BACKGROUND: This study aims to investigate preoperative prognostic factors available for intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC) patients and propose a new preoperative prognostic scoring system for ICC that combines CA19-9 and neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio (NLR).
METHODS: In this retrospective analysis, 1728 patients diagnosed with ICC and undergoing curative liver resections were studied. This study employed univariate and multivariate Cox regression to find factors affecting recurrence and overall survival (OS), and furthermore assessed how preoperative models influenced tumor traits and postoperative recurrence.
RESULTS: The results of the multivariate Cox regression analysis indicated that two preoperative variables, NLR and Ca19-9, were independent risk factors affecting postoperative recurrence and OS in ICC patients. Based on this data, assigning a score of 0 (NLR ≤ 2.4 and Ca19-9 ≤ 37U/ml) or 1 (NLR > 2.4 and Ca19-9 > 37U/ml) to these two factors, a preoperative prognostic score was derived. According to the scoring model, patients were divided into three groups: 0 points (low-risk group), 1 point (intermediate-risk group), and 2 points (high-risk group). The 5-year recurrence and OS rates for the three groups were 56.6%, 68.2%, 77.8%, and 56.8%, 40.6%, 27.6%, respectively, with all P values < 0.001. Furthermore, high-risk group patients were more prone to early recurrence (early recurrence rates for high-, intermediate-, and low-risk groups were 56.8%, 51.5%, and 37.1%, respectively, P < 0.001) and extrahepatic metastasis (extrahepatic metastasis rates for high-, intermediate-, and low-risk groups were 31.7%, 26.4%, and 15.4%, respectively, P < 0.001). In terms of tumor characteristics, high-risk group patients had larger tumor diameters and were more likely to experience microvascular invasion, lymph node metastasis, and perineural invasion.
CONCLUSIONS: The predictive capacity of postoperative recurrence and OS rates in ICC patients is effectively captured by the preoperative scoring system incorporating NLR and CA19-9 levels.

UNASSIGNED: To investigate the association between inflammatory factors, such as complete blood count (CBC) components, neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio (NLR), monocyte/lymphocyte ratio (MLR), platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR), and gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM).
UNASSIGNED: A total of 635 pregnant women with GDM and 296 with normal pregnancies at 7-13 weeks of gestation who underwent prenatal examinations in the obstetrics department were enrolled (June 2020-December 2020). CBC parameters, including WBC, neutrophil, lymphocyte (LYM), monocyte (MON), red blood cell (RBC), hemoglobin (HGB), mean corpuscular volume (MCV), platelet (PLT), platelet accumulation (PCT), mean platelet volume (MPV), NLR, MLR, PLR, alanine transaminase (ALT), aspartate transaminase (AST), gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT), and other parameters were assessed. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to analyze the screening effects of the variables on the development of GDM.
UNASSIGNED: There were significant differences in the blood levels of WBC, NEU, LYM, MON, RBC, HGB, PCT, ALT, AST, GGT, NLR, and MLR between the GDM and control groups (P<0.05). The diagnostic level of MON was the highest among all factors.
UNASSIGNED: Inflammatory factors (WBC, NEU, LYM, MON, NLR, and MLR counts) were correlated with GDM.

UNASSIGNED: Transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) is a common treatment for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), but the best therapeutic agent for TACE treatment has not been determined. The neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio (NLR) is a systemic immune system marker; however, the ability of the NLR to predict the prognosis of patients with HCC is unknown, and no studies have been conducted to determine the most appropriate TACE regimen for HCC patients with different NLRs.
UNASSIGNED: The PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and CNKI databases were searched through May 28, 2023. Comparisons of overall survival (OS) among cohort studies with different NLRs and different TACE treatment regimens were performed with a random effects model.
UNASSIGNED: Thirty-five studies involving 9210 patients were included in this meta-analysis. The results showed that Group 3-4 (NLR<2.5) patients had a significantly longer OS than Group 1-2 (NLR 2.5-5.0). Among the patients, Group 1-3 (NLR 2.0-5.0) patients had the best survival after treatment with adriamycin (lnHR (95 % CI = 0.48 [0.31, 0.75] and lnHR (95 % CI = 0.41 [0.19, 0.91]). Among the Group 4 patients (NLR<2.0), the best outcome was obtained with platinum + adriamycin (lnHR (95 % CI = 0.59 [0.45, 0.78]), followed by adriamycin. A subgroup analysis of TACE combined with other treatments showed that adriamycin combined with sorafenib was the most effective and superior to the other treatment agents.
UNASSIGNED: The NLR can be used to predict the prognosis of HCC patients treated with TACE; the higher the NLR is, the worse the prognosis. Adriamycin may be the best therapeutic agent for HCC patients treated with TACE.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the clinical significance of the creatine kinase (CK)-MB/total CK ratio, neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and red blood cell distribution width in acute myocardial infarction (AMI).
METHODS: A retrospective analysis was conducted of 196 AMI cases from our hospital\'s cardiology department; healthy people were selected over the same period as the control. The two groups\' test indexes were compared through multivariate logistic regression analysis to screen for AMI risk factors; the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to evaluate their AMI predictive values.
RESULTS: The serum CK, CK-MB, CK index, neutrophils and NLR values in the AMI group were significantly higher compared with those in the control group (p < 0.05); however, the levels of serum lymphocytes were significantly lower compared with those in the control group (p < 0.05). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that elevated CK-MB and NLR levels were risk factors for AMI (p < 0.05). The ROC curve showed that the area under the curve of the NLR and CK levels were 0.917 and 0.594, respectively.
CONCLUSIONS: The CK index and NLR have a clinical predicting value for AMI and could be used as a clinical auxiliary diagnostic index for the assessment of patients with AMI.

We aimed to investigate the association between hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) and left atrial (LA) stiffness in patients with hypertension and to explore the mediating effect of the neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio (NLR) on this association.
Essential hypertensive patients (n = 292) aged 18-83 years were enrolled and divided into two groups based on the LA stiffness index (LASI): Group I (LASI ≤ 0.32, n = 146) and Group II (LASI > 0.32, n = 146). The LASI was defined as the ratio of early diastolic transmitral flow velocity/lateral mitral annulus myocardial velocity (E/e\') to LA reservoir strain. Multivariate linear regression analysis was performed to determine the independent predictors of the LASI.
Age, BMI, SBP, HbA1c, CRP, and NLR were significantly greater in Group II than in Group I (P < 0.05). Additionally, Group II had a greater LA volume index (LAVI), left ventricular mass index (LVMI), and early diastolic transmitral flow velocity/lateral mitral annulus myocardial velocity (E/e\') and lower LA reservoir, conduit, and booster pump strains than Group I (P < 0.001). Univariate and multivariate linear regression models revealed that age, SBP, HbA1c, and the NLR were independently associated with the LASI. Further mediation analysis was performed to determine the mediating effect of the NLR on the association between HbA1c and the LASI and revealed that the NLR had a mediating role only in overweight hypertensive patients, and the proportion of the mediating effect was 21.9%.
The NLR was independently correlated with the LASI and played a mediating role in the relationship between HbA1c and the LASI in overweight hypertensive patients.

OBJECTIVE: A study was conducted to investigate the value of preoperative peripheral blood inflammatory indicators in the prediction of tongue squamous cell carcinoma (TSCC) prognosis.
METHODS: This retrospective analysis included 210 patients who underwent radical resection for TSCC in the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery of The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University from January 2010 to December 2017. Receiver operating characteristic curve was conducted to determine the best cut-off values of platelet/lymphocyte ratio (PLR) and neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio (NLR). The Kaplan-Meier method and Log-rank test were conducted for univariate analysis, and the Cox proportional hazard regression model was conducted for multivariate analysis. A Nomogram model was established based on the independent risk factors, which were screened by Cox regression model.
RESULTS: The univariate analysis showed that PLR, NLR, tumor differentiation, and T, N, and TNM stages were TSCC\'s prognostic factors (P<0.05). Multivariate analysis showed that PLR and N and TNM stages were TSCC\'s independent risk factors (P<0.05). The C-index of the Nomogram was 0.701 (95%CI: 0.651-0.752). The calibration curve shows that the predicted survival rate of the nomogram was in good agreement with the relative survival rate.
CONCLUSIONS: Preoperative peripheral blood inflammatory indicators can potentially be used to predict TSCC prognosis.
目的: 探讨术前外周血炎症指标对舌鳞状细胞癌（TSCC）患者预后的预测价值。方法: 回顾性分析2010年1月至2017年12月于郑州大学第一附属医院因TSCC行根治性切除术的210例患者的临床病理资料，应用临床诊断性能曲线确定血小板/淋巴细胞比值（PLR）、中性粒细胞/淋巴细胞比值（NLR）的最佳截断值。生存单因素分析应用Kaplan-Meier法和Log-rank检验，多因素分析应用Cox比例风险回归模型，基于Cox回归模型筛选的独立危险因素构建Nomogram模型。结果: 单因素分析显示，PLR、NLR、肿瘤分化程度、T分期、N分期和TNM分期为影响TSCC预后的危险因素（P<0.05）；多因素分析显示，PLR、N分期和TNM分期为独立危险因素（P<0.05）。Nomogram模型的C指数为0.701（95%CI：0.651~0.752），校准曲线表明Nomogram模型预测无进展生存率与实际无进展生存率具有较好的一致性。结论: 术前外周血炎症指标对TSCC术后患者的预后可能有一定的预测作用。.

BACKGROUND: Prognostic value of neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio (NLR) for pulmonary embolism (PE) has been reported in several retrospective studies. The purpose of this investigation was to perform a pooled analysis and external validation of predictive value of NLR.
METHODS: PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane databases were searched from inception to November 5, 2022. A random effects model was used. Grade was used to evaluate the certainty of evidence. External validation was conducted in clinical cohorts before and after a propensity scoring matching (PSM). Covariates include basic clinical characteristics, such as age, gender, etc. The value of NLR in prediction model was also evaluated.
RESULTS: A total of 15 studies comprising 5,874 patients were included. Pooled risk ratio of NLR was 2.33 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.97-2.75), with an area under the curve of 0.78 (95% CI: 0.74-0.81), a sensitivity of 0.75 (95% CI: 0.71-0.79), a specificity of 0.67 (95% CI: 0.61-0.73), and a median cut-off value of 5.7. Grade of Recommendations Assessment Development and Evaluation (GRADE) certainty analysis showed the quality of the evidence was moderate. Before (n = 336) and after (n = 152) propensity scoring matching, risk ratio of NLR was 2.69 (95% CI: 1.04-6.97) and 6.58 (95% CI: 1.99-17.75). A prediction model consisting of NLR, age, D-dimer, and simplified PE severity index had an area under the curve of 0.809 (95% CI: 0.738-0.88), a sensitivity of 0.638 (95% CI: 0.511-0.745), and a specificity of 0.851 (95% CI: 0.709-0.917). Net reclassification index (12%, P = 0.035) and integrated discrimination improvement (17%, P = 0.022) indicated an improvement caused by NLR.
CONCLUSIONS: Prognostic value of NLR for PE was confirmed by meta-analysis and validated in an independent cohort, deserving further clinical application.

BACKGROUND: High neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio (NLR) is associated with poor prognosis in ischemic stroke. However, the role of NLR in cerebral small vessel disease (CSVD) is controversial. Herein, we evaluated the value of NLR in identifying CSVD and its relationship with the common imaging markers of CSVD.
METHODS: A total of 667 patients were enrolled in this study, including 368 in the CSVD group and 299 in the non-CSVD group. Clinical, laboratory, and imaging data were collected. The relationship of NLR with CSVD and common imaging markers of CSVD were analyzed with univariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis. The predictive value of NLR was assessed with the receiver operating characteristic curve.
RESULTS: NLR (odds ratio [OR] = 1.929, 95% confidence interval [CI] =  1.599-2.327, p < .001) was an independent risk factor for CSVD. NLR was also independently associated with moderate to severe white matter hyperintensity (WMH) (OR = 2.136, 95% CI = 1.768-2.580, p < .001), moderate to severe periventricular WMH (OR = 2.138, 95% CI = 1.771-2.579, p < .001), and moderate to severe deep WMH (OR = 1.654, 95% CI = 1.438-1.902, p < .001), moderately to severely enlarged perivascular spaces (EPVS) (OR = 1.248, 95% CI = 1.110-1.402, p < .001), moderately to severely EPVS in the basal ganglia (OR = 1.136, 95% CI = 1.012-1.275, p = .030), and moderately to severely EPVS in the centrum semiovale (OR = 1.140, 95% CI = 1.027-1.266, p = .014). However, NLR was not statistically significantly associated with lacune. The optimal cutoff point of NLR in predicting CSVD was 2.47, with sensitivity and specificity of 84.2% and 66.9%, respectively (p < .01). The diagnostic effect was maximized when NLR was combined with other risk factors.
CONCLUSIONS: NLR is an independent risk factor for CSVD and is independently associated with common imaging markers of CSVD. NLR may serve as a valid and convenient biomarker for assessing CSVD.

UNASSIGNED: Numerous non-invasive serologic tests are available to diagnose and monitor ulcerative colitis (UC), but their accuracy levels are limited. Thus, there is a pressing need for a serologic biomarker with higher precision for clinical practice. This study aims to evaluate the predictive capacity of monocyte/HDL ratio (MHR) and neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio (NLR) for UC disease activity.
UNASSIGNED: We conducted a retrospective analysis of 81 UC patients and 77 age- and sex-matched healthy controls. UC patients were categorized into active and inactive groups based on the Mayo score. The Mayo endoscopic subscore classified them into mild-to-moderate and severe UC groups.
UNASSIGNED: The optimal cut-off values for diagnosing UC were 0.34 for MHR (85.7% sensitivity, 76.0% specificity, 88.9% positive predictive value, 70.4% negative predictive value) and 2.49 for NLR (66.1% sensitivity, 88.0% specificity, 92.5% positive predictive value, 53.7% negative predictive value). The optimal MHR and NLR cut-off values to differentiate between mild-to-moderate UC and severe UC were 0.38 (92.9% sensitivity, 56.6% specificity, 53.1% positive predictive value, 93.7% negative predictive value) and 3.46 (71.4% sensitivity, 88.7% specificity, 76.9% positive predictive value, 85.5% negative predictive value), respectively.
UNASSIGNED: NLR and MHR are simple yet effective biological predictors of disease activity in UC patients.

UNASSIGNED: The study aimed to explore the changes in the electrical power spectrum of the brain and its correlation with neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio (NLR) in patients with cognitively impaired cerebral small vessel disease (CSVD) and to explore its clinical application.
UNASSIGNED: A total of 61 patients with CSVD who attended the People\'s Hospital of Shaanxi Province from September 2021 to September 2022 were divided into the group with cognitive impairment (cerebral small vascular with cognitive impairment, CSVCI group, n = 29) and the group without cognitive impairment (CSVD group, n = 32) based on the Montreal Cognitive Assessment Scale (MoCA) score, while 20 healthy subjects were recruited as the control group (healthy control, HC group). EEG was performed in the three groups, and the difference in whole brain quantitative EEG power spectral density (PSD) was calculated and compared between the three groups.
UNASSIGNED: The PSD values in the δ and θ bands of the CSVCI group were higher than those of the CSVD group, while the PSD values in the α band were lower than those of the CSVD and HC groups. In addition, PSD values in the δ-band in the CSVD group were lower than those in the HC group (all p < 0.05). Multifactorial logistic regression showed that reduced α-band global average PSD and low years of education were independent risk factors for cognitive impairment in patients with CSVD (p < 0.05). In patients with cerebral small-vessel disease, α-band PSD was positively and δ-band PSD negatively correlated with MoCA score, and paraventricular, deep white matter, and total Fazekas scores were negatively correlated with MoCA score. Furthermore, θ-band PSD is positively correlated with NLR (all p < 0.05).
UNASSIGNED: EEG activity was slowed down in patients with CSVD with cognitive impairment. The α-band global mean PSD values independently affected the occurrence of cognitive impairment in CSVD patients beyond the Fazekas score. NLR may be one of the mechanisms leading to the slowing down of the EEG, which can be used as an objective indicator for the early prediction of cognitive impairment but still needs to be clarified by further studies.