Abstract
Objective
Pulmonary thromboembolism (PTE) is a clinical condition that can be lethal unless promptly diagnosed and treated. The objective was to evaluate the significance of serum neutrophil ...gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL) in the diagnosis of PTE.
Materials and methods
In this study, 60 patients hospitalized for acute PTE between May 2015 and December 2016 were enrolled. PTE was diagnosed using spiral computed tomography angiography of the thorax. Cardiac enzyme levels, arterial blood gas, and echocardiography measurements were performed. Whole blood samples were drawn to measure serum NGAL before treatment.
Results
The PTE group comprised 34 women and 26 men, and the healthy control group included 22 women and 18 men. The mean ages of the patient and control groups were 70.3 ± 14.4 years and 69.0 ± 10.2 years, respectively. Serum NGAL was significantly higher in the patients than in the controls (88.6 ± 33.6 vs. 31.7 ± 10.0 ng/mL, p < 0.001, respectively). The optimal NGAL cut-off value was >50 ng/mL, the sensitivity was 100%, specificity was 98.3%, the negative predictive value was 100%, and the positive predictive value was 68%.
Conclusion
Serum NGAL is a new biomarker with high sensitivity and specificity to detect, diagnose, and exclude PTE.
In this study, serum lipokalin 2 (LCN-2) levels and its clinical and radiological significance in patients with rheumatoid arthritis was evaluated.
The study enrolled 37 patients with RA and 34 ...healthy controls. Serum LCN-2 level was measured using ELISA method. Patients with DAS 28 scores ≤ 3.2, and > 3.2 were allocated into lower and high/moderate disease activity groups, respectively. Additionally patients were divided into 2 groups as early RA (disease duration ≤ 2 years) and established RA (duration of the disease ≥ 2 years). Functional disability was evaluated using Health Assessment Questionnaire (HAQ). Radiographs were scored using the modified Larsen score.
Serum LCN-2 (p = 0.029) levels were significantly higher in patients with RA than in the controls. Serum LCN-2 level did not correlate with laboratory and clinical parameters of disease activity like erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), C-reactive protein (CRP), DAS 28, Health Assessment Questionnaire Score (HAQ) and Nottingham Health Profile (NHP). Similarly, any correlation could not be found between structural joint damage and serum LCN2 levels.
These results indicate that serum LCN-2 levels may be used as an indicator for structural damage like erosions in the early stage of the disease but do not able to be used to monitor disease activity.
Abstract
Objectives
This study was designed to find the reliability of serum NGAL as an early and better diagnostic biomarker than that of serum creatinine for acute kidney injury after percutaneous ...coronary intervention in Pakistani population.
Materials and methods
One hundred and fifty-one patients undergoing elective percutaneous coronary intervention were included and demographic data were recorded. Blood was drawn by venipuncture in clot activator vacutainers and serum was separated and stored at 4°C. Sample was drawn before the percutaneous procedure and subsequently sampling was done serially for 5 days.
Results
The mean±SD serum NGAL pre-PCI (39.92± 10.35 μg/L) and 4 h post-PCI (100.42±26.07 μg/L) showed highly significant difference (p<0.001). The mean±SD serum creatinine pre-PCI (70.1±11.8 μmol/L) and post-PCI (71.2±11.6 μmol/L) showed significant difference (p=0.005) on day 2 onwards but mean microalbumin showed insignificant results (p=0.533). The serum NGAL predicted CI-AKI with sensitivity of 95.8% and specificity of 97.6% for a cut off value of 118 μg/L.
Conclusion
Our results suggest that NGAL is an excellent early diagnostic biomarker for acute kidney injury in patients undergoing elective percutaneous coronary intervention.
Unatoč značajnom napretku u terapijskom smislu, akutno bubrežno zatajenje (ABZ) i
dalje je praćeno visokim morbiditetom i mortalitetom. Jedan od glavnih razloga kasna je detekcija
i odgođena ...inicijalna terapija.
Prikazani su noviji biomarkeri koji bi mogli pomoći u ranijem postavljanju dijagnoze ABZ.
Među njima najviše obećava neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL). Prikazana je
uloga i mjerenje NGAL-a u različitim kliničkim stanjima koja dovode do ABZ. U budućim kliničkim
istraživanjima potrebno je na velikom broju uzoraka ispitati senzitivnost i specifičnost mjerenja
koncentracije NGAL-a, a i drugih biomarkera.
In a prospective clinical study of 40 patients with lupus nephritis, we examined signifi cance of determining urinary biomarker Neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (uNGAL). The aim of the ...study was to monitor and compare the parameters of activity of lupus nephritis, between the examined and control groups of 20 patients each, at baseline, and 2 and 4 months after the start of treatment. Statistically signifi cant correlations were obtained between urinary NGAL, and anti-ds DNA antibodies, 24h. proteinuria, urinary protein to creatinine ratio (Upr/cr), and SLEDAI/r score. Comparing with other parameters of activity of lupus nephritis, it was noticed that uNGAL is the most statistically significant parameter. The results show the importance in the diagnosis of disease activity, and in confi rmation of remission of lupus nephritis, which can result in application of more appropriate therapeutic modality and individual approach to treatment. This study suggests that the determination of uNGAL in patients with lupus nephritis in daily clinical practice can contribute to the optimal effect of treatment.
U prospektivnoj kliničkoj studiji na 40 bolesnika sa lupus nefritisom, ispitivan je značaj određivanja urinarnog biomarkera: Lipo-kalina udruženog sa neutrofilnom gelatinazom (NGAL). Cilj studije bilo je praćenje i poređenje odnosa parametara aktivnosti lupus nefritisa, između ispitivane i kontrolne grupe (po 20 bolesnika) na početku lečenja i 2 i 4 meseca po započinjanju lečenja. Statistički značajne korelacije dobijene su između urinarnog NGAL-a i anti ds-DNA antitela, 24č. proteinurije, odnosa urinarnih proteina i kreatinina (Upr/kre), SLEDAI/r skora. Poređenjem sa drugim parametrima aktivnosti lupus nefritisa, zapaženo je da je u/NGAL statistički najsignifikantniji pokazatelj. Rezultati su ukazali na značaj u dijagnostikovanju aktivnosti bolesti, odnosno potvrdi remisije lupus nefritisa, čime se može primeniti adekvatniji terapijski modalitet i individualni pristup lečenju. Ova studija ukazuje da bi određivanje urinarnog NGAL kod bolesnika sa lupus nefritisom u svakodnevnom kliničkom radu doprinelo najoptimalnijem učinku lečenja.