Table 4.
Changes in different biomarkers among stunted children over time.
| Variables | Stunted Children | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| At Enrolment (n = 50) | At 6 Months (n = 39) | p | |
| Gut hormones and adipokines | |||
| Ghrelin, pg/mL | 35.7 (24.4–70.6) | 27.3 (11.9–43.2) | 0.013 |
| Leptin, µg/L | 0.95 (0.57–1.4) | 1.3 (0.90–1.89) | 0.005 |
| Adiponectin, µg/mL | 14.5 (9.7–17.2) | 14.2 (10.7–18.1) | 0.379 |
| OXM, ng/mL | 60.8 (40.7–70.3) | 57.1 (47.7–62.4) | 0.911 |
| GLP-1, pg/mL | 133.8 (91.2–245.1) | 141 (107–210) | 0.364 |
| Leptin–adiponectin ratio | 0.06 (0.04–0.11) | 0.11 (0.07–0.15) | 0.003 |
| Human growth factors | |||
| GLP-2, ng/mL | 3.84 (2.1–5.12) | 3.28 (2.30–3.92) | 0.053 |
| IGF-1, ng/mL | 48.9 (36.1–83.2) | 46.7 (41.7–59.2) | 0.503 |
| FGF-19, pg/mL | 98.5 (66.5–162.8) | 99.9 (70.4–171.9) | 0.665 |
| FGF-21, pg/mL | 225.6 (113.2–392) | 171.1 (122.6-270.6) | 0.175 |
| Environmental enteric dysfunction markers | |||
| AAT, mg/gm | 0.50 (0.26–0.93) | 3.54 (0.26–6.03) | 0.003 |
| MPO, ng/gm | 1932 (756.5–5238.5) | 1238.5 (663–2103.5) | 0.013 |
| NEO, nmol/L | 5944 (3423–8323) | 5357.5 (3894–7433) | 0.726 |
| Cytokines | |||
| IL-1b, pg/mL | 0.84 (0.68–0.99) | 0.40 (0–0.77) | <0.001 |
| IL-4, pg/mL | 3.41 (2.0–3.8) | 1.5 (0–3.0) | 0.026 |
| IL-6, pg/mL | 0 (0–1.2) | 1.68 (0.83–4.7) | 0.001 |
| IL-10, pg/mL | 17.3 (12.8–27.6) | 20.7 (17.2–29.1) | 0.007 |
| IL-12, pg/mL | 1.05 (0.08–2.4) | 0.80 (0.42–1.5) | 0.113 |
| TNF, pg/mL | 1.49 (0–7.7) | 11.09 (8.8–15.3) | <0.001 |
| IFN-γ, pg/mL | 0 (0–2.5) | 0 (0–0) | 0.003 |
| Systemic inflammatory marker | |||
| CRP, mg/L | 1.18 (0.58–2.2) | 0.52 (0.15–2.3) | 0.371 |
Abbreviations: AAT: alpha-1 antitrypsin; CRP: C-reactive protein; FGF: fibroblast growth factor; IFN-γ: gamma interferon; GLP: glucagon-like peptide; ILs: interleukins; IGF: insulin-like growth factor; MPO: myeloperoxidase; NEO: neopterin; OXM: oxyntomodulin; TNF-α: tumor necrosis factor-alpha. All values are medians; 25th–75th percentiles are shown in parentheses; p-values were determined by Wilcoxon matched-pair signed-rank test.