title: Plasma brain-derived neurotrophic factor levels after severe traumatic brain injury.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) is associated with a 30-70% mortality rate. Nevertheless, in clinical practice there are no effective biomarkers for the prediction of fatal outcome following severe TBI. Therefore, the aim was to determine whether brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) plasma levels are associated with intensive care unit (ICU) mortality in patients with severe TBI.
  
  
  METHODS
  This prospective study enrolled 120 male patients who suffered severe TBI (Glasgow Coma Scale 3-8 at emergency room admission). The plasma BDNF level was determined at ICU admission (mean 6.4 hours after emergency room admission).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Severe TBI was associated with a 35% mortality rate and 64% of the patients presented severe TBI with multi-trauma. The mean plasma BDNF concentration among the severe TBI victims was 704.2 ± 63.4 pg ml(-1) (±SEM). Nevertheless, there were no significant differences between BDNF levels in the survivor (700.2 ± 82.8 pg ml(-1)) or non-survivor (711.6 ± 97.4 pg ml(-1)) groups (p = 0.238) or in the isolated TBI (800.4 ± 117.4 pg ml(-1)) or TBI with multi-trauma groups (650.5 ± 73.9 pg ml(-1)) (p = 0.109).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Plasma BDNF concentrations did not correlate with either short-term fatal outcome or type of injury following severe TBI.
authors.affiliation: a Programa de Pós-Graduação em Biologia Celular e Molecular Aplicada à Saúde .|b Laboratório de Biomarcadores do Trauma , Universidade Luterana do Brasil , Canoas , Brazil , and.|c Curso de Medicina , Universidade Luterana do Brasil , Canoas , Brazil.
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Simon
authors.affiliation: a Programa de Pós-Graduação em Biologia Celular e Molecular Aplicada à Saúde .
authors.forename: Rita Iara Moreira do
authors.initials: RI
authors.lastname: Nascimento
authors.affiliation: a Programa de Pós-Graduação em Biologia Celular e Molecular Aplicada à Saúde .
authors.forename: Edison Moraes Rodrigues
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Filho
authors.affiliation: b Laboratório de Biomarcadores do Trauma , Universidade Luterana do Brasil , Canoas , Brazil , and.
authors.forename: Jane
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Bencke
authors.affiliation: a Programa de Pós-Graduação em Biologia Celular e Molecular Aplicada à Saúde .|b Laboratório de Biomarcadores do Trauma , Universidade Luterana do Brasil , Canoas , Brazil , and.|c Curso de Medicina , Universidade Luterana do Brasil , Canoas , Brazil.
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Regner
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D000070642:Brain Injuries, Traumatic / Q000097:blood*; D019208:Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor / Q000097:blood*; D015600:Glasgow Coma Scale; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012372:ROC Curve; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D019208:Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor; C579455:BDNF protein, human
keywords: BDNF; biomarker; multi-trauma; outcome; severe TBI