title: [Significance of soluble DLL1 in diagnosis of intracranial infectious diseases in children].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the significance of soluble DLL1 (Delta-like-1) levels of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and serum in the diagnosis of intracranial infection in children.
  
  
  METHODS
  Fifty children with intracranial infection, including 20 cases of tuberculous meningitis (TM), 20 cases of viral meningitis (VM) and 10 cases of purulent meningitis (PM), and 20 children without intracranial infection (control group) were enrolled. The levels of soluble DLL1 in CSF and serum were measured using ELISA.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The level of CSF soluble DLL1 in the TM group was significantly higher than that in the VM, PM and control groups (2.89 ± 1.72 ng/mL vs 0.14 ± 0.14 ng/mL, 0.27 ± 0.21 ng/mL, 0.13 ± 0.12 ng/mL; P<0.01). The level of serum soluble DLL1 in the TM group was also significantly higher than that in the VM, PM and control groups (12.61 ± 6.45 ng/mL vs 2.28 ± 2.27 ng/mL, 2.38 ± 1.79 ng/mL, 2.26 ± 2.10 ng/mL; P<0.01). The levels of soluble DLL1 in the CSF and serum in the VM and PM groups were not significantly different from those in the control group.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Soluble DLL1 as a novel indicator might have potentially important value in the diagnosis of TM.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, First Affiliated Hospital, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou 450052, China.
authors.forename: Jin-Yi
authors.initials: JY
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Yan-Jie
authors.initials: YJ
authors.lastname: Jia
authors.forename: Yong-Lin
authors.initials: YL
authors.lastname: Jia
authors.forename: Jing-Jing
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Lu
authors.forename: Li-Jun
authors.initials: LJ
authors.lastname: Jing
authors.forename: Tao
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Peng
authors.forename: Jing-Hong
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Li
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002135:Calcium-Binding Proteins; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D036341:Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins / Q000032:analysis* / Q000097:blood / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid; D008297:Male; D008565:Membrane Proteins / Q000032:analysis* / Q000097:blood / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid; D016920:Meningitis, Bacterial / Q000175:diagnosis*; D008587:Meningitis, Viral / Q000175:diagnosis*; D013492:Suppuration / Q000175:diagnosis; D014390:Tuberculosis, Meningeal / Q000175:diagnosis
chemical_list: D002135:Calcium-Binding Proteins; C512941:DLK1 protein, human; D036341:Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins; D008565:Membrane Proteins