UNASSIGNED: The identification of new, easily measurable biomarkers might assist clinicians in diagnosing and managing systemic sclerosis (SSc). Although the full blood count is routinely assessed in the evaluation of SSc, the diagnostic utility of specific cell-derived inflammatory indices, i.e., neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR), and monocyte-to-lymphocyte ratio (MLR), has not been critically appraised in this patient group.
UNASSIGNED: We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of studies investigating the NLR, PLR, and MLR, in SSc patients and healthy controls and in SSc patients with and without relevant complications. PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science were searched from inception to 23 February 2024. Risk of bias and certainty of evidence were assessed using validated tools.
UNASSIGNED: In 10 eligible studies, compared to controls, patients with SSc had significantly higher NLR (standard mean difference, SMD=0.68, 95% CI 0.46 to 0.91, p<0.001; I2 = 74.5%, p<0.001), and PLR values (SMD=0.52, 95% CI 0.21 to 0.83, p=0.001; I2 = 77.0%, p=0.005), and a trend towards higher MLR values (SMD=0.60, 95% CI -0.04 to 1.23, p=0.066; I2 = 94.1%, p<0.001). When compared to SSc patients without complications, the NLR was significantly higher in SSc with interstitial lung disease (ILD, SMD=0.31, 95% CI 0.15 to 0.46, p<0.001; I2 = 43.9%, p=0.11), pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH, SMD=1.59, 95% CI 0.04 to 3.1, p=0.045; I2 = 87.6%, p<0.001), and digital ulcers (DU, SMD=0.43, 95% CI 0.13 to 0.74, p=0.006; I2 = 0.0%, p=0.49). The PLR was significantly higher in SSc patients with ILD (SMD=0.42, 95% CI 0.25 to 0.59, p<0.001; I2 = 24.8%, p=0.26). The MLR was significantly higher in SSc patients with PAH (SMD=0.63, 95% CI 0.17 to 1.08, p=0.007; I2 = 66.0%, p=0.086), and there was a trend towards a higher MLR in SSc patients with ILD (SMD=0.60, 95% CI -0.04 to 1.23, p=0.066; I2 = 94.1%, p<0.001).
UNASSIGNED: Pending the results of appropriately designed prospective studies, the results of this systematic review and meta-analysis suggest that blood cell-derived indices of inflammation, particularly the NLR and PLR, may be useful in the diagnosis of SSc and specific complications.
UNASSIGNED: https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/, identifier CRD42024520040.

Psoriasis is an immune-mediated disorder which primarily affects skin and has systemic inflammatory involvement. Neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR), systemic immune-inflammation index (SII), and monocyte-to-lymphocyte ratio (MLR) are novel complete blood count (CBC)-derived markers which can reflect systemic inflammation. This study aimed to systematically investigate the associations of NLR, PLR, SII, and MLR with psoriasis. This study was performed in compliance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses statement. A comprehensive search of Pubmed, Embase, Scopus, and Google Scholar was conducted for relevant studies. Observational studies evaluating the correlations of NLR, PLR, SII, or MLR with psoriasis were included. The primary outcomes were the associations of these inflammatory markers with the presence and severity of psoriasis. The random-effect model was applied for meta-analysis. 36 studies comprising 4794 psoriasis patients and 55,121 individuals in total were included in the meta-analysis. All inflammatory markers were significantly increased in psoriasis groups compared to healthy controls (NLR: MD = 0.59, 95% CI: 0.47-0.7; PLR: MD = 15.53, 95% CI: 8.48-22.58; SII: MD = 111.58, 95% CI: 61.49-161.68; MLR: MD = 0.034, 95% CI: 0.021-0.048; all p < 0.001). Between-group mean differences in NLR and PLR were positively correlated with the mean scores of Psoriasis Area Severity Index (NLR: p = 0.041; PLR: p = 0.021). NLR, PLR, SII, and MLR are associated with the presence of psoriasis. NLR and PLR serve as significant indicators of psoriasis severity. These novel CBC-derived markers constitute potential targets in the screening and monitoring of psoriasis.

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.

UNASSIGNED: Research on neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR), and monocyte-to-lymphocyte ratio (MLR) in depression is still emerging and has increased 3-fold since the first meta-analysis. An updated meta-analysis with sufficient studies can provide more evidence for a potential relationship between NLR, PLR, MLR, and depression.
UNASSIGNED: We identified 18 studies from the PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane library, and Web of Science databases. Meta-analyses were performed to generate pooled standardized mean differences (SMDs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) between patients with depression and controls. Sensitivity analysis, subgroup analysis, meta-regression, and publication bias were conducted.
UNASSIGNED: A total of 18 studies including 2,264 depressed patients and 2,415 controls were included. Depressed patients had significantly higher NLR and PLR compared with controls (SMD = 0.33, 95% CI: 0.15-0.52, p < 0.001 and SMD = 0.24, 95% CI: 0.02-0.46, p < 0.05, respectively). MLR was slightly higher in depressed individuals compared to controls (SMD = 0.15, 95% CI: -0.26 to 0.55, p > 0.05), despite the absence of significance. Sensitivity analysis removing one study responsible for heterogeneity showed a higher and significant effect (SMD = 0.32, 95% CI: 0.20-0.44) of MLR. Three subgroup analyses of NLR, PLR, MLR, and depression revealed obvious differences in the inflammatory ratios between depressed patients and controls in China and the matched age and gender subgroup. Individuals with post-stroke depression (PSD) had higher NLR and MLR values as compared to non-PSD patients (SMD = 0.51, 95% CI: 0.36-0.67, p < 0.001 and SMD = 0.46, 95% CI: 0.12-0.79, p < 0.01, respectively). Meta-regression analyses showed that male proportion in the case group influenced the heterogeneity among studies that measured NLR values (p < 0.05).
UNASSIGNED: Higher inflammatory ratios, especially NLR, were significantly associated with an increased risk of depression. In the subgroup of China and matched age and gender, NLR, PLR, and MLR were all elevated in depressed patients vs. controls. Individuals with PSD had higher NLR and MLR values as compared to non-PSD patients. Gender differences may have an effect on NLR values in patients with depression.

UNASSIGNED: Neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), platelet-lymphocyte ratio (PLR), or monocyte-lymphocyte ratio (MLR) has been shown to be related to the poor prognosis of cervical cancer, ovarian cancer, breast cancer, and other malignant tumors, but their role in predicting the prognosis of endometrial cancer is still controversial. Therefore, we conducted this meta-analysis to evaluate the effectiveness of NLR more accurately, PLR, or MLR in predicting the prognosis of endometrial cancer (EC).
UNASSIGNED: This review systematically searched for relevant publications in databases of the Cochrane Library, PubMed, EMBASE, CNKI, WanFang, VIP, and CBM. Pooled hazard ratios (HR) with 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) were determined and used to explore the association between inflammatory biomarkers (NLR, PLR, and MLR) and overall survival (OS), progression-free survival (PFS), and disease-free survival (DFS) in a random-effects model. We also conducted subgroup analysis and publication bias in this meta-analysis. Stata 12.0 was used for statistical analysis.
UNASSIGNED: This meta-analysis contained 14 eligible studies including 5,274 patients. Our results showed that NLR or PLR was associated with OS [NLR: HR, 2.51; 95% CI, 1.70-3.71; p <0.001 in univariate analysis (Ua); HR, 1.87; 95% CI, 1.34-2.60; p <0.001 in multivariate analysis (Ma); PLR: HR, 2.50; 95% CI, 1.82-3.43; p <0.001 in Ua; HR, 1.86; 95% CI, 1.22-2.83; p = 0.004 in Ma], but MLR was not associated with OS (HR, 1.44; 95% CI, 0.70-2.95; p = 0.325 in Ua; HR, 1.01; 95% CI, 0.39-2.60; p =0.987 in Ma). A further subgroup analysis found that the correlations were not affected by race, cutoff value, sample size, or treatment. Our meta-analysis showed that NLR or PLR was associated with DFS (NLR: HR, 2.50; 95% CI, 1.38-4.56; p =0.003 in Ua; HR, 2.06; 95% CI, 1.26-3.37, P =0.004 in Ma; PLR: HR, 1.91; 95% CI, 1.30-2.81; p = 0.001 in Ua), and NLR was associated with PFS only in the univariate analysis (HR, 1.71; 95% CI, 1.04-2.81; p =0.035 in Ua; HR, 1.79; 95% CI, 0.65-4.89; P =0.257 in Ma), but MLR was not associated with DFS (HR, 0.36; 95% CI, 0.03-4.13; p =0.409 in Ua).
UNASSIGNED: Our results indicated that pretreatment NLR and PLR were biomarkers of poor prognosis in patients with endometrial cancer. The results indicated that NLR or PLR was associated with OS and disease-free survival DFS, and NLR was associated with PFS only in univariate analysis, but MLR was not associated with OS or DFS.

BACKGROUND: Growing evidence shows that the preoperative lymphocyte-related systemic inflammatory biomarkers are associated with the prognosis of patients with upper tract urothelial carcinoma (UTUC). These markers include neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR), and monocyte-to-lymphocyte ratio (MLR). However, these findings are inconsistent, and the prognostic significance of these biomarkers is unclear. Moreover, the currently available prognostic indicators do not precisely predict the outcome of UTUC patients. This motivated us to investigate the prognostic values of NLR, PLR, and MLR in UTUC patients treated with radical nephroureterectomy (RNU).
METHODS: We prospectively registered this in PROSPERO (CRD42020186531). We performed a comprehensive literature search of the PubMed, Web of Science, EMBASE, and Cochrane Library databases to identify the eligible studies evaluating the prognostic values of preoperative NLR, PLR, and MLR. Hazard ratios with 95% confidence intervals of overall survival (OS), cancer-specific survival (CSS), disease-free survival (DFS), recurrence-free survival (RFS), metastasis-free survival (MFS), and progression-free survival (PFS) were extracted from the multivariate analyses and analyzed with fixed or random effects models when applicable. Heterogeneity among the studies was evaluated using Cochran\'s Q test and I2 statistic. Sensitivity and subgroup analyses were conducted to explore the origin of heterogeneity. The Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS) was applied to assess the quality of each enrolled study. Publication bias was determined using funnel plots together with Egger\'s tests. The Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) was used to evaluate the quality of the evidence.
RESULTS: Overall, we included 10,339 UTUC patients from twenty-five retrospective studies. The results indicated that elevated preoperative NLR, PLR, and MLR were significantly associated with worse OS, CSS, DFS/RFS/MFS, and PFS in the UTUC patients undergoing RNU. Furthermore, the results of sensitivity and subgroup analyses demonstrated the rationality and reliability of the results.
CONCLUSIONS: The present meta-analysis demonstrated a significant association between elevated preoperative NLR, PLR, and MLR and poor prognosis in patients with surgically treated UTUC. Hence, lymphocyte-related systemic inflammatory biomarkers, in conjunction with clinicopathological factors, molecular markers, and other prognostic indicators, could be helpful to determine the primary treatment strategies and to design individualized follow-up plans for UTUC patients.