Urinary neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin for diagnosis of spontaneous bacterial peritonitis.

Cirrhotic patients with ascites are at high risk of developing spontaneous bacterial peritonitis (SBP). After exclusion of patients with acute kidney injury (AKI) or other infections, urinary neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL) levels were compared between two matched groups of Egyptian cirrhotic patients with ascites, mostly secondary to hepatitis C infection (98%). Group 1 had SBP (n = 41) and group 2 did not (n = 45).

Preoperative Serum IL-12p40 Is a Potential Predictor of Kasai Portoenterostomy Outcome in Infants with Biliary Atresia.

The standard-of-care treatment for biliary atresia (BA) is surgical restoration of bile flow by Kasai portoenterostomy. We aimed to study serum interleukin- (IL-) 12p40, a natural antagonist for the proinflammatory IL-12p70, and its relation to surgical outcomes of BA. The study included 75 infants with neonatal cholestasis: BA group ( = 25), non-BA cholestasis group ( = 30), and neglected BA group ( = 20), in addition to thirty healthy neonates serving as controls.