Value of procalcitonin and lipopolysaccharide in identifying pathogens and evalu-ating therapeutic efficacy of hospital-acquired pneumonia / 中国感染控制杂志

Objective To explore the value of procalcitonin (PCT)and lipopolysaccharide (LPS)in identifying pathogens and evaluating therapeutic efficacy of hospital-acquired pneumonia (HAP).Methods A total of 110 HAP patients were enrolled in a prospective study,patients were divided into gram-negative bacterial infected HAP group (G- infected group,n=50),gram-positive bacterial infected HAP group (G+ infected group,n=30),and control group (nontypical pathogen or virus infected group,n =30).Serum levels of PCT,LPS and C-reactive protein (CRP)of patients were dynamically detected,receiver operating characteristic (ROC)curve and area under the curve (AUC)were adopted to assess the value of PCT and LPS in predicting pathogenic bacteria causing HAP. Results PCT and LPS levels of G - infected group were (3.43 ±1 .15)ng/mL and (0.20 ±0.08)EU/mL respec-tively,which were higher than G+ infected group ([0.42±0.12]ng/mL and [0.05±0.02]EU/mL respectively)and control group([0.14±0.08]ng/mL and [0.02 ±0.01 ]EU/mL respectively)(all P <0.05 ).Levels of PCT and CRP of G- infected group before and after therapy were both significantly different ([3.43±1 .15]ng/mL vs [0.63 ±0.22]ng/mL,[47.26±30.35]mg/L vs [9.21 ±6.54]mg/L,respectively)(both P <0.01).The levels of PCT, LPS,and CRP in moderate and severe patients were all significantly higher than mild patients ([5.43±1 .05]ng/mL vs [0.72±0.32]ng/mL,[0.33±0.07]EU/mL vs [0.09 ±0.04]EU/mL,[57.46 ±20.15 ]mg/L vs [8.25 ± 5.24]mg/L,respectively)(all P <0.05).Sensitivity and specificity of combined detection of PCT and LPS in dif-ferentiating gram-negative bacteria infected VAP from gram-positive bacteria infected VAP were 95.83% and 96.15% respectively,AUC was 0.95.Conclusion PCT and LPS have certain value in identifying pathogens of HAP,combined detection of PCT and LPS can increase specificity in identifying HAP type,and assess the efficacy of antimicrobial therapy in accordance with the dynamic change.

Determination of Bergenin in Roots and Stems of Ardisia Crenata by HPLC / 中国中医药信息杂志

Objective To find out the differences of bergenin content in Ardisia crenata from different regions and its different parts,and suggest its medicinal parts. Methods The bergenin content in different parts of Ardisia crenata was identified by TLC and determined by HPLC. Results The difference of bergenin content in different parts of Ardisia crenata was significant,and that in stems was better than in roots,which in the leaves was the lest. Conclusion The stem was regarded as the available medicinal resources and is worth exploiting.