Presepsin (P-SEP) is a well-known biomarker for diagnosing sepsis. Although recent reports have demonstrated the usefulness of measuring P-SEP in the blood, there is insufficient evidence in other samples. This study aimed to explore the clinical usefulness of measuring P-SEP in pleural fluid, ascites, and urine. We used a fully automated analyzer (STACIA) to measure P-SEP levels and compared P-SEP levels with other clinical data. Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis, which was used to separate cases of positive culture test using ascites P-SEP level, showed that the area under the curve was 0.832. The sensitivity and specificity were 94.1% and 85.7%, respectively, when 1,842 pg/mL of ascites P-SEP was used as the cutoff value. In urine, the P-SEP/ creatinine ratio of patients who showed pyuria was significantly higher than that of the control group. The results suggest the possible usefulness of P-SEP in ascites and urine, for evaluating local infection.

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  Background: Sysmex UF-5000 urine particle analyzer can simultaneously measure urinary organic constituents and provide bacterial information (BACT-info). Reported here are findings of a retrospective review of BACT-info bacterial flag information provided by Sysmex UF-5000 and urine culture findings, with focus on bacterial count.
  Patients and methods: A total of 1011 patients were enrolled, including 465 males and 546 females. Sysmex UF- 5000 shows bacterial count as BACT-info, and at the same time estimates bacterial count and classifies the findings into Gram-positive, Gram-negative, Gram-positive/negative, and Unclassified.
  Results: The positive predictive value (PPV) of a BACT-info bacterial count ranging from 100-99,999/μL and urine cultures was 40.1% for all Gram-positive samples, and after dividing UF-5000 positive samples into groups A (100-999/ μ L), B (1000-9999/ μ L), and C (10,000-99,999/ μ L) was 34.4%, 46.2%, and 48.4%, respectively (P < 0.05). For Gram-negative samples, the PPV was 86.0% overall, and 52.1%, 87.8%, and 95.5% (P < 0.001) for Groups A, B, and C, respectively. In both Gram-positive and -negative samples, the PPV increased significantly with higher bacterial count.
  Conclusions: A higher BACT-info bacterial count leads to a more accurate determination of bacteria, suggesting that BACT-info could lead to appropriate selection of antimicrobial agents in the treatment of urinary tract infections.

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  Background; Ovarian cancer is associated with a high incidence of thromboembolism, and it has been suggested that the mechanisms, particularly when apoptosis is induced by chemotherapy, share common underpinnings with antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) -associated thromboembolism. A clinical study was conducted to elucidate the expression of antiphospholipid antibody (aPL) in patients undergoing various treatment steps.
  Methods; Fifteen patients with newly diagnosed ovarian cancer, primary peritoneal cancer, or fallopian tube cancer were prospectively and consecutively enrolled to measure lupus anticoagulants, anti-cardiolipin antibodies, and anti- PS/PT antibodies. The observational period for thrombotic events after blood sampling ranged from 5 to 13 months.
  Results; Six patients received systemic chemotherapy as neoadjuvant or adjuvant therapy before blood sampling; four patients had thromboembolic diseases, including cerebral infarction; and four patients had clear cell carcinoma. None of the patients showed aPL, regardless of chemotherapy induction. Univariate analysis showed no major clinical characteristics (advanced age, history of thromboembolisms, clear cell carcinoma, large tumor diameter, high body mass index, and advanced FIGO stage) that correlated with thrombosis, while the histological subtype of clear cell carcinoma was associated with elevated plasma D-dimer levels above 8.45 mg/L (P=0.03).
  Conclusions; Based on this pilot study with a limited number of patients, ovarian cancer and its treatment may have no direct association with the induction of APS or aPL, regardless of the clinicopathological background or induction of chemotherapy with cytotoxic agents. Further research in this area is warranted.

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