ArticleBMC pediatrics2026
Incremental diagnostic value of HSP-70, presepsin, and HO-1 for differentiating acute appendicitis from nonsurgical abdominal pain in children: a prospective cohort study.
Article in BMC pediatrics, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
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.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundDiagnosing acute appendicitis in children remains challenging when clinical findings, laboratory results, or imaging are equivocal. We evaluated the individual and incremental diagnostic performance of serum HSP-70, presepsin, and heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) for differentiating histopathologically confirmed appendicitis from nonsurgical abdominal pain.
methodsThis prospective single-centre cohort included 68 consecutive children aged 3-17 years with suspected acute appendicitis. Final classification identified 34 children with histopathologically confirmed appendicitis and 34 with nonsurgical abdominal pain. Biomarker measurements were available for 63 children (34 appendicitis; 29 nonsurgical abdominal pain). Individual discrimination was assessed by receiver operating characteristic analysis. Exploratory logistic regression assessed whether each biomarker improved discrimination beyond a model comprising white blood cell count, neutrophil percentage, and C-reactive protein.
resultsHSP-70 was nominally higher in appendicitis than nonsurgical abdominal pain (median, 26.30 vs. 25.70 ng/mL; unadjusted P = 0.044), but this difference was not significant after Holm adjustment (P = 0.132). Presepsin was numerically higher (unadjusted P = 0.117), and HO-1 concentrations were similar (P = 0.557). HSP-70 had the highest individual AUC (0.649; 95% CI, 0.510-0.788), followed by presepsin (0.616; 95% CI, 0.473-0.758) and HO-1 (0.544; 95% CI, 0.396-0.691). The conventional laboratory-marker model had an apparent AUC of 0.749 (95% CI, 0.627-0.872). Addition of HSP-70, presepsin, and HO-1 yielded apparent AUCs of 0.779, 0.764, and 0.745, respectively; none significantly improved discrimination.
conclusionsHSP-70 and presepsin may reflect inflammatory or tissue-stress activity, but none of the biomarkers demonstrated statistically robust incremental diagnostic value beyond routine laboratory markers. Their role in suspected paediatric appendicitis remains uncertain and should be assessed alongside clinical evaluation and appropriate imaging.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.