BACKGROUND AND AIMS To ascertain the causes of raised aspartate aminotransferase (AST) presumed to be of hepatic origin in two hospitals and the local community served by a centralised biochemistry laboratory. METHODS From June 1996 to February 1997 all patients with AST greater than 400 U/l were identified by the biochemistry laboratory; the patients' clinical records were studied to determi...

C irculating concentrations of C reactive protein (CRP), a hepatic derived inflammatory marker that is secreted in response to specific cytokines, have been shown to predict the risk of coronary heart disease (CHD) and diabetes in large epidemiological studies. 2 These data highlight the concept that inflammation is a central component of the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis. The plaque composit...

BACKGROUND Although the term "polytrauma" has been in use for decades, no generally accepted definition exists. The aim of this study was to demonstrate that different polytrauma definitions applied to a specific patient population result in diverse subgroups of individuals, who in turn present a varying outcome. METHODS All patients (≥18 years) treated at our level I trauma center within a t...