RESEARCH ARTICLE


Effect of Sample Processing Delays on the Values of Serum Based Biomarkers of Brain Injury Collected from the Umbilical Cord Blood of Neonates



Michael D. Weiss1, *, Nikolay A. Bliznyuk2, Candace C. Rossignol1, Livia Sura1, Melissa Huene1, Nicole Copenhaver1, Olena Glushakova3, Ronald L. Hayes4
1 Department of Pediatrics, Division of Neonatology, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, United States of America
2 Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, United States of America
3 Department of Neurosurgery, Virgina Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia, United States of America
4 Department of Clinical and Health Psychology, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, United States of America


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Creative Commons License
© 2019 Weiss et al.

open-access license: This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Public License (CC-BY 4.0), a copy of which is available at: (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/legalcode). This license permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.

* Address correspondence to this author at the Department of Pediatrics, Division of Neonatology, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, United States of America; Tel: 352-273-8985, Fax: 352-273-9054, E-mail: mweiss@ufl.edu


Abstract

Background:

When a neonate is born with suspected brain injury, blood samples are often obtained from the umbilical cord blood but are not always processed immediately.

Objective:

Test the accuracy of brain injury biomarker assays on samples that experienced delayed processing.

Methods:

Healthy neonates who did not have risk factors for brain injury provided cord blood samples. Group 1 blood samples were centrifuged immediately, and the serum was removed and frozen at baseline, 4, and 8 hours. Group 2 had a baseline sample processed immediately and then blood samples remained in contact with the clotted portion until 4, and 8 hours and then were centrifuged. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays determined the concentrations of Ubiquitin C-Terminal Hydrolase L1 (UCH-L1) and Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein (GFAP).

Results:

Group 1’s average concentrations of GFAP were 62±47 pg/ml at 0 hours (n=32) with a mean increase of 3±14% and a decrease of 0.2±9% at 4 and 8 hours, respectively. UCH-L1 average concentrations were 3306±3093 pg/ml at 0 hours (n=37) with a mean increase of 3±10% at 4 hours and a mean decrease of 0.6±11% at 8 hours. Group 2’s average GFAP concentrations were 104±111 pg/ml at 0 hours (n=9) with a mean decrease of 5±9% and 7±7% at 4 and 8 hours, respectively. UCH-L1 average concentrations were 3448±2456 pg/ml at 0 hour (n=8) with a mean increase of 9±6% and 6±18% at 4 and 8 hours, respectively.

Conclusion:

Delays in processing up to 8 hours did not significantly affect the concentration of UCH-L1 or GFAP.

Keywords: Hypoxic-ischemic Encephalopathy, Biomarkers, Neonates, GFAP, UCH-L1, Brain injury.