title: Efficacy of new leukocyte parameters versus serum C-reactive protein, procalcitonin, and interleukin-6 in the diagnosis of neonatal sepsis.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The aim of this study was to investigate and compare the efficacy of the new leukocyte parameters mean neutrophil and monocyte volume (MNV, MMV), conductivity (MNC, MMC), scattering (MNS, MMS) and volume distribution width (NDW, MDW) with serum C-reactive protein (CRP), procalcitonin (PC) and interleukin (IL)-6 in the diagnosis of neonatal sepsis.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 227 newborns (132 boys, 95 girls) were analyzed. There were 116 infants in the sepsis group (proven sepsis, n = 40; clinical sepsis, n = 76) and 111 in the control group. Venous blood samples were collected from infants at the time of diagnosis and complete blood count, peripheral blood smear, blood cultures, CRP, PC, IL-6 and MNV, MMV, MNC, MMC, MNS, MMS, NDW, and MDW were analyzed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  MNV, NDW, MMV and, MDW were higher in infants with sepsis than in controls (P < 0.05 for all). MNS was lower in the patients with sepsis (P = 0.002). There was no significant difference between the sepsis and control groups in terms of MNC, MMC and MMS.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Although the predictive value of leukocyte parameters including neutrophil and monocyte volume, conductivity, scattering and volume distribution width in the diagnosis of neonatal sepsis was lower than that of CRP, PC and IL-6, some of these new parameters may be useful in the differential diagnosis of newborn sepsis, along with the other screening tools. In particular, MNV seems to be the most useful parameter with the highest specificity; also, the importance of PC in the diagnosis of early onset sepsis was confirmed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Division of Neonatology, Faculty of Medicine, Hacettepe University, Ankara, Turkey.
authors.forename: H Tolga
authors.initials: HT
authors.lastname: Çelik
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, Hacettepe University, Ankara, Turkey.
authors.forename: Oytun
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Portakal
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Division of Neonatology, Faculty of Medicine, Hacettepe University, Ankara, Turkey.
authors.forename: Şule
authors.initials: Ş
authors.lastname: Yiğit
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, Hacettepe University, Ankara, Turkey.
authors.forename: Gülşen
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Hasçelik
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Division of Neonatology, Faculty of Medicine, Hacettepe University, Ankara, Turkey.
authors.forename: Ayşe
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Korkmaz
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Division of Neonatology, Faculty of Medicine, Hacettepe University, Ankara, Turkey.
authors.forename: Murat
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Yurdakök
mesh_terms: D002097:C-Reactive Protein / Q000378:metabolism*; D002116:Calcitonin / Q000097:blood*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D015850:Interleukin-6 / Q000097:blood*; D007958:Leukocyte Count; D008297:Male; D000071074:Neonatal Sepsis / Q000175:diagnosis*; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity
chemical_list: C508600:IL6 protein, human; D015850:Interleukin-6; D002116:Calcitonin; D002097:C-Reactive Protein
keywords: C-reactive protein; interleukin-6; leukocyte parameter; neonatal sepsis; procalcitonin