We use cookies to understand how you use our site and to improve your experience. This includes personalizing content and advertising. To learn more, click here. By continuing to use our site, you accept our use of cookies. Cookie Policy.

Features Partner Sites Information LinkXpress hp
Sign In
Advertise with Us
GLOBE SCIENTIFIC, LLC

Download Mobile App




Biomarker in Stools Helps to Diagnose Necrotizing Enterocolitis in Premature Babies

By LabMedica International staff writers
Posted on 20 Nov 2019
Identification of a novel biomarker will enable clinicians to better diagnose necrotizing enterocolitis, a devastating disease that affects premature infants.

Necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) is a medical condition where a portion of the bowel dies. More...
It typically occurs in newborns of either sex that are either premature or otherwise unwell. Symptoms may include poor feeding, bloating, decreased activity, blood in the stool, or vomiting of bile. Inflammation of the intestine leads to bacterial invasion causing cellular damage and cell death, which causes necrosis of the colon and intestine. About 7% of those that are born premature develop NEC. Onset is typically in the first four weeks of life. Among those affected, about 25% die.

Since intestinal alkaline phosphatase (iAP) activity is known to signal the chemical process triggering inflammation, investigators at Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center (New Orleans, USA) examined the abundance and enzyme activity of iAP shed in stools by newborns to assess the correlation of two iAP biochemical measures with NEC disease severity.

Intestinal alkaline phosphatase is secreted by enterocytes, and seems to play a pivotal role in intestinal homeostasis and protection as well as in mediation of inflammation via repression of the downstream Toll-like receptor (TLR)-4-dependent and MyD88-dependent inflammatory cascade. It dephosphorylates toxic/inflammatory microbial ligands like lipopolysaccharides, unmethylated cytosine-guanine dinucleotides, flagellin, and extracellular nucleotides such as uridine diphosphate or ATP. Thus, altered IAP expression has been implicated in chronic inflammatory diseases such as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). It also seems to regulate lipid absorption and bicarbonate secretionin the duodenal mucosa, which regulates the surface pH.

The current multi-center diagnostic study comprised 136 premature infants (gestational age, less than 37 weeks). Infant stool samples were collected between 24 and 40 or more weeks post-conceptual age. Enrolled infants underwent abdominal radiography at physician and hospital site discretion. Enzyme activity and relative abundance of iAP were measured using fluorometric detection and immunoassays, respectively.

The data showed that of the 136 infants, 68 (50.0%) were male, median birth weight was 1050 g, and median gestational age was 28.4 weeks. A total of 25 infants (18.4%) were diagnosed with severe NEC, 19 (14.0%) were suspected of having NEC, and 92 (66.9%) did not have NEC; 26 patients (19.1%) were diagnosed with late-onset sepsis, and 14 (10.3%) had other non–gastrointestinal tract infections.

Results of iAP analysis revealed that high amounts of intestinal alkaline phosphatase protein in stools combined with low intestinal alkaline phosphatase enzyme activity were associated with diagnosis of necrotizing enterocolitis. There was no association of intestinal alkaline phosphatase levels with non–gastrointestinal tract infections.

"Intestinal AP is the first candidate diagnostic biomarker, unique in its predictive value for NEC," said senior author Dr. Sunyoung Kim, professor of biochemistry and molecular biology at Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center. "It is correlated only with NEC and is not associated with sepsis or other non-GI infections. The clinical potential of this noninvasive tool lies in its use to identify infants most at risk to develop NEC, to facilitate management of feeding and antibiotic regimens, and monitor response to treatment."

The study was published in the November 8, 2019, online edition of the journal JAMA Network Open.

Related Links:
Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center


Gold Member
Fully Automated Cell Density/Viability Analyzer
BioProfile FAST CDV
3-Part Differential Hematology Analyzer
Swelab Alfa Plus Sampler
New
Mini Vortex Mixer
Vornado
New
cDNA Synthesis Kit
Ultimate cDNA Synthesis Kit
Read the full article by registering today, it's FREE! It's Free!
Register now for FREE to LabMedica.com and get access to news and events that shape the world of Clinical Laboratory Medicine.
  • Free digital version edition of LabMedica International sent by email on regular basis
  • Free print version of LabMedica International magazine (available only outside USA and Canada).
  • Free and unlimited access to back issues of LabMedica International in digital format
  • Free LabMedica International Newsletter sent every week containing the latest news
  • Free breaking news sent via email
  • Free access to Events Calendar
  • Free access to LinkXpress new product services
  • REGISTRATION IS FREE AND EASY!
Click here to Register








Channels

Clinical Chemistry

view channel
Image: New automated lab procedures can detect opioids in tiny amounts of blood (Photo courtesy of Tripathi Lab/Brown University)

First-Of-Its-Kind Quantitative Method Assesses Opioid Exposure in Newborns

As the opioid crisis continues to impact communities across the United States, laboratories encounter significant difficulties in accurately detecting opioid substances in individuals with opioid use disorder.... Read more

Hematology

view channel
Image: CitoCBC is the world first cartridge-based CBC to be granted CLIA Waived status by FDA (Photo courtesy of CytoChip)

Disposable Cartridge-Based Test Delivers Rapid and Accurate CBC Results

Complete Blood Count (CBC) is one of the most commonly ordered lab tests, crucial for diagnosing diseases, monitoring therapies, and conducting routine health screenings. However, more than 90% of physician... Read more

Immunology

view channel
Image: T cell immunity could be a marker for early Parkinson’s treatment (Photo courtesy of Shutterstock)

T Cells in Blood Can Detect Parkinson's Years Before Diagnosis

Diagnosing Parkinson’s disease before the appearance of motor symptoms remains one of neurology’s most significant challenges. Patients can go years—even decades—without a diagnosis, as subtle early indicators... Read more

Microbiology

view channel
Image: A prototype of the lateral flow test (Photo courtesy of University of Exeter)

POC Lateral Flow Test Detects Deadly Fungal Infection Faster Than Existing Techniques

Diagnosing mucormycosis—an aggressive and often deadly fungal infection—remains a major challenge due to the disease’s rapid progression and the lack of fast, accurate diagnostic tools. The problem became... Read more
Copyright © 2000-2025 Globetech Media. All rights reserved.