Table 3.

AF Levels of Immune and Inflammatory Proteins and Results of AF Cultures in Relation to the Occurrence and Progression of ROP^*

	ROP Occurrence (Any Stage)			Severe ROP (Stage 3)			Vision-Threatening ROP Requiring Treatment (Type 1)
Variables	Absent	Present	P Value	Absent	Present	P Value	Absent	Present	P Value
No. of infants	125	50		148	27		156	19
AF endoglin (ng/mL)	6.4 ± 2.9	8.8 ± 3.2	<0.001	6.7 ± 3.1	9.0 ± 2.9	<0.001	6.8 ± 3.1	9.4 ± 3.0	0.001
AF endostatin (ng/mL)	60.6 ± 25.4	75.6 ± 31.8	0.004	62.7 ± 28.0	76.6 ± 26.2	0.006	63.6 ± 28.3	75.3 ± 24.3	0.026
AF IGFBP-2 (µg/mL)	1.1 ± 0.5	1.3 ± 0.5	0.036	1.1 ± 0.5	1.4 ± 0.5	0.031	1.1 ± 0.5	1.4 ± 0.6	0.117
AF IGFBP-3 (ng/mL)	427.9 ± 317.8	456.0 ± 252.3	0.267	437.2 ± 317.1	429.2 ± 185.1	0.614	431.9 ± 312.1	469.0 ± 175.3	0.223
AF IGFBP-4 (µg/mL)	1.0 ± 0.8	1.2 ± 0.9	0.312	1.0 ± 0.8	1.3 ± 0.9	0.197	1.0 ± 0.8	1.4 ± 1.0	0.186
AF IL-6 (ng/mL)	19.5 ± 21.2	28.2 ± 24.0	0.048	19.8 ± 21.6	34.0 ± 22.8	0.002	19.8 ± 21.3	40.1 ± 23.0	<0.001
AF IL-8 (ng/mL)	6.5 ± 6.3	8.2 ± 6.7	0.160	6.6 ± 6.4	9.4 ± 6.2	0.021	6.5 ± 6.3	11.1 ± 5.8	0.003
AF MMP-8 (ng/mL)	332.9 ± 555.2	417.0 ± 608.0	0.430	336.1 ± 561.9	471.0 ± 612.7	0.192	340.8 ± 569.2	489.5 ± 577.2	0.051
AF MMP-9 (ng/mL)	10.3 ± 8.6	10.5 ± 8.5	0.950	10.1 ± 8.6	12.3 ± 8.0	0.288	10.0 ± 8.6	13.9 ± 7.5	0.102
AF VEGFR-1 (ng/mL)	500.8 ± 466.5	607.1 ± 471.4	0.111	524.2 ± 471.1	569.4 ± 464.1	0.620	516.8 ± 469.1	649.1 ± 463.1	0.128
Positive AF cultures	56 (44.8)	23 (46.0)	0.885	66 (44.6)	13 (48.1)	0.733	69 (44.2)	10 (52.6)	0.487

^*Significant findings (P < 0.05) are presented in bold letters.

Values are mean ± standard deviation or number (%).

VEGFR-1, VEGF receptor 1.