ReviewFrontiers in pediatrics2025
Necrotising enterocolitis biomarkers: a systematic review.
Review in Frontiers in pediatrics, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
4 citing papers in PubMed.
- Surgical Interventions for NEC-An Overview.Children (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Review
- Biomarkers for Necrotising Enterocolitis-Are We There Yet?Children (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Review
- A digestive cartridge reduces intestinal injury in a murine model of necrotizing enterocolitis.PloS one · 2026Article
- Serum LRG1 as a diagnostic marker of necrotizing enterocolitis in preterm infants.Frontiers in pediatrics · 2026Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
13 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Background: Necrotising enterocolitis (NEC) is a severe acute inflammatory condition of the gastrointestinal tract that predominantly affects preterm neonates. The variable and often nonspecific clinical signs, followed by rapid progression into fulminant disease, and the lack of standardised definitions and biomarkers, make this condition notoriously difficult to diagnose. This systematic review aims to outline the inflammatory pathways involved in the pathogenesis of NEC and to identify potential biomarkers associated with the initial stages of disease progression. Methods: Following the PRISMA guidelines, we conducted an electronic search of the available literature using the PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane electronic databases with the following search terms ("necrotizing enterocolitis" OR "necrotising enterocolitis" OR "NEC") AND ("biomarker*" OR "biological marker"). Studies reporting data on the diagnostic accuracy of biomarkers for NEC were included. Results were restricted to full-text articles in English, available up to November 2024. Risk of bias was assessed using the Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies 2 (QUADAS-2) tool. Results: A total of 211 studies were screened, yielding 79 studies for analysis. Most studies evaluated the ability of biomarkers to differentiate Bell's stage ≥II NEC from controls or Bell's stage II from stage III. For identifying Bell's stage ≥II, faecal calprotectin (97.14% sensitivity, 100% specificity) and serum calprotectin (100% sensitivity, 96.4% specificity), as well as a panel consisting of urine proteins including Cystatin C (CST3), Pigment Epithelium Derived Factor (PEDF), and Retinol Binding Protein 4 (RET4) (96% sensitivity, 90% specificity), and maternal human milk oligosaccharide disialyllacto-N-tetraose DSNLT (90% sensitivity and specificity) demonstrated high sensitivity and specificity when sampled prior to or around the initial diagnosis of NEC. Interleukin 33 (IL-33) exhibited high accuracy. Systematic Review Registration: PROSPERO CRD42024307046.
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