Browsing by Subject "Procalcitonin"

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    A prospective study to identify preoperative serum parameters for spinal implant infection detected by sonication fluid culture
    (Springer, 2023-03-10) García Pérez, Daniel; García Posadas, Guillermo; San Juan, Rafael; Brañas, Patricia; Panero Pérez, Irene; Delgado Fernández, Juan; Paredes, Igor; Farmacología
    Purpose Low-virulent microorganisms identified on pedicle screws by sonication fluid culture (SFC) are an important cause of implant loosening. While sonication of explanted material improves the detection rate, the risk of contamination exists and no standardized diagnostic criteria for chronic low-grade spinal implant-related infection (CLGSII) are stablished. Besides, the role of serum C-reactive protein (CRP) and procalcitonin (PCT) in CLGSII has not been adequately investigated. Methods Blood samples were collected prior to implant removal. To increase sensitivity, the explanted screws were sonicated and processed separately. Patients exhibiting at least one positive SFC were classified in the infection group (loose criteria). To increase specificity, the strict criteria only considered multiple positive SFC (≥ 3 implants and/or ≥ 50% of explanted devices) as meaningful for CLGSII. Factors which might promote implant infection were also recorded. Results Thirty-six patients and 200 screws were included. Among them, 18 (50%) patients had any positive SFCs (loose criteria), whereas 11 (31%) patients fulfilled the strict criteria for CLGSII. Higher serum protein level was the most accurate marker for the preoperative detection of CLGSSI, exhibiting an area under the curve of 0.702 (loose criteria) and 0.819 (strict criteria) for the diagnosis of CLGSII. CRP only exhibited a modest accuracy, whereas PCT was not a reliable biomarker. Patient history (spinal trauma, ICU hospitalization and/or previous wound-related complications) increased the likelihood of CLGSII. Conclusion Markers of systemic inflammation (serum protein level) and patient history should be employed to stratify preoperative risk of CLGSII and decide the best treatment strategy.
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    Measurement of procalcitonin in saliva of pigs: a pilot study
    (BMC, 2022-04-15) López Martínez, María Jose; Escribano, Damián; Martínez Miró, Silvia; Ramis, Guillermo; Manzanilla, Edgar G.; Tecles, Fernando; Martínez Subiela, Silvia; Cerón, Jose J.; Medicina y Cirugía Animal
    Background: Procalcitonin (PCT) is a widely used biomarker of sepsis in human medicine and can have potential applications in the veterinary field. This study aimed to explore whether PCT could be measured in the saliva of pigs and whether its concentration changes in sepsis. Therefore, a specific assay was developed and analytically validated, and changes in PCT concentration were evaluated in two conditions: a) in an experimental model of sepsis produced by the administration of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) to pigs (n = 5), that was compared with a model of non‑septic inflammation induced by turpentine oil (n = 4), and b) in healthy piglets (n = 11) compared to piglets with meningitis (n = 20), a disease that usually involves sepsis and whose treatment often requires large amounts of antibiotics in farms. Results: The assay showed coefficients of variation within the recommended limits and adequate linearity after serial sample dilutions. The method’s detection limit was set at 68 μg/L, and the lower limit of quantification was 414 μg/L. In the LPS experiment, higher concentrations of PCT were found after 24 h in the animals injected with LPS (mean = 5790 μg/L) compared to those treated with turpentine oil (mean = 2127 μg/L, P = 0.045). Also, animals with meningitis had higher concentrations of PCT (mean = 21515 μg/L) than healthy pigs (mean = 6096 μg/L, P value < 0.0001). Conclusions: According to these results, this assay could be potentially used as a tool for the non‑invasive detection of sepsis in pigs, which is currently a topic of high importance due to antibiotic use restriction.