Thiol-Disulfide Homeostasis in Neonatal Patients with Urinary Tract Infection

OBJECTIVE

Urinary tract infection (UTI) is a disease that can cause significant complications in the neonatal period. The thiol-disulfide homeostasis is one of the important antioxidant defense mechanisms. The purpose of this study is to show the relationship between UTI and thiol-disulfide homeostasis in newborns.

STUDY DESIGN

In this prospective study, 40 newborns with UTI and 40 healthy controls were included. Thiol-disulfide tests (disulfide, native thiol, and total thiol levels) and septic screening tests were performed before and after antibiotherapy in UTI group. The control group was selected from healthy newborns who applied to the outpatient clinic.

RESULTS

The C-reactive protein and interleukin-6 levels were higher, while native thiol and native thiol/total thiol ratio were significantly lower in pretreatment group compared with posttreatment and control group. Also, the levels of disulfide, ischemia modified albumin, disulfide/native thiol ratio, and disulfide/total thiol ratio were higher in pretreatment group compared with posttreatment group.

CONCLUSION

The thiol-disulfide homeostasis is an important indicator of oxidative stress during infections. It is valuable to be detected with small amounts of serum in newborns. These molecules can be used to support the diagnosis of UTI in the newborn. Further studies are needed to define the role of thiol-disulfide homeostasis in the UTI of newborn.

KEY POINTS

· The thiol-disulfide homeostasis can be an important indicator of oxidative stress during infections such as UTI.. · The thiol-disulfide homeostasis of newborn is valuable to be detected with small amounts of serum in neonatal period.. · Laboratory tests such as white blood cell count, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, and C-reactive protein are not significantly different in UTIs..

Isolated thoracoschisis: Case report

Ardıçlı B, Karaman A, Özyazıcı A, Zenciroğlu A, Okumuş N. Isolated thoracoschisis: Case report. Turk J Pediatr 2017; 59: 217-220. Thoracoschisis is a rare congenital anomaly that refers to a congenital fissure of the chest wall. It is frequently accompanied with other congenital defects of the limbs and the abdominal wall as part of the limb-body wall complex, which is exencephaly/encephalocele and facial clefts, thoracoschisis and/or abdominoschisis and limb defects. Isolated thoracoschisis is a rare entity. We present a case of isolated thoracoschisis. A 24-week gestational age boy presented with a 3 cm chest wall defect in the left lateral 10th intercostal space and intestines herniating through the defect. There was no history of maternal drug use during pregnancy. Birth weight was 500 g. He underwent surgery. The intestines were reduced via the thoracic wall defect.