title: Elevated circulating ghrelin, but not peptide YY(3-36) levels, in term neonates with infection.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Early diagnosis and treatment of neonatal infection is important to prevent morbidity and mortality. The gastrointestinal tract-derived hormones ghrelin and peptide YY (PYY), which participate in the regulation of food intake and energy balance, may also play roles in the inflammatory response. Their involvement in neonatal infection is not known.
  
  
  METHODS
  Plasma ghrelin and PYY(3-36) levels were serially measured (by ELISA) on Days 0, 1, 2, 3 and 7 following admission in 36-term neonates with febrile infection (22 of them were septic) and once in 20 healthy term neonates of similar postnatal age and gender distribution, as controls. Associations of ghrelin and PYY(3-36) levels with clinical and laboratory parameters, including anthropometrics, fever, leukocyte and platelet counts, serum glucose, C-reactive protein (CRP) and serum amyloid A levels, were assessed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Plasma ghrelin levels were significantly higher in infected neonates than in controls at each study day (p=0.009), whereas PYY(3-36) levels did not differ significantly between patients and controls at any day. In infected neonates, ghrelin levels on admission correlated negatively with serum glucose levels (p=0.003), whereas fever change during the course of infection was significantly associated with change of ghrelin levels (p=0.01). Receiver operating characteristic analysis of ghrelin levels resulted in significant areas under the curve (AUC) for detecting infected neonates on admission (AUC=0.728, p=0.005).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Circulating ghrelin, but not PYY(3-36), levels are increased in neonates with infection, possibly reflecting and/or participating in the inflammatory process.
authors: Tania
authors: T
authors: Siahanidou
authors: Alexandra
authors: A
authors: Margeli
authors: Chrysanthi
authors: C
authors: Tsirogianni
authors: Eugenia
authors: E
authors: Hantzi
authors: Ioannis
authors: I
authors: Papassotiriou
authors: George
authors: G
authors: Chrousos
mesh_terms: D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood / Q000652:urine; D002097:C-Reactive Protein / Q000032:analysis / Q000652:urine; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D054439:Ghrelin / Q000097:blood* / Q000652:urine; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007232:Infant, Newborn, Diseases / Q000097:blood* / Q000652:urine; D007239:Infections / Q000097:blood* / Q000151:congenital* / Q000652:urine; D008297:Male; D019894:Peptide YY / Q000097:blood* / Q000652:urine
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D054439:Ghrelin; D019894:Peptide YY; D002097:C-Reactive Protein