Objective To explore the possible anti-inflammatory mechanism of intensive insulin therapy （IIT） by studying the effect of IIT on the levels of TNF-α, IL-6, C-reactive protein （CRP） and APACHE Ⅱ score in biliary pyemia. Methods Twenty eight patients with biliary pyemia who were admitted by our department and given an operation within 24 h form Jan. 2005 to Dec. 2008 were randomly divided into two groups by using random number table numbers: one group treated with IIT （IIT group, n=14） and another group treated with routine insulin therapy （RIT group, n=14）. The inflammatory factors, such as TNF-α, IL-6 and CRP were detected dynamically and the APACHEⅡ score was calculated. ResultsThe level of CRP and APACHEⅡ score on day 5 and 7 and the levels of TNF-α and IL-6 on day 3, 5 and 7 after operation in IIT group were significantly lower than those in RIT group （P＜0.05, P＜0.0１）. Compared with preoperative levels, the IL-6 and APACHEⅡ score in IIT group commenced to decrease on day 3 after operation （P＜0.05）, that was earlier than control group. Conclusion The treatment with IIT can suppress the composition of TNF-α, IL-6 and CRP, protect impaired hepatic cells, and reduce APACHEⅡ score, the degree of systemic inflammation and incidence of MODS.
Objective
To determine the role of serum cystatin C in evaluating the severity and predicting in-hospital mortality in patients with community-acquired pneumonia (CAP).
Methods
The clinical data of 176 patients with CAP treated between January 2015 and October 2016 were collected in a retrospective way. The CURB-65 score was used to assess the severity. The serum levels of cystatin C and C-reactive protein (CRP) on admission were measured. The correlations between cystatin C and CURB-65 score and between cystatin C and CRP were calculated. Receiver operating characteristic curve was used to determine the ability of cystatin C in predicting in-hospital mortality.
Results
The serum level of cystatin C increased with the increasing CURB-65 score (P<0.001). The serum level of cystatin C was correlated positively with CRP level (rs=0.190, P<0.011). There were 22 patients died in hospital, the mean serum cystatin C level of non-survivor was significantly higher than that of survivors [(1.51±0.56)vs. (1.02±0.29) mg/L, P<0.001]. At a cut-off 1.18 mg/L, the sensitivity and specificity of cystatin C in predicting in-hospital mortality were 68.18% and 81.17%, respectively. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve was 0.793. The combination of cystatin C and CRP increased the predictive accuracy for in-hospital mortality.
Conclusion
Cystatin C level increases with the increaseing severity of CAP, and it may be a clinical biomarker to evaluate the severity and prognosis of patients with CAP.
ObjectiveTo study the clinical value of procalcitonin (PCT), WBC count, and C-reactive protein (CRP) in diagnosis of common bile duct stones with acute bile duct infection and systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS).MethodsA total of 80 patients with bile duct stones were retrospectively analyzed, which were divided into two groups, SIRS group (n=40) and non-SIRS group (n=40). The numerical value of PCT, WBC count, and CRP were detected on 1, 4, and 7 day after admission, and calculated the score of acute physiology and chronic health evaluation Ⅱ (APACHE Ⅱ) on 1 day after admission. Then analyzed the clinical value of PCT, WBC count, and CRP in diagnosis of common bile duct stones with acute bile duct infection and SIRS.ResultsEach area under the ROC curve of PCT, CRP, and WBC count were 0.81, 0.78, and 0.72, respectively, with significant difference (P<0.05). The PCT, CRP, and WBC count had a certain accuracy in diagnosis of common bile duct stones with acute bile duct infection and SIRS. The positive-relationship between PCT, CRP, WBC count and APACHE Ⅱ score was significant (r=0.91, P<0.01; r=0.88, P<0.01; r=0.69, P<0.01).ConclusionTo detect the numerical value of PCT, WBC count, and CRP had significant clinical value in diagnosis of common bile duct stones with acute bile duct infection and SIRS.
Objective To explore the value of fecal calprotectin （FCP） in the activity evaluation for ulcerative colitis （UC）. Methods Sixty three patients with UC （UC group） and 30 patients with gastrointestinal symptoms but without abnormal results of colonoscopy （control group）， who were treated in The Forth Affiliated Hospital of China Medical University between Sep. 2007 to Dec. 2009 were enrolled to examine the FCP， C-creative protein （CRP）， and erythrocyte sedimentation rate （ESR）. Then comparison between UC group and control group was performed. Results Levels of FCP and CRP in active gradeⅠ，Ⅱ， and Ⅲ group were all significantly higher than those of control group and inactive UC group （P＜0.05）， with the increase of active grade of UC， the level of FCP gradually increased （P＜0.05）. The levels of CRP in active grade Ⅱ and Ⅲ group were all significantly higher than those of gradeⅠgroup （P＜0.05）， but didn’t differed between active grade Ⅱ and Ⅲ group （P＞0.05）. There were no significant difference among 5 groups on ESR （P＞0.05）. Levels of FCP （rs=0.807， P＜0.01）， CRP（rs=0.651， P＜0.01）， and ESR （rs=0.371， P＜0.05） in active grade group were significantly related to histological grade under colonoscopy. Conclusion FCP examination is simple， inexpensive， repeatable， and noninvasive， and FCP can be used as an marker of activity evaluation in UC.
Objective To measure the level of circulating endothelial progenitor cells ( EPCs) in peripheral blood of patients with acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease ( AECOPD) , and to explore the relationship between EPCs and severity markers of the disease and cardiovascular adverse outcome predictors.Methods Forty patients with COPD were recruited, including 27 at acute exacerbation phase and 13 with stable COPD from December 2010 to December 2011. Sixteen healthy nonsmokers were included as controls. Circulating EPCs were isolated by Ficoll density-gradient centrifugation and purified by Magnetic Activated Cell Sorting system. High-sensitivity C-reactive protein ( hsCRP) was estimated by using a latex immunoturbidimetric assay kit, and matrix metalloproteinase-9 ( MMP-9) was measured by enzymelinked immunosorbent assay ( ELISA) . Arterial blood gas analysis and echocardiograph were performed in the AECOPD patients. The correlations between circulating EPCs, lung function, and cardiovascular markers were investigated. Results Circulating EPCs were significantly lower in AECOPD and stable COPD patients compared with the healthy controls [ ( 5.1 ±2.6) ×103 /mL and ( 6.0 ±3.2) ×103 /mL vs. ( 9.0 ±4.3) × 103 /mL, Plt;0. 05] . EPCs had a weak correlation with hsCRP ( P = 0. 033) , but not with MMP-9. In the AECOPD patients, EPC counts were significantly inversely correlated with PASP ( pulmonary artery systolic pressure) and NT-proBNP ( amino-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide) levels, and positively with left ventricular ejection fraction. No correlations were found between EPCs and lung function, blood gas, hospital stays or smoking index. Conclusions Circulating EPCs were significantly lower in AECOPD patients compared with healthy controls, in which systemic inflammation might be involved. Decreased EPCs were correlated with cardiac dysfunction in patients with AECOPD, which may account for the increased cardiovascular risk in this population.
Objective To determine the effectiveness of statins in reducing C-reactive protein in patients with cerebral infarction and the potency of C-reactive protein as an indicator for preventing cerebrovascular events. Methods We searched PubMed, EMbase, Central Register of Controlled Trials, CBMdisc and CNKI from the date of establishment through August 2008. Bibliographies of the retrieved articles were also checked. Data was extracted and evaluated by two reviewers independently with a designed extraction form. The RevMan 5.0 software was used to carry out meta-analysis. Results Twenty-three randomized trials involving 1946 patients were included. The results of meta-analyses showed the following: statins reduced C-reactive protein compared to the control group (WMD= –5.79, 95%CI –7.32 to –4.26); statins were associated with a reduction of carotid intima-media thickness (IMT) (WMD= –0.21, 95%CI –0.25 to –0.17); atorvastatin greatly reduced C-reactive protein than the simvastatin control group (WMD= –1.78, 95%CI –3.92 to 0.36); statins were associated with a slight improvement in neurological deficit (OR= 2.22, 95%CI 0.94 to 5.21). Conclusion The evidence currently available shows that statins can reduce C-reactive protein and carotid IMT in the patients with cerebral infarction compared to the control group. However, it is not clear whether statins reducing C-reactive protein is correlated to the improvement of neurological deficit and prognosis. Similar trials in future should focus on the relationship between the change of C-reactive protein and clinical outcomes.
Objective To investigate the expression and clinical significance of soluble triggering receptor expression on myeloid cells-1（sTREM-1） in sepsis patients.Methods Serum concentrations of sTREM-1，procalcitonin（PCT），tumor necrosis factor alpha（TNF-α） and interleukin-10（IL-10） were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay，while high sensitivity C-reactive protein （hsCRP） level was detected by immunoturbidimetry in 68 patients with sepsis，40 patients with no-infective SIRS，and 20 normal individuals. The diagnostic and prognostic value of sTREM-1 and its comparison with PCT and hsCRP were analyzed. The sequential organ failure assessment （SOFA） score system was used to evaluate the severity of sepsis. The relationship between sTREM-1, PCT , hsCRP , SOFA score，TNF-α ,and IL-10 of the sepsis patients was analyzed，respectively. Results The differences in the serum concentrations of sTREM-1，PCT，hsCRP，IL-10 and IL-10/TNF-α ratio had statistical significance among three groups（Plt;0.05）. The differences in the serum concentration of TNF-α had no statistical significance among three groups （Pgt;0.05）. However，the serum levels of sTREM-1，PCT and hsCRP in the sepsis group were significantly higher than those in the SIRS group （Plt;0.05）. The receiver operating characteristic curve （ROC） analysis showed the area under the curve （AUC） for sTREM-1，PCT and hsCRP were 0.772 （95%CI 0.674-0.871），0.718 （95%CI 0.601-0.835） and 0.664 （95%CI 0.532-0.797），respectively. The serum levels of sTREM-1 and PCT in the non-survivors were significantly higher than the survivors in the sepsis group （Plt;0.01），but the differences in the serum concentration of hsCRP had no statistical significance between the non-survivors and the survivors in the sepsis group （Pgt;0.05）. There were significantly positive correlations between sTREM-1 and SOFA score，IL-10 or IL-10/TNF-α ratio（r value of 0.453，0.301，0.417，Plt;0.05），but no correlation between sTREM-1 and TNF-α（Pgt;0.05）. There was significantly positive correlation between PCT and SOFA score （r=0.436，Plt;0.05），while no relationship between hsCRP and SOFA score（Pgt;0.05）. Conclusions The serum level of sTREM-1 not only be valuable in the diagnosis of sepsis，but also may be used as a prognostic marker in sepsis，as it can reflect the severity of sepsis in certain degree. Furthermore，sTREM-1 or PCT may be superior to hsCRP in diagnosis，prognostic judgment and severity assessment of sepsis.
ObjectiveTo explore the association between C-reactive protein/albumin ratio (CAR) and prognosis of lung cancer patients.MethodsWe searched PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Wanfang and Chongqing VIP databases for eligible studies evaluating the predictive role of CAR for the prognosis in lung cancer from establishment of databases to November 30, 2018. The Stata 12.0 software was used to conduct the meta-analysis and the pooled hazard ratio (HR) was used to assess the association between CAR and prognosis of lung cancer.ResultsA total of 1 903 lung cancer patients from 6 retrospective studies were included in the current meta-analysis and all the patients were from Asian countries. The results showed that patients with elevated pretreatment CAR were significantly correlated with worse overall survival [HR=1.75, 95% confidence interval (1.53, 1.99), P<0.001] with low heterogeneity (I2=25.9%, P=0.240). Subgroup analyses based on the country, pathology and treatment further demonstrated above findings.ConclusionsElevated pretreatment CAR is a negative predictor for prognosis in Asian patients with lung cancer. More researches with big sample size and high quality from non-Asian countries are still needed to verify our results.
ObjectivesTo systematically review the association between serum high sensitivity C-reactive protein (HS-CRP) and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD).MethodsPubMed, EMbase, The Cochrane Library, CNKI, SinoMed and WanFang Data databases were electronically searched to collect case-control studies on the association between HS-CRP and NAFLD from inception to October, 2019. Two reviewers independently screened literature, extracted data and assessed risk of bias of included studies. Meta-analysis was then performed using RevMan 5.3 software.ResultsA total of 22 case-control studies involving 5 825 subjects were included. The results of meta-analysis showed that HS-CRP levels in NAFLD group were higher than non-NAFLD group (SMD=1.25, 95%CI 0.81 to 1.68, P<0.000 01). The results of subgroup analysis showed that, HS-CRP levels in NAFLD group were higher in Asian region (SMD=1.32, 95%CI 0.82 to 1.83, P<0.000 01), however not in American region (SMD=0.48, 95%CI ?0.02 to 0.98, P=0.06). HS-CRP levels in NAFLD group were higher in BMI≥30 kg/m2 group (SMD=0.37, 95%CI 0.19 to 0.54, P<0.000 1), however not in BMI<30 kg/m2 group (SMD=1.19, 95%CI ?0.28 to 2.66, P=0.11). Additionally, HS-CRP levels in NAFLD group were higher with or without diabetes (SMD=0.86, 95%CI 0.49 to 1.24, P<0.000 01; SMD=1.47, 95%CI 0.84 to 2.10, P<0.000 01).ConclusionsCurrent evidence shows that NAFLD patients have higher levels of HS-CRP than non-NAFLD patients, and are affected by high levels of BMI and geographical regions. Therefore, HS-CRP may play important roles in the non-invasive field of NAFLD detection. Due to limited quality and quantity of the included studies, more high quality studies are required to verify above conclusions.
Objective To investigate the evaluation value of serum interleukin-34 (IL-34), macrophage migration inhibitor (MIF), osteopontin (OPN) and hypersensitive C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) in the diagnosis and prognosis of active pulmonary tuberculosis. Methods Clinical data of 100 patients with active pulmonary tuberculosis admitted from June 2019 to June 2022 were selected as an observation group and retrospectively analyzed. All patients received standardized anti-tuberculosis therapy for 6 months and were divided into a good prognosis group (76 cases) and a poor prognosis group (24 cases) according to the prognosis. Another 80 healthy volunteers who underwent physical examination during the same period were selected as the control group. Serum levels of IL-34, MIF, OPN and hs-CRP were detected in each group, and the value of serum IL-34, MIF, OPN and hs-CRP in the diagnosis and prognosis of active pulmonary tuberculosis was analyzed by receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC curve). Results Serum levels of IL-34, MIF, OPN and hs-CRP in the observation group were higher than those in the control group (all P<0.05). ROC curve showed that serum IL-34, MIF, OPN, hs-CRP had a certain diagnostic value in active pulmonary tuberculosis, with area under ROC curve (AUC) of 0.864, 0.870, 0.865, and 0.880, respectively (all P<0.01), and the combination of the four indexes had a higher diagnostic value (AUC=0.902, P<0.01). Serum levels of IL-34, MIF, OPN and hs-CRP in the good prognosis group were lower than those in the poor prognosis group (all P<0.05). ROC curve showed that serum IL-34, MIF, OPN, hs-CRP had a certain value in evaluating the prognosis of active pulmonary tuberculosis, with AUC of 0.850, 0.874, 0.837, and 0.842, respectively (all P<0.01), and the combined value of the four indexes was higher (AUC=0.923, P<0.01). Conclusion The combined detection of serum IL-34, MIF, OPN and hs-CRP has high value in the diagnosis and prognosis assessment of active pulmonary tuberculosis.
