scholarly journals Serum Carbohydrate Antigen 199 as a Biomarker for Evaluating Patients with Choledocholithiasis

2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 ◽  
pp. 1-5 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wang Gu ◽  
Zhong Tong

Aims. Choledocholithiasis is a common and yet potentially debilitating disease of the biliary tract. While certain patients with this disease remain largely asymptomatic or experience mild discomfort, in several cases, patient can suffer biliary inflammation and other serious symptoms. Previous studies have detected elevated serum levels of carbohydrate antigen 199 in patients with choledocholithiasis. We wanted to know whether serum CA199 level in patients with choledocholithiasis is related to the level of inflammation in patients. Methods. In the present study, we separated a cohort of 135 choledocholithiasis patients into two groups based on their white blood cell counts, which were either 3.5−9.5×109/L or ≥9.5×109/L. We also divided patients into two groups according to CPR < 10 mg/L and CRP ≥ 10 mg/L. At the same time, the correlation between CA199 and CRP level was analyzed. Results. We then used a Rank-sum test to compare serum carbohydrate 199 levels between these groups, revealing significantly higher levels of this antigen in patients with a white cell count ≥9.5×109/L (Z=−3.584, P<0.01). The two groups were grouped by CRP, and the CA199 level was compared. The difference between the two groups was statistically significant (P<0.01). The correlation analysis between CA199 and CRP showed an obvious correlation (r=0.574). Conclusion. This suggests that in patients with choledocholithiasis, higher circulating carbohydrate antigen 199 levels may correspond to a higher degree of inflammation.

1986 ◽  
Vol 20 (10) ◽  
pp. 783-785 ◽  
Author(s):  
Keith Henry ◽  
Irving Steinberg ◽  
Kent B. Crossley

A case of vancomycin-associated neutropenia occurring during long-term outpatient therapy with vancomycin is described. Pharmacokinetic studies demonstrated that the patient's vancomycin serum levels were within an acceptable range during treatment. Eighteen other reported cases of vancomycin-associated leukopenia are discussed in brief. An immunologic mechanism has been proposed but a clear understanding is lacking. Patients receiving long-term vancomycin therapy should have their white blood cell counts periodically monitored.


1996 ◽  
Vol 76 (02) ◽  
pp. 184-186 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kenji lijima ◽  
Fumiyo Murakami ◽  
Yasushi Horie ◽  
Katsumi Nakamura ◽  
Shiro Ikawa ◽  
...  

SummaryA 74-year-old female developed pneumonia following herpes simplex encephalitis. Her white blood cell counts reached 28,400/μl, about 90% of which consisted of granulocytes. The polymorphonuclear (PMN) elastase/α1-arantitrypsin complex levels increased and reached the maximum of 5,019 ng/ml, indicating the release of a large amount of elastase derived from the granulocytes. The mechanism of PMN elastase release was most likely to be granulocyte destruction associated with phagocytosis. The cleavage of fibrinogen and fibrin by PMN elastase, independent of plasmin, was indicated by the presence of the fragments in immunoprecipitated plasma from the patient corresponding to elastase-induced FDP D and DD fragments and the absence of fragments corresponding to plasmin-induced FDP D and DD fragments on SDS-PAGE. These findings suggested that the large amount of PMN elastase released from the excessive numbers of granulocytes in this patient with herpes simplex encephalitis and pneumonia, induced the cleavage of fibrinogen and fibrin without the participation of plasmin.


Animals ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (6) ◽  
pp. 1478
Author(s):  
Lorenzo G. T. M. Segabinazzi ◽  
Giorgia Podico ◽  
Michael F. Rosser ◽  
Som G. Nanjappa ◽  
Marco A. Alvarenga ◽  
...  

In light of PRP’s increasing popularity in veterinary practice, this study aimed to compare three manual methods to prepare and cool equine PRP. The blood of 18 clinically healthy mares was collected via venipuncture in a blood transfusion bag (method 1), blood tubes (method 2), and a syringe (method 3). In method 1, samples were double centrifuged; method 2 involved one centrifugation, and in method 3 the syringe was kept in an upright position to sediment for 4 h. After processing with three methods, PRP and platelet-poor plasma (PPP) were extracted and assessed for red (RBC) and white blood cell counts (WBC), platelet counts, and viability. In a subset of mares (n = 6), samples were processed with the three methods, and PRP was evaluated at 6 and 24 h postcooling at 5 °C. Method 1 resulted in the highest and method 3 in the lowest platelet concentration (p < 0.05), and the latter also had greater contamination with WBC than the others (p < 0.001). Platelet viability was similar across treatments (p > 0.05). Cooling for 24 h did not affect platelet counts in all methods (p > 0.05); however, platelet viability was reduced after cooling PRP produced by method 3 (p = 0.04), and agglutination increased over time in all methods (p < 0.001). The three methods increased (1.8–5.6-fold) platelet concentration in PRP compared to whole blood without compromising platelet viability. In conclusion, all three methods concentrated platelets and while cooling affected their viability. It remains unknown whether the different methods and cooling would affect PRP’s clinical efficacy.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kangjoon Kim ◽  
Seung Hyun Yong ◽  
Su Hwan Lee ◽  
Sang Hoon Lee ◽  
Ah Young Leem ◽  
...  

AbstractThere is no validated clinical biomarker for disease severity or treatment response for nontuberculous mycobacterial pulmonary disease (NTM-PD). We investigated the correlation between elevated serum carbohydrate antigen (CA) 19-9 levels and NTM-PD disease activity, defined using an imaging severity score based on chest computed tomography (CT). We retrospectively examined 79 patients with NTM-PD who underwent serum CA19-9 level assessments and chest CT less than 1 month apart. NTM-PD severity was rated using a CT-based scoring system. The correlation between the CT score and serum CA19-9 levels was evaluated. Chest CT revealed nodular bronchiectasis without cavitation in most patients (78.5%). Serum CA19-9 levels were elevated in 19 (24%) patients. Serum CA19-9 levels were positively correlated with the total CT score and bronchiectasis, bronchiolitis, cavity, and consolidation subscores. Partial correlation analysis revealed a significant positive correlation between serum CA19-9 levels and CT scores for total score and bronchiectasis, bronchiolitis, cavitation, and consolidation subscores after controlling for age, sex, and BMI. Serum CA19-9 levels were positively correlated with the CT severity score for NTM-PD. Serum CA19-9 may be useful in evaluating disease activity or therapeutic response in patients with NTM-PD.


2021 ◽  
pp. 096228022110259
Author(s):  
Shintaro Yamamuro ◽  
Tomohiro Shinozaki ◽  
Satoshi Iimuro ◽  
Yutaka Matsuyama

Modern causal mediation theory has formalized several types of indirect and direct effects of treatment on outcomes regarding specific mediator variables. We reviewed and unified distinct approaches to estimate the “interventional” direct and indirect effects for multiple mediators and time-varying variables. This study was motivated by a clinical trial of elderly type-2 diabetic patients in which atorvastatin was widely prescribed to control patients’ cholesterol levels to reduce diabetic complications, including cardiovascular disease. Among atorvastatin’s preventive side-effects (pleiotropic effects), we focus on its anti-inflammatory action as measured by white blood cell counts. Hence, we estimate atorvastatin’s interventional indirect effects through cholesterol lowering and through anti-inflammatory action, and interventional direct effect bypassing these two actions. In our analysis, total effect (six-year cardiovascular disease risk difference) estimated by standard plug-in g-formula of −3.65% (95% confidence interval: −10.29%, 4.38%) is decomposed into indirect effect via low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (−0.90% [−1.91%, −0.07%]), via white blood cell counts (−0.03% [−0.22%, 0.11%]), and direct effect (−2.84% [−9.71%, 5.41%]) by the proposed parametric mediational g-formula. The SAS program and its evaluation via simulated datasets are provided in the Supplemental materials.


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