title: Clinical significance of FABP2 expression in newborns with necrotizing enterocolitis.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  This meta-analysis aimed to determine the role of human fatty acid binding protein 2 (FABP2) expression in the diagnosis of necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) of newborns.
  
  
  METHODS
  Eligible studies for further statistical analysis were identified from various databases including PubMed, Expert Medica Database, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, Google Scholar, China BioMedicine and China National Knowledge Infrastructure. Random effects model was used, and summary standardized mean difference (SMD) with its 95% confidence interval (CI) was calculated to assess the association of FABP2 expression and NEC.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Ten articles which included 572 infants (262 infants with NEC and 310 healthy controls) were included in the current meta-analysis. FABP2 showed a positive relationship with NEC of newborns (SMD=2.88, 95% CI=2.09-3.67, P<0.001). And FABP2 expression was higher in patients with advanced stage of NEC (stage III or stage II+III) than in those with early stage of NEC (stage I) (SMD=-0.48, 95% CI=-0.87 to -0.09, P=0.015). Ethnicity-stratified analysis yielded significantly different estimates with a high FABP2 expression in NEC in both Caucasians (SMD=3.16, 95% CI=1.90-4.43, P<0.001) and Asians (SMD=2.57, 95% CI=1.50-3.64, P<0.001). Sample-based subgroup analysis showed that FABP2 expression was positively correlated with neonatal NEC in both urinary- and blood-sample subgroups (all P<0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results prove that the high FABP2 expression is related to the damage to intestinal cells, which may be a possible early detection marker identifying neonatal NEC.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatric Surgery, Qilu Hospital, Shandong Univeristy, Ji'nan, China.|Department of Pediatric Surgery, Linyi People's Hospital affiliated to Shandong Univeristy, Linyi, China.
authors.forename: Yu
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatric Surgery, Linyi People's Hospital affiliated to Shandong Univeristy, Linyi, China.
authors.forename: Liang-Fu
authors.initials: LF
authors.lastname: Jiang
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatric Surgery, Linyi People's Hospital affiliated to Shandong Univeristy, Linyi, China.
authors.forename: Rong-Peng
authors.initials: RP
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatric Surgery, Qilu Hospital, Shandong Univeristy, Ji'nan, China. wwzjad_106@163.com.|Department of Pediatric Surgery, Linyi People's Hospital affiliated to Shandong Univeristy, Linyi, China. wwzjad_106@163.com.|Department of Pediatric Surgery, Qilu Hospital, Shandong Univeristy, No. 106 West of Wenhua Road, Ji'nan, 250012, China. wwzjad_106@163.com.
authors.forename: Wen-Tong
authors.initials: WT
authors.lastname: Zhang
mesh_terms: D020345:Enterocolitis, Necrotizing / Q000209:etiology*; D050556:Fatty Acid-Binding Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn
chemical_list: C493404:FABP2 protein, human; D050556:Fatty Acid-Binding Proteins
keywords: fatty acid binding protein 2; meta-analysis; necrotizing enterocolitis of newborn; protein expression