CURCIO F.

Background: Procalcitonin (PCT) is routinely used for an early recognition of severe infections and for promoting appropriate use of antibiotics. However, limited data correlating values of PCT with etiology of infection has been reported. Methods: During 2016, all positive blood cultures (BC) were retrospectively extracted in a 1100-beds...

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Objective: To study the adipokines concentration and glucose homoeostasis in the early-second trimester of women who will develop gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM).Materials and methods: Maternal plasma and fetal amniotic fluid samples were prospectively collected between 2006 and 2007 at the time of mid-trimester amniocentesis. Eight...

Background: Retinol (ROH) is an essential micronutrient required for normal fetal development and an essential molecule for antioxidant processes. Objective: To investigate the putative role of ROH as a marker of preeclampsia in early second trimester amniotic fluid (AF). Materials and methods: Case–control study comparing the concentration of...

Background: Serum retinol binding protein (RBP4) is the binding protein for retinol, being delivered into the circulation through the carrier protein transthyretin (TTR) together with thyroxin (T4). RBP4 has also been recently indicated as a new adipokine implicated in insulin resistance and metabolism regulation. Objective: To investigate the...

Objective: In normal pregnancies, a hypoxic intrauterine environment seems necessary for early trophoblast development. In this context, maternal serum levels of ischemia-modified albumin (IMA) are elevated, reflecting the oxidative stress associated with placental development. The aim of this study was to evaluate IMA and pregnancy-associated...