The aim of the present study was to determine the correlations between leukocyte cell-derived chemotaxin 2 (LECT2) and inflammation-related variables in human inflammatory disease. Plasma samples from 23 septic patients who had been admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) of our institution and 31 volunteers were used. Plasma LECT2 concentrations were examined retrospectively and compared with those of various inflammatory cytokines and routine laboratory data. The LECT2 concentrations of the septic patients at the time of ICU entry (5.3 ± 4.1 ng/mL) were significantly lower than those of the volunteers (19.7 ± 3.4 ng/mL) and these concentrations had significantly increased by the time of ICU discharge. Individual analyses showed that the LECT2 concentrations of all 19 patients had increased by the time of ICU discharge. A combination of LECT2 and C-reactive protein (CRP) concentrations was capable of discriminating the acute and recovery phases of sepsis to a degree similar to those of the combinations of CRP concentration and percentage of neutrophils, CRP concentration and percentage of immature white blood cells, or CRP and interleukin-6 concentrations. Thus, the LECT2 concentration correlates with the severity of systemic inflammation in patients with sepsis. LECT2 may be a reliable diagnostic indicator of human inflammatory diseases.
A 72-year-old woman with antiphospholipid syndrome underwent aortic valve replacement. Her preoperative activated partial thromboplastin time was 61.7 seconds and activated clotting time was 219 seconds. During cardiopulmonary bypass, the Hepcon Hemostasis Management System (HMS) Plus determined the heparin dose needed to maintain whole-body heparin at 3 U/mL. After cardiopulmonary bypass, 100 mg of protamine was administered based on heparin-protamine neutralization, and the activated clotting time decreased. We applied rotational thromboelastometry (ROTEM) to diagnose residual heparin using the INTEM/HEPTEM clotting time ratio. The HMS and ROTEM are useful for heparin-protamine control in antiphospholipid syndrome.
Aim: The objective of this study was to examine the effects of perioperative administration of ulinastatin, or urinary trypsin inhibitor (UTI), on inflammatory cytokines and acute-phase proteins induced by inflammatory cytokines in patients who had undergone hepatic resection. Method: Twenty patients admitted to the hospital for hepatic resection were equally randomized to one of two groups: the UTI group, those who were administered perioperative UTI, and the control group. Results: The UTI group had no adverse effects from using UTI. Production of serum interleukin-6 (IL-6) tended to be attenuated in the UTI group when compared with the control group. Moreover, the UTI group had significantly decreased positive acute-phase C-reactive protein (p < 0.05) and significantly increased negative acute-phase protein prealbumin and retinol-binding protein (p < 0.05). Serum IL-6 levels significantly correlated with serum C-reactive protein levels on postoperative day 1 (r = 0.70, p < 0.01). Conclusion: These results suggest that perioperative administration of UTI might deserve further assessment for use in modulating acute-phase responses without adverse effects in patients who have undergone hepatic resection.
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