Minimizing blood loss and the need for transfusions in very premature infants

Reducing blood loss and the need for blood transfusions in extremely preterm infants is part of effective care. Delayed cord clamping is well supported by the evidence and is recommended for infants who do not immediately require resuscitation. Cord milking may be an alternative to delayed cord clamping; however, more research is needed to support its use. In view of concerns regarding the increased risk for cognitive delay, clinicians should avoid using hemoglobin transfusion thresholds lower than those tested in clinical trials. Higher transfusion volumes (15 mL/kg to 20 mL/kg) may decrease exposure to multiple donors. Erythropoietin is not recommended for routine use due to concerns about retinopathy of prematurity. Elemental iron supplementation (2 mg/kg/day to 3 mg/kg/day once full oral feeds are achieved) is recommended to prevent later iron deficiency anemia. Noninvasive monitoring (eg, for carbon dioxide, bilirubin) and point-of-care testing reduce the need for blood sampling. Clinicians should strive to order the minimal amount of blood sampling required for safe patient care, and cluster samplings to avoid unnecessary skin breaks.     

Elevation of Carbohydrate Antigen 19.9 in Benign Hepatobiliary Conditions and Its Correlation with Serum Bilirubin Concentration

Background Carbohydrate antigen 19.9 (CA19.9), a tumor marker for malignancies of the hepatobiliary tract and pancreas, has frequently been shown to be deranged in a number of non-malignant conditions that are associated with jaundice. This study aims to demonstrate the correlation between CA19.9 and serum bilirubin concentration in patients with benign conditions and to determine the frequency of a false-positive increase in CA19.9 in patients being investigated for potential HPB malignancies. Methods This is a retrospective review of 83 consecutive patients presenting with an abnormal CA19.9 and radiological or clinical features suggestive of HPB malignancy subsequently shown to have benign disease. All patients were thoroughly investigated and followed up until the diagnosis of malignancy could be safely excluded. Results Serum bilirubin, sodium, lymphocyte count, neutrophil:lymphocyte ratio (NLR), β-human chorionic gonadotrophin (HCG), and age were found to correlate with CA19.9 by Pearson’s correlation (P = 0.001, P = 0.006, P = 0.006, P < 0.001, P = 0.012, and P = 0.049, respectively). In multivariate regression analysis, bilirubin was identified as an independent variable that may predict CA19.9 level (P = 0.028). Conclusion CA19.9 level is significantly influenced by serum bilirubin and elevated levels have been observed in patients with non-malignant HPB conditions. Adjusting CA19.9 according to bilirubin levels is likely to improve the specificity of this antigen in the differential diagnosis of benign and malignant HPB diseases and its reliability in the monitoring of disease response to chemotherapy.     

Serum bilirubin value predicts hospital admission in carbon monoxide-poisoned patients. Active player or simple bystander?

OBJECTIVES:

Although carbon monoxide poisoning is a major medical emergency, the armamentarium of recognized prognostic biomarkers displays unsatisfactory diagnostic performance for predicting cumulative endpoints.

METHODS:

We performed a retrospective and observational study to identify all patients admitted for carbon monoxide poisoning during a 2-year period. Complete demographical and clinical information, along with the laboratory data regarding arterial carboxyhemoglobin, hemoglobin, blood lactate and total serum bilirubin, was retrieved.

RESULTS:

The study population consisted of 38 poisoned patients (23 females and 15 males; mean age 39±21 years). Compared with discharged subjects, hospitalized patients displayed significantly higher values for blood lactate and total serum bilirubin, whereas arterial carboxyhemoglobin and hemoglobin did not differ. In a univariate analysis, hospitalization was significantly associated with blood lactate and total serum bilirubin, but not with age, sex, hemoglobin or carboxyhemoglobin. The diagnostic performance obtained after combining the blood lactate and total serum bilirubin results (area under the curve, 0.90; 95% CI, 0.81-0.99; p<0.001) was better than that obtained for either parameter alone.

CONCLUSION:

Although it remains unclear whether total serum bilirubin acts as an active player or a bystander, we conclude that the systematic assessment of bilirubin may, alongside lactate levels, provide useful information for clinical decision making regarding carbon monoxide poisoning.     

Serum bilirubin as a predictor of incident metabolic syndrome: A 4-year retrospective longitudinal study of 6205 initially healthy Korean men

AimSerum bilirubin is an endogenous antioxidant with anti-inflammatory properties. Several cross-sectional studies have reported that bilirubin was negatively associated with oxidative stress-mediated diseases, including the metabolic syndrome (MetS). However, the clinical relevance of bilirubin as a risk factor for incident MetS remains controversial. For this reason, the longitudinal effects of baseline serum bilirubin concentrations on incident MetS were evaluated in Korean men.MethodsThis 4-year retrospective longitudinal observational study involved 6205 Korean men without MetS. Subjects underwent routine health examinations in 2007 and returned for a follow-up examination in 2011. Baseline serum bilirubin concentrations were determined using the vanadate oxidation method.ResultsDuring the 4-year period, 936 cases of incident MetS (15.1%) were identified. Its incidence decreased across baseline bilirubin quartile categories (P < 0.001), with an odds ratio (OR) for developing MetS being significantly lower in the highest quartile group (≥ 1.40 mg/dL) compared with the lowest (≤ 0.90 mg/dL) after adjusting for all confounding variables [OR = 0.70, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.54–0.90; P for trend = 0.019]. Among individual components of MetS, bilirubin was found to be negatively associated with only the risk of incident hypertriglyceridaemia. The OR (95% CI) for incident hypertriglyceridaemia in the highest vs lowest quartile was 0.75 (0.61–0.91; P for trend = 0.002).ConclusionSerum total bilirubin level was negatively associated with incidence of MetS in healthy Korean men over a 4-year period.     

2型糖尿病患者预估肾小球滤过率与血清胆红素的相关性

目的 研究2型糖尿病患者预估肾小球滤过率（eGFR）与血清总胆红素（TBIL）、直接胆红素（DBIL）、间接胆红素（IBIL）的相关性.方法 选取2011年11月至2012年9月于天津医科大学代谢病医院糖尿病肾病科住院治疗的2型糖尿病患者523例为研究对象,按eGFR分为肾小球高滤过组（133例）、肾功能正常组（194例）、肾功能轻度下降组（125例）、肾功能中重度下降组（71例）.比较各组TBIL、DBIL、IBIL水平,并行相关因素分析,多组计量资料间比较采用方差分析.结果 肾小球高滤过组各胆红素水平较肾功能正常组水平均明显下降[分别为TBIL：（10.9±4.0）比（12.5 ±4.5）μmol/L、DBIL：（3.8±1.6）比（4.4±1.7） μmol/L、IBIL：（7.1 ±2.8）比（8.0±3.1）μmol/L,均P＜0.05].肾功能中重度下降组TBIL、DBIL、IBIL水平较其他3组均明显下降（F=15.296、15.024、11.609,均P＜0.05）.在eGFR＜ 130 ml/min的人群中,eGFR的相关分析结果提示：eGFR与年龄、病程、总胆固醇、低密度脂蛋白胆固醇呈负相关（r=-0.307、-0.203、-0.149、-0.111,均P＜0.05）,与TBIL、DBIL、IBIL呈正相关（r=0.291、0.275、0.254,均P＜0.05）.结论 2型糖尿病患者血清胆红素水平与肾小球滤过率相关.     

Association of serum bilirubin levels with development and progression of albuminuria,and decline in estimated glomerular filtration rate in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus

Aims/Introduction

Recent observational studies suggest elevated levels of bilirubin, an endogenous anti‐oxidant, might protect against kidney disease. We carried out an observational cohort study to assess whether higher baseline levels of bilirubin, within normal range, could predict the rate of development and progression of diabetic nephropathy in patients with type 2 diabetes.

Materials and Methods

Japanese type 2 diabetic patients with normo‐ or microalbuminuria and normal serum bilirubin (<1.2 mg/dL) were recruited from a single center, and categorized according to baseline serum bilirubin levels. Two independent end‐points were specified: development or progression of diabetic nephropathy, based on transition to a more advanced stage of albuminuria (albuminuria cohort), and the rate of change in estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR cohort).

Results

Albuminuria and eGFR cohorts were constructed consisting of 1,915 patients and 1,898 patients, respectively, with 1,738 patients overlapping. Mean follow up was 4.4 and 5.4 years for the two cohorts, respectively. Within the albuminuria cohort, 132 (9%) of 1,418 patients with normoalbuminuria developed microalbuminuria, and 56 (11%) of 497 patients with microalbuminuria developed macroalbuminuria. Higher baseline bilirubin levels were associated with significantly lower risk of progression from microalbuminuria to macroalbuminuria in both the univariate and multivariate analyses. In normoalbuminuric patients, an inverse association was found when restricted to a subgroup with elevated hemoglobin A1c levels. There was no relationship between bilirubin levels and the rate of change in eGFR.

Conclusions

Higher serum bilirubin levels, within normal range, might be predictive of a lower risk of progression of nephropathy in type 2 diabetic patients.     

非增生型糖尿病视网膜病变患者循环胆红素水平变化及其预测价值

目的 探讨非增生型糖尿病视网膜病变（non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy,NPDR）患者循环胆红素水平变化及其预测价值。方法 选取2020年5月至2021年12月佳木斯市中医医院收治的100例2型糖尿病患者为研究对象。根据患者人工智能眼底照相筛查情况,将患者分为视网膜病变组（n=41）和非视网膜病变组（n=59）。比较两组患者的循环胆红素指标[直接胆红素（direct bilirubin,DBIL）、间接胆红素（indirect bilirubin,IBIL）、总胆红素（total bilirubin,TBIL）]水平;采用Spearman相关性分析探讨循环胆红素与糖化血红蛋白（glycosylated hemoglobin,HbA1c）的关系;采用Logistic回归分析探讨循环胆红素与NPDR的风险关系;绘制受试者操作特征曲线（receiver operator characteristic curve,ROC曲线）分析循环胆红素对NPDR发生的预测效能。结果 视网膜病变组患者的糖尿病病程、HbA1c、尿蛋白/肌酐比值均显著高于非视网膜病变组（P<0.05）,TBIL、DBIL、IBIL水平均显著低于非视网膜病变组（P<0.05）;Spearman相关性分析结果显示,TBIL、DBIL、IBIL均与HbA1c呈负相关（r=0.457、0.420、0.484,P<0.05）;Logistic回归分析结果显示,HbA1c是发生NPDR的独立危险因素（P<0.05）;TBIL、DBIL、IBIL均是发生NPDR的独立保护因素（P<0.05）;ROC曲线显示,TBIL、DBIL、IBIL预测NPDR发生的曲线下面积（area under the curve,AUC）分别为0.722、0.661、0.825,三者联合预测NPDR发生的AUC为0.913（0.844~0.992）。结论 NPDR患者的血清TBIL、DBIL、IBIL水平下降,其与HbA1c均呈负相关,三者联合检测对预测NPDR的发生具有一定价值。     

经皮胆红素动态监测在新生儿黄疸干预治疗中的作用

目的 探讨经皮胆红素动态监测在新生儿黄疸干预治疗中的作用.方法对962例新生儿在出生后1～7 d,每天对其进行经皮胆红素动态监测.对检测结果为阳性的患儿84例采血检测血胆红素水平,比较两种方法的阳性率,同时对高胆红素血症患儿给予枯草杆菌二联活菌颗粒治疗,观察治疗后的胆血素水平变化.结果 1～7 d新生儿经皮胆红素水平分别为（81.9±8.2）μmol/L、（181.7±32.3）μmol/L、（222.9±22.4）μmol/L、（230.6±20.5）μmol/L、（235.1±22.4）μmol/L、（233.7±21.1）μmol/L、（228.9±19.6）μmol/L,平均为（234.2±22.7）μmol/L.对84例经皮胆红素检测结果为阳性的患者儿进行血液胆红素检测,胆红素水平分别为（233.7±30.2）μmol/L、（215.5±28.7）μmol/L,两者呈直线性相关（r=2.55,P＜0.05）.干预治疗后血胆红素水平为（163.4±21.7）μmol/L,明显低于治疗前的胆红素水平（232.4±28.5）μmol/L（t=5.23,P＜0.05）.结论 经皮胆红素动态监测新生儿黄疸水平具有采样方便、操作简单的优点,对于早期发现和干预治疗新生儿黄疸意义重大.