Definitions for procalcitonin
pro·cal·ci·tonin

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1. Procalcitonin

   Procalcitonin (PCT) is a peptide precursor of the hormone calcitonin, the latter being involved with calcium homeostasis. It arises once preprocalcitonin is cleaved by endopeptidase. It was first identified by Leonard J. Deftos and Bernard A. Roos in the 1970s. It is composed of 116 amino acids and is produced by parafollicular cells (C cells) of the thyroid and by the neuroendocrine cells of the lung and the intestine. The level of procalcitonin in the blood stream of healthy individuals is below the limit of detection (0.01 µg/L) of clinical assays. The level of procalcitonin rises in a response to a pro-inflammatory stimulus, especially of bacterial origin. It is therefore often classed as an acute phase reactant. The induction period for procalcitonin ranges from 4–12 hours with a half-life spanning anywhere from 22–35 hours. It does not rise significantly with viral or non-infectious inflammations. In the case of virus infections this is due to the fact that one of the cellular responses to a viral infection is to produce interferon gamma, which also inhibits the initial formation of procalcitonin. With the inflammatory cascade and systemic response that a severe infection brings, the blood levels of procalcitonin may rise multiple orders of magnitude with higher values correlating with more severe disease. However, the high procalcitonin levels produced during infections are not followed by a parallel increase in calcitonin or a decrease in serum calcium levels.

WikidataRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Procalcitonin

   Procalcitonin is a peptide precursor of the hormone calcitonin, the latter being involved with calcium homeostasis. It is composed of 116 amino acids and is produced by parafollicular cells of the thyroid and by the neuroendocrine cells of the lung and the intestine. The level of procalcitonin in the blood stream of healthy individuals is below the limit of detection of clinical assays. The level of procalcitonin rises in a response to a proinflammatory stimulus, especially of bacterial origin. In this case, it is produced mainly by the cells of the lung and the intestine. It does not rise significantly with viral or non-infectious inflammations. With the derangements that a severe infection with an associated systemic response brings, the blood levels of procalcitonin may rise to 100 µg/L. In serum, procalcitonin has a half-life of 25 to 30 hours. Remarkably the high procalcitonin levels produced during infections are not followed by a parallel increase in calcitonin or a decrease in serum calcium levels.

How to pronounce procalcitonin?

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How to say procalcitonin in sign language?

Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of procalcitonin in Chaldean Numerology is: 5

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of procalcitonin in Pythagorean Numerology is: 5

References

1. ^ Wikipedia
   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Procalcitonin
2. ^ Wikidata
   https://www.wikidata.org/w/index.php?search=procalcitonin