title: (1-->3)-beta-D glucan is a diagnostic and negative prognostic marker for Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia in patients with connective tissue disease.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess risk factors for P. carinii pneumonia (PCP) and compare the outcome of survivors and nonsurvivors in patients with various connective tissue diseases (CTD).
  
  
  METHODS
  A retrospective study according to medical records recent 5 years was done to recruit patients with a definite diagnosis of PCP with CTD.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Fifteen PCP patients were recruited, 10 women and 5 men (mean age: 54.4 +/- 4.69 years). Positive cases of (1-->3)-beta-D-glucan (beta-glucan) were 13 cases out of 15 (86.7%). There was a significant difference between survivors and nonsurvivors in hypoalbuminemia (p = 0.02), and high levels of beta-glucan (p = 0.04).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These results suggested beta-glucan could be a diagnostic and negative prognostic marker of PCP.
authors.affiliation: Division of Rheumatology and Allergy, Department of Internal Medicine, St. Marianna University School of Medicine, Kawasaki, Japan.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Shimizu
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Oka
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Matsuda
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ozaki
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood*; D003240:Connective Tissue Diseases / Q000150:complications*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011020:Pneumonia, Pneumocystis / Q000097:blood* / Q000150:complications; D011379:Prognosis; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D047071:beta-Glucans / Q000097:blood*
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D047071:beta-Glucans; C033363:beta-1,3-glucan