TNF-α blockade with infliximab efficiently reduced the intestinal injury and preserve the intestinal tissues from severe intestinal damage by its complex mechanisms on NEC. Therefore, it may be an alternative option for the treatment of NEC.
Serum interleukin-33 level is up-regulated in neonatal sepsis, which might be used as a novel diagnostic marker and also a useful tool to predict prognosis in early neonatal sepsis.
Objective Endocan, a proteoglycan secreted by endothelial cells, plays a role in the pathogenesis of sepsis. Endocan is an effective diagnostic and prognostic biomarker of sepsis in adult patients. We evaluate the utility of endocan as a new biomarker in the recognition of late-onset neonatal sepsis (LOS) in preterm infants.
Methods This study included preterm infants at gestational age ≤ 32 weeks diagnosed with LOS. Sepsis was diagnosed in the presence of three or more clinical findings plus significant elevation of C-reactive protein (CRP) or interleukin 6 (IL-6) levels. Blood samples were obtained to determine leukocyte count, CRP, IL-6, and endocan levels immediately after the sepsis diagnosis and on the 3rd and 7th day after diagnosis.
Results A total of 102 preterm infants, 52 with LOS (21 proven, 31 suspected sepsis) and 50 controls, were included in the study. Mean leukocyte count, serum CRP, IL-6, and endocan levels were significantly higher in the LOS group compared with healthy controls (p < 0.001) at enrolment. Serial measurements showed no significant difference in CRP and IL-6 levels between the proven and suspected sepsis groups, while endocan levels were significantly higher at enrolment and on day 7 in the proven sepsis group (p = 0.003 and p = 0.01, respectively). The endocan levels of preterm infants who died were significantly higher at all time points (p < 0.001, p = 0.001, and p = 0.004, respectively).
Conclusion Endocan is an effective, reliable, and promising new biomarker for detecting LOS in preterm infants.
This study aims to evaluate hypoxia/ischemia and oxidant stress, and negative neurodevelopmental outcomes in small-for-gestational-age (SGA) infants. Two study groups were established as SGA and appropriate-for-gestational-age (AGA) infants. SGA infants were allocated asymmetric and symmetric SGA infants. Serum levels of neuron-specific enolase (NSE), ischemia-modified albumin (IMA), malondialdehyde (MDA), total antioxidant capacity (TAC), and total oxidant status (TOS) were determined and oxidative stress indexes (OSI) were calculated in all groups. Overall, 83 infants were diagnosed SGA, and 85 infants were determined AGA. TOS and OSI levels were significantly higher and TAC levels were significantly lower in SGA group ( < 0.05). MDA and IMA levels were significantly higher in SGA group ( < 0.05). NSE levels in SGA infants were significantly higher ( < 0.05). NSE and IMA were significantly higher in symmetric SGA infants ( < 0.05). TOS, OSI, MDA, TAC levels were not significantly different in SGA infants with abnormal neurological findings ( > 0.05); NSE and IMA levels were significantly higher in SGA group with abnormal neurological findings ( < 0.05). SGA infants expose to hypoxia and oxidative stress led to neuronal damage. We suggest that in addition to NSE, IMA blood levels might be a sensitive novel marker for predicting the severity of neuronal damage.
This study evaluates the redox state in occupationally arsenic-exposed workers (n = 71) by assessing the dynamic serum thiol-disulfide homeostasis. We determined the serum thiol-disulfide homeostasis parameters of exposed workers and controls (n = 43) using a novel automated colorimetric assay. Median urinary As and 8-isoprostane levels of exposed group were significantly higher than control group (16.40 μg/L vs 2μg/L, p < .001 and 2.28 ng/ml vs 0.54 ng/ml, p < .001, respectively). Disulfide level, disulfide/native thiol ratio, and disulfide/total thiol ratio were significantly higher in exposed group. The mean ceruloplasmine and myeloperoxidase activities of As-exposed group were significantly higher than control group (117.15 U/L vs 87.02 U/L, p = .035 and 148.53 U/L vs 97.75 U/L, p = .000, respectively). The median catalase activity did not differ in the two groups. Our findings revealed that As disrupts the thiol-disulfide homeostasis in favor of disulfide.
Background Diagnosis and treatment of patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) in premature infants is still an important problem for clinicians. Echocardiography is the gold standard for determination of PDA based on clinical and hemodynamic significance. Clinical decision making may be aided by measuring circulating biomarkers such as natriuretic and endothelial propeptides. We aimed to investigate the significance of serum endocan and B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) in the diagnosis and follow-up of hemodynamically significant PDA (hsPDA) in very low birth weight infants.
Materials and Methods In this study, 84 premature infants with gestation age less than 32 weeks were included. Forty-two premature infants with hsPDA were determined as the study group and 42 premature infants without PDA were assigned as the control group. Blood samples were collected and analyzed for serum endocan and pro-BNP levels.
Results Serum levels of pro-BNP and endocan in the study group at the time of diagnosis of PDA were found to be significantly higher than the control group, and the levels decreased significantly after medication. Multivariate regression analysis showed that birth weight and the presence of PDA were significantly correlated with serum endocan levels. The cutoff values of pro-BNP and endocan for PDA prediction were 290 pg/mL and 506 ng/mL, respectively.
Conclusion Endocan and pro-BNP assays have clinical importance in the diagnosis, initiation therapy, and follow response to therapy in very low birth weight infants with hsPDA.
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