title: [Diagnostic values of neopterin and S100b for central nervous system infections in children].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To study the diagnostic values of cerebrospinal concentrations of neopterin (NPT) and S100b for central nervous system infections in children.
  
  
  METHODS
  Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was used to determinate the cerebrospinal concentrations of NPT and S100b in children with central nervous system infections and control children. The two groups of children were compared in terms of the two indicators, and the diagnostic values of the two indicators were evaluated by ROC curve analysis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Children with viral encephalitis had significantly increased cerebrospinal concentrations of NPT and S100b compared with the control group and children with purulent meningitis (P<0.01); there was no difference in the cerebrospinal concentration of NPT between children with purulent meningitis and the control group, while the concentration of S100b in the purulent meningitis group was significantly higher than in the control group (P<0.01). According to the ROC curves, S100b was more valuable than NPT in the diagnosis of viral encephalitis; when cerebrospinal concentration was more than 0.384 ng/mL, S100b had a sensitivity of 93.3% and a specificity of 97.9%; a combination of the two indicators had a higher diagnostic value for viral encephalitis, with a sensitivity of 96.7% and a specificity of 97.9%.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Both NPT and S100b have certain values in the diagnosis of central nervous system infections in children, and S100b is better than NPT.
authors.affiliation: Children's Hospital Affiliated to Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu 215003, China. yan62bh@126.com.
authors.forename: Li-Ya
authors.initials: LY
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Yan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Mei-Fang
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Jin
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002494:Central Nervous System Infections / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid / Q000175:diagnosis*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D019798:Neopterin / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid*; D012372:ROC Curve; D064568:S100 Calcium Binding Protein beta Subunit / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid*
chemical_list: D064568:S100 Calcium Binding Protein beta Subunit; D019798:Neopterin