OBJECTIVE: To investigate the interaction between α-amylase (α-AMS) and inflammatory response in patients with ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) and their predictive value for prognosis. METHODS: A prospective cohort study was conducted. Patients with mechanical ventilation who were treated in the intensive care unit (ICU) of the Second Hospital of Hebei Medical University from June 2020 to June 2023 were enrolled, and the patients were divided into VAP group and non-VAP group according to whether VAP occurred. VAP patients were stratified into mild [acute physiology and chronic health evaluation II (APACHE II) < 10 scores], moderate (APACHE II were 10-20 scores), and severe (APACHE II > 20 scores) groups based on the APACHE II. All patients were followed up for 28 days. In addition, healthy subjects who underwent health examination in our hospital at the same time were selected as the healthy control group. Baseline data including gender, age, mechanical ventilation mode, mechanical ventilation time, underlying diseases, drug use, and laboratory test indicators were collected. The serum levels of α-AMS, interleukin-6 (IL-6), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), C-reactive protein (CRP) and other inflammatory factors were analyzed and compared. Pearson correlation analysis was performed to analyze the correlation between serum α-AMS and inflammatory factors. Logistic regression was used to analyze the influencing factors of poor prognosis in patients with VAP. The receiver operator characteristic curve (ROC curve) was plotted to evaluate the predictive value of α-AMS on the poor prognosis of patients with VAP. RESULTS: A total of 100 mechanically ventilated patients were enrolled, including 60 cases in the VAP group and 40 cases in the non-VAP group. Among the patients with VAP, there were 24 cases in the mild group, 20 cases in the moderate group, and 16 cases in the severe group. A total of 44 patients survived at 28 days, while 16 died. Additionally, 100 healthy individuals were included as the healthy control group. Serum levels of α-AMS, IL-6, TNF-α and CRP in the VAP group were significantly higher than those in the non-VAP group and the healthy control group, while the levels of α-AMS, IL-6, TNF-α and CRP in the non-VAP group were significantly higher than those in the healthy control group. There were statistically significant differences in serum α-AMS, IL-6, TNF-α, CRP levels and APACHE II scores among VAP patients with different disease severities, and the levels of the above indicators in the severe group were significantly higher than those in the moderate group and mild group, and the levels of the above indicators in the moderate VAP group were significantly higher than those in the mild group. Pearson correlation analysis showed that serum α-AMS was positively correlated with IL-6, TNF-α, CRP, and APACHE II scores (r values were 0.404, 0.392 and 0.493, 0.493, all P < 0.01). Univariate analysis showed that age, mechanical ventilation, diabetes mellitus, ventilation time, ventilation position, prophylactic use of antimicrobial drugs, and serum α-AMS, IL-6, TNF-α, CRP, and APACHE II scores were correlated with the prognosis of VAP patients (all P < 0.05). Multivariate Logistic regression analysis identified age [odds ratio (OR) = 1.340, 95% confidence interval (95%CI) was 1.119-1.605], tracheostomy (OR = 3.050, 95%CI was 1.016-9.157), diabetes mellitus (OR = 1.379, 95%CI was 1.102-1.724), and ventilation time ≥ 7 days (OR = 2.557, 95%CI was 1.163-5.623) and serum α-AMS (OR = 1.428, 95%CI was 1.098-1.856), IL-6 (OR = 1.543, 95%CI was 1.005-2.371), TNF-α (OR = 2.228, 95%CI was 1.107-4.485), CRP (OR = 1.252, 95%CI was 1.131-1.387), APACHE II scores (OR = 1.422, 95%CI was 1.033-1.957) were independent influencing factors for the 28-day prognosis of patients with VAP (all P < 0.05). ROC curve analysis demonstrated that serum α-AMS, IL-6, TNF-α and CRP exhibited significant predictive performance on the prognosis of patients with VAP. The best cut-off value for α-AMS had a sensitivity of 81.3%, specificity of 75.0%, and an area under the ROC curve (AUC) of 0.791, which was significantly higher than those of inflammatory markers IL-6, TNF-α, and CRP (P < 0.05). The combined parameter diagnostic performance was significantly better than those of individual parameters (P < 0.05), with the highest diagnostic performance when combined, corresponding to an AUC of 0.868 (95%CI was 0.798-0.938), sensitivity of 87.5%, and specificity of 79.5%. CONCLUSIONS VAP in mechanically ventilated patients can lead to an increase in the levels of peripheral blood α-AMS and inflammatory factors, and there is an interaction between α-AMS and inflammatory markers in severe VAP patients. These markers are closely related to the severity of the disease and prognosis and have significant implications for predicting patient outcomes.
Humans ; Pneumonia, Ventilator-Associated/diagnosis* ; Prognosis ; Prospective Studies ; Respiration, Artificial ; alpha-Amylases/blood* ; Interleukin-6/blood* ; Male ; Female ; C-Reactive Protein/metabolism* ; APACHE ; Inflammation ; Middle Aged ; Intensive Care Units ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha/blood* ; Aged

OBJECTIVE: To assess the effect of early abdominal puncture drainage (APD) on autophagy and Nrf-2/HO-1 pathway in rats with severe acute pancreatitis (SAP) and explore the possibile mechanism. METHODS: Thirty-two male SD rats were randomly divided into sham-operated (SO) group, SAP group with retrograde injection of 4% sodium taurocholate, APD group with insertion of a drainage tube into the lower right abdomen after SAP induction, and APD + ZnPP group with intraperitoneal injection of 30 mg/kg ZnPP 12 h before APD modeling. Blood samples were collected from the rats 12 h after modeling for analysis of amylase and lipase levels and serum inflammatory factors. The pathological changes of the pancreatic tissue were observed with HE staining. Oxidative stress in the pancreatic tissue was detected with colorimetry, and sub-organelle structure and autophagy in pancreatic acinar cells were observed by transmission electron microscopy. The expressions of autophagy-related proteins and Nrf-2/HO-1 pathway were detected using RT-PCR and Western blotting. RESULTS: Compared with those in SAP group, the rats with APD treatment showed significantly alleviated pathologies in the pancreas, reduced serum levels of lipase, amylase and inflammatory factors, lowered levels of oxidative stress, and activated expressions of Nrf-2/HO-1 pathway in the pancreas. The ameliorating effect of ADP was significantly inhibited by ZnPP treatment before modeling. APD obviously reversed mitochondrial and endoplasmic reticulum damages and p62 accumulation induced by SAP. CONCLUSION APD treatment can suppress oxidative stress and repair impaired autophagy in rats with SAP by activating the Nrf-2/HO-1 pathway, thereby reducing the severity of SAP.
Acute Disease ; Amylases/blood* ; Animals ; Autophagy ; Drainage ; Heme Oxygenase (Decyclizing) ; Lipase/blood* ; Male ; NF-E2-Related Factor 2 ; Oxidative Stress ; Pancreas/pathology* ; Pancreatitis/surgery* ; Punctures ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley

PURPOSE: Glyphosate herbicides (GHs) are widely used and increasingly associated with poisoning cases. Acute pancreatitis (AP) is among the many complications associated with the toxicity of GHs. We investigated the relationship between incidence of AP and its prognosis in patients with GH poisoning. METHODS: This was a retrospective cohort study conducted at a single tertiary hospital between January 2004 and December 2014. We enrolled all patients presented to the emergency department with GH poisoning. The Clinical and laboratory variables were analyzed to investigate the relationship between GH intoxication and AP. RESULTS: We studied 245 patients. Incidence of AP after GH poisoning was 6.5%. Patients with AP (mean 66 years) were older than the non-AP group (56 years). Systolic blood pressure, Glasgow Coma Scale, and amount of ingested poison differed significantly between the two groups. In the blood tests, white blood cell count, alanine aminotransferase, glucose, potassium, amylase, and lipase showed significant differences. The pH, bicarbonate, and lactate levels also differed significantly. Patients with AP demonstrated higher incidence of respiratory failure, pneumonia, acute kidney injury, rhabdomyolysis, and intensive care unit stay time. Additionally, 30-day mortality (n=11, 68.8%) was significantly higher in the AP group. On multivariate analysis, adjusted age, amount of ingestion, and lactate correlated with occurrence of AP. CONCLUSION: The incidence of GH-induced AP was 6.5% with a 30-day mortality of 68.8%. The patient's age, ingested dosage, and lactate levels were associated with GH-induced AP.
Acute Kidney Injury ; Alanine Transaminase ; Amylases ; Blood Pressure ; Cohort Studies ; Eating ; Emergency Service, Hospital ; Glasgow Coma Scale ; Glucose ; Hematologic Tests ; Herbicides ; Humans ; Hydrogen-Ion Concentration ; Incidence ; Intensive Care Units ; Lactic Acid ; Leukocyte Count ; Lipase ; Mortality ; Multivariate Analysis ; Pancreatitis* ; Pneumonia ; Poisoning ; Potassium ; Prognosis* ; Respiratory Insufficiency ; Retrospective Studies ; Rhabdomyolysis ; Tertiary Care Centers

Acute Disease ; Aged ; Amylases ; blood ; Humans ; Lipase ; blood ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Male ; Pancreatitis ; complications ; diagnosis ; diagnostic imaging ; Pancreatitis, Chronic ; complications ; diagnosis ; Panniculitis ; diagnosis ; diagnostic imaging ; etiology ; pathology

Drug-induced pancreatitis accounts for 0.1~2.0% of all pancreatitis cases. Generally, the mechanism of drug-induced pancreatitis is an immune reaction, accumulation of toxic material, and/or ischemia. However, how dapsone causes pancreatitis remains unclear. A 61-year-old man presented with a 2-week history of epigastric discomfort. He had taken dapsone for 2 months to treat psoriasis. Laboratory findings showed high blood glucose levels and metabolic acidosis; however, hemoglobin A1c was low. Serum amylase and lipase levels were elevated to 125/4,479 U/L. Abdominal computed tomography was indicative of pancreatitis. There was no causative history of pancreatitis and no other medication history except dapsone. Thus, we reached a diagnosis of diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) followed by dapsone-induced pancreatitis. The patient fasted and was treated with insulin administration and fluid hydration in accordance with treatment guidelines. After treatment, amylase and lipase decreased and symptoms subsided, but insulin injection was required to control blood glucose levels. Drug-induced pancreatitis is a very rare adverse effect of dapsone. Only four cases of pancreatitis related to dapsone could be found in a PubMed search. Moreover, diabetes caused by dapsone-induced pancreatitis has not been reported previously. Here, we report a case of DKA caused by dapsoneinduced acute pancreatitis.
Acidosis ; Amylases ; Blood Glucose ; Dapsone ; Diabetic Ketoacidosis* ; Diagnosis ; Humans ; Insulin ; Ischemia ; Lipase ; Middle Aged ; Pancreatitis* ; Psoriasis

Amylases ; blood ; Herbicides ; poisoning ; Humans ; Lipase ; blood ; Paraquat ; poisoning ; Poisoning ; blood

OBJECTIVETo investigate the changes in serum amylase (AMY) and lipase (LPS) and their clinical significance in patients with acute paraquat poisoning (APP).

METHODSThe clinical data of 62 APP. patients who were admitted to Guangzhou 12th People's Hospital in 2014 were retrospectively analyzed. With clinical death being regarded as the end point of observation, the 62 patients were divided into survival group (n=32) and death group (n=30). The fasting venous blood of the patients on the 1st, 3rd, and 7th day after admission were collected, and the AMY and LPS levels were determined; the obtained data were compared between the two groups and analyzed statistically.

RESULTSThe AMY and LPS levels of the survival group on the 1st, 3rd, and 7th day after admission were significantly lower than those of the death group (P<0.05); the AMY and LPS levels of the death group on the 3rd day were significantly higher than those on the 1st day after admission (P<0.05); the survival group demonstrated no significant changes in AMY and LPS levels (P>0.05).

CONCLUSIONChanges in AMY and LPS levels in APP patients are reliable indicators for the determination of poisoning severity and prognosis.

Amylases ; blood ; Humans ; Lipase ; blood ; Paraquat ; poisoning ; Poisoning ; blood ; mortality ; Prognosis ; Retrospective Studies

OBJECTIVETo explore the effect of Rhodiola on the expression of iNOS mRNA in severe acute pancreatitis (SAP) associated renal injury rats.

METHODSA total of 72 healthy rats were randomly divided into the sham-operated group (S), the SAP associated renal injury group (M), and the Rhodiola-treated group (RHO), 24 in each group. Rats in S and M groups were peritoneally injected with 10 mL/kg saline 3h before modeling, while rats in the RHO group were peritoneally injected with 10 mL/kg Rhodiola Injection 3 h before modeling. The peripheral ligament of pancreas was bluntly dissociated in rats of M and RHO groups. The head of pancreas was occlused by nontraumatic blood vessel forceps 3 h later to establish the model. Eight rats were randomly selected from each group at 12, 24, and 36 h after modeling to detect levels of serum amylase, creatinine, and blood urea nitrogen. Serum levels of interleukin 1β (IL-1β) and interleukin 10 (IL-10) were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Pathological changes of the left kidney were observed under light microscope. The expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) mRNA in the right kidney was detected with real time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR).

RESULTSCompared with the S group, serum levels of amylase, creatinine (Cr), blood urea nitrogen (BUN), IL-1β, IL-10, and iNOS mRNA expression significantly increased in the M group (P < 0.01). The function of kidney and pancreas were obviously improved in the RHO group than in the M group. Levels of IL-1β and iNOS significantly decreased, but IL-10 levels significantly increased in the RHO group with statistical difference (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONRhodiola had better protective effect on SAP associated renal injury, which might be achieved through inhibiting the expression of IL-1β, stimulating the expression of IL-10, down-regulating iNOS mRNA expression, reducing the generation of oxygen free radicals and NO damage to cells, and improving hypoxia tolerance capabilities of the kidney.

Amylases ; Animals ; Blood Urea Nitrogen ; Creatinine ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; pharmacology ; therapeutic use ; Interleukin-1beta ; Kidney ; Nitric Oxide Synthase Type II ; genetics ; metabolism ; Pancreas ; Pancreatitis ; drug therapy ; RNA, Messenger ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Rhodiola

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the therapeutic effects of recombinant Exendin-4 and double-stranded adeno-associated virus (Exendin-4/dsAAV) on SD rats with type 2 diabetes (T2DM) through injecting it into submandibular gland (SG).
 METHODS: The Exendin-4/dsAAV was injected into submandibular gland of diabetic rat. The insulin and α-amylase were detected by real-time PCR at the 2nd, 4th and 8th weeks. The immunohistochemisty was used to detect the insulin contents in SG at the 8th week. The concentration of blood glucose and levels of insulin secretion were detected after pancreatectomy.
 RESULTS: The SG gland was bigger in Exendin-4/dsAAV group than that in the control group, but the changes in α-amylase were not significant. The Exendin-4 and insulin gene expression was increased in the Exendin-4/dsAAV group (P<0.05). The Exendin-4 and insulin were positive in the SG. The blood glucose was lower and insulin concentration was higher in the Exendin-4/dsAAV group than those in the control group after pancreatectomy (P<0.05), and the insulin content was also increased in the dsAAV groups.
 CONCLUSION Continuous expression of Exendin-4 in SG may improve glucose control and insulin secretion in T2DM rats through inducing expression of insulin.
Animals ; Blood Glucose ; analysis ; Dependovirus ; Diabetes Mellitus, Experimental ; therapy ; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 ; therapy ; Exenatide ; Genetic Therapy ; Injections ; Insulin ; chemistry ; Peptides ; genetics ; therapeutic use ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Recombinant Proteins ; genetics ; therapeutic use ; Submandibular Gland ; chemistry ; Venoms ; genetics ; therapeutic use ; alpha-Amylases ; chemistry

OBJECTIVE: This study was performed to analyze the clinical variables associated with occurrence of delirium tremens (DT) in inpatients with alcohol dependence initially admitted with diseases unrelated to alcohol. METHODS: This study included 132 inpatients seeking treatment for medical problem with acute alcohol withdrawal. The cases were divided into two groups : with DT group (n=44), without DT group (n=88). We compared the epidemiologic data, alcohol withdrawal symptoms and serum analysis data between two groups. We used the logistic regression to predict risk factors for DT. RESULTS: The DT group had more severe alcohol withdrawal symptoms, more amount of drinking alcohol, more number of drinking per month, higher blood urea nitrogen (BUN), creatinine, amylase, C-reactive protein and lower serum total protein than the without-DT group. According to the result of a logistic regression, occurrence of DT showed correlation with the following factors : sweating, hallucination, agitation, amount of alcohol consumption, number of drinking per month. CONCLUSION: Our study suggests development of DT was correlated with severe alcohol withdrawal symptoms, high BUN, creatinine and low total serum protein. Therefore, during assessment of alcohol dependent patients, clinicians should keep these parameters in mind in order to prevent DT.
Alcohol Drinking ; Alcohol Withdrawal Delirium* ; Alcoholism* ; Amylases ; Blood Urea Nitrogen ; C-Reactive Protein ; Creatinine ; Dihydroergotamine ; Drinking ; Hallucinations ; Humans ; Inpatients ; Logistic Models ; Risk Factors ; Substance Withdrawal Syndrome* ; Sweat ; Sweating