Umbilical Cord Bilirubin Level as a Predictive Indicator of Neonatal ‎Jaundice

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Neonatal jaundice is a major problem among infants in the first weeks of life. Research on several indicators of severe neonatal jaundice including alpha-fetoprotein  and umbilical cord bilirubin level has indicated contradictory results. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to evaluate the significance of umbilical cord bilirubin level as a predictive indicator of severe neonatal jaundice. METHODS: This prospective, cross-sectional study was performed on 102 healthy infants, born to healthy mothers at Babol Clinic Hospital, Babol, Iran. After birth, 2 cc blood samples were obtained from the umbilical cord and the bilirubin level was measured in the hospital laboratory. The infants were followed-up after hospital discharge in terms of jaundice presentations. In case jaundice was diagnosed in infants, they were compared in treated and untreated groups. FINDINGS: Clinical jaundice was not detected in 54 cases (52.94%). Overall, 48 neonates (47.05%) suffered from clinical jaundice and 10 cases (8.9%) presented with severe jaundice, requiring treatment based on the criteria proposed by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). The mean umbilical cord bilirubin level was 1.82±0.42 mg/dl in the untreated group and 2.36±0.56 mg/dl in the treated group (P=0.000). The area under the ROC curve for umbilical cord bilirubin level was 0.722 in the treated group, based on the AAP criteria. The cut-off point of 2 mg/dl showed 80% sensitivity and 73% specificity in predicting severe jaundice (requiring treatment), based on the AAP criteria. CONCLUSION: As the results indicated, measurement of umbilical cord bilirubin level and determination of a suitable cut-off point could be valuable in predicting severe jaundice in newborns

Evaluation of Serum Omentin Concentration and Its Association with ‎Cardiovascular Risk Factors in Patients Undergoing Hemodialysis

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Inconsistent findings have been reported regarding the concentration of serum omentin in patients undergoing hemodialysis and healthy individuals. Omentin is correlated with several cardiovascular risk factors such as obesity, metabolic syndrome, atherosclerosis and inflammation. This study aimed to compare serum omentin concentration between hemodialysis patients and healthy subjects and determine its correlation with cardiovascular risk factors. METHODS: This case-control study was conducted on 85 subjects divided into two groups of hemodialysis (n=55) and control (n=30). Serum omentin concentration and C-reactive protein (CRP) level were measured using ELISA and immunoturbidimetric method, respectively. Required data including age, cardiovascular risk factors, duration of dialysis, body mass index and history of cardiovascular diseases were collected via interviews and blood sampling and compared between groups. FINDINGS: In this study, mean age of subjects in hemodialysis and control groups was 50.81±13.39 and 49.70±9.32 years, respectively (age range: 19-80 years). Serum omentin concentration was significantly higher in patients undergoing hemodialysis compared to control subjects (2.15±1.46 vs. 0.78±0.07 &mug/ml, respectively) (p=0.0001). In addition, systolic blood pressure, blood glucose, creatinine and CRP were significantly higher in hemodialysis patients compared to control subjects, while levels of cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein, high-density lipoprotein and hemoglobin were significantly lower. Also, a significant positive correlation was observed between serum omentin and creatinine in all studied subjects (p=0.001, r=0.397). However, this correlation was not significant in patients undergoing hemodialysis. A positive correlation was found between serum omentin and blood glucose in the study population (p=0.001, r=0.590), and this correlation was less significant in hemodialysis patients (p=0.045 r=-244). Moreover, a significant negative correlation was observed between serum levels of omentin and triglyceride in hemodialysis patients (p=0.012, r=-244). No correlations were found between serum omentin and factors such as CRP, albumin, obesity and history of cardiovascular diseases or diabetes. CONCLUSION: According to the results of this study, omentin concentration has a significant increase in patients undergoing hemodialysis compared to healthy subjects. In addition, serum omentin in these patients is positively correlated with a number of cardiovascular risk factors