OBJECTIVE Procalcitonin (PCT) is considered to be a specific marker for severe bacterial infections and sepsis. Elevated PCT levels have been reported in active autoimmune diseases without infection. The aim of this study was to assess the diagnostic value of PCT serum levels in ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV) patients with respect to infection, disease activity and drug fever using a high sen...

BACKGROUND Procalcitonin (PCT) is an established marker for diagnosing and monitoring bacterial infections. Full-length PCT [116 amino acids that make up procalcitonin (PCT1-116)] can be truncated, leading to des-Ala-Pro-PCT (des-Alanin-Prolin-Procalcitonin; PCT3-116). Current immunoassays for PCT ("total PCT") use antibodies directed against internal epitopes and are unable to distinguish amin...

Background: The baseline levels of serum procalcitonin (PCT) have not been determined in patients with end-stage renal disease needing renal replacement therapy. The purpose of the present study is to verify the reference range of PCT and parameters affecting its value in patients receiving chronic hemodialysis. Methods: A total of 125 dialytic patients who had no obvious clinical signs of syst...

background and objective: according to the fact that neonatal infection is a challenging diagnosis field, several studies have tried to test sensitivity and specificity of diagnostic tests. this study was conducted to evaluate the sensitivity and specificity of procalcitonin (pct) as a single early marker of neonatal sepsis. materials and methods: in this study, 150 neonates admitted to nicu an...

background: the appropriateness of using serum levels of procalcotonin (pct) for early diagnosis of newborn sepsis is still controversial. therefore, the objective of the present study was to compare the usefulness of pct with those of serum levels of c-reactive protein (crp) and white blood cell (wbc) counts in the diagnosis and response to treatment of neonatal sepsis.   methods: a total of 4...

Aminoprocalcitonin (N-PCT), a neuroendocrine peptide encoded by the calcitonin-I (CALC-I) gene, suppresses food intake when administered centrally in rats. However, the neural pathways underlying this effect remain unclear. N-PCT and calcitonin receptors (CT-R) have been identified in hypothalamic regions involved in energy homeostasis, including the arcuate nucleus (ARC). Here, we hypothesized...

Background Delayed pathogen identification and nonspecific clinical findings make definitive decisions regarding antibiotics challenging. The stimuli of bacterial toxins and inflammation make procalcitonin (PCT) unique in its ability to differentiate bacterial infection from other causes of inflammation, and thus it is useful for antibiotic management. The objective of our study was to evaluate...

In inflammatory states, particularly in response to infectious stimuli, local procalcitonin (PCT) production rises, and because these tissues cannot further process PCT into calcitonin, serum levels increase. In the critical care setting, PCT should be considered a useful tool to help physicians in some specific, although frequent, situations. Serial measurements of PCT levels may indicate the ...