[Predictive value of plasma interleukin-6 level in the diagnosis of early neonatal sepsis]

Neonatal sepsis is one of the common causes of neonatal mortality and morbidity. This study was aimed to evaluate the plasma interleukin-6 [IL-6] level as an early marker of neonatal sepsis. This study was conducted on 142 term neonates admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit of Kashan Shahid Beheshti hospital during 2010-11. The plasma IL-6 level of cases was determined using the electrochemiluminescence method. Ten icteric neonates with no signs or symptoms of sepsis were treated with phototherapy. Bactec blood culture was performed in 132 cases of suspected sepsis. Ten cases had positive blood culture and 122 negative blood culture with symptoms of sepsis. Then the levels of IL-6, in10 positive blood culture, 10 negative blood culture and another 10 cases with no symptoms of sepsis, were compared using Kruskal-Wallis test. Seventy-four cases were male and 68 were female. The incidence of neonatal sepsis was 7%. The most common bacterial agents were group B Streptococcus and Staphylococcus epidermidis. Tachypnea [35.9%] was the most common sign among the admitted neonates. The mean IL-6 level in the first [suspected sepsis with a positive blood culture], the second [suspected sepsis with a negative blood culture] and the control group [icteric neonates] were 1545.65, 14.79 and 11.04 micro g/dl, respectively [P=0.001]. The plasma IL-6 level can be a good predictor of early neonatal sepsis

Pattern of congenital malformations in consanguineous versus nonconsanguineous marriages in Kashan, Islamic Republic of Iran

This study determined the types, patterns and prevalence of congenital malformation among the offspring of consanguineous and nonconsanguineous parents. In this prospective study of 3529 neonates delivered alive during a 1-year period, 109 had congenital malformations [3.09/1000 live births]. The rate of congenital malformation was 2.0% among neonates from nonconsanguineous marriages and 7.0% from consanguineous marriages. The most common malformations were genitourinary [32.1%], musculoskeletal [22.0%] and cardiovascular [14.7%]. Of the total malformed infants, 8.3% died within the neonatal period. Male infants were at greater risk for birth malformations. A history of congenital malformation was more common in siblings of consanguineous than nonconsanguineous marriages

Bacterial culture of neonatal sepsis

Neonatal bacterial sepsis is one of the major cause of morbidity and mortality in neonates. This retrospective study was performed to determine the incidence of bacterial sepsis with focus on Gram negative organisms in neonates admitted at Beheshti Hospital in Kashan, during a 3-yr period, from September 2002 to September 2005. Blood culture was performed on all neonates with risk factors or signs of suggestive sepsis. Blood samples were cultured using brain heart infusion [BHI] broth according to standard method. From the 1680 neonates 36% had positive blood culture for Pseudomans aerugi-nosa, 20.7% for Coagulase negative Staphylococci, and 17% for Klebsiella spp. Gram-negative organisms accounted for 72.1% of all positive cultures. The overall mortality rate was 19.8% [22/111] of whom 63.6% [14/22] were preterm. Pseudomona aeruginosa and Klebsiella spp. showed a high degree of resistance to commonly used antibiotics [ampicillin, gentamicin] as well as third generation cephalosporins. Continued local surveillance studies are urged to monitor emerging antimicrobial resistance and to guide interventions to minimize its occurrence