OBJECTIVE To assess the prospective association between baseline serum hs-CRP concentration and the subsequent risk of development or progression of diabetic nephropathy. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS Longitudinal data were obtained from 2,518 patients with type 2 diabetes registered in a Japanese diabetes registry. To assess the independent correlations between serum baseline hs-CRP and either...

Childhood obesity seems to contribute to the development of vascular inflammation and the progression of arterial wall changes. High-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) has recently emerged as a useful biomarker for vascular inflammation associated with atherosclerosis. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the association of the serum hs-CRP level with ultrasonic findings of early ...

patients and methods this cross-sectional study included a total of 120 adult predialysis ckd patients. forty patients were allocated in each predialysis ckd group of stages 3, 4, and 5. serum ctnt and hs-crp, plasma nt-probnp, and single spot urine albumin creatinine ratio (acr) were measured. ultrasonographic examination of carotid artery was done with 7.5 mhz linear probe in b mode ultrasono...

This retrospective study examined the validity of the commonly used serum albumin level as an indicator of nutrition status of patients with pressure ulcer(s), particularly because the serum albumin level is affected by various factors and may not be specific to malnutrition. Specifically, we investigated whether nutrition supply or inflammation affects the serum albumin level in 82 patients wi...

OPG (osteoprotegerin) is an inhibitor of osteoclastogenesis and recent work suggests it has a role in atherosclerosis. Therefore we measured serum OPG levels in patients with coronary artery disease, compared the serum OPG levels among the different groups according to the number of stenotic vessels and determined whether there was any correlation with aortic calcification, LV (left ventricular...

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Limited information is available on the long-term effects of interleukin-6 (IL-6) on systemic atherosclerosis. The purpose of the present study was to clarify the relationship between chronic elevation of IL-6 and the long-term progression of carotid atherosclerosis. METHODS We prospectively evaluated 210 patients with ≥1 vascular risk factors for 9.0±1.0 years. Carotid...

Protein- energy malnutrition, wasting and inflammation are frequent complication among patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD). Malnutrition is associated with cardiac co-morbidity, inflammation and poor survival in ESRD patients. Serum albumin is a well-known marker of nutrition in ESRD patients. Serum albumin is still the most commonly used nutritional marker in ESRD patients. C-reactive...

INTRODUCTION Our aim was to investigate the diagnostic accuracy of C-reactive protein (CRP) and erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) in patients with acute scrotum. MATERIALS AND METHODS One hundred and twenty patients with acute scrotum were evaluated and divided into 3 groups: 46 with acute epididymitis (group 1), 23 with spermatic cord torsion (group 2), and 51 with other noninflammatory c...

The post-operative changes in the serum levels of CRP and serum amyloid A (SAA) were investigated prospectively in 106 patients after posterior lumbar interbody fusion. In 96 patients who did not have complications related to infection within the first year after operation, the median levels of CRP before operation and on days 3, 7 and 13 after were 0.02 (0.01 to 0.03), 9.12 (2.36 to 19.82), 1....