Preoperative neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio and platelet to lymphocyte ratio are associated with major adverse cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events in coronary heart disease patients undergoing non-cardiac surgery

The Neutrophil-to-Lymphocyte Ratio Predicts Cardiovascular Outcomes in Patients With Diabetes: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

The neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) has been found as a potential biomarker for acute inflammation and the prognosis of different diseases. Here, we provided a meta-analysis of studies evaluating the association of NLR with cardiovascular outcomes among patients with diabetes. We searched PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science databases from inception to April 06, 2024, to include papers based on eligible criteria. The outcomes of interest were all-cause mortality, cardiovascular mortality, major adverse cardiovascular events, myocardial infarction, and stroke. The pooled risk ratio (RR) and corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CI) were reported. Meta-analysis was performed using StataMP 14.0. A total of 15 studies involving 407,512 participants were included. Meta-analysis revealed that both categorical and continuous NLRs are linked to increased risk of all-cause mortality (RR = 1.68; 95% CI, 1.49-1.88; P < 0.001 and RR = 1.03; 95% CI, 1.03-1.03; P < 0.001, respectively) and cardiovascular mortality (RR = 2.04; 95% CI, 1.58-2.63; P < 0.001 and RR = 1.25; 95% CI, 1.19-1.32; P < 0.001, respectively) in patients with diabetes. However, NLR was not associated with the risk of major adverse cardiovascular events, myocardial infarction, and stroke in patients with diabetes. Subgroup analysis revealed sample size as the main source of the heterogeneity found between studies. The findings suggest NLR as a prognostic marker for mortality outcomes in patients with diabetes, providing clinicians with a noninvasive and readily available indicator for risk assessment and patient management.

Lymphocyte Subsets and Cytokine Changes in Women With Gestational Diabetes Mellitus: A Systematic Review

Introduction: Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is a major health concern during pregnancy, affecting both the mother and the baby. Immune system alterations, particularly changes in lymphocyte subsets and cytokine profiles, have been associated with the pathophysiology of various metabolic disorders, including diabetes. This study is aimed at systematically reviewing the literature on the changes in lymphocyte subsets and cytokines in GDM. Methods: In this systematic review, we applied specific criteria to select observational studies (such as case-controls, cross-sectionals, or cohorts) that focused on pregnant women. We performed an extensive search across electronic databases, including Web of Science, Scopus, PubMed, MEDLINE, Embase, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, and Google Scholar, from January 1, 2010, to March 20, 2024. Results: A total of 19 articles, with 2517 participants (1128 with GDM and 1389 without GDM), were included in the qualitative synthesis. Due to high heterogeneity among the articles, a meta-analysis was not conducted. The studies assessed 35 different lymphocyte subsets or proportions. The most commonly assessed subsets were CD3+ T cell (five articles, mostly no difference between GDM and non-GDM), CD4+ T cell (five articles with contradictory results), CD8+ T cell (four articles with contradictory results), B cell and NK cell (three articles, mostly no difference between GDM and non-GDM), and Tregs (three articles with contradictory results). Additionally, 32 cytokines or proportions were assessed in the studies. The most commonly assessed cytokines were IL-6 (eight articles, higher or similar levels in GDM compared to non-GDM), TNF-α (seven articles, mostly higher or similar levels in GDM compared to non-GDM), IL-10 (six articles, mostly no difference between GDM and non-GDM), IL-2 (three articles, mostly no difference between GDM and non-GDM), and IFN-γ (three articles with contradictory results). Conclusion: According to the results, there were no significant changes in CD3+ T cells, B cells, NK cells, IL-10, and IL-2 in GDM. However, the levels of IL-6 and TNF-α were higher or similar in GDM compared to non-GDM. The changes of other lymphocyte subsets and cytokines in GDM remained unclear.

Association of high-sensitivity C-reactive protein and hematologic-inflammatory indices with risk of cardiovascular diseases: a population-based study with partial least squares structural equation modeling approach

Partial least squares structural equation modeling is a simple approach that may be used to determine the factors associated with diseases. In the current study, we aimed to explore the most associated high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) as well as hematologic-inflammatory indices for the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). A total of 7362 healthy (non-CVD) participants aged 35-65 years old from baseline investigation were evaluated in the Phase 2 follow-up. Of these, 1022 individuals were found to have CVDs in the second phase (10-year follow-up) of the Mashhad Stroke and Heart Atherosclerotic Disorder (MASHAD) cohort study. We used partial least squares structural equation modeling to develop a prediction model for association of CVD risk factors and hs-CRP as well as hematologic-inflammatory indices in the study population. According to the study, age had the most significant impact on the presence of CVD. Increasing in age by one unit raises the risk of CVD by 0.166. Also, serum hs-CRP was found to have the second-highest impact on CVD; increasing in age by one unit raises the risk of CVD by 0.042. The study also discovered a strong and significant correlation between red cell distribution width (RDW) and CVD. Moreover, the study found that several factors such as hemoglobin (HGB), neutrophil (NEUT), neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), systemic immune-inflammation index (SII), and platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) have indirect effects on CVD that are mediated by hs-CRP while controlling for age, sex and social-economic factors. Generally, the results showed that age, hs-CRP, and RDW were the most important risk factors on CVD.

Prognostic value of the platelet, neutrophil, monocyte, basophil, and eosinophil to lymphocyte ratios in patients with severe community-acquired pneumonia (SCAP)

Severe community-acquired pneumonia (SCAP) is a serious respiratory inflammation disease with high morbidity and mortality. This study aimed to evaluate the prognostic value of the platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR), neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), monocyte-to-lymphocyte ratio (MLR), basophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (BLR) and eosinophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (ELR) in patients with SCAP. The study retrospectively included 554 patients with SCAP, and the clinical data were obtained from the electronic patient record (EMR) system. The primary outcome was in-hospital mortality, and the secondary outcomes included hospital length of stay (LOS), overall survival (OS), admission to ICU, ICU LOS, and ICU mortality. The results showed that both NLR and BLR were significant but not independent prognostic factors for in-hospital mortality; NLR was negatively correlated with hospital LOS while ELR was positively correlated with hospital LOS; both increased NLR and increased BLR were associated with reduced OS, while increased ELR was associated with improved OS; increased PLR, NLR, MLR, and BLR were all correlated with elevated ICU admission rates, while increased ELR was correlated with a reduced ICU admission rate; ELR was positively correlated with ICU LOS; both higher NLR and higher BLR were associated with increased ICU mortality. In summary, NLR and BLR were useful prognostic factors for clinical outcomes in patients with SCAP.

Development and validation of a simple clinical nomogram for predicting infectious diseases in pediatric kidney transplantation recipients: a retrospective study

To construct and verify an easy-to-use nomogram for predicting the risk of infectious diseases in pediatric kidney transplant recipients. Clinical data of hospitalized pediatric kidney transplant recipients were retrospectively analyzed. Meaningful variables identified from the multivariate stepwise logistic regression analysis were used to construct the nomogram. Internal validation was performed using Bootstrap resampling 1,000 times. The nomogram was evaluated using calibration, decision and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves. A total of 297 pediatric kidney transplant recipients were included (164 infected, 133 non-infected). Multivariate stepwise regression analysis identified white blood cell count (WBC), lymphocyte to monocyte ratio (MLR), platelet to neutrophil ratio (PNR), red cell distribution width-standard deviation (RDW-SD), and albumin (ALB) as significant predictors of postoperative infection. The nomogram, based on the five indicators, showed strong discrimination ability (AUC = 0.756; 95% CI [0.702-0.811]), with a sensitivity of 88.0% and a specificity of 54.3%. The calibration curve and decision curve further demonstrated good consistency and clinical practicality between the predicted and actual values. WBC, MLR, PNR, RDW-SD, and ALB are effective indicators for predicting postoperative infection in pediatric kidney transplant recipients. The nomogram constructed from these indicators can effectively predict and evaluate the early risk of infection in these patients.

Inflammation indices in association with periodontitis and cancer

Inflammation is a complex physiological process that plays a pivotal role in many if not all pathological conditions, including infectious as well as inflammatory diseases, like periodontitis and autoimmune disorders. Inflammatory response to periodontal biofilms and tissue destruction in periodontitis is associated with the release of inflammatory mediators. Chronic inflammation can promote the development of cancer. Persistence of inflammatory mediators plays a crucial role in this process. Quantification and monitoring of the severity of inflammation in relation to cancer is essential. Periodontitis is mainly quantified based on the severity and extent of attachment loss and/or pocket probing depth, in addition with bleeding on probing. In recent years, studies started to investigate inflammation indices in association with periodontal diseases. To date, only few reviews have been published focusing on the relationship between blood cell count, inflammation indices, and periodontitis. This review presents a comprehensive overview of different systemic inflammation indices, their methods of measurement, and the clinical applications in relation to periodontitis and cancer. This review outlines the physiological basis of inflammation and the underlying cellular and molecular mechanisms of the parameters described. Key inflammation indices are commonly utilized in periodontology such as the neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio. Inflammation indices like the platelet to lymphocyte ratio, platelet distribution width, plateletcrit, red blood cell distribution width, lymphocyte to monocyte ratio, delta neutrophil index, and the systemic immune inflammation index are also used in hospital settings and will be discussed. The clinical roles and limitations, relationship to systemic diseases as well as their association to periodontitis and treatment response are described.

Prognostic Value of Magnetic Resonance Imaging Variables Combined with Neutrophil-to-Lymphocyte Ratio in Patients with Cervical Traumatic Spinal Cord Injury

OBJECTIVE

We aimed to explore the prognostic significance of preoperative magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) variables and novel inflammatory indicators in predicting neurological recovery post-cervical traumatic spinal cord injury (TSCI) in the study.

METHODS

We enrolled a total of 244 patients diagnosed with acute cervical TSCI from 2 hospitals and evaluated the prognostic value of MRI variables (intramedullary hemorrhage, intramedullary lesion length [IMLL], maximum spinal cord compression, and maximum canal compromise [MCC]) and novel inflammatory indicators (neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio [NLR], platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio, lymphocyte-to-monocyte ratio, and systemic immune-inflammatory index) in patients with acute cervical TSCI.

RESULTS

Among the 244 patients, 140 (57.38%) exhibited improved AIS grade conversion at 1-year follow-up. The results revealed intramedullary hemorrhage, IMLL, MCC, neutrophils, and NLR were significantly different compared with follow-up AIS grade. Furthermore, IMLL, MCC, white blood cells, neutrophils, NLR, and lymphocyte-to-monocyte ratio correlated with the follow-up AIS grade by Spearman's correlation analysis. Multivariate analysis showed IMLL, intramedullary hemorrhage, NLR, and admission AIS grade emerged as independent predictors of AIS grade conversion. The receiver operating characteristic curve analysis showed that the novel model (combination of MRI variables, NLR, and admission AIS grade) produced a larger area under the curve compared with using only intramedullary hemorrhage, IMLL, NLR, or admission AIS grade individually.

CONCLUSION

Intramedullary hemorrhage and IMLL and NLR are predictors of AIS grade conversion after cervical TSCI. Therefore, we suggest the combination of MRI variables and NLR for the prognostic prediction of AIS grade conversion in patients with cervical TSCI.

Association of systemic inflammatory response index and clinical outcome in acute traumatic spinal cord injury patients

Systemic inflammatory response index (SIRI) has been proven to be associated with the prognosis of coronary artery disease and many other diseases. However, the relationship between SIRI and acute traumatic spinal cord injury (tSCI) has rarely been evaluated. The study aims to assess the prognostic value of SIRI for clinical outcomes in individuals with acute tSCI. A total of 190 patients admitted within eight hours after tSCI between January 2021 and April 2023 were enrolled in our study. Logistic regression analysis was used to analyze the association between SIRI and American Spinal Injury Association Impairment Scale (AIS) grade at admission and discharge, as well as neurological improvement in tSCI patients, and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis was performed to assess the discriminative ability of SIRI in predicting AIS grade at discharge. After adjusting for confounding factors, SIRI positively correlated with the AIS grade (A to C) at admission and discharge, and negatively correlated with neurological improvement. The area under the curve values in ROC analysis was 0.725 (95% CI 0.647, 0.803). The study suggests that SIRI is significantly associated with an increased risk of poor clinical outcome at discharge in tSCI patients and has a certain discriminative value.

The Prognostic Role of the Neutrophil-to-Lymphocytes Ratio in the Most Frequent Cardiovascular Diseases: An Update

Given the continuous changes in the world, with an increasing trend of unhealthy lifestyles, metabolic comorbidities, and increased susceptibility to cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), researchers change their attention to improve not only the therapeutic platform but also current CVD predictive and prognostic tools to improve disease outcomes. As CVD is characterized by an inflammatory paradigm involving, to some degree, the innate and adaptative immune systems, the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) emerged as a potential low-cost, rapidly available, and reliable inflammatory marker, with substantial recent evidence showing its potential utility in clinical practice. Thus, in this literature review, we will present an up-to-date discussion of the prognostic role of NLR in the most frequent CVDs, such as acute and chronic coronary disease, atherosclerotic disease, heart failure, cardiac valvopathies, and cardiac arrhythmias with predilection to atrial fibrillation.

Prediction of Osteoporotic Hip Fracture Outcome: Comparative Accuracy of 27 Immune-Inflammatory-Metabolic Markers and Related Conceptual Issues

Objectives: This study, based on the concept of immuno-inflammatory-metabolic (IIM) dysregulation, investigated and compared the prognostic impact of 27 indices at admission for prediction of postoperative myocardial injury (PMI) and/or hospital death in hip fracture (HF) patients. Methods: In consecutive HF patient (n = 1273, mean age 82.9 ± 8.7 years, 73.5% females) demographics, medical history, laboratory parameters, and outcomes were recorded prospectively. Multiple logistic regression and receiver-operating characteristic analyses (the area under the curve, AUC) were used to establish the predictive role for each biomarker. Results: Among 27 IIM biomarkers, 10 indices were significantly associated with development of PMI and 16 were indicative of a fatal outcome; in the subset of patients aged >80 years with ischaemic heart disease (IHD, the highest risk group: 90.2% of all deaths), the corresponding figures were 26 and 20. In the latter group, the five strongest preoperative predictors for PMI were anaemia (AUC 0.7879), monocyte/eosinophil ratio > 13.0 (AUC 0.7814), neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio > 7.5 (AUC 0.7784), eosinophil count < 1.1 × 109/L (AUC 0.7780), and neutrophil/albumin × 10 > 2.4 (AUC 0.7732); additionally, sensitivity was 83.1-75.4% and specificity was 82.1-75.0%. The highest predictors of in-hospital death were platelet/lymphocyte ratio > 280.0 (AUC 0.8390), lymphocyte/monocyte ratio < 1.1 (AUC 0.8375), albumin < 33 g/L (AUC 0.7889), red cell distribution width > 14.5% (AUC 0.7739), and anaemia (AUC 0.7604), sensitivity 88.2% and above, and specificity 85.1-79.3%. Internal validation confirmed the predictive value of the models. Conclusions: Comparison of 27 IIM indices in HF patients identified several simple, widely available, and inexpensive parameters highly predictive for PMI and/or in-hospital death. The applicability of IIM biomarkers to diagnose and predict risks for chronic diseases, including OP/OF, in the preclinical stages is discussed.

Exploring Periodontal Conditions, Salivary Markers, and Systemic Inflammation in Patients with Cardiovascular Diseases

(1) Background: This cross-sectional investigation appreciated the role of serum C-reactive protein (CRP), several hematologic-cell markers, and salivary inflammation-related molecules [calprotectin (S100A8/A9), interleukin-1β (IL-1β), kallikrein] to predict periodontitis in patients with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ACVD), arrhythmia, or both. Also, we appreciated the relationship between the inflammatory burden and periodontal destruction with the type of cardiac pathology. (2) Methods: Demographic, behavioral characteristics, periodontal indicators, blood parameters, and saliva samples were collected. (3) Results: All 148 patients exhibited stage II or III/IV periodontitis. Stage III/IV cases exhibited significantly increased S100A8/A9 levels (p = 0.004). A positive correlation between S100A8/A9 and IL-1β [0.35 (<0.001)], kallikrein [0.55 (<0.001)], and CRP [0.28 (<0.001)] was observed. Patients with complex cardiac involvement had a significantly higher number of sites with attachment loss ≥ 5 mm [19 (3-30)] compared to individuals with only arrhythmia [9 (3.25-18)] or ACVD [5 (1-12)] [0.048♦ {0.162/0.496/0.14}]. (4) Conclusions: Severe, extensive attachment loss may be indicative of patients with complex cardiac conditions, which underscores the essential role of periodontal status in relation to systemic diseases. The correlations between the rising trends of the inflammatory parameters suggest a potential interconnection between oral and systemic inflammation.

The Effect of Probiotics on the Prognostication of the Neutrophil-to-Lymphocyte Ratio in Severe Multi-Trauma Patients

BACKGROUND

The ratio of neutrophils to lymphocytes [NLR] is one of the most accepted prognostic indices and demonstrates a positive correlation with the severity of a disease. Given that probiotics exerted immunomodulatory properties and thus positively affected lymphocytopenia induction in severely ill patients, we performed a post hoc analysis in the ProVAP protocol to investigate whether probiotics affected the prognostication of NLR in respect to ventilator-associated pneumonia in multi-trauma patients. This cohort mandatorily involved severe traumatic brain injury patients.

METHODS

The white blood cell data of all patients, after being retrieved for the days 0 and 7, were statistically assessed in respect to neutrophils, lymphocytes and NLR among the 4 sub-groups of the study: placebo/no-VAP, placebo/VAP, probiotics/no-VAP, and probiotics/VAP.

RESULTS

Lymphopenia was dominant in placebo sub-groups, while an increased level of lymphocytes was prominent in probiotics sub-groups. This resulted in an increase [p = 0.018] in the NLR value in the probiotics/VAP group in relation to the probiotics/no-VAP cohort; this was an increase of half the value of the placebo/VAP [p < 0.001], while the NLR value in placebo/no-VAP group increased almost four-fold in relation to probiotics/no-VAP [p < 0.001]. Additionally, the ROC curve for probiotic-treated patients revealed a NLR7 cut-off value of 7.20 as a prognostic factor of VAP (AUC: 78.6%, p = 0.015, 95% CI: 62.6-94.5%), having a high specificity of 90.2% and a sensitivity of 42.9%.

CONCLUSIONS

NLR may considered a credible prognostic biomarker in multi-trauma patients since it can evaluate the immunomodulatory benefits of probiotic treatment. However, the results of the present post hoc analysis should be interpreted meticulously until further evaluation, since they may be basically species- or strain-specific.

Pathophysiological mechanisms underlying increased circulating cardiac troponin in noncardiac surgery: a narrative review

Assay-specific increases in circulating cardiac troponin are observed in 20-40% of patients after noncardiac surgery, depending on patient age, type of surgery, and comorbidities. Increased cardiac troponin is consistently associated with excess morbidity and mortality after noncardiac surgery. Despite these findings, the underlying mechanisms are unclear. The majority of interventional trials have been designed on the premise that ischaemic cardiac disease drives elevated perioperative cardiac troponin concentrations. We consider data showing that elevated circulating cardiac troponin after surgery could be a nonspecific marker of cardiomyocyte stress. Elevated concentrations of circulating cardiac troponin could reflect coordinated pathological processes underpinning organ injury that are not necessarily caused by ischaemia. Laboratory studies suggest that matching of coronary artery autoregulation and myocardial perfusion-contraction coupling limit the impact of systemic haemodynamic changes in the myocardium, and that type 2 ischaemia might not be the likeliest explanation for cardiac troponin elevation in noncardiac surgery. The perioperative period triggers multiple pathological mechanisms that might cause cardiac troponin to cross the sarcolemma. A two-hit model involving two or more triggers including systemic inflammation, haemodynamic strain, adrenergic stress, and autonomic dysfunction might exacerbate or initiate acute myocardial injury directly in the absence of cell death. Consideration of these diverse mechanisms is pivotal for the design and interpretation of interventional perioperative trials.

Could Blood Cell-Based Inflammatory Markers Be Used to Monitor Response to Biologic Therapy in Psoriasis?

Objectives

Despite extensive research, there is currently no specific biomarker that reliably and universally indicates treatment response in psoriasis. Multiple studies have evaluated systemic inflammation markers, including neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR), monocyte-to-lymphocyte ratio (MLR), systemic immune-inflammation index (SII), and systemic immune response index (SIRI) in psoriasis patients. However, there are limited studies investigating changes in these markers with biologic therapy. The goal of this study was to investigate the impact of biologic therapy on parameters including NLR, PLR, MLR, SII, and SIRI in patients with psoriasis.

Methods

In this cohort study, we retrospectively evaluated 108 psoriasis patients who were on biological treatment, including interleukin (IL)17, IL23, and IL12/23 inhibitors, for a minimum of 12 weeks. We analyzed Psoriasis Area Severity Index (PASI) scores, complete blood count parameters, and C-reactive protein (CRP) levels both before and after 12 weeks of treatment.

Results

The NLR, PLR, MLR, SII, SIRI, and CRP values all demonstrated a significant decrease, regardless of the specific type of biologic agent (p=0.001, 0.007, 0.011, <0.001, <0.001 and <0.001, respectively). Furthermore, we observed a statistically significant but low correlation between the reduction in PASI scores and PLR, SII, and SIRI values (p=0.036, r=0.202; p=0.042, r=0.196; p=0.023, r=0.219, respectively).

Conclusion

The NLR, MLR, especially PLR, SII, and SIRI might be used as simple, convenient, and inexpensive laboratory markers to monitor the degree of inflammation and response to treatment after biologic therapy in daily practice.

Development and Internal Validation of a Nomogram for Predicting Postoperative Cardiac Events in Elderly Hip Fracture Patients

Purpose

Postoperative cardiac events (PCEs) are among the main adverse events after hip fracture surgery in the elderly. Existing cardiac risk assessment tools have some limitations and are not specifically designed for elderly patients undergoing hip fracture surgery. This study aimed to develop and internally validate a nomogram for prediction of PCEs in these patients.

Patients and Methods

We performed a retrospective study of 992 patients aged ≥65 years undergoing hip fracture surgery in our hospital from July 2015 to December 2021. Patients' demographics and clinical data were collected. Least Absolute Shrinkage and Selection Operator (LASSO) regression was used to select predictors, and multivariate logistic regression was employed to construct a nomogram. Internal validation was performed by bootstrapping. The discriminatory ability of the model was determined by the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC). The calibration and clinical utility of the model were assessed. The predictive power and clinical benefit of the nomogram were compared with the Revised Cardiac Risk Index (RCRI).

Results

The nomogram was constructed including seven variables: general anesthesia, the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) classification, history of heart failure, history of severe arrhythmia, history of coronary artery disease, preoperative platelet count, and serum creatinine. The nomogram had an excellent predictive ability (AUC = 0.875, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.828-0.918). Satisfactory calibration was shown by calibration plots and the Hosmer-Lemeshow goodness-of-fit test (P = 0.520). Clinical usefulness was confirmed by decision curve analysis and clinical impact curve. The predictive power and clinical utility of the nomogram were superior to RCRI.

Conclusion

We developed an easy-to-use nomogram for prediction of PCEs in elderly hip fracture patients. This prediction model could effectively identify patients at high risk of PCEs and may be useful for perioperative management optimization.

Predictive Performances of Blood-Count-Derived Inflammatory Markers for Liver Fibrosis Severity in Psoriasis Vulgaris

Psoriasis is an immune-mediated, chronic disorder that significantly alters patients' quality of life and predisposes them to a higher risk of comorbidities, including liver fibrosis. Various non-invasive tests (NITs) have been validated to assess liver fibrosis severity, while blood-count-derived inflammatory markers have been proven to be reliable in reflecting inflammatory status in psoriatic disease. The fibrosis-4 (FIB-4) index became part of the newest guideline for monitoring psoriasis patients undergoing systemic treatment. Patients with psoriasis vulgaris and fulfilling inclusion criteria were enrolled in this study, aiming to assess for the first time in the literature whether such inflammatory markers are useful in predicting liver fibrosis. Based on internationally validated FIB-4 index values, patients were divided into two study groups: a low risk of significant fibrosis (LR-SF) and a high risk of significant fibrosis (HR-SF). Patients from HR-SF were significantly older and had higher values of the monocyte-to-lymphocyte ratio (MLR) (p < 0.001), which further significantly correlated with fibrosis severity (p < 0.001). Platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR), systemic immune inflammation index (SII), platelet-to-white blood cell ratio (PWR), and aggregate index of systemic inflammations (AISI) significantly correlated negatively with liver fibrosis (p < 0.001). PWR proved to be the most reliable inflammatory predictor of fibrosis severity (AUC = 0.657). MLR, PWR, and AISI were independent inflammatory markers in multivariate analysis (p < 0.001), while the AST to platelet ratio index (APRI) and AST to ALT ratio (AAR) can be used as additional NITs for significant liver fibrosis (p < 0.001). In limited-resources settings, blood-count-derived inflammatory markers such as MLR, PWR, and AISI, respectively, and hepatic indexes APRI and AAR prove to be of particular help in predicting significant liver fibrosis.

Exploring the diagnostic and prognostic value of the C-reactive protein/lymphocyte ratio for dilated cardiomyopathy based on a real-world study

To determine the risk factors for dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) and construct a risk model for predicting HF in patients with DCM, We enrolled a total of 2122 patients, excluding those who did not meet the requirements. A total of 913 patients were included in the analysis (611 males and 302 females) from October 2012 to May 2020, and data on demographic characteristics, blood biochemical markers, and cardiac ultrasound results were collected. Patients were strictly screened for DCM based on the diagnostic criteria. First, these patients were evaluated using propensity score matching (PSM). Next, unconditional logistic regression was used to assess HF risk. Furthermore, receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was conducted to determine diagnostic efficiency, and a nomogram was developed to predict HF. Finally, the Kaplan‒Meier survival curve was plotted. Of the initial 2122 patients, the ejection fraction (EF) in males was worse. We included 913 patients after the final DCM diagnosis. The results showed that the levels of NT-proBNP, WBC, PLT, neutrophils, lymphocytes, eosinophils, and IL-6, C-reactive protein (CRP) and the neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio (NLR), platelet/lymphocyte ratio (PLR), and CRP/lymphocyte ratio (CLR) were higher in males than in females (P < 0.001-0.009). The nomogram showed that factors such as sex, WBC, neutrophils, PLR, and CLR could predict the risk of worsening cardiac function in patients with DCM before and after PSM (P < 0.05). The ROC curve showed that CLR with an 85.6% area demonstrated higher diagnostic efficacy than the NLR (77.0%) and PLR (76.6%, P < 0.05). Survival analysis showed a higher mortality risk in females with higher CLR levels (P < 0.001-0.009). However, high CLR levels indicated a higher mortality risk (P < 0.001) compared to sex. Male EF is lower in DCM patients. CLR could predict the risk of declined cardiac function in patients with DCM. The mortality in females with higher CLR levels was highest; however, the exact mechanism should be investigated.

The neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio is a potential biomarker for the occurrence of atrial fibrillation in patients with obstructive sleep apnea: A BIOMARKER OF AF IN OSA PATIENTS

BACKGROUND

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) affects the occurrence of atrial fibrillation (AF) and usually coexists with AF. Chronic inflammation has been identified as an important factor in the development of AF, and the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) has been identified as a biomarker that positively correlates with the degree of inflammation. However, little information regarding how NLR correlates with AF in OSA patients.

METHODS

Our study enrolled 368 patients with OSA between September 2018 and April 2023. All data were collected after admission. Independently associated factors were assessed by multivariate logistic regression and then constructed a nomogram to predict AF risk. Nomogram's calculation model was evaluated using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves, calibration curves, and decision curve analysis (DCA). The correlation between CHA2DS2-VASc scores and NLR was assessed using Spearman correlation.

RESULTS

Multivariate logistic regression showed that high level log-transformed NLR (OR, 1.664; 95% CI, 1.026-2.699; P = 0.039) was independently associated with the presence of AF in patients with OSA. The concordance index (0.817, 95% CI, 0.770-0.864), ROC curve, calibration curve, and DCA of the nomogram indicated this model had well clinical utility. Also, the nomogram's calculation model could identify patients who are at a higher risk of developing AF, and the CHA2DS2-VASc score was positively correlated with NLR in patients with AF (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSION

The elevated NLR may serve as a promising biomarker for assessing the risk of AF in individuals with OSA. The nomogram's calculation model may be utilized as a tool to estimate the probability of AF occurrence in OSA patients.

Sex differences in major adverse cardiovascular and cerebrovascular event risk among central retinal artery occlusion patients

To estimate the association between central retinal artery occlusion (CRAO) and major adverse cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events (MACCE), including their clinical characteristics, blood markers, and the contribution of CRAO to MACCE, as well as to assess any sex differences. This retrospective cohort study included continuous new-onset CRAO patients and 1:4 controls during the same period. Correlations of CRAO with the incidence of MACCE during follow-up and the sex-related differences were studied. One hundred and twenty-four CRAO patients and four hundred and ninety-six controls were enrolled. Neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR, P = 0.014) and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP, P = 0.038) were tended to be higher in CRAO patients. After the follow-up period, 78 patients experienced MACCE. Multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that CRAO was a predictor of the occurrence of MACCE (HR 2.321, 95% CI 1.439-3.744, P = 0.001). Sex subgroups indicated that age, diabetes, current smoking, CRAO, NLR and hs-CRP increased the risk factor of MACCE in males (All P < 0.05) and CRAO, NLR, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) and hs-CRP were independent influencing factors for females (All P < 0.05). New-onset CRAO significantly increases the probability of MACCE and is associated with a poor prognosis. The sex-related differences suggested that effective prevention of the occurrence of MACCE in high-risk patients requires that attention be given to individualized risk factors corresponding to sexes.

Rationale and design of the colchicine for the prevention of perioperative atrial fibrillation in patients undergoing major noncardiac thoracic surgery (COP-AF) trial

BACKGROUND

Perioperative atrial fibrillation (AF) and myocardial injury after noncardiac surgery (MINS) are common complications after noncardiac surgery. Inflammation has been implicated in the pathogenesis of both disorders. The COP-AF trial tests the hypothesis that colchicine reduces the incidence of perioperative AF and MINS in patients undergoing major noncardiac thoracic surgery.

METHODS AND RESULTS

The 'COlchicine for the Prevention of Perioperative Atrial Fibrillation' (COP-AF) trial is an international, blinded, randomized trial that compares colchicine to placebo in patients aged at least 55 years and undergoing major noncardiac thoracic surgery with general anesthesia. Exclusion criteria include a history of AF and a contraindication to colchicine (eg, severe renal dysfunction). Oral colchicine at a dose of 0.5 mg or matching placebo is given within 4 hours before surgery. Thereafter, patients receive colchicine 0.5 mg or placebo twice daily for a total of 10 days. The 2 independent co-primary outcomes are clinically important perioperative AF (including atrial flutter) and MINS during 14 days of follow-up. The main safety outcomes are sepsis or infection and non-infectious diarrhea. We aim to enroll 3,200 patients from approximately 40 sites across 11 countries to have at least 80% power for the independent evaluation of the 2 co-primary outcomes. The COP-AF main results are expected in 2023.

CONCLUSIONS

COP-AF is a large randomized and blinded trial designed to determine whether colchicine reduces the risk of perioperative AF or MINS in patients who have major noncardiac thoracic surgery.

Neutrophil-to-Lymphocyte Ratio and Platelet-to-Lymphocyte Ratio as Predictive Factors for Mortality and Length of Hospital Stay after Cardiac Surgery

Background: Neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) are widely accepted indices positively correlated with disease severity, progression, and mortality. In this study, we tested whether NLR and PLR could predict mortality and length of hospital stay (LOS) after cardiac surgery. Methods: NLR and PLR were calculated on days 0, 3, 5, and 7 postoperatively. A ROC curve was generated to assess their prognostic value; multivariate logistic analysis identified independent risk factors for 90-day mortality. Results: Analysis was performed on 179 patients’ data, 11 of whom (6.15%) died within 90 days. The discriminatory performance for predicting 90-day mortality was better for NLR7 (AUC = 0.925, 95% CI:0.865–0.984) with the optimal cut-off point being 7.10. NLR5 and PLR3 also exhibited a significant strong discriminative performance. Similarly, a significant discriminative performance was prominent for PLR3, NLR5, and NLR7 with respect to LOS. Moreover, NLR7 (OR: 2.143, 95% CI: 1.076–4.267, p = 0.030) and ICU LOS (OR:1.361, 95% CI: 1.045–1.774, p = 0.022) were significant independent risk factors for 90-day mortality. Conclusions: NLR and PLR are efficient predictive factors for 90-day mortality and LOS in cardiac surgery patients. Owing to the simplicity of determining NLR and PLR, their postoperative monitoring may offer a reliable predictor of patients’ outcomes in terms of LOS and mortality.

Systemic inflammation shapes clinical outcomes in response to immune checkpoint blockade treatment: moving toward optimizing antitumor immunity

BACKGROUND

Immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) treatment may induce durable disease remission, but only in a minority of patients with cancer. One important question is how to identify patients who may benefit from ICB treatment. ICB treatment relies on unleashing patients' pre-existing immune responses. Focusing on the key components of immune response, this study proposes the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) as a simplified indicator of patients' immune status to predict ICB treatment outcomes.

METHODS

This study analyzed a large pan-cancer cohort of 16 cancer types, including 1714 patients with cancer who received ICB treatment. Clinical outcomes in response to ICB treatment were measured by overall survival (OS), progression-free survival (PFS), objective response rate, and clinical benefit rate. The non-linear relationships of NLR with OS and PFS were investigated by a spline-based multivariate Cox regression model. A total of 1000 randomly resampled cohorts were bootstrapped to estimate the variability and reproducibility of NLR-related ICB responses.

RESULTS

By interrogating a clinically representative cohort, this study revealed a previously unreported finding that the pretreatment NLR levels were associated with ICB treatment outcomes in a U-shaped dose-dependent manner rather than a linear manner. An NLR range between 2.0 and 3.0 was remarkably associated with optimal ICB treatment outcomes, including increased patient survival, delayed disease progression, improved treatment response, and significant clinical benefit. Comparatively, either decreasing (< 2.0) or increasing (>3.0) NLR levels were indicators of worse ICB treatment outcomes. Furthermore, this study presents a comprehensive landscape of NLR-related ICB treatment outcomes across different patient populations defined by demographics, baseline characteristics, treatment, cancer-type-specific ICB responsiveness, and individual cancer type.

CONCLUSIONS

The NLR range from 2.0 to 3.0 might indicate an optimal balance between innate (neutrophils) and adaptive (lymphocytes) immune responses that potentiates antitumor immunity, which was observed in only 18.6% of patients. A majority of patients showed decreasing NLR (<2.00; 10.9% patients) or increasing NLR (>3.00; 70.5% patients), representing two distinct types of immune dysregulation associated with ICB resistance. This study translates routine blood tests into a precision medicine-based approach to immunotherapy, with important implications for clinicians in clinical decision-making as well as for regulatory agencies in drug approvals.

Diagnostic and Predictive Value of Novel Inflammatory Markers of the Severity of Acute Traumatic Spinal Cord Injury: A Retrospective Study

OBJECTIVE

In order to assess the relationships between the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR), lymphocyte-to-monocyte ratio, and systemic immune inflammatory index (SII) and the American Spinal Injury Association Impairment Scale (AIS) grade in patients with acute traumatic spinal cord injury (TSCI).

METHODS

We retrospectively investigated 526 patients with acute traumatic spinal cord injury admitted to the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University between January 2012 and December 2021, and for whom routine blood tests were performed within 8 hours of injury. To assess the degree of impairment in TSCI patients using the American Spinal Cord Injury Association Impairment Scale. The patients were divided into 2 groups according to AIS grade as follows: patients with an AIS grade of A-B (severe and critical TSCI, respectively) were distinguished from those with an AIS grade of C-E (minimal, mild, and moderate TSCI, respectively). The association between unfavorable outcomes and each indicator was examined separately through univariate logistic regression analysis. Correlations between variables and AIS grades were analyzed by Spearman's correlation test. The discriminative ability of predictive models was evaluated using the area under the curve.

RESULTS

The NLR, PLR, and SII were elevated in patients with spinal cord injury and exceeded the reference values in 95% of cases. The AIS grades were inversely correlated with the NLR, PLR, and SII. In the receiver operating characteristic curve analysis performed to confirm the utility of the NLR, PLR, and SII for predicting the AIS grade, the area under the curve values were 0.710 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.666-0.755), 0.603 (95% CI, 0.554-0.651) and 0.638 (95% CI, 0.591-0.685), respectively. The optimal cut-off value for the NLR was 0.361 (sensitivity = 0.79, specificity = 0.57).

CONCLUSIONS

The analysis of changes in NLR, PLR, and SII as indicators of the novel systemic inflammatory can be an important complement to traditional methods for the assessment of severity and prognosis and the possible selection of patients for close monitoring. And, NLR showed higher diagnostic performance than PLR and SII.

Relationship between Platelet-to-Lymphocyte Ratio and Lymphocyte-to-Monocyte Ratio with Spontaneous Preterm Birth: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

Background

Spontaneous preterm birth is one of the most common pregnancy complications in obstetric clinical practice, and its etiology is complex. The problems of low survival and high morbidity rates of premature infants need to be solved urgently. The platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) and lymphocyte-to-monocyte ratio (LMR) are two novel biomarkers of inflammation, and several studies have linked PLR and LMR to spontaneous preterm birth. These systematic review and meta-analysis are aimed at analyzing the relationship between PLR and LMR in patients with spontaneous preterm birth to provide new ideas for the early prevention and treatment of spontaneous preterm births.

Methods

Cochrane Library, EMBASE, PubMed, and China National Knowledge Infrastructure databases were inspected to gather PLR and LMR in patients with spontaneous preterm birth, all from the database to February 2022. Interstudy heterogeneity was evaluated using Cochran's Q test and I 2 statistic. Differences in PLR and LMR between patients with spontaneous preterm birth and full-term controls were evaluated by computing standardized mean differences and 95% confidence intervals. Publication bias and sensitivity analyses were also performed.

Results

Nine studies were included in the meta-analysis based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria. The meta-analysis showed that serum PLR values were remarkably larger for patients with spontaneous preterm birth than for full-term controls (SMD = 0.49, 95% CI: 0.13 to 0.84, P = 0.007), whereas the difference between serum LMR in patients with spontaneous preterm birth and full-term controls was not statistically significant (SMD: 0.35, 95% CI: -0.18, 0.88, P = 0.199). The results of Begg's and Egger's tests revealed that the publication bias of the meta-analysis was not significant. The outcomes of the sensitivity analysis showed that the individual studies did not influence the meta-analysis results.

Conclusions

Current evidence shows that PLR is strongly associated with spontaneous preterm birth, whereas LMR is not. PLR has a certain clinical value in diagnosing and treating spontaneous preterm births, and our research will provide strong theoretical support for clinical work. In the future, it will be necessary to further explore the reasons for the increased PLR in the serum of patients with spontaneous preterm birth and other mechanisms inducing spontaneous preterm birth.

Association of Biologic Treatment in Hidradenitis Suppurativa With Reduced Neutrophil-Lymphocyte Ratio and Platelet-Lymphocyte Ratio

This cohort study assesses whether an association exists between biologic treatment for hidradenitis suppurativa and neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio, platelet-lymphocyte ratio, and monocyte-lymphocyte ratio.

Assessment and Correction of the Cardiac Complications Risk in Non-cardiac Operations – What's New?

Cardiovascular complications after non-cardiac surgery are the leading cause of 30-day mortality. The need for surgical interventions is approximately 5,000 procedures per 100,000 population, according to experts, the risks of non-cardiac surgical interventions are markedly higher in the elderly. It should be borne in mind that the aging of the population and the increased possibilities of medicine inevitably lead to an increase in surgical interventions in older people. Recent years have been characterized by the appearance of national and international guidelines with various algorithms for assessing and correcting cardiac risk, as well as publications on the validation of these algorithms. The purpose of this review was to provide new information about the assessment and correction of the risk of cardiac complications in non-cardiac operations. Despite the proposed new risk assessment scales, the RCRI scale remains the most commonly used, although for certain categories of patients (with oncopathology, in older age groups) the possibility of using specific questionnaires has been shown. In assessing the functional state, it is proposed to use not only a subjective assessment, but also the DASI questionnaire, 6-minute walking test and cardiopulmonary exercise test). At the next stage, it is proposed to evaluate biomarkers, primarily BNP or NT-proBNP, with a normal level – surgery, with an increased level – either an additional examination by a cardiologist or perioperative troponin screening. Currently, the prevailing opinion is that there is no need to examine patients to detect hidden lesions of the coronary arteries (non-invasive tests, coronary angiography), since this leads to excessive examination of patients, delaying the implementation of non-cardiac surgery. The extent to which this approach has an advantage over the previously used one remains to be studied.

Information Value of Calculated Hematological Indices in the Assessment of Cardiac Risk in Oncological Surgery

The objective: to study information value of the neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and platelet to lymphocyte ratio (PLR) in the cardiac risk assessment in abdominal oncological surgery.

Subjects and Methods. 94 patients of 68 [62‒73] years old who underwent elective surgery were examined.

Results. Cardiovascular comortbidity was diagnosed in 69 (73.4%) patients. 11 (11.7%) perioperative cardiovascular complications were registered. Cardiac mortality was 4.3%. Hematological indices were not associated with cardiovascular diseases (NLR: OR = 0.59‒1.42; 95% CI 0.14‒2.60; p = 0.29‒0.74, PLR: OR = 0.99‒1.00; 95% CI 0.97‒1.01; p = 0.31‒0.99). NLR and PLR were not predictors of cardiovascular complications (OR = 0.67; 95% CI 0.19‒2.37; p = 0.46 and OR = 1.00; 95% CI 0.99‒1.01; p = 0.68) and cardiac death (OR = 0.21; 95% CI 0.01‒8.05; p = 0.23 and OR = 0.99; 95% CI 0.98‒1.01; p = 0.79).

Conclusion. NLR and PLR cannot be recommended for the cardiac risk assessment in abdominal oncological surgery.

Usefulness of Complete Blood Count (CBC) to Assess Cardiovascular and Metabolic Diseases in Clinical Settings: A Comprehensive Literature Review

Complete blood count (CBC) is one of the most common blood tests requested by clinicians and evaluates the total numbers and characteristics of cell components in the blood. Recently, many investigations have suggested that the risk of cancer, cardiovascular disease (CVD), arteriosclerosis, type 2 diabetes (T2DM), and metabolic syndrome can be predicted using CBC components. This review introduces that white blood cell (WBC), neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), hemoglobin (Hb), mean corpuscular volume (MCV), red cell distribution width (RDW), platelet count, mean platelet volume (MPV), and platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) are useful markers to predict CVD and metabolic diseases. Furthermore, we would like to support various uses of CBC by organizing pathophysiology that can explain the relationship between CBC components and diseases.

Value of the systemic immune-inflammation index in predicting poor postoperative outcomes and the short-term prognosis of heart valve diseases: a retrospective cohort study

OBJECTIVE

Systemic immune-inflammation index (SII) is a novel biomarker that can predict poor outcomes in tumours, nervous system diseases and chronic heart failure. Here, we investigated the predictive value of SII on the poor postoperative outcomes and short-term prognosis of heart valve diseases (HVDs).

DESIGN, SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS

This retrospective cohort study enrolled all consecutive patients with HVDs (aortic stenosis, aortic regurgitation, mitral stenosis and mitral regurgitation) who underwent surgery (valve replacement or valve repair) at the Affiliated Hospital of North Sichuan Medical College between 2017 and 2020.

MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES

Major complications in the perioperative period, all-cause mortality within 30 days and readmission within 30 days.

RESULTS

A total of 431 patients with HVDs were enrolled in this study, including 202 males and 229 females, aged 58.9±27.3 years. SII levels of patients in the poor outcomes group were significantly higher than those of patients in the favourable outcomes group (658.40±436.29 vs 335.72±174.76, respectively; p<0.001). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that age (OR 1.064, 95% CI 1.026 to 1.104, p=0.025), SII (OR 1.034, 95% CI 1.012 to 1.631, p=0.008) and aortic cross-clamping time (OR 1.013, 95% CI 1.004 to 1.023, p=0.006) were independent risk factors for poor outcomes and short-term prognosis in patients with HVD. The area under the curve of poor outcomes predicted by SII in patients with HVD was 0.806 (95% CI 0.763 to 0.848) and the optimised cut-off value 423.8×10⁹ /L, with a sensitivity of 70.3% and specificity of 81.1%. The incidence of poor outcomes (p<0.001), 30-day mortality (p<0.001) and 30-day readmission rate (p=0.026) in the high SII group was significantly higher than that in the low SII group.

CONCLUSIONS

SII is closely related to poor postoperative outcomes and short-term prognosis of HVD and can serve as an independent predictive factor.

Blood Cell Count Inflammatory Markers as Prognostic Indicators of Periodontitis: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

(1) Background: Our study aimed to assess the association between the neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR), platelet to leukocyte ratio (PLR), lymphocyte to monocyte ratio (LMR), red cell distribution width (RDW), and systemic immune inflammation index (SII) and periodontitis. (2) Methods: We searched PubMed, Embase, Scopus, Web of Science, and LILACS databases, identifying observational studies. The Newcastle Ottawa scale was used to evaluate the quality of the included studies. The principal summary outcome measure in our random effects meta-analysis was the mean difference (MD). (3) Results: After screening 682 search results, a total of 10 studies including 3164 subjects were selected for quantitative assessment. We found a higher mean NLR, PLR, and LMR in the periodontitis group compared to the control group (0.41 (95% CI 0.12-0.7), p = 0.006; 7.43 (95% CI 0.31-14.54), p = 0.04; 2.05 (95% CI 0.27-3.83), p = 0.024). No differences were observed for RDW. (4) Conclusions: We found an association between NLR, LMR, and PLR and periodontitis, which might be thought of as emerging blood cell count inflammatory biomarkers that could shed light on the link between periodontitis and systemic disbalances, as well as for periodontitis prognosis and grading.

The Core Role of Neutrophil–Lymphocyte Ratio to Predict All-Cause and Cardiovascular Mortality: A Research of the 2005–2014 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey

Objective

To further supplement the previous research on the relationship between neutrophil–lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and all-cause and cardiovascular mortality, and construct clinical models to predict mortality.

Methods

A total number of 2,827 observers were included from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) database in our research. NLR was calculated from complete blood count. According to the quartile of baseline NLR, those observers were divided into four groups. A multivariate weighted Cox regression model was used to analyze the association of NLR with mortality. We constructed simple clinical prognosis models by nomograms. Kaplan–Meier survival curves were used to depict cause-specific mortality. Restricted cubic spline regression was used to make explicit relationships between NLR and mortality.

Results

This study recruited 2,827 subjects aged ≥ 18 years from 2005 to 2014. The average age of these observers was 51.55 ± 17.62, and 57.69% were male. NLR is still an independent predictor, adjusted for age, gender, race, drinking, smoking, dyslipidemia, and other laboratory covariates. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curves (AUCs) of NLR for predicting all-cause mortality and cardiovascular mortality were 0.632(95% CI [0599, 0.664]) and 0.653(95% CI [0.581, 0.725]), respectively, which were superior to C-reactive protein (AUCs: 0.609 and 0.533) and WBC (AUCs: 0.522 and 0.513). The calibration and discrimination of the nomograms were validated by calibration plots and concordance index (C-index), and the C-indexes (95% CIs) of nomograms for all-cause and cardiovascular mortality were 0.839[0.819,0.859] and 0.877[0.844,0.910], respectively. The restricted cubic spline showed a non-linear relationship between NLR and mortality. NLR > 2.053 might be a risk factor for mortality.

Conclusion

There is a non-linear relationship between NLR and mortality. NLR is an independent factor related to mortality, and NLR > 2.053 will be a risk factor for prognosis. NLR and nomogram should be promoted to medical use for practicality and convenience.

Development and Validation of Predictive Model—HASBLAD Score—For Major Adverse Cardiovascular Events During Perioperative Period of Non-cardiac Surgery: A Single Center Experience in China

Background

Major adverse cardiovascular events (MACEs) represent a significant reason of morbidity and mortality in non-cardiac surgery during perioperative period. The prevention of perioperative MACEs has always been one of the hotspots in the research field. Current existing models have not been validated in Chinese population, and have become increasingly unable to adapt to current clinical needs.

Objectives

To establish and validate several simple bedside tools for predicting MACEs during perioperative period of non-cardiac surgery in Chinese hospitalized patients.

Design

We used a nested case-control study to establish our prediction models. A nomogram along with a risk score were developed using logistic regression analysis. An internal cohort was used to evaluate the performance of discrimination and calibration of these predictive models including the revised cardiac risk index (RCRI) score recommended by current guidelines.

Setting

Peking University Third Hospital between January 2010 and December 2020.

Patients

Two hundred and fifty three patients with MACEs and 1,012 patients without were included in the training set from January 2010 to December 2019 while 38,897 patients were included in the validation set from January 2020 and December 2020, of whom 112 patients had MACEs.

Main Outcome Measures

The MACEs included the composite outcomes of cardiac death, non-fatal myocardial infarction, non-fatal congestive cardiac failure or hemodynamically significant ventricular arrhythmia, and Takotsubo cardiomyopathy.

Results

Seven predictors, including Hemoglobin, CARDIAC diseases, Aspartate aminotransferase (AST), high Blood pressure, Leukocyte count, general Anesthesia, and Diabetes mellitus (HASBLAD), were selected in the final model. The nomogram and HASBLAD score all achieved satisfactory prediction performance in the training set (C statistic, 0.781 vs. 0.768) and the validation set (C statistic, 0.865 vs. 0.843). Good calibration was observed for the probability of MACEs in the training set and the validation set. The two predictive models both had excellent discrimination that performed better than RCRI in the validation set (C statistic, 0.660, P < 0.05 vs. nomogram and HASBLAD score).

Conclusion

The nomogram and HASBLAD score could be useful bedside tools for predicting perioperative MACEs of non-cardiac surgery in Chinese hospitalized patients.

Could neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio predict mortality in community-dwelling older people with delirium superimposed on dementia?

BACKGROUND

Delirium superimposed on dementia (DSD) is associated with adverse outcomes in older adults. Nonetheless, little is known about the association between inflammatory markers and clinical outcomes of DSD.

AIMS

This research investigated the predictive value of the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) for short- and long-term mortality among community-dwelling older adults with DSD.

METHODS

This retrospective cohort study included 9755 older outpatients who were referred to a tertiary hospital between January 2010 and June 2021. All patients underwent a comprehensive geriatric assessment and routine laboratory tests. Delirium and dementia was diagnosed with the DSM-4 or DSM-5 criteria. We recorded information on mortality during 1 year following the delirium episode.

RESULTS

Among 615 patients with dementia, 170 (26.3%) had delirium. Patients with delirium were predominantly older, with higher Deyo-Charlson comorbidity index scores, lower general cognitive performance, lower functional capability, and higher anticholinergic burden compared to those without delirium. At the 1-year follow-up, the mortality rate of DSD was 29.3%. Multivariate analysis showed that NLR at admission was an independent predictor of 1-month mortality (HR = 1.03; 95% CI 1.00-1.05; p = 0.04) and 1-year mortality (HR = 1.02; 95% CI 1.01-1.05; p = 0.01) of DSD patients.

DISCUSSION

NLR can predict prognosis in various diseases including cardiovascular disease, malignancies, and cerebrovascular disease, but as yet there is no similar prognostic measure in delirium. Moreover, recent previous studies demonstrated NLR is a potential marker for the prediction of delirium in older adults with different clinical settings. In the current study, we demonstrated that NLR is also a prognostic marker for DSD.

CONCLUSIONS

NLR could be useful marker for predicting short- and long-term mortality in patients with DSD. However, further studies are needed to validate these findings.

Diagnostic utility of hematological indices in predicting adverse outcomes and severity of acute pancreatitis based on BISAP and modified Glasgow score

BACKGROUND

The neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), platelet-lymphocyte-ratio (PLR), and red blood cell distribution width (RDW) are simple indicators of inflammatory status previously established as a severity indicator in distinct disease states. This study aimed to determine the impact of these simple hematologic indices with conventional inflammation markers such as C-reactive pro-tein (CRP) and white blood cells in acute pancreatitis (AP) patients and their relationship with AP risk stratification scores including Bedside Index for Severity of Acute Pancreatitis (BISAP) and modified Glaskow Prognostic score (mGPS) scores.

METHODS

This retrospective study was performed in the emergency department of Canakkale Onsekiz Mart University. A total of 171 patients (male/female: 68 [39.8%]/103 [60.3%]) with AP and 59 age and gender matched healthy subjects (male/female: 23 [39%]/36[61%]) as controls were enrolled in the present study. The patients were grouped according to severity and adverse outcomes according to BISAP and mGPS and a comparative analysis was performed to compare the NLR, PLR, and RDW between groups.

RESULTS

The mean NLR values of AP patients and control group were 9.62±6.34 and 2.04±1.08, respectively (p<0.001), while the mean PLR values of AP patients and control group were 221.83±122.43 and 83.30±38.89, respectively (p<0.001). Except from RDW, all the other hematologic indices were found to be elevated (p<0.05 for WBC; NLR, PLR, and CRP) on both mild and severe disease at disease onset. NLR and PLR showed significant predictive ability for estimating serious complications associated with AP.

CONCLUSION

The present study showed that NLR and PLR is increased in AP. Moreover, peripheral blood NLR and PLR values can predict disease severity and adverse outcomes associated with AP and can be used as an adjunctive marker for estimating disease severity.

Association between neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio and major postoperative complications after carotid endarterectomy: A retrospective cohort study

BACKGROUND

Carotid artery cross-clamping during carotid endarterectomy (CEA) may damage local cerebral perfusion and induce cerebral ischemia–reperfusion injury to activate local inflammatory responses. Neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) is an indicator that reflects systemic inflammation. However, the correlation between NLR and complications after CEA remains unclear.

AIM

To investigate the association between NLR and major complications after surgery in patients undergoing CEA.

METHODS

This retrospective cohort study included patients who received CEA between January 2016 and July 2018 at Beijing Tiantan Hospital. Neutrophil and lymphocyte counts in whole blood within 24 h after CEA were collected. The primary outcome was the composite of major postoperative complications including neurological, pulmonary, cardiovascular and acute kidney injuries. The secondary outcomes included infections, fever, deep venous thrombosis, length of hospitalization and cost of hospitalization. Statistical analyses were performed using EmpowerStats software and R software.

RESULTS

A total of 224 patients who received CEA were screened for review and 206 were included in the statistical analyses; of whom, 40 (19.42%) developed major postoperative complications. NLR within 24 h after CEA was significantly correlated with major postoperative complications (P = 0.026). After confounding factors were adjusted, the odds ratio was 1.15 (95%CI: 1.03–1.29, P = 0.014). The incidence of major postoperative complications in the high NLR group was 8.47 times that in the low NLR group (P = 0.002).

CONCLUSION

NLR is associated with major postoperative complications in patients undergoing CEA.

Predictive significance of neutrophil-to-lymphocyte and platelet-to-lymphocyte for cytomegalovirus infection in infants less than 3 months: A retrospective study

BACKGROUND

The aim of this study was to evaluate the predictive value of the hematological parameters in the identification of human cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection in infants less than 3 months.

METHODS

A single-center, observational study of infants with CMV infection was conducted retrospectively. Routine blood parameters were analyzed in CMV-infected infants and controls with no differences of birthweight, sex, gestational age at birth, and date of admission. Furthermore, receiver-operating curve was used to assess the predictive value of the hematological parameters for CMV infection.

RESULTS

One hundred ninety cases with CMV infection were studied retrospectively. Compared with the control group, there were significant differences in the white blood cell count, neutrophil count, lymphocyte count, platelet count, hemoglobin, neutrophil-to-lymphocyte (NLR), platelet-to-lymphocyte (PLR), and lymphocyte-to-monocyte (LMR) for the patients with CMV infection (all p < 0.001). The best predicted values for CMV infection based on the area under the curve (AUC) were NLR and PLR with the optimal cut-off value of 0.28 and 65.36. NLR-PLR score of 0, 1, or 2 based on an elevated NLR (>0.28), an elevated PLR (>65.36), or both. NLR-PLR score for CMV infection prediction yielded higher AUC values than NLR or PLR alone (0.760 vs. 0.689, 0.689; p < 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

The NLR combined with PLR is potentially useful as a predictor of CMV infection in infants less than 3 months.

Postoperative Neutrophil to Lymphocyte Ratio as an Overall Mortality Midterm Prognostic Factor following OPCAB Procedures

BACKGROUND

Off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting (OPCAB) is believed to limit inflammatory reaction. Neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR) is one of the more common and easily accessible markers of inflammatory response. The aim of the study was to compare postoperative results of NLR with mid-term OPCAB results.

METHODS

In total, 224 patients (198 (88%) men and 26 (12%) women) with mean age 65 +/- 9 years who underwent OPCAB though median full sternotomy in our department in 2018 enrolled into the study. We scrupulously collected the postoperative mid-term results, including survival rate, clinical status and risk for major adverse events, and compared them with perioperative laboratory results.

RESULTS

A three-year follow-up was completed by 198 individuals (90% survival rate) with 12 (5%) showing major adverse cardiovascular (MACE) events risk. In the multivariable analysis, the laboratory parameters noticed on the 1st postoperative day were statistically significantly predictive of survival, including neutrophils (HR 1.59, 1.33-1.89 95%CI, p < 0.0001), platelets (HR 1.01, 1.01-1.01 95%CI, p = 0.0065), NLR (HR 1.47, 1.3-1.65 95%CI, p < 0.0001) and postoperative ejection fraction (HR 0.9, 0.87-0.95 95%CI, p < 0.0001).

CONCLUSIONS

Postoperative NLR above 4.6, as an inflammatory reaction marker, is related to mid-term mortality in OPCAB patients.

Predictive value of neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio and platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio for primary patency of percutaneous transluminal angioplasty in hemodialysis arteriovenous fistula stenosis

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study is to investigate the potential association of the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) with the primary patency of percutaneous transluminal angioplasty (PTA) in hemodialysis arteriovenous fistula (AVF) stenosis.

METHODS

This study conducted a retrospective review of patients with end-stage renal disease referred for hemodialysis AVF stenosis in one center. The study consisted of 114 patients with significant (significant stenosis was defined as a reduction in the caliber of the fistula vein of > 50% with respect to the non-aneurysmal venous segment). AVF stenosis patients were treated with PTA, with conventional balloon angioplasty. The NLR and PLR were calculated from the pre-interventional blood samples. The patients were classified into two groups: group A, primary patency < 12 months (n = 35) and group B, and primary patency ≥ 12 months (n = 79). Comparisons between the groups were performed using the Mann-Whitney U test. Kaplan-Meier analysis was performed to compare the factors, NLR and PLR, for association with primary patency AVFs. A receiver-operating characteristic curve analysis was performed to identify the sensitivity and specificity of the NLR and PLR cut-off values in the prediction of primary patency time.

RESULTS

There was no difference in gender; age; side of AVF; AVF type; comorbid diseases such as diabetes mellitus and hypertension; or blood parameters such as white cell count, erythrocytes, hemoglobin, neutrophils, lymphocytes, monocytes, eosinophils, basophils, C-reactive protein, NLR, or PLR between the two groups (p > 0.05). There was also no significant difference in the patency rate between the NLR < 4.13 and NLR ≥ 4.13 groups at 12 months (NLR cut-off point = 4.13, p = 0.273). There were statistically significant differences between the primary patency rates of the PLR < 187.86 and PLR ≥ 187.86 groups at 12 months (PLR cut-off point = 187.86, p = 0.023). The cut-off value for PLR for the determination of primary patency was 187.86, with a sensitivity of 57.0% and specificity of 34.4%.

CONCLUSION

An increased level of PLR may be a risk factor for the development of early AVF restenosis after successful PTA. However, more studies are needed to validate this finding.

A Risk Score for Predicting Long-Term Mortality Following Off-Pump Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting

BACKGROUND

Off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting (OPCAB) comprises 15-30% of all bypass grafting surgeries. The currently available perioperative scores such as Euroscore and STS score do not specifically predict long-term mortality after off-pump procedures. The neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) is one of the new, easily accessible markers of inflammation with proven predictive value in cardiovascular diseases. We aimed to develop the first risk score for long-term mortality after OPCAB and to determine if the perioperative value of NLR predicts long-term mortality in OPCAB patients.

METHODS

In total, 440 consecutive patients with multivessel stable coronary artery disease undergoing OPCAB were recruited. Differential leukocyte counts were obtained by a routine hematology analyzer. Data regarding mortality during a median follow-up time of 5.3 years were obtained from the Polish National Health Service database. An independent population of 242 patients served as a validation cohort.

RESULTS

All-cause mortality was influenced by different clinical risk factors. In multivariate regression analysis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, stroke history, post-operative NLR and LVEF were independent predictors of mortality. Combing all independent predictors predicted long-term all-cause mortality with 68.5% sensitivity and 71.5% specificity (AUC = 0.704, p < 0.001). After weighing these variables according to their estimates in a multivariate regression model, we developed a score to predict mortality in patients undergoing OPCAB (PREDICT-OPCAB Score, ranging from 0 to 10). Patients with a high score were at higher risk of mortality within the median 5.3 years of follow-up (score 0-3: 8.3%; 4-6: 27.0%; 7-10: 40.0%; p < 0.001 for score 0-3 vs. 4-6 and 7-10). This association was confirmed in the validation cohort.

CONCLUSIONS

We developed and validated the first simplified risk score to predict mortality following OPCAB based on easily accessible clinical factors. This risk score can be used when obtaining a patient's informed consent and as an aid in determining treatment.

Right Heart Changes Impact on Clinical Phenotype of Amyloid Cardiac Involvement: A Single Centre Study

Amyloidosis is due to deposition of an excessive amount of protein in many parenchymal tissues, including myocardium. The onset of cardiac Amyloidosis (CA) is an inauspicious prognostic factor, which can lead to sudden death. We retrospectively analyzed 135 patients with systemic amyloidosis, admitted to our ward between 1981 and 2019. Among them, 54 patients (46.30% F/53.70% M, aged 63.95 ± 12.82) presented CA at baseline. In 53 patients, it was associated with a multiorgan involvement, while in one there was a primary myocardial deposition. As a control group, we enrolled 81 patients (49.30% F/50.70% M, aged 58.33 ± 15.65) who did not meet the criteria for CA. In 44/54 of patients CA was associated with AL, 5/54 with AA and 3/54 of patients with ATTR, and in 1/54 AL was related to hemodialysis and in 1/54 to Gel-Amyloidosis. The most common AL type was IgG (28/44); less frequent forms were either IgA (7/44) or IgD (2/44), while seven patients had a λ free light chain form. The 32 AL with complete Ig were 31 λ-chain and just one k-chain. CA patients presented normal BP (SBP 118.0 ± 8.4 mmHg; DBP 73.8 ± 4.9 mmHg), while those with nCA had an increased proteinuria (p = 0.02). TnI and NT-proBNP were significantly increased compared to nCA (p = 0.031 and p = 0.047, respectively). In CA patients we found an increased LDH compared to nCA (p = 0.0011). CA patients were also found to have an increased interventricular septum thickness compared to nCA (p = 0.002), a decreased Ejection Fraction % (p = 0.0018) and Doppler velocity E/e’ ratio (p = 0.0095). Moreover, CA patients had an enhanced right atrium area (p = 0.0179), right ventricle basal diameter (p = 0.0112) and wall thickness (p = 0.0471) compared to nCA, and an increased inferior cava vein diameter (p = 0.0495) as well. TAPSE was the method chosen to evaluate systolic function of the right heart. In CA subjects very poor TAPSE levels were found compared to nCA patients (p = 0.0495). Additionally, we found a significant positive correlation between TAPSE and lymphocyte count (r = 0.47; p = 0.031) as well as Gamma globulins (r = 0.43, p = 0.033), Monoclonal components (r = 0.72; p = 0.047) and IgG values (r = 0.62, p = 0.018). Conversely, a significant negative correlation with LDH (r = −0.57, p = 0.005), IVS (r = −0.51, p = 0.008) and diastolic function evaluated as E/e’ (r = −0.60, p = 0.003) were verified. CA patients had very poor survival rates compared to controls (30 vs. 66 months in CA vs. nCA, respectively, p = 0.15). Mean survival of CA individuals was worse also when stratified according to NT-proBNP levels, using 2500 pg/mL as class boundary (174 vs. 5.5 months, for patients with lower vs. higher values than the median, respectively p = 0.013). In much the same way, a decreased right heart systolic function was correlated with a worse prognosis (18.0 months median survival, not reached in subjects with lower values than 18 mm, p = 0.0186). Finally, our data highlight the potential prognostic and predictive value of right heart alterations characterizing amyloidosis, as a novel clinical parameter correlated to increased LDH and immunoglobulins levels. Overall, we confirm the clinical relevance of cardiac involvement suggests that right heart evaluation may be considered as a new marker for clinical risk stratification in patients with amyloidosis.

Elevated neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio but not platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio is associated with generalized aggressive periodontitis in a Chinese population

BACKGROUND

Host inflammatory mediators are associated with tissue destruction in patients suffering from generalized aggressive periodontitis (GAgP). However, the correlations between neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) with GAgP remain unknown.

METHODS

Periodontal clinical parameters, including probing depth (PD), bleeding index (BI) and attachment loss (AL) were collected from patients with GAgP and healthy controls. Complete blood cells analyses were obtained; further, NLR and PLR were calculated using neutrophil, platelet, and lymphocyte counts. Smooth curve fitting and segmented regression models were used to analyze the roles and predictive value of NLR with GAgP.

RESULTS

In total, 505 participants from a Chinese population were recruited, including 133 healthy controls and 372 patients with GAgP. Periodontal clinical parameters, NLR, and neutrophil counts were significantly higher in patients with GAgP than the control group. Moreover, NLR was positively correlated with the risk and clinical parameters of GAgP. When NLR < 3, the risk of GAgP increased by 20.6% for each 0.1 increase in NLR, reaching saturation when NLR > 3. An increase in NLR equivalent to 1 was associated with an increase in PD, BI, and AL by 0.41 mm, 0.26, and 0.57 mm, respectively. Notably, PLR did not show obvious correlations with GAgP.

CONCLUSIONS

NLR but not PLR may be a potential marker to identify GAgP in healthy individuals, particularly in a Chinese population.