HMGB1 and necrotizing enterocolitis: Nevertheless, HMGB1 levels in stool samples were higher in preterm neonates compared to full-term neonates with birth weight less than 2.5 kg, and early HMGB1 fecal levels were predictive of NEC risk, thus implicating stool HMGB1 as a potential clinical biomarker in this disease (29).