الفهرس 
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Abstract
Neonatal sepsis is a systemic infection occurring in infants at ≤ 28 days of life, Neonatal sepsis is a significant cause of morbidity and mortality of hospitalized newborns and premature infants.
Carnitine has an important role in facilitating medium- and long-chain fatty acid transport from the cytosol into mitochondria for β-oxidation and energy generation. In addition, carnitine stimulates pyruvate dehydrogenase complex activity and the Krebs cycle, increasing branched-chain amino acids oxidation in muscles .
Sepsis and endotoxaemia result in impaired lipid metabolism and hepatic energy generation from fatty acid oxidation.
The aim of our study was to assess serum level of L-carnitine in healthy (Pre and full term) and septic (Pre and full term) neonates to study the effect of gestational age, birth weight and sepsis on serum level of L-carnitine.
Our study included 40 neonates They were divided into 4 groups: group (1): 10 healthy preterm neonates with mean gestational age between (33.50±1.18 weeks) and mean birth weight between (1.82± 0.18 kg) .group (2):10 healthy full term neonates with mean gestational age between (38.80± 1.03weeks) and mean birth weight (2.98± 0.23kg). group (3):13 septic preterm neonates with mean gestational age between (33.46± 1.13weeks) and mean birth weight (1.95± 0.31kg). group (4):7 septic fullterm neonates with mean gestational age between (38.57±1.27 weeks) and mean birth weight between (3.00± 0.34 kg).
All groups were subjected to full history taking, thorough clinical examination including assessment of gestational age ,Apgar score and laboratory investigations included C.B.C with differential leucocytic count, CRP, and serum L-carnitine level were measured in all studied neonates.and sepsis score were done for septic neonates.
The resutls of the present study revealed that:
Sex of neonates and mode of delivery have no statistically significant effect on serum level of L-carnitine.
There was significant negative correlation between serum level of L-carnitine and both gestational age and birth weight in all groups (1 , 2 ,3 & 4), and also with sepsis score among septic group, (group 3 & 4).
There was a significant decrease of serum L-carnitine level in septic neonates (group 3 & 4) compared to its level in healthy neonate (groups 1 & 2).