Does MALAT1 (NEAT2) Predict the Prognosis of Sepsis in Pediatric Patients?

Background: Sepsis is one of the major causes of disability and death in the pediatric population globally. Although metastasisassociated lung adenocarcinoma transcript 1 (MALAT1) has been reported to be associated with the survival of adult patients with sepsis, its prognostic value in children has not been identified. Objectives: The present study aimed to evaluate the role of MALAT1 in the prognosis of severe sepsis in children. Methods: A total of 60 children with severe sepsis were included in this research. Serum level of MALAT1 was assessed at baseline, and the survival data were recorded during a follow-up of 28 days. These participants were categorized into high or low MALAT1 groups based on the median value. Multivariate Cox regression was performed to explore the association of MALAT1 level with the survival of pediatric patients with sepsis after controlling for potential confounding factors. Results: The 28-day mortality rate of severe sepsis was 35%. The expression of MALAT1 in the non-survivors was significantly higher than in the survived patients (P 0.01). The multivariate Cox proportional hazards model, showed that a higher MALAT1 expression was associated with a higher risk of mortality in patients with severe sepsis (HR = 6.70; 95% CI: 1.65 - 27.2; P 0.01). Conclusions: According to our results, MALAT1 might be a promising marker for predicting the prognosis of severe pediatric sepsis.