title: Relationship between cytokine IL 6 levels and early-onset neonatal morbidity.
abstract: Perinatal infections exert considerably negative effects on morbidity and mortality of newborns.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  elevations of cytokine IL levels may be used as a marker of early-onset neonatal infections.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  to establish relationships between elevated IL 6 cytokine levels and neonatal morbidity (cranial and pulmonary).
  
  
  METHODS
  examinations of the umbilical blood for IL 6 values in 392 newborns weighing under 1500 g treated in Ceské Budĕjovice at the Intensive Care Unit and Unit of Intensive Care and Resuscitation.
  
  
  RESULTS
  a statistically significant relationship was demonstrated between elevations of cytokine IL 6 levels and pulmonary morbidity in newborns.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  the authors recommend examination of cytokine IL levels in the umbilical blood with a possibility to acquire the result within 2 hours after the delivery, which makes neonatologists possible to initiate goal-directed antibiotic therapy.
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Health and Social Studies, South Bohemian University, Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic. hanzl@nemcb.cz
authors.forename: Milan
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hanzl
mesh_terms: D017668:Age of Onset; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood*; D005312:Fetal Blood; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007232:Infant, Newborn, Diseases / Q000097:blood / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000276:immunology; D007239:Infections / Q000097:blood / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000276:immunology; D015850:Interleukin-6 / Q000097:blood*; D009017:Morbidity; D011014:Pneumonia / Q000097:blood / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000276:immunology; D015995:Prevalence; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; C508600:IL6 protein, human; D015850:Interleukin-6