Assessment of serum zinc, selenium, and prolactin concentrations in critically ill children

Abstract

BackgroundIn critically ill patients, there are reduced stores of antioxidants, which are associated with increased organ failure and even higher mortality. Trace elements, especially zinc and selenium, are the cornerstone of the antioxidant defense in acute systemic inflammatory response syndrome. Prolactin (PRL) is the counterregulatory stress hormone that prevents cortisol/stress-induced lymphocyte apoptosis. The aim of our study is to detect the serum levels of zinc, selenium, and PRL hormone as important immunomodulators in critically ill children and to investigate the relationship between these immunomodulators and the severity of illness.Subjects and methodsThis was a prospective study that included two groups; group 1: 50 critically ill children within 72 hours of intensive care unit admission, and group 2: 30 healthy children as controls. Blood samples were collected from the two groups for zinc, selenium, and PRL level measurement.ResultsZinc and PRL levels were found to be decreased in critically ill children compared to control group, and these levels were inversely correlated with organ failure index and pediatric logistic organ dysfunction scores. Selenium levels were decreased in patients with sepsis and in patients with multiple organ failure.ConclusionSerum concentrations of zinc and PRL are generally low in critically ill children, with a greater decrease in patients with sepsis and in the presence of multiple organ failure. The levels of zinc and PRL are inversely correlated with severity of illness. Selenium levels were decreased in patients with sepsis and in patients with multiple organ failure.

Changes in the Saliva Proteome of Pigs with Diarrhoea Caused by Escherichia coli

“…It is involved in the immune response and can inhibit the growth of bacterial species [ 19 ]. The decrease in PIP found in our study could be related to a decrease in prolactin, which has been described in pigs with inflammation [ 20 ] and humans with sepsis [ 21 ].…”

The acute phase serum zinc concentration is a reliable biomarker for predicting the functional outcome after spinal cord injury

“…Nangliya et al also reported that serum zinc concentrations were correlated with the severity of liver cirrhosis [44]. In addition, Elmasry et al reported that the serum zinc concentrations were inversely correlated with the organ failure index and organ dysfunction score in critically ill children in the pediatric intensive-care unit [45,46]. Although the mechanism of disease-related zinc concentration was unclear in these previous reports, our results suggest that amount of infiltrating monocytes with these inflammatory conditions was related with disease severity and inversely associated with the zinc serum concentration.…”

The Correlation Between Whole Blood Copper and Zinc Levels and Sepsis-Induced Left Ventricular Systolic Dysfunction (SILVSD) in Patients with Septic Shock: A Single-Center Prospective Observational Study

“…Excessive Cu in the human organism has been recognized in cell damage in sepsis and HF because it is involved in production of ROS and results in deterioration of the in ammation and cardiac systolic dysfunction. Previous studies had shown that hypozincemia was associated with lymphopenia, thymic atrophy and dysfunction of cell-and antibody-mediated immunity (49,50), which could decrease lots of pre-B and pre-T cells lead to the immune paralysis in both sepsis and cardiac dysfunction (51,52). Studies revealed that elevated TNT was related to higher short-term or long-term morality in patients with sepsis or septic shock (53,54).…”