title: [Changes in plasma thrombomodulin and D-dimer levels and their clinical significance in neonates with sepsis].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To observe changes in plasma thrombomodulin (TM) and D-dimer (DD) levels in neonates with sepsis, and to investigate their significance in evaluating the patients' condition and prognosis.
  
  
  METHODS
  Fifty-six neonates with sepsis were classified into extremely critical (n=13), critical (n=22) and non-critical groups (n=21) based on neonatal critical illness score (NCIS). Fasting venous blood samples were collected on admission and in the recovery phase. Plasma TM and D-dimer levels were measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and immune turbidimetry, respectively. Twenty-six healthy neonates were selected as the control group. Plasma TM and D-dimer levels were compared between groups, and the changes after treatment were determined.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Plasma TM levels in the extremely critical, critical and non-critical groups were 25.5±6.6, 17.3±4.7 and 13.3±2.8 µg/L respectively, significantly higher than in the control group (9.8±2.7 µg/L) (P<0.01). Plasma D-dimer levels in the extremely critical and critical groups were 744±262 and 436±147 µg/L respectively, also significantly higher than in the control group (205±61 µg/L) (P<0.01). The extremely critical group had significantly higher plasma TM and DD levels than the critical group (P<0.05), and the critical group had significantly higher plasma TM and DD levels than the non-critical group (P<0.05). All patients showed significant decreases in plasma TM and DD levels in the recovery phase after treatment (P<0.01). Plasma TM and DD levels were significantly negatively correlated with NCIS (r=-0.428, P<0.01; r=-0.363, P<0.01).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Determination of plasma TM and DD levels may be helpful in evaluating severity and prognosis in neonates with sepsis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, First Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang 050031, China. haolingyanh@sohu.com.
authors.forename: Ling
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Hao
authors.forename: Na
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Wang
mesh_terms: D005260:Female; D005338:Fibrin Fibrinogen Degradation Products / Q000032:analysis*; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D055503:Protein Multimerization; D018805:Sepsis / Q000097:blood*; D018180:Thrombomodulin / Q000097:blood*
chemical_list: D005338:Fibrin Fibrinogen Degradation Products; D018180:Thrombomodulin; C036309:fibrin fragment D