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Query: UMLS:C0021311 (Infection)
 38,178 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Cytokines, especially tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF alpha), interleukin-1 beta (IL-1 beta), and interleukin-6 (IL-6) play an important role in the genesis and progression of the septic shock syndrome. We performed a study monitoring levels of these three cytokines in ten neutropenic oncology patients in whom an infectious syndrome was suspected. A comparison was made with a population of nine non-neutropenic patients on the intensive care unit. Unfortunately the results of this study do not allow specific profiles to be established for each cytokine in the populations studied. Levels of IL-6, TNF alpha and IL-1 beta were not statistically higher in the non-neutropenic patients when compared with the neutropenic group. However, the highest IL-6 levels were observed for four non-neutropenic patients, three of whom died. High levels of C-reactive protein (CRP), haptoglobin and fibrinogen were found, reflecting the inflammatory status of each patient. CRP levels were higher in the non-neutropenic patients and correlated with IL-6 levels, indicating the importance of CRP determination in this group of patients.
Infection
PMID:TNF alpha, IL-1 beta and IL-6 plasma levels in neutropenic patients after onset of fever and correlation with the C-reactive protein (CRP) kinetic values. 753 Nov 79

1. Infection in the neonatal period is difficult to diagnose and is a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in preterm infants. 2. We investigated prospectively the predictive value of plasma measurement of bacterial endotoxin (lipopolysaccharide), tumour necrosis factor-alpha, interleukin-6, interleukin-8, intercellular adhesion molecule-1 and C-reactive protein in 60 consecutive newborn infants suspected of having neonatal infection. Plasma samples were taken at the time of acute clinical deterioration. Sixty-two cord blood samples were studied as controls taken at elective Caesarean section. 3. Forty-three infants had confirmed infections, 25 with positive blood cultures. Tumour necrosis factor-alpha and bacterial endotoxin levels were not significantly elevated over controls, whereas interleukin-6, interleukin-8 and intercellular adhesion molecule-1 levels were all significantly increased in the infected group compared with controls (all P < 0.001). 4. Increased plasma intercellular adhesion molecule-1 levels were a highly sensitive (88%) indicator of clinical infection and were independent of C-reactive protein. Use of these two assays in combination improved the diagnostic sensitivity to 95% and gave a negative predictive value of 97%. addition of interleukin-6 or interleukin-8 measurements failed to further significantly enhance the prediction of infection. 5. Measurement of intercellular adhesion molecule-1 level may have a clinical role in rapidly confirming, or predicting, the likely diagnosis in cases of suspected neonatal infection.
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PMID:Predictive value of soluble immunological mediators in neonatal infection. 792 61

Infection with Trypanosoma cruzi can cause chronic Chagas' disease manifestations (cardiac, gastrointestinal), although most persons with chronic infection have no ill effects (indeterminate form). Cell-mediated immunity (CMI) responses are believed to be intrinsically important in the containment of T. cruzi and in the pathogenesis of Chagas' disease. Humoral and CMI responses were investigated in 70 T. cruzi-infected persons from an endemic area in northeastern Brazil and in 30 uninfected controls. An epidemiologic survey, physical examination, and blood evaluation were conducted for each subject. The 70 chronically infected persons were subclassified into three clinical groups: indeterminate, cardiac, and gastrointestinal. Serum was tested for antibodies to T. cruzi by hemagglutination assay, indirect immunofluorescent assay, and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, and for autoantibodies to tubulin. Serum levels of soluble interleukin-2 receptor (sIL-2R), albumin, and C-reactive protein (CRP) were also measured to assess one parameter each of immunosuppression, nutritional status, and inflammation. The proliferative response of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) to T. cruzi antigens, mitogen (phytohemagglutinin), and antigen-free controls was also assessed. Our data did not reveal any significant differences in serum levels of antibodies to T. cruzi, antibodies to tubulin, albumin, CRP, or sIL-2R among the subgroups of infected individuals. The data demonstrate differences in CMI responses. Trypanosoma cruzi trypomastigote lysate stimulated proliferation of PBMC from infected persons, but not uninfected controls. Patients with symptomatic Chagas' disease (cardiac and gastrointestinal groups) had decreased cellular responses to T. cruzi lysate (median proliferation index [PI] = 3), compared with those in the indeterminate group (median PI = 9; P < 0.005). Further investigations of the mechanism of this reduced CMI response in those with chronic disease may yield insights into the pathogenesis of Chagas' disease.
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PMID:Humoral and cellular immune response of adults from northeastern Brazil with chronic Trypanosoma cruzi infection: depressed cellular immune response to T. cruzi antigen among Chagas' disease patients with symptomatic versus indeterminate infection. 837 59

To examine the effects of concurrent infection on population-based assessment of trace element status, we collected data on clinical signs and laboratory indicators of infection when obtaining blood for serum zinc, copper, and ferritin analyses in 153 Peruvian children aged 11-19 mo. Fifty-two (34.7%) of the children had some reported sign of infection and 43 (28.3%) had elevated C-reactive protein concentrations or leukocytosis. Children with any evidence of infection had marginally lower mean (+/- SD) serum zinc concentrations (7.0 +/- 2.3 vs 7.5 +/- 2.0 mumol/L, P = 0.16) and significantly greater serum copper (24.7 +/- 4.7 vs 22.7 +/- 4.2 mumol/L, P = 0.006) and serum ferritin concentrations (10.0 +/- 12.9 vs 3.9 +/- 4.4 micrograms/L, P < 0.001) than did those without infections. Infection caused an underestimation in the rate of low copper status by 1 percentage point and low iron status by 12 percentage points. Thus, the effect of concurrent infections is of variable magnitude and may differ by nutrient, nutritional status of the population, and prevalence and severity of infections.
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PMID:Potential magnitude of the misclassification of a population's trace element status due to infection: example from a survey of young Peruvian children. 837 12

Human C-reactive protein (CRP) is a member of the pentraxin family of proteins which are molecules composed of five identical subunits arranged in a planar configuration. In the present study a human CRP cDNA clone was ligated into the baculovirus vector pVL1393 which was used to establish a recombinant strain of BaculoGold Autographa californica multiple nuclear polyhedrosis virus containing the coding and leader sequence for human CRP (designated AcMNPV-CRP). Synthesis and secretion of CRP were studied after infection of TN5B1-4 and Sf-9 cells with AcMNPV-CRP. Accumulation of CRP but not other proteins in the medium over the course of infection suggested that CRP was actively secreted. Analysis by gel filtration chromatography and by SDS-PAGE demonstrated an intact pentamer composed of subunits of the appropriate molecular mobility. The structural integrity of the recombinant protein was further established by the ability of the product to bind to phosphocholine in a calcium-dependent manner, a property which is restricted to the intact pentamer. Functional studies of complement activation, binding to mononuclear phagocytic cells, and reactivity with a panel of monoclonal antibodies were also consistent with structural and functional integrity of the recombinant molecule. Infection of Trichoplusia ni larvae with AcMNPV-CRP also resulted in the production of functional recombinant protein. This method has the advantage of producing larger amounts of protein at lower cost than tissue culture. An additional advantage is the ability to metabolically label CRP through feeding the larvae on an [35S]methionine-containing diet.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
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PMID:Expression and radiolabeling of human C-reactive protein in baculovirus-infected cell lines and Trichoplusia ni larvae. 852 29

Infection of the obstructed upper urinary tract is a severe complication of stone disease. Early detection and therapy is crucial to prevent septicemia. The authors investigated prospectively whether C-reactive protein (CRP) might act as a marker for the early detection of infected upper urinary tract obstruction. The serum concentration of CRP was compared with the classic markers of inflammation--white blood cell (WBC) count, erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), and temperature--in the follow-up of 85 patients undergoing 173 extracorporeal shockwave lithotripsy (SWL) treatments. Post-SWL, 69% of the patients showed dilation of the upper tract on ultrasonography and 16.5% became symptomatic and required intervention. In this group, the mean CRP value was increased 18-fold, whereas the WBC count, ESR, and temperature were not markedly raised. In contrast, patients with no need for additional treatment showed no more than a 2-fold increase in CRP. C-Reactive protein seems to be a useful indicator for the early detection of infected upper urinary tract obstruction.
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PMID:Early detection of infected ureteral obstruction after SWL employing C-reactive protein. 897 85

The objective of this study was to evaluate the sensitivity of C-reactive protein (CRP) elevation compared to erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), leucocyte count and thrombocyte count in the diagnosis of infective endocarditis (IE). It was designed as a prospective study of suspected episodes of IE in adults in tertiary care at a university-affiliated department of infectious diseases. In 89 episodes of IE, CRP was available from the start of treatment. Median age was 66 years, 45 were men and 44 women. Median CRP concentration was found to be 90 (range 0-357) mg/l with only 4% normal values. Episodes involving native valves had higher CRP than episodes occurring with prosthetic valves. Staphylococcal origin, short duration of symptoms, short duration of fever and highest recorded temperature all correlated to higher CRP levels. The CRP response was also prominent among patients > 70 years old. Among non-responders, a few cases with simultaneous cirrhosis were noted. ESR was less sensitive than CRP, with a normal level in 28% of the episodes. It was concluded that CRP determination is superior to erythrocyte sedimentation rate, leucocyte count and thrombocyte count in the diagnosis of infective endocarditis.
Infection
PMID:C-reactive protein is more sensitive than erythrocyte sedimentation rate for diagnosis of infective endocarditis. 910 81

Preterm labor, cervical cerclage (especially when performed as an emergency procedure), and diabetes mellitus are all associated with an increased risk of chorioamnionitis. It might be expected that the combination of all 3 could lead to especially severe infection. We report such a case. A woman with a history of two spontaneous midtrimester abortions had had cervical cerclage performed at 13 weeks. She was referred at 24 weeks' gestation with preterm labor, and the cervix was found to be dilated. An emergency repeat cerclage was performed. The following day, ultrasonography revealed the presence of intra-amniotic gas. Infection was confirmed by the presence of a purulent cervical discharge, a neutrophilia with a left shift, and an elevated C-reactive protein level. The cervical stitch was removed and labor induced. The infant was liveborn, but succumbed to the complications of prematurity and sepsis. E. coli was isolated. In her subsequent pregnancy, severe gestational diabetes was diagnosed and following pregnancy, permanent diabetes mellitus was confirmed. The combination of infection, diabetes, and intact membranes may lead to a particularly severe form of chorioamnionitis, with the production of gas within the amniotic cavity. Infection should be excluded before emergency cervical cerclage, especially in the woman with diabetes mellitus.
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PMID:Emphysematous chorioamnionitis diagnosed by ultrasonography. 925 46

To evaluate the diagnostic utility of C-reactive protein (CRP) for the detection of sepsis in bone marrow transplantation, CRP levels were analyzed after pretransplant conditioning and variably combined in septic, focal or viral infections with graft-versus-host disease (GvHD) in 64 bone marrow recipients. The CRP levels after pretransplant conditioning were low. The peak levels of CRP were influenced independently by the type of infection (p = 0.016; septic and viral infections were significantly different) and GvHD (p = 0.003). The area under the receiver-operator characteristic (ROC) curve for peak CRP in sepsis was 0.653 and 0.618 with and without GvHD, respectively. It was concluded that GvHD and the type of infection were independent determinants of the CRP responses. GvHD did not affect the extent of the CRP response. Therefore, although not highly specific for sepsis, CRP remains a useful detector of sepsis in bone marrow transplantation.
Infection
PMID:The effects of pretransplant conditioning, graft-versus-host disease and sepsis on the CRP levels in bone marrow transplantation. 942 50

An increasing body of evidence has linked infections to atherosclerosis and thrombosis. Herpesviruses cause atherosclerosis in experimental animals. Herpesviruses can also be detected in atherosclerotic lesions in humans. Cytomegalovirus may play a role in arteriosclerosis in transplanted hearts, and this virus, together with tumor suppressor protein p53, can be found in restenosis lesions following angioplasty. Chlamydia pneumoniae and dental infections are associated with coronary heart disease in cross-sectional and longitudinal studies, and preceding respiratory infections are associated with ischemic stroke. Infections may favor formation of atherosclerosis and thrombosis by elevation of blood levels of fibrinogen, leukocytes, clotting factor, and cytokines and by alteration of the metabolism and functions of endothelial cells and monocyte macrophages. Low-grade infections may also be one of the causes of the inflammatory reaction observed in atherosclerotic lesions and acute ischemic symptoms, reflected in elevated levels of C-reactive protein. These observations warrant further studies in this field.
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PMID:Role of infection as a risk factor for atherosclerosis, myocardial infarction, and stroke. 952 51


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