Comparing the Diagnostic Value of the C-Reactive Protein to Albumin Ratio With Other Inflammatory Markers in Patients With Stable Angina Pectoris

Evaluation of the Prognostic Role of Neutrophil-Lymphocyte Ratio, C-Reactive Protein-Albumin Ratio, and Platelet-Lymphocyte Ratio in Patients with the Co-Presentation of Coronary Artery Disease and COVID-19

Aim

The purpose of this study was to investigate the role of neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), C-reactive protein-albumin ratio (CAR), and platelet-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) in the prognosis of patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) complicated with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

Methods

This study included 265 patients. A receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was performed to preliminarily evaluate the predictive ability of NLR, CAR, and PLR for all-cause death. The primary outcome was all-cause death during hospitalization, while the secondary outcomes were cardiovascular death and respiratory failure death. The Cox proportional hazard model with adjusted covariates was used to analyze the cumulative risk of outcomes. We also conducted subgroup analyses based on the acute and chronic characteristics of CAD. Propensity score matching (PSM) was used to further evaluate the robustness of the primary outcome.

Results

The ROC curve analysis results showed that the area under curve (AUC) values were 0.686 (95% CI 0.592-0.781, P<0.001) for NLR, 0.749 (95% CI 0.667-0.832, P<0.001) for CAR, and 0.571 (95% CI 0.455-0.687, P=0.232) for PLR. The Cox proportional hazard model showed that trends in NLR and PLR did not affect the risk of all-cause death (P=0.096 and P=0.544 for trend, respectively), but a higher CAR level corresponded to a higher risk of all-cause death (P<0.001 for trend). Similarly, The trends of NLR and PLR did not affect the risk of cardiovascular death and respiratory failure death, while a higher CAR level corresponded to a higher risk of cardiovascular death and respiratory failure death. The results of subgroup analyses and PSM were consistent with the total cohort.

Conclusion

In patients with CAD complicated with COVID-19, a higher CAR level corresponded to a higher risk of all-cause death, cardiovascular death, and respiratory failure death, while trends in NLR and PLR did not.

C-reactive protein to albumin ratio may predict in-hospital mortality in non-ST elevation myocardial infarction

Objective: The authors investigated the value of novel inflammatory markers, systemic immune-inflammation index and C-reactive protein to albumin ratio (CAR), to predict in-hospital mortality in patients with non-ST elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI). Materials & methods: A total of 308 patients who underwent percutaneous coronary intervention because of NSTEMI were retrospectively included in the study. Killip classification, Thrombolysis in Myocardial Infarction score, SYNTAX score, and CAR and systemic immune-inflammation index values were calculated. Results: CAR (cutoff: 0.0864; sensitivity: 94.1%; specificity: 40.5%; p = 0.008) and Killip classification (cutoff: 2.5; sensitivity: 64.7%; specificity: 8.9%; p = 0.001) were found to be significantly higher in determining in-hospital mortality. Conclusion: This study revealed that CAR is an inexpensive and significant factor in predicting in-hospital mortality in patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention for NSTEMI.

Prognostic impact of monocyte-to-lymphocyte ratio in coronary heart disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis

OBJECTIVE

Inflammatory biomarkers are novel tools to assess the prognosis of different cardiovascular diseases. We evaluated the impact of the monocyte-to-lymphocyte ratio (MLR) on clinical outcomes in patients with coronary heart disease (CHD).

METHODS

We systematically screened English-language articles in PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science to 31 August 2022. Relevant articles reporting the MLR and its association with clinical outcomes (major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE), coronary artery disease (CAD) severity, mortality, cardiac rupture, subclinical CAD, acute coronary syndrome (ACS) prediction, thin-cap fibroatheroma, no-reflow phenomenon, MLR-related differences in percutaneous coronary intervention, heart failure hospitalization, and depression) in patients with CHD were collected for further analysis.

RESULTS

Nineteen articles were selected. The mean MLR was 0.34. A higher MLR was significantly associated with an increased risk of MACE among patients with CHD. The MLR was an independent predictor of MACE in patients with ACS. No significant association was found for CAD severity. A complementary analysis was not performed because of few studies focusing on the other predefined endpoints.

CONCLUSIONS

The MLR is a simple and widely available tool to predict MACE in patients with CHD. This biomarker can be utilized in emergency settings to prioritize high-risk patients and optimize therapeutic interventions.

Evaluation of five lymphocyte-based scores for prediction of mortality in hepatitis B virus-associated decompensated cirrhosis

Background

Lymphocytes are generally accepted to be a key component of the immune response, and an inadequate immune response is closely associated with disease severity and adverse outcomes in hepatitis B virus (HBV)-infected patients. The present study aimed to determine and compare the prognostic values of five lymphocyte-based scores (monocyte-to-lymphocyte ratio [MLR], mean platelet volume-to-lymphocyte ratio [MPVLR], neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio [NLR], red cell distribution width-to-lymphocyte ratio [RLR], and C-reactive protein-to-lymphocyte ratio [CLR]) for HBV-associated decompensated cirrhosis (HBV-DC).

Methods

Data were extracted from an institutional database. The outcome was 30-day mortality. Receiver operating characteristic curve analyses were conducted, and the resulting area under the curve (AUC) values were used to evaluate the predictive capabilities of the five lymphocyte-based scores for mortality in HBC-DC relative to Model for End-Stage Liver Disease (MELD) score.

Results

The study included 273 patients, and the 30-day mortality was 20.9%. Lymphocyte counts were slightly lower in non-survivors than in survivors. The prognostic values of CLR, NLR, MLR, MPVLR, and RLR for mortality in HBV-DC were different. The predictive powers of NLR and MLR were superior to those of the other three scores and similar to that of MELD score. Multivariate analyses identified NLR, MLR, and MELD score as independent prognostic predictors.

Conclusion

High NLR and MLR are easily accessible and reliable indicators for predicting 30-day mortality in HBV-DC and have superior prognostic ability compared with other lymphocyte-based scores.

A novel inflammatory biomarker, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein-to-albumin ratio, is associated with 5-year outcomes in patients with type 2 diabetes who undergo percutaneous coronary intervention

BACKGROUND

Patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) combined with diabetes have a higher risk of cardiovascular events, and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP)-to-albumin ratio (CAR) is a novel inflammatory biomarker. However, whether the CAR can identify high-risk patients with CAD and type 2 diabetes (T2DM) remains unclear.

METHODS

The present study was based on a prospective and observational cohort with 10,724 individuals who undergo percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in Fu Wai Hospital throughout the year 2013 consecutively enrolled. The primary endpoint was all-cause mortality. The secondary endpoint was cardiac mortality. CAR was calculated with the formula: hs-CRP (mg/L)/albumin (g/L). According to the optimal cut-off value of CAR for all-cause mortality, patients were divided into higher CAR (CAR-H) and lower CAR (CAR-L) groups.

RESULTS

A total of 2755 patients with T2DM who underwent PCI and received dual antiplatelet therapy were finally enrolled. During a follow-up of 5 years (interquartile range: 5.0-5.1 years), 126 (4.6%) all-cause mortalities and 74 (2.7%) cardiac mortalities were recorded. In the multivariable Cox model, CAR-H was associated with a higher risk of all-cause mortality (hazard ratio [HR]: 1.634, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.121-2.380, p = 0.011) and cardiac mortality (HR: 1.733, 95% CI 1.059-2.835, p = 0.029) compared with CAR-L. When comparing the predictive value, CAR was superior to hs-CRP for all-cause mortality (area under the curve [AUC] 0.588 vs. 0.580, p = 0.002) and cardiac mortality (AUC 0.602 vs. 0.593, p = 0.004).

CONCLUSION

In this real-world cohort study, a higher level of CAR was associated with worse 5-year outcomes among diabetic patients with PCI.

C-Reactive Protein/Albumin Ratio as a Novel Predictor of Contrast Induced Nephropathy in Patients With Stable Angina Pectoris

The relationship between C-reactive protein (CRP) to albumin ratio (CAR) and contrast-induced nephropathy (CIN) in patients with acute coronary syndrome has been reported. However, the relevance of CAR in patients with stable angina pectoris (SAP) has not been clarified. We hypothesized that CAR might predict the development of CIN in patients with SAP undergoing coronary angiography (CAG). Patients (n = 554) with SAP who underwent CAG were included in the study. CIN was defined as a ≥25% increase in serum creatinine compared with baseline value within 72 h of CAG. Participants were divided into two groups: CIN (n = 87) and non-CIN (n = 467). Age, CRP, CAR, mean corpuscular volume (MCV), urea, uric acid, contrast medium volume, the percent of percutaneous coronary intervention were significantly greater, whereas albumin and high-density lipoprotein were significantly lower in the CIN group than non-CIN group (p < .05, for all). Multivariate analysis showed that CAR was the only independent predictor for CIN (odds ratio = 7.065, 95% confidence interval (CI); 3.279-15.221, p < .001). Receiver operating characteristic ROC analysis showed that a CAR ≥ 0.1164 could predict CIN (sensitivity of 71% and specificity of 72%; area under curve = 0.736; 95% CI: 0.677-0.795, p < .001). CAR was significantly greater in patients who developed CIN and this independently predicted CIN.

Comparison of clinical characteristics in adult patients under 65 years of age with and without Covid-19 pneumonia

Background

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) can cause asymptomatic, mild upper respiratory tract symptoms and pneumonia in young persons. How the disease will progress in each patient is still unknown. Therefore, we aimed to investigate the prognostic markers of the development of pneumonia and the clinical characteristics of patients under 65 years with COVID-19 confirmed by a positive reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction test.

Methods

In this retrospective study, a total of 271 patients admitted in our unit were included. The patients were divided into two groups, those who did and those who did not develop pneumonia. Their clinical features, treatment protocols, and laboratory parameters were recorded retrospectively.

Results

Pneumonia developed in 67.9% (n = 184) of the cases. The age in the pneumonia group was higher than that in the non-pneumonia group (p < 0.001). In the logistic regression analysis, the symptom and co-morbidity status were examined according to the presence of pneumonia; hypertension (HT) (OR: 4525, 95% CL: 1,494-13,708) was the most important risk factor for pneumonia. When age and laboratory values were examined according to the presence of pneumonia, advanced age (OR: 1.042, 95% CL: 1.01-1.073), low albumin (OR: 0.917, 95% CL: 0.854-0.986), and high troponin (OR: 1.291, 95% CL: 1.044-1.596) were identified as risk factors for pneumonia.

Conclusion

In this article, HT (22.3%, P < 0.001) has been considered as an important risk factor, whereas association of diabetes mellitus (21.2%, P 0.029) and smoking (25.0%, P 0.038) was also significant. The median age of the group was 51 (41.5-58) in the group developing pneumonia and 41 (30-48) in the non-developing group. Young patients with these predictive factors should be more carefully evaluated by further diagnostic procedures, such as thoracic computed tomography.

C-Reactive Protein-to-Albumin Ratio as an Early Biomarker to Identify Sepsis in Neonates with Pneumonia

Objectives

Neonates with pneumonia often also have sepsis, and the identifying sepsis from pneumonia may be a challenge for clinicians. However, there are no available data regarding the clinical value C-reactive protein-to-albumin ratio (CAR) in identifying sepsis in neonates with pneumonia. The aim of this study was to evaluate the clinical value of CAR in identifying sepsis in neonates with pneumonia.

Methods

847 neonates with pneumonia were included in this study, of which 511 neonates were diagnosed with sepsis. Neonates were divided into the sepsis group and the nonsepsis group. All neonates underwent extensive and necessary clinical and laboratory tests. CAR was calculated as serum C-reactive protein (ng/ml)/albumin (mg/ml). All statistical analyses were performed using the statistical package SPSS 24.0, as appropriate.

Results

Compared with the nonsepsis group, neonates with sepsis have a higher CAR (P < 0.001). Further analysis showed that the prevalence of neonates with sepsis increased significantly from 41.0% in the low CAR group (CAR ≤ 0.024 × 10⁻³) to 80.0% in the high CAR group (CAR > 0.024 × 10⁻³) (P < 0.001). Correlation analysis showed that there was a strong positive correlation between CAR and PCT (r = 0.452, P < 0.001), nSOFA (r = 0.267, P < 0.001), and the prolonged length of hospital stay (r = 0.311, P < 0.001). Multiple logistic regression showed that CAR was an independent risk factor for the presence of sepsis in neonates with pneumonia. Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis revealed that CAR had adequate discriminatory power in predicting sepsis in neonates with pneumonia (area under curve (AUC) = 0.76, 95% CI 0.73-0.79, P < 0.001).

Conclusions

CAR can be used as a new marker to identify sepsis in neonates with pneumonia.

Role of Neutrophil-Lymphocyte Ratio in the Prognosis of Acute Ischaemic Stroke After Reperfusion Therapy: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

Background

Inflammation may mediate response to acute reperfusion therapy (RT) in acute cerebral ischaemia. Neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), an inflammatory biomarker, may play an important role in acute ischaemic stroke (AIS) prognostication.

Objective

This meta-analysis sought to examine the effect of NLR on functional outcomes, mortality and adverse outcomes in AIS patients receiving RT.

Methods

Individual studies were retrieved from PubMed/Medline, EMBASE and Cochrane databases. Data were extracted using a standardised data sheet and meta-analysis on association of admission (pre-RT) or delayed (post-RT) NLR with clinical/safety outcomes after RT was conducted.

Results

Thirty-five studies (n = 10 308) were identified for the systematic review with 27 (n = 8537) included in the meta-analyses. Lower admission NLR was associated with good functional outcomes (GFOs), defined as 3-month modified Rankin scale (mRS) 0–2 (SMD = −.46; 95% CI = −.62 to −.29; P < .0001), mRS 0–1 (SMD = −.44; 95% CI = −.66 to −.22; P < .0001) and early neurological improvement (ENI) (SMD = −.55; 95 %CI = −.84 to −.25; P < .0001). Lower delayed admission NLR was also associated with GFOs (SMD = −.80; 95%CI = −.91 to −.68; P < .0001). Higher admission NLR was significantly associated with mortality (SMD = .49; 95%CI = .12 to .85; P = .009), intracerebral haemorrhage (ICH) (SMD = .34; 95% CI = .09 to .59; P = .007), symptomatic ICH (sICH) (SMD = .48; 95% CI = .07 to .90; P = .022) and stroke-associated infection or pneumonia (SMD = .85; 95% CI = .50, 1.19; P < .0001). Higher delayed NLR was significantly associated with sICH (SMD = 1.40; 95% CI = .60 to 2.19; P = .001), ICH (SMD = .94; 95% CI = .41 to 1.46; P < .0001) and mortality (SMD = 1.12; 95% CI = .57 to 1.67; P < .0001). There were variations in outcomes across RT groups.

Conclusion

Higher admission or delayed NLR is significantly associated with worse morbidity, mortality and safety outcomes in AIS patients receiving RT.

Monocyte-to-Lymphocyte Ratio as a Predictor of Worse Long-Term Survival after Off-Pump Surgical Revascularization-Initial Report

Background and objective: Coronary artery disease is one of the leading causes of deaths nowadays and the trends in diagnosis and revascularization are still in plateau despite well-known factors. Simple whole blood count parameters may be used to measure inflammatory reactions that are involved in processes of atherosclerosis progression. The aim of our study was to analyse the association between simply available hematologic indices and long-term mortality following off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting (OPCAB). Material and Methods: The study group comprised 129 consecutive patients (16 females and 113 males, mean age 66 ± 6 years) who underwent surgical revascularization with off-pump technique between January 2014 and September 2019. The mean follow-up was 4.7 +/−1.9 years. A receiver operating characteristics curve was applied to estimate demographical and perioperative parameters including MLR for mortality. Results: Cox regression analysis revealed chronic pulmonary obstructive disease (HR = 2.86, 95%CI 1.05–7.78), MLR (HR = 3.81, 95%CI 1.45–10.06) and right coronary artery blood flow (HR = 1.06, 95%CI 1.00–1.10) as significant factors predicting increased mortality risk. In the presented model, the MLR > 1.44 on 1st postoperative day was a significant predictor of late mortality after the OPCAB procedure (HR = 3.82, 95%CI 1.45–10.06). Conclusions: Pronounced inflammatory reaction after off-pump surgery measured by MLR > 1.44 can be regarded as a worse long-term prognostic factor.

Predictive Value of C-Reactive Protein-to-Albumin Ratio for Neonatal Sepsis

Purpose

Previous studies have reported that C-reactive protein-to-albumin ratio (CAR) was a risk factor for sepsis in adults. However, little is known regarding the role of CAR in neonates with sepsis. The aim of this study was to explore the relationship between CAR and neonatal sepsis.

Patients and Methods

In this research, from January 2016 to February 2020, a total of 1076 neonates were enrolled at Henan Children’s Hospital in China. Complete clinical and laboratory data were collected. To identify the potential independent risk factor for neonatal sepsis, multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was used to evaluate the prediction accuracy of CAR in identifying neonatal sepsis.

Results

CAR levels were higher in neonates with sepsis and showed a gradual increase among the control group, mild sepsis group and severe sepsis group. The prevalence of neonates with overall sepsis, mild sepsis and severe sepsis increased significantly from CAR tertile 1 to tertile 3. Multiple logistic regression analysis showed that CAR was an independent risk factor for the presence of sepsis (OR = 10.144, 95% CI 4.151–24.790, P < 0.001) and severe sepsis (OR = 1.876, 95% CI 1.562–2.253, P < 0.001). ROC curve analysis showed that CAR had a well discriminatory power in predicting sepsis (area under curve (AUC) = 0.74, 95% CI, 0.71–0.77, P < 0.001) and severe sepsis (AUC = 0.70, 95% CI, 0.67–0.74, P < 0.001).

Conclusion

CAR was an independent predictor for the presence and severity of neonatal sepsis.

In vivo assessment of endothelial permeability of coronary lesions with variable degree of stenosis using an albumin-binding MR probe

MR imaging with an albumin-binding probe enables the visualization of endothelial permeability and damage in the arterial system. The goal of this study was to compare signal enhancement of lesions with different grades of stenosis segments on molecular CMR in combination with the albumin-binding probe gadofosveset. This prospective clinical study included patients with symptoms suggestive of coronary artery disease (CAD). Patients underwent gadofosveset-enhanced cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging and x-ray angiography (QCA) within 24 h. CMR imaging was performed prior to and 24 h following the administration of gadofosveset. Contrast-to-noise ratios (CNRs) between segments with different grades of stenosis were compared. Overall, n = 203 segments of 26 patients were included. Lesions with more than > 70% stenosis demonstrated significantly higher CNRs compared to lesions < 70% (7.6 ± 8.3 vs. 2.5 ± 4.9; p < 0.001). Post-stenotic segments of lesions > 70% stenosis showed significant higher signal enhancement compared to segments located upstream of these lesions (7.3 ± 8.8 vs. 2.8 ± 2.2; p = 0.02). No difference in signal enhancement between segments proximal and distal of lesions with stenosis greater than 50% was measured (3.3 ± 2.8 vs. 2.4 ± 2.7; p = 0.18). ROC analysis for the detection of lesions ≥ 70% revealed an area under the curve of 0.774 (95% CI 0.681-0.866). This study suggests that relevant coronary stenosis and their down-stream segments are associated with increased signal enhancement on Gadofosveset-enhanced CMR, suggesting a higher endothelial permeability in these lesions. An albumin-binding MR probe could represent a novel in vivo biomarker for the identification and characterization of these vulnerable coronary segments.

Prognostic value of C-reactive protein to albumin ratio in patients resuscitated from out-of-hospital cardiac arrest

BACKGROUND

Despite major advances in basic and advanced life supports, patients who survived from out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) have still poor prognosis. Several inflammatory parameters have been used to determine early and long-term prognosis in patients with OHCA. C-reactive protein-to-albumin ratio (CAR) is also a novel marker of systemic inflammation. To our knowledge, there is no study evaluating the clinical importance of CAR in OHCA patients.

AIMS

To evaluate the effect of CAR on in-hospital mortality in patients with OHCA.

METHODS

A total of 102 patients with OHCA were included in this study. The study population was divided into two groups as survivour (n = 43) and non-survivour (n = 59) during follow-up. Complete blood cell counts, biochemical and blood gas analyses were recorded for all patients. Neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR) was calculated as the ratio of neutrophil to lymphocyte. CAR was calculated as the ratio of C-reactive protein to the albumin.

RESULTS

NLR (P = .012), CAR (P < .001) and serum lactate level (P = .002) were significantly higher whereas lymphocyte (P = .008) and serum albumin (P < .001) were significantly lower in the non-survivour group compared with the survivour group. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that NLR (odds ratio [OR]: 1.044, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.044-1.437, P = .013), CAR (OR: 1.971, 95% CI: 1.327-2.930, P = .001) and lactate level (OR: 1.268, 95% CI: 1.095-1.469, P = .002) were independent predictors of in-hospital mortality.

CONCLUSIONS

We have demonstrated for the first time that CAR was an independent predictor of in-hospital mortality in OHCA patients.

Prediction of Treatment Outcome with Inflammatory Biomarkers after 2 Months of Therapy in Pulmonary Tuberculosis Patients: Preliminary Results

Pro-inflammatory mediators play an important role in the pathogenesis of pulmonary tuberculosis. Consecutively, 26 pulmonary tuberculosis patients were enrolled in our study based on the exclusion criteria. We have used Spearman’s correlation analysis, hierarchical clustering and regression modelling to evaluate the association of 11 biomarkers with culture status after antituberculosis treatment. The results of our study demonstrated that six inflammatory biomarkers of 11, C-reactive protein (CRP), white blood cells (WBC), neutrophils, interferon gamma inducible protein 10, C-reactive protein (CRP) to albumin ratio (CAR) and neutrophil to albumin ratio (NAR), were significantly associated with culture negativity. The predictive ability of a composite model of seven biomarkers was superior to that of any single biomarker based on area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) analysis, indicating an excellent prediction efficacy (AUC:0.892; 95% CI:0.732-1.0). We also found that the highest significant trends and lower levels of CRP and IP-10 were observed in the two-month treated tuberculosis (TB) patients. We believe that our study may be valuable in providing preliminary results for an additional strategy in monitoring and management of the clinical outcome of pulmonary tuberculosis. Using a panel of predictors added a superior value in predicting culture status after anti-TB therapy.

Evaluation of the Effects of Intravitreal Aflibercept and Ranibizumab on Systemic Inflammatory and Cardiovascular Biomarkers in Patients with Neovascular Age-related Macular Degeneration

Purpose: To investigate the effects of intravitreal ranibizumab (IVR) and intravitreal aflibercept (IVA) on systemic inflammatory and cardiovascular biomarkers in treatment-naive patients with neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD)Methods: This study included 24 eyes of 24 patients treated with 0.5 mg ranibizumab (IVR group) and 25 eyes of 25 patients treated with 2.0 mg aflibercept (IVA group). Complete blood count, C-reactive protein (CRP), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-c), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-c), uric acid (UA), albumin, fibrinogen levels were measured in blood samples before and after the three-monthly loading dose treatment. Neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio (NLR), monocyte/HDL-c ratio (MHR), CRP/albumin ratio (CAR), monocyte/lymphocyte ratio (MLR), platelet/lymphocyte ratio (PLR) were also calculated.Results: A statistically significant decline was determined in post-treatment CRP (P = .002), LDL-c (P < .001) levels, white blood cell (WBC, P = .001), neutrophil (P < .001), monocyte (P = .019) counts and NLR (P = .020), MHR (P = .042), CAR (P = .010) ratios comparing with pre-treatment values in the IVA group. No statistically significant change was found in any of the parameters evaluated in the study in the IVR group. Also, there was no significant change in fibrinogen, lymphocyte count, MLR, HDL-c, UA, PLR, and platelet count values in both groups.Conclusion: Compared to IVR, IVA treatment had a small but significant effect on systemic inflammatory and cardiovascular biomarkers.

Value of C-reactive Protein/Albumin Ratio for Predicting Ischemia in Myocardial Perfusion Scintigraphy

Objectives

Several studies demonstrate the relationship between coronary artery disease and inflammatory parameters. Nevertheless, there is paucity of data regarding the role of high sensitivity (hs)-C-reactive protein (CRP) to albumin ratio (CAR) in patients with ischemia on gated single photon emission tomography (SPECT) myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI). This study was aimed at demonstrating the relationship between CAR and the occurrence of ischemia on gated SPECT MPI.

Methods

We retrospectively evaluated 2.048 referred patients for gated SPECT MPI from a cardiology outpatient clinic between October 2017 and June 2019. After applying exclusion criteria and measuring serum CRP and albumin levels, we included 126 patients in the study. We then classified subjects into different groups according to the absence or presence of ischemia on gated SPECT MPI.

Results

According to laboratory findings, hs-CRP and CAR were significantly higher in the ischemia group, while the serum albumin was significantly lower in ischemia group (p<0.05 for each). The independent predictors of presence of ischemia in multivariate analysis were hypertension and CAR (CAR; odds ratio: 5.720, 95% confidence interval: 2.697-12.133, p<0.001). The optimal value of CAR for presence of ischemia was 0.96 with 76% sensitivity and 71% specificity.

Conclusion

We found CAR values as a predictor for ischemia before MPI.

Diagnostic significance of C-reactive protein and hematological parameters in acute toxoplasmosis

Abstract

Toxoplasmosis is a zoonosis caused by Toxoplasma gondii, which can be acquired by oral contact and may cause severe health problems especially for pregnant (congenital toxoplasmosis) and immunocompromised patients. This study aimed to verify the diagnostic significance of hematological parameters and C-reactive protein (CRP) for toxoplasmosis acute detection. A case-control study was carried out between December 2017 and May 2018, in samples of convenience independent of age and sex. The case group was formed by 25 patients with positive anti-Toxoplasma gondii IgG/IgM antibody and the control group was formed by 21 patients with non-positive anti-Toxoplasma gondii IgG/IgM antibody. The results of the hematological parameters and CRP were analyzed in these patients. The patients with Toxoplasma gondii IgM antibody reagent showed higher lymphocytes counting and lower neutrophils counting than the control group. C-reactive protein levels were not different between the groups case and control. ROC curve analysis highlighted that the cut-off value of > 32.00% for lymphocytes and < 57.50% for neutrophils were able to produce specificity higher than 90% for IgM antibody detection. The Naïve Bayes classifier was considered suitable (AUC ≈ 0.700) to separate both groups according to their white cell counting. Changes in lymphocytes and neutrophils may be useful parameters for toxoplasmosis identification and may be used as a tool in the complementary diagnosis of toxoplasmosis.

Graphic abstract

From CT to artificial intelligence for complex assessment of plaque-associated risk

The recent technological developments in the field of cardiac imaging have established coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA) as a first-line diagnostic tool in patients with suspected coronary artery disease (CAD). CCTA offers robust information on the overall coronary circulation and luminal stenosis, also providing the ability to assess the composition, morphology, and vulnerability of atherosclerotic plaques. In addition, the perivascular adipose tissue (PVAT) has recently emerged as a marker of increased cardiovascular risk. The addition of PVAT quantification to standard CCTA imaging may provide the ability to extract information on local inflammation, for an individualized approach in coronary risk stratification. The development of image post-processing tools over the past several years allowed CCTA to provide a significant amount of data that can be incorporated into machine learning (ML) applications. ML algorithms that use radiomic features extracted from CCTA are still at an early stage. However, the recent development of artificial intelligence will probably bring major changes in the way we integrate clinical, biological, and imaging information, for a complex risk stratification and individualized therapeutic decision making in patients with CAD. This review aims to present the current evidence on the complex role of CCTA in the detection and quantification of vulnerable plaques and the associated coronary inflammation, also describing the most recent developments in the radiomics-based machine learning approach for complex assessment of plaque-associated risk.

Assessment of the Relationship Between C-Reactive Protein-to-Albumin Ratio and the Presence and Severity of Isolated Coronary Artery Ectasia

We investigated the relationship between C-reactive protein-to-albumin ratio (CAR) and coronary artery ectasia (CAE). The retrospective study population included 150 patients with isolated CAE, 150 with obstructive coronary artery disease (CAD), and 150 with a normal coronary artery angiogram (NCA). The severity of isolated CAE was determined according to the Markis classification. C-reactive protein-to-albumin ratio was significantly higher in patients with isolated CAE than in those with obstructive CAD and NCA (10.5 [5.9-30.9], 5.7 [1.8-13.2] and 3.0 [0.9-8.9], respectively). Logistic regression analysis showed that CAR (odds ratio [OR]: 3.054, 95% CI: 1.021-9.165, P = .001), platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR; OR: 1.330, 95% CI: 1.025-1.694, P = .044), and monocyte-to-high density cholesterol ratio (MHR; OR: 1.031, 95% CI: 1.009-1.054, P = .006) were independently associated with the presence of isolated CAE. Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis showed that CAR (area under the curve [AUC] ± standard error [SE] = 0.838 ± 0.016; P < .001) had a stronger diagnostic value for detecting significant CAE than PLR (AUC ± SE = 0.632 ± 0.023) and MHR (AUC ± SE = 0.726 ± 0.022). C-reactive protein-to-albumin ratio had a significantly strong correlation with the severity of isolated CAE (r = 0.536, P < .001). To the best of our knowledge, this study showed for the first time that CAR was significantly associated with CAE presence and severity.