Neutrophil to Lymphocyte Ratio (NLR)—A Useful Tool for the Prognosis of Sepsis in the ICU

Sepsis is a life-threatening medical emergency induced by the body′s extreme response to an infection. Despite well-defined and constantly updated criteria for diagnosing sepsis, it is still underdiagnosed worldwide. Among various markers studied over time, the neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR) recently emerged as a good marker to predict sepsis severity. Our study was a single-center prospective observational study performed in our ICU and included 114 patients admitted for sepsis or septic shock. Neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR) is easy to perform, CBC being one of the standard blood tests routinely performed upon admission for all ICU patients. We found that NLR was increased in all patients with sepsis and significantly raised in those with septic shock. NLR correlates significantly with sepsis severity evaluated by the SOFA score (R = 0.65) and also with extensively studied sepsis prognosis marker presepsin (R = 0.56). Additionally, NLR showed good sensitivity (47%) and specificity (78%) with AUC = 0.631 (p < 0.05). NLR is less expensive and easier to perform compared with other specific markers and may potentially become a good alternate option for evaluation of sepsis severity. Larger studies are needed in the future to demonstrate the prognosis value of NLR

A Study of Biomarkers Associated with Metabolic Dysfunction-Associated Fatty Liver Disease in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes

Metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD) is a new term that no longer excludes patients that consume alcohol or present other liver diseases, unlike nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). The aim of this study was to evaluate the role of different biomarkers as predictors of MAFLD in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). In this regard, a cross-sectional, non-interventional study was conducted over a period of 8 months in patients with T2DM. Liver steatosis displayed by abdominal ultrasound certified the MAFLD diagnosis. A percentage of 49.5% of the studied patients presented MAFLD. Through logistic regression adjusted for gender, age, T2DM duration, lipid-lowering therapy, smoking status, nutritional status, we demonstrated that elevated triglycerides (TG) levels, high non-high-density-lipoprotein (HDL)-cholesterol-to-HDL-cholesterol (non-HDL/HDL) ratio, high atherogenic index of plasma (AIP), and increased Homeostatic Model Assessment for Insulin Resistance (HOMA-IR) had predictive value for MAFLD in patients with T2DM. Furthermore, we calculated the optimal cut-off values for these biomarkers (184 mg/dL for TG, 0.615 for AIP, 3.9 for the non-HDL/HDL ratio, and 2.01 for HOMA-IR) which can predict the presence of MAFLD in patients with T2DM. To our knowledge, this is the first study to assess the predictive value of the non-HDL/HDL ratio for MAFLD in patients with T2DM