title: Serum amyloid A, procalcitonin, tumor necrosis factor-alpha, and interleukin-1beta levels in neonatal late-onset sepsis.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Sepsis is an important cause of mortality in newborns. However, a single reliable marker is not available for the diagnosis of neonatal late-onset sepsis (NLS). The aim of this study is to evaluate the value of serum amyloid A (SAA) and procalcitonin (PCT) in the diagnosis and follow-up of NLS.
  
  
  METHODS
  36 septic and healthy newborns were included in the study. However, SAA, PCT, TNF-alpha, IL-1beta, and CRP were serially measured on days 0, 4, and 8 in the patients and once in the controls. Töllner's sepsis score (TSS) was calculated for each patient.
  
  
  RESULTS
  CRP, PCT, and TNF-alpha levels in septic neonates at each study day were significantly higher than in the controls (P = .001). SAA and IL-1beta levels did not differ from healthy neonates. The sensitivity and specificity were 86.8% and 97.2% for PCT, 83.3% and 80.6% for TNF-alpha, 75% and 44.4% for SAA on day 0.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Present study suggests that CRP seems to be the most helpful indicator and PCT and TNF-alpha may be useful markers for the early diagnosis of NLS. However, SAA, IL-1beta, and TSS are not reliable markers for the diagnosis and follow-up of NLS.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, Eskisehir Osmangazi University, 26480 Eskisehir, Turkey.
authors.forename: Birsen
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Ucar
authors.forename: Bilal
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Yildiz
authors.forename: M Arif
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Aksit
authors.forename: Coskun
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Yarar
authors.forename: Omer
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Colak
authors.forename: Yildiz
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Akbay
authors.forename: Ertugrul
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Colak
mesh_terms: D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D002097:C-Reactive Protein; D002116:Calcitonin / Q000097:blood; D015740:Calcitonin Gene-Related Peptide; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn / Q000097:blood*; D007232:Infant, Newborn, Diseases / Q000097:blood*; D053583:Interleukin-1beta / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D011247:Pregnancy; D011498:Protein Precursors / Q000097:blood; D012372:ROC Curve; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D018805:Sepsis / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis; D000685:Serum Amyloid A Protein; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000097:blood
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; C000606589:CALCA protein, human; D053583:Interleukin-1beta; D011498:Protein Precursors; D000685:Serum Amyloid A Protein; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha; D002116:Calcitonin; D002097:C-Reactive Protein; D015740:Calcitonin Gene-Related Peptide