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Cord blood TNF-α and IL-6 levels as diagnostic indicators of brain damage in neonates with non-asphyxia fetal distress

  • Maternal-Fetal Medicine
  • Published:
Archives of Gynecology and Obstetrics Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Purpose

We investigated prospectively cord blood TNF-α and IL-6 levels as diagnostic indicators of brain damage in neonates with non-asphyxia fetal distress.

Methods

Eighty neonates delivered by cesarean section from January 2013 to December 2014 were enrolled. Magnetic resonance imaging was conducted to determine brain damage. Neonates were assigned to a healthy control group (n = 30) or, with fetal distress, apportioned to groups with or without brain damage (n = 20 and 30, respectively). After delivery, the umbilical arterial blood of all neonates was harvested. Serum tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) and interleukin 6 (IL-6) levels were evaluated to investigate a correlation between cord blood TNF-α and IL-6 levels and brain damage caused by non-asphyxia fetal distress.

Results

The TNF-α and IL-6 levels in the cord blood of brain-damaged neonates with fetal distress (75.63 ± 7.68 and 217.95 ± 25.15 pg/mL, respectively) were significantly higher than that of neonates with fetal distress without brain damage (43.67 ± 5.54, 119.08 ± 12.30 pg/mL) or the healthy neonates (42.35 ± 6.63, 128.46 ± 16.15 pg/mL); the latter two groups were comparable for both TNF-α and IL-6. The receiver operating characteristic curve showed that when TNF-α (IL-6) reached 53.23 pg/mL (156.23 pg/mL), the specificity and sensitivity for diagnosis of brain damage was 80.3% (82.5%) and 90.1% (81.5%), respectively.

Conclusion

Monitoring TNF-α and IL-6 levels in umbilical cord blood may assist early diagnosis of brain damage in neonates with non-asphyxia fetal distress.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by grants from Yantian District of Shenzhen City Science and Technology Bureau (No. 2013004).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Seventh People’s Hospital of Shenzhen, Shenzhen, 518081, China

    Chunfang Tian & Xiaoshan Gu

  2. Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Fourth People’s Hospital of Shenzhen, Shenzhen, 518033, China

    Liqin Cheng

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  1. Chunfang Tian
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Correspondence to Chunfang Tian.

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The Seventh People’s Hospital of Shenzhen Ethics Committee approved this study.

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Tian, C., Cheng, L. & Gu, X. Cord blood TNF-α and IL-6 levels as diagnostic indicators of brain damage in neonates with non-asphyxia fetal distress. Arch Gynecol Obstet 295, 337–342 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00404-016-4241-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00404-016-4241-4

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