Changes in Procalcitonin and CRP before and after a non-infectious pro-inflammatory stimulus (talc pleurodesis).

<p>* The PCT values of three outliers (1 pre- and 2 post-pleurodesis) lied outside the margins of the graph and were not shown. N = 32 in each group (Wilcoxon Signed Rank test).</p

Procalcitonin levels in prediction of outcome of patients with pleural infection.

<p>Patients who had died or required surgery were compared with patients with pleural infection who did not die or require surgery.</p>*<p>paired t test or Wilcoxon signed rank test between case and matched controls.</p

Procalcitonin and CRP levels between empyema patients with purulent (n = 41) and non-purulent pleural effusions (n = 174);

<p>Mann Whitney Ranked Sum test.</p

Procalcitonin levels were not significantly different between patients with favorable or poor outcomes matched for age, gender and CRP.

<p>N = 97 in each group; Wilcoxon Signed Rank test.</p

H&E sections of kidney, liver, peritoneum and spleen.

<p>Microscopic analysis of abdominal organs and peritoneum was performed following intraperitoneal administration of dialysate (A-D) or dialysate with tPA and DNase (E-H) in the presence or absence of LPS (data with LPS not shown). Samples contained 5 μg/mL tPA and 2.5 μg/mL DNase, as appropriate.</p

DNase activity in the presence of vancomycin and gentamicin.

<p>The effect of increasing concentrations of gentamicin on DNase activity was measured in the presence of a constant concentration of Vancomycin. Inhibition of DNase activity, visible as smearing (incomplete digestion) of DNA (Lanes 4–8), was evident at Gentamicin concentrations >35 μg/mL. Samples contained 5 μg/mL tPA and 2.5 μg/mL DNase, as appropriate.</p

DNase activity after 6 hours incubation with tPA and antimicrobials or tPA and bacteria.

<p>The activity of DNase in the presence of different antimicrobial agents (Panels A & B) or bacteria (Panels C & D) was measured through digestion of 1 μg of pcDNA3 DNA. V+G = Vancomycin and Gentamicin, A = Amoxicillin, C = Cefazolin and F = Fluconazole. The effects of bacteria on DNase activity was assessed at baseline (T = 0) and following 6 hours incubation (T = 6) at 37°C. Samples were incubated with 5 μg/mL tPA and/or 2.5 μg/mL DNase, as applicable.</p

tPA and DNase do not influence antimicrobial activity.

<p>The effect of tPA and DNase on antimicrobial activity was assessed by measuring the survival of bacteria (with known sensitivity) to the antimicrobial agents over time in the presence or absence of tPA and DNase. All assessments were performed in triplicate and bacterial counts were calculated through spot counting of serial dilutions of bacteria. Data show is the mean number of cfu/mL at 6 and 24 hours as a % of baseline (error bars are the standard deviation). A = Amoxicillin, C = Cefazolin, V&G = Vancomycin and Gentamicin.</p

tPA and DNase do not directly affect the viability of <i>E</i>. <i>coli</i> and <i>S</i>. <i>aureus</i>.

<p>tPA and DNase do not directly affect the viability of <i>E</i>. <i>coli</i> and <i>S</i>. <i>aureus</i>.</p

Characteristics of D39 <i>S</i>. <i>pneumoniae</i> mutants used across experiments.

<p>Characteristics of D39 <i>S</i>. <i>pneumoniae</i> mutants used across experiments.</p