en تخصصي Special پژوهشي Research <div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color:#339999;"><span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"><strong>Background and Objective:</strong></span></span></span><span style="color:#000000;"><span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"> The prognosis of early neonatal sepsis is significantly associated with rapid diagnosis and appropriate antibiotic therapy. Since blood culture has been reported positive in less than 16% of neonatal sepsis cases, various biochemical markers have been evaluated. This study was performed to evaluate the umbilical cord blood procalcitonin (PCT) as an early diagnostic marker of early neonatal sepsis.</span></span></span><br> <span style="color:#339999;"><span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"><strong>Methods:</strong></span></span></span><span style="color:#336666;"><span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"> </span></span></span><span style="color:#000000;"><span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;">This cross-sectional study included 100 neonates in two groups of case and control. The case group consisted of three separate groups, including proven, suspected and clinical sepsis groups. The PCT level of umbilical cord blood was measured by immunoluminoassay method, and PCT 0.5-2ng/ml, 2-10 ng/ml and >10ng/ml were considered weakly positive, positive and strongly positive, respectively. Sepsis screening tests and a culture taken from blood or other sterile fluids were studied in the case group.</span></span></span><br> <span style="color:#339999;"><span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"><strong>Findings:</strong></span></span></span><span style="color:#000000;"><span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"> The PCT mean was 1.39&plusmn;1.52 and 0.17&plusmn;0.05ng/ml in the case (sepsis) and control groups, respectively. Finally, the PCT level was significantly higher in all cases in the proven sepsis group than in other sepsis groups.</span></span></span><br> <span style="color:#339999;"><span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"><strong>Conclusion:</strong></span></span></span><span style="color:#000000;"><span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"> The result of this study showed that the mean value of PCT level in umbilical cord blood was higher in the sepsis group, and it was higher in the proven sepsis group than in the other two groups of sepsis.</span></span></span></div> <gdiv></gdiv> Neonatal Sepsis, Procalcitonin, Umbilical Cord 509 515 http://caspianjp.ir/browse.php?a_code=A-10-47-4&slc_lang=en&sid=1 Zahra Akbarian-rad zhr_akbarian@yahoo.com 10031947532846002812 10031947532846002812 No Associate Professor, Non-Communicable Pediatric Disease Research Center, Health Research Institute, Babol University of Medical Sciences, Babol, I.R.Iran Shaghayegh Ehsani shaghayegh.ehsani@yahoo.com 10031947532846002813 10031947532846002813 No Clinical Research Development Unite of Rouhani Hospital, Babol University of Medical Sciences, Babol,I.R.Iran Mahmoud Hajiahmadi m.hajiahmadi@mubabol.ac.ir 10031947532846002814 10031947532846002814 No Student Committee Research, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Babol University of Medical Sciences, Babol, Iran Mohsen Haghshenas-Mojaveri matia.mojaveri@yahoo.com 10031947532846002815 10031947532846002815 Yes Infertility and Reproductive Health Research Center, Health Research Institute, Babol University of Medical Sciences, Babol, I.R.Iran