 (95% CI; 0.58–0.71) at H₀, 0.64 [95% CI 0.57–0.70] at H₆ and 0.63 (95% CI; 0.56–0.69) at H₂₄, PCT had a low accuracy for predicting bacterial infection (BAC + group).

Conclusion

Despite higher PCT levels in severe AECOPD caused by bacterial infection, PCT had a poor accuracy to distinguish between bacterial and nonbacterial infection. Procalcitonin might not be sufficient as a standalone marker for initiating antibiotic treatment in this setting.

A randomized trial to compare procalcitonin and C-reactive protein in assessing severity of sepsis and in guiding antibacterial therapy in Egyptian critically ill patients

BACKGROUND

Procalcitonin (PCT) and C-reactive protein (CRP) are the main used biomarkers for sepsis and in guiding antibiotic therapy, although PCT high cost limits its use in developing countries.

OBJECTIVE

Comparing between PCT and CRP in assessing severity of sepsis and in guiding antibacterial therapy in critically ill patients.

METHODS

In a prospective randomized study, 60 patients were included from an Egyptian Intensive Care Unit. Patients were divided into CRP and PCT groups. CRP and PCT were measured at baseline and on days 4 and 7. Validity, sensitivity, and specificity of both biomarkers and their correlation with sepsis scores (Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II (APACHE II) and Sepsis-related Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA)) were evaluated. Antibacterial continuation at days 4 and 7 was assessed.

RESULTS

The diagnostic accuracy, specificity, and sensitivity of PCT were higher than CRP (80.79% vs 69.45%, 36% vs 28.7%, 87.6% vs 72.4%, respectively). PCT levels were significantly correlated with APACHE II score (P ≤ 0.0001) and SOFA score (P = 0.005), while CRP levels were not correlated with APACHEII and SOFA scores,(P > 0.05). PCT was associated with less antibacterial exposure (33% stopped their antibiotics on day 4 versus 6% in CRP, P = 0.009). Only 33% continued their antibacterial regimen in PCT group after 7 days versus 83% in CRP group (*P ≤ 0.0001).

CONCLUSION

PCT is a more accurate diagnostic and prognostic biomarker than CRP in patients with sepsis. PCT significantly shortened patients' exposure to antibacterial therapy and hospital length of stay.

A 5-Year Review of Invasive Fungal Infection at an Academic Medical Center

Background: Invasive fungal infection (IFI) is one of the most common nosocomial infections. However, data on the epidemiology of IFI and susceptibility to antifungal agents in China are quite limited, and in particular, no current data exist on the microbiological, and clinical characteristics of IFI patients in Northeast China.

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to provide a retrospective review of the clinical characteristics, laboratory test results, and risk factor predictions of inpatients diagnosed with IFI. Multivariate regression analysis was used to assess prognostic factors associated with the mortality of these patients.

Methods: We retrospectively analyzed the results from 509 patients with IFI extracted from the First Hospital of China Medical University from January 2013 to January 2018.

Results: Neutrophil numbers, total bilirubin, length of stay in the ICU, renal failure, use of immunosuppressants within the past 30 days, stomach tube placement and septic shock were risk factors for death from IFI. Recent surgery (within 2 weeks) and drainage tube placement did not increase mortality in these IFI patients. Increased serum levels of PCT (AUC 0.601, 95% CI 0.536–0.665, P = 0.003) and CRP (AUC 0.578, 95% CI 0.512–0.644, P = 0.020) provided effective predictors of 30-day mortality rates.

Conclusions: We report for the first time epidemiological data on invasive fungal infections in Northeast China over the past 5 years. Despite the limited available clinical data, these findings will greatly aid clinical health care workers with regard to the identification, prevention, and treatment of IFI in hospitalized patients.

Diagnostic Accuracy of Procalcitonin, Neutrophil-to-Lymphocyte Ratio, and C-Reactive Protein in Detection of Bacterial Infections and Prediction of Outcome in Nonneutropenic Febrile Patients with Lung Malignancy

Background

Procalcitonin (PCT), C-reactive protein (CRP), and neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) have emerged as important markers of inflammation, and these markers, especially PCT and CRP, have been studied in patients with neutropenia. This study was designed to evaluate their value in differentiating infectious fever from tumor fever (TF) and to investigate their role in assessing outcomes in nonneutropenic lung cancer patients (NNLCPs).

Methods

This retrospective clinical study included 588 febrile NNLCPs between January 2019 and December 2019. The levels of PCT, CRP, and conventional inflammatory markers, including white blood cells (WBC) and neutrophils (NEU), were measured. NLR was defined as the ratio of the absolute neutrophil count to the absolute lymphocyte count. Patients' clinical and bacteriological data were recorded.

Results

This study included 311 NNLCPs with bacterial infections and 277 with TF. Inflammatory markers such as PCT, CRP, WBC, and NEU levels and NLR were significantly higher in patients with bacterial infections than in those with TF (p < 0.0001). However, PCT level was the best predictor of bacterial infections, with an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.874, followed by CRP level (AUC = 0.855) and NLR (AUC = 0.792) (p < 0.0001). Additionally, PCT level was significantly elevated in patients with bacterial infections with progressive disease after radiotherapy and chemotherapy (p < 0.01).

Conclusions

The present study demonstrated the superiority of PCT over CRP and NLR in the diagnosis of febrile patients with bacterial infections. Additionally, PCT can be used to assess the clinical outcomes and cancer progression in NNLCPs.

A case report of empty Sella syndrome secondary to Hantaan virus infection and review of the literature

RATIONALE

Bleeding in the anterior pituitary lobe leading to tissue necrosis occurs in the acute stage of severe clinical forms of hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS), while atrophy of the anterior pituitary lobe with diminution of the gland function occurs after the recovery stage. The relationship between Hantaan virus infection and empty Sella syndrome (ESS) has rarely been reported.

PATIENT CONCERNS

This patient was a 54-year-old previously healthy Chinese male. He presented with fever, headache, and backache with dizziness and oliguria. Physical examination was notable for hypotension and the signs of conjunctival suffusion. His platelets decreased, and his urine protein was positive. Hantaan virus IgM and virus RNA were positive.

DIAGNOSIS

He was diagnosed as having HFRS. In his diuretic phase, his 24-hour urine volume was maintained at 10,000 mL, and his blood pressure was higher for a week. Then, he was diagnosed as having ESS after a series of examinations.

INTERVENTIONS

Hormone replacement therapy was given to this patient after the diagnosis "ESS" was made.

OUTCOMES

The patient's symptoms improved, and he was discharged from the hospital soon after hormone replacement therapy.

LESSONS

Pituitary function examination and brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) need to be considered to scan for ESS and panhypopituitarism in the patients with HFRS accompanied by diabetes insipidus.

A portable pencil-like immunosensor for point-of-care testing of inflammatory biomarkers

Portable devices for immunoassays are in high demand for point-of-care testing (POCT) of biomarkers. Here, we report a robust portable pencil-like immunosensor (PPS) platform for the determination of three inflammatory biomarkers including interleukin-6 (IL-6), procalcitonin (PCT), and C-reactive protein (CRP) in human serum samples. The PPS platform is composed of a unique pencil-like optical-fiber-based sensor, a reagent strip consisting of a series of pencil-cap-like wells, and a battery-powered photon counting detector for recording chemiluminescence. The PPS probe moves from well to well with a plug-into/out approach and goes through the immunoassay steps. Each fiber probe in the PPS platform can be sequentially used in up to 10 assays by simply propelling the intact probe out of the pencil body. The PPS platform is well-integrated into a portable suitcase-like device (32 cm × 23 cm × 11 cm) and is only 3 kg in weight. The sensor has good repeatability and can maintain 90% response after 14 days of storage at room temperature, showing its ability for assays in the field. The good linear relationship and efficient dynamic range with a limit-of-detection (LOD) of 1.05 pg/mL for IL-6, 10.64 pg/mL for PCT, and 29.40 ng/mL for CRP are obtained. The assay results are compared with clinical methods, and the findings confirm the high accuracy and precision of the proposed method. The proposed PPS platform is versatile and operable with minimal instruments and technical skills and simplifies the process of immune analysis, thus has great prospects for POCT of biomarkers. Graphical abstract.

Diagnostic Accuracy of Procalcitonin Compared to C-Reactive Protein and Interleukin 6 in Recognizing Gram-Negative Bloodstream Infection: A Meta-Analytic Study

Objective

Gram-negative bloodstream infections (GNBSIs), especially those caused by antibiotic-resistant species, have become a public health challenge. Procalcitonin (PCT) showed promising potential in early diagnosis of GNBSI; however, little was known about its performance under different clinical settings. We here systematically assessed the diagnostic accuracy of PCT in recognizing GNBSI and made direct comparisons with C-reactive protein (CRP) and interleukin 6 (IL-6).

Methods

PubMed, Embase, ISI Web of Knowledge, and Scopus were searched from inception to March 15th, 2019. Area under the summary receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC), pooled sensitivity, specificity, and diagnostic odds ratio (DOR) were calculated. Hierarchical summary receiver operating characteristic (HSROC) model was used for the investigation of heterogeneity and for comparisons between markers.

Results

25 studies incorporating 50933 suspected BSI episodes were included. Pooled sensitivity and specificity for PCT were 0.71 and 0.76, respectively. The overall AUC was 0.80. The lowest AUCs were found in patients with febrile neutropenia (0.69) and hematological malignancy (0.69). The highest AUC was found in groups using electrochemiluminescence immunoassay (0.87). In direct comparisons, PCT showed better overall performance than CRP with the AUC being 0.85 (95% CI 0.81–0.87) for PCT and 0.78 (95% CI 0.74–0.81) for CRP, but the relative DORs varied with thresholds between PCT and CRP (p < 0.001). No significant difference was found either in threshold (p < 0.001). No significant difference was found either in threshold (p < 0.001). No significant difference was found either in threshold (

Conclusions

PCT was helpful in recognizing GNBSI, but the test results should be interpreted carefully with knowledge of patients' medical condition and should not serve as the only criterion for GNBSI. Further prospective studies are warranted for comparisons between different clinical settings.