Aim: To evaluate pleural fluid Adenosine deaminase as the diagnostic marker for tubercular pleural disease. Patients and Methods:New patients (n=160) with pleural effusion were divided into tubercular (n=92) and non-tubercular (n=68) groups. Non-tubercular group was further divided into patients having exudative effusion (n=46) and patients having transudative effusion (n=22). Patients with exu...

BACKGROUND Pleural effusions occur in patients with hematologic malignancies, particularly during periods of hospitalization. Thoracentesis is often performed to diagnose infection and to exclude the presence of complicated parapneumonic effusions. The efficacy and safety of thoracentesis in this setting has not been well-studied. DESIGN Retrospective chart review of hospitalized patients wit...

BACKGROUND Bacterial parapneumonic pleural effusions (PPEs) have high morbidity. The accurate identification of pathogens is vital for initiating the appropriate treatment. A previous study suggested that the use of blood culture bottles might improve the bacterial yield in PPEs. OBJECTIVES The aim of this study was to compare the culture positivity rate by the blood culture bottles and the s...

Interleukin (IL)-1 is a key cytokine in inflammatory reactions. To clarify the mechanism of inflammation in the pleural cavity, we investigated the contribution of IL-1 and its antagonism to inflammatory processes in the pleural cavity. Interleukin-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1Ra) levels as well as IL-1 beta and interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) levels were measured by enzyme immunoassay in pleural ef...

The diagnostic accuracy of myeloperoxidase (MPO) in pleural fluid, for differentiating between complicated and noncomplicated parapneumonic pleural effusions (PPE) evaluated prospectively. Seventy patients aged >18 yrs with PPE (36 complicated and 34 noncomplicated) were studied after admission to a tertiary referral teaching hospital. MPO concentration was measured in plasma and pleural fluid ...