title: The diagnostic value of apolipoprotein E in pediatric patients with invasive bacterial infections.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the potential diagnostic value of apolipoprotein E (ApoE) measurements in pediatric patients with invasive bacterial infections.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 185 pediatric patients were enrolled in this study, including 94 patients with confirmable infections and 91 patients without confirmable infections. Serum and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) ApoE levels were measured by immunoturbidimetry. The diagnostic values of ApoE were evaluated by the receiver operating curve (ROC) method.
  
  
  RESULTS
  ApoE levels in CSF were significantly increased in patients with bacterial meningitis, and serum ApoE was markedly elevated in patients with sepsis or with bacterial meningitis compared with patients with other infections and uninfected children. The optimal ApoE cutoff value for CSF was >1.7 mg/L with 85% sensitivity and 100% specificity and was >42 mg/L in serum with 80% sensitivity and 93% specificity.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  ApoE detection provided a novel diagnostic marker for invasive bacterial infections in pediatric patients.
authors.affiliation: The Clinical Microbiology Lab, Department of Nosocomial Infection Control, Children's Hospital of Fudan University, 399 Wanyuan Road, Shanghai 201102, China.
authors.forename: Chuanqing
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Yi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Aimin
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Pan
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Fu
authors.forename: Yi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yang
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001057:Apolipoproteins E / Q000097:blood* / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid*; D019540:Area Under Curve; D001424:Bacterial Infections / Q000097:blood* / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid* / Q000175:diagnosis; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D016920:Meningitis, Bacterial / Q000097:blood / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid / Q000175:diagnosis; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D012372:ROC Curve; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D018805:Sepsis / Q000097:blood / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid / Q000175:diagnosis
chemical_list: D001057:Apolipoproteins E; D015415:Biomarkers