Evaluation of the Diagnostic and Prognostic Potential of Circulating miR-34a in Neonatal Sepsis

Abstract

eonatal sepsis is a complex syndrome characterized by systemic inflammatory response. The high mortality rate of neonatal sepsis is contributed to late diagnosis and improper management. The symptoms of neonatal sepsis are influenced by the time of exposure, inoculum size, the infant's immunological state, and the pathogenicity of the causative agent. Thus, they are categorized into early and late onset sepsis. Researchers starts to link genetic variations with sepsis pathogenesis, to search for their clinical utility as diagnostic, prognostic and therapeutic markers. The aim of this research is to examine miR-34as diagnostic and prognostic utility in newborns who have sepsis and compare them to healthy babies by using real-time PCR. This study was conducted on 70 babies from NICU of Ain Shams University hospital and permitted by Ain Shams ethical committee. Neonates were classified into two groups: 35 neonate with sepsis and 35 healthy neonates. In consideration, these neonates’ ages were ≥ 35 weeks, had no Congenital anomalies, Chromosomal abnormalities and had not been given any kind of antibiotics before obtaining blood specimens from them. Moreover, the study didn’t preclude neonates with an inborn error of metabolism or any surgical procedures. Healthy participants and babies with sepsis were matched in terms of