Febrile seizures (FSs) are a common occurrence in young children and a serious concern in pediatric practice; nevertheless, the causes and mechanisms of FS are still unknown. We hypothesized a relation of neuropeptides such as neurotrophin-3 (NT-3) and growth-associated protein-43 (GAP-43) as well as zinc and the oxidant/antioxidant system with pediatric FS. The study included 100 infants categorized into 50 infants with FS and 50 febrile infants without seizures as controls. Clinical assessments, biochemical assays of NT-3 and GAP-43 using ELISA assay kits, and colorimetric measurements of TAC and Zn were performed to all participants. Overall, significant rises of the values of NT-3 and insignificant increases of GAP-43 were detected in children with FS. At the same time, zinc values and the total antioxidant capacity in serum samples were found to be decreased significantly. In addition, a negative correlation was estimated between NT-3 and zinc levels. Serum NT-3 in diagnosing febrile seizures at cutoff point > 49.62 ng/L showed 100% sensitivity, 46% specificity, positive predictive value (PPV) = 48.1%, and negative predictive value (NPP) = 100% with AUC = 0.678. Significant altered circulating NT-3 and zinc levels in FS may indicate their possible role in the pathogenesis of FS. This may open a way for further research and warrants enlightening of the pathophysiological details of FS.

热性惊厥（FSs）在幼儿中很常见，也是儿科实践中的一个严重问题；然而，FS的原因和机制仍然未知。我们假设神经肽如神经营养因子 3 (NT-3) 和生长相关蛋白 43 (GAP-43) 以及锌和氧化剂/抗氧化系统与儿科 FS 存在关系。该研究包括 100 名婴儿，分为 50 名患有 FS 的婴儿和 50 名没有癫痫发作的发热婴儿作为对照。对所有参与者进行临床评估、使用 ELISA 检测试剂盒对 NT-3 和 GAP-43 进行生化检测，并对 TAC 和 Zn 进行比色测量。总体而言，在患有 FS 的儿童中检测到 NT-3 值的显着上升和 GAP-43 的不显着增加。同时，发现血清样品中的锌值和总抗氧化能力显着降低。此外，估计 NT-3 和锌水平之间存在负相关。在诊断热性惊厥的临界点 > 49.62 ng/L 时，血清 NT-3 的敏感性为 100%，特异性为 46%，阳性预测值 (PPV) = 48.1%，阴性预测值 (NPP) = 100%，AUC = 0.678。FS 中循环 NT-3 和锌水平的显着改变可能表明它们在 FS 发病机制中的可能作用。这可能为进一步研究开辟道路，并保证对 FS 的病理生理学细节有所启发。阳性预测值 (PPV) = 48.1%，阴性预测值 (NPP) = 100%，AUC = 0.678。FS 中循环 NT-3 和锌水平的显着改变可能表明它们在 FS 发病机制中的可能作用。这可能为进一步研究开辟道路，并保证对 FS 的病理生理学细节有所启发。阳性预测值 (PPV) = 48.1%，阴性预测值 (NPP) = 100%，AUC = 0.678。FS 中循环 NT-3 和锌水平的显着改变可能表明它们在 FS 发病机制中的可能作用。这可能为进一步研究开辟道路，并保证对 FS 的病理生理学细节有所启发。