This preliminary analysis should prompt further investigation by mapping genomic virulence determinants among A. baumannii ST457 lineage compared with other strains.

Highlights Chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients may demonstrate elevated NGAL levels reflecting chronic impairment condition. We evaluated plasma NGAL level for identification of AKI superimposed on CKD vs. “de novo” AKI among (STEMI) patients undergoing primary PCI. NGAL is a useful tool for the identification of patients with CKD in high risk for AKI following primary PCI. However, Different cutoff values of plasma NGAL for “de novo” AKI and AKI superimposed on CKD may be necessary for Table 1 , Table 2 , Table 3 diagnosis.

C-reactive protein velocity (CRPv), defined as the change in wide-range CRP concentration divided by time, is an inflammatory biomarker associated with increased morbidity and mortality in patients with ST elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) treated with primary percutaneous intervention (PCI). However, data regarding CRPv association with echocardiographic parameters assessing left ventricular systolic and diastolic function is lacking. Echocardiographic parameters and CRPv values were analyzed using a cohort of 1059 patients admitted with STEMI and treated with primary PCI. Patients were stratified into tertiles according to their CRPv. A receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to evaluate CRPv optimal cut-off values for the prediction of severe systolic and diastolic dysfunction. Patients with high CRPv tertiles had lower left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) (49% vs. 46% vs. 41%, respectively; p < 0.001). CRPv was found to independently predict LVEF ≤ 35% (HR 1.3 CI 95% 1.21–1.4; p < 0.001) and grade III diastolic dysfunction (HR 1.16 CI 95% 11.02–1.31; p = 0.02). CRPv exhibited a better diagnostic profile for severe systolic dysfunction as compared to CRP (area under the curve 0.734 ± 0.02 vs. 0.608 ± 0.02). In conclusion, For STEMI patients treated with primary PCI, CRPv is a marker of both systolic and diastolic dysfunction. Further larger studies are needed to support this finding.