INTRODUCTION Both converted and difficult laparoscopic cholecystectomies (LC) have impact on operating time and training of juniors. The aim of this study is to evaluate parameters that predict difficult LC or conversion (C), and find predictive values for different cut-off points of C-reactive protein (CRP) for conversion. MATERIALS AND METHODS A retrospective cohort study of cholecystectomi...

C-reactive protein (CRP) 1 is an acute phase serum protein produced rapidly in response to inflammatory stimuli. The binding and functional characteristics of CRP suggest that it may play a role in host defense against infection. CRP has binding specificity for the phosphocholine (PC) determinant of cell wall C-polysaccharide (PnC) from Streptococcus pneumoniae (1, 2). The binding of CRP to PnC...

C-reactive protein (CRP) 1 is an acute phase serum protein produced rapidly in response to inflammatory stimuli. The binding and functional characteristics of CRP suggest that it may play a role in host defense against infection. CRP has binding specificity for the phosphocholine (PC) determinant of cell wall C-polysaccharide (PnC) from Streptococcus pneumoniae (1, 2). The binding of CRP to PnC...

Functional NK activity can be removed from human PBL and from phagocyte- and T cell-depleted LGL preparations by treatment with antisera specific for C-reactive protein (CRP) in the presence of complement (C). Pretreatment of NK effector cells with high concentrations of anti-CRP in the absence of C also depletes functional activity. These results indicate that CRP or an antigenically similar m...

BACKGROUND Elevated plasma C-reactive protein (CRP) levels can be used to predict an increased risk of future atrial fibrillation (AF). However, several single polynucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the CRP gene affect CRP levels. This study aims to elucidate the correlation between CRP gene polymorphisms and the risk of AF among a Chinese population in Taiwan. METHODS A total of 200 patients...

William S. Tillett (1930) discovered that C-Reactive Protein (CRP) is an acute-phase serum protein that reacts with the C polysaccharide of Pneumococcal cell wall. CRP is present in human serum and its level increases during systemic inflammation. Therefore, CRP represents a sensitive marker of systemic inflammation and tissue damage; precise determination of CRP levels has proven to be useful ...