Procalcitonin and NLR Measurements in COVID-19 Patients

The disease COVID-19 is brought on by SARS-CoV-2, a brand-new coronavirus. Following its detection by the WHO, this novel virus was found on December 31, 2019, in a number of individuals in Wuhan, People's Republic of China, who had viral pneumonia. This study was carried out in Al-Amal Hospital in Najaf Governorate on a group of 50 patients who had been infected with Coronavirus. The results revealed substantial disparities among the infected, as the average rates of PCT in the serum were practically identical. Those in critical condition had a three-fold higher fatality risk than patients in moderate condition, according to our data. That there is a substantial difference in NLR between the groups of moderate and severe COVID-19 patients, as they have considerably greater NLR in all patients. Statistical analysis revealed that in the severe group, NLR and PCT were strongly linked infected with COVID-19 pneumonia (P 0.05).In the severe group, NLR and PCT were positively associated. Furthermore, in the severe group, multifactorial logistic regression analysis for NLR, PCT, and NLR was found to be an independent risk factor for severe COVID-19 pneumonia and severe COVID-19 pneumonia.Copyright © 2023, Colegio de Farmaceuticos de la Provincia de Buenos Aires. All rights reserved.

Predictors of Mortality in Sepsis Patients Resulting from Severe and Critical COVID-19

Patients with severe and critical COVID-19 may exhibit sepsis and mortality resulting from multi-organ failure. Neutrophil-lymphocyte-ratio (NLR) values, C-reactive protein (CRP) levels, sequential organ failure assessment (SOFA), and acute physiology and chronic health evaluation II (APACHE-II) scores were used to assess the risk of mortality in sepsis patients resulting from severe COVID-19 infection. The adequacy of NLR, CRP, SOFA, and APACHE-II scores were evaluated as predictors of mortality in septic COVID-19 patients at Dr. Kariadi Hospital Semarang, Indonesia, between August 2021 and July 2022. The subjects included severe and critical COVID-19 patients who fulfilled the WHO interim guidelines and Sepsis-3 criteria. A total of 211 patients were included, which were divided into survivor (n = 116) and non-survivor (n = 95) groups. NLR values, CRP levels, SOFA, and APACHE-II scores were measured within 24 hours of patient admission. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to identify the risk factors for COVID-19 mortality. Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis was used to predict the mortality of severe COVID-19 patients. The results indicated that the APACHE-II score was an independent predictor of mortality in sepsis patients resulting from severe and critical COVID-19. © 2023 by SPC (Sami Publishing Company).

Changing Face of Inflammatory Activation in Complex Coronary Artery Disease during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

INTRODUCTION: The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the immunological status of the population, indicating increased activation. The aim of the study was to compare the degree of inflammatory activation in patients admitted for surgical revascularization in the period before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This retrospective analysis included an analysis of inflammatory activation assessed on the basis of whole blood counts in 533 patients (435 (82%) male and 98 (18%) female) with a median age of 66 (61-71) years who underwent surgical revascularization, including 343 and 190 patients operated on in 2018 and 2022, respectively. RESULTS: The compared groups were matched by propensity score matching analysis, obtaining 190 patients in each group. Significantly higher values of preoperative monocyte count (p = 0.015), monocyte-to-lymphocyte ratio (p = 0.004) and systemic inflammatory response index (p = 0.022) were found in the during-COVID subgroup. The perioperative and 12-month mortality rates were comparable, with 1% (n = 4) in 2018 vs. 1% (n = 2) in 2022 (p = 0.911), and 5.6 % (n = 11 patients) vs. 7% (n = 13 patients) (p = 0.413), in the pre-COVID and during-COVID subgroups, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Simple whole blood analysis in patients with complex coronary artery disease performed before and during the COVID-19 pandemic indicates excessive inflammatory activation. However, the immune variation did not interfere with one-year mortality rate after surgical revascularization.

Correlation Between IL-8, C-Reactive Proteins (CRP) and Neutrophil to Lymphocyte Ratio (NLR) as Predictor of Mortality in COVID-19 Patients with Diabetes Mellitus Comorbidity.

Background: COVID-19 is caused by SARS-CoV-2 and has a wide range of symptoms. While Diabetes Mellitus (DM) is a common comorbidity in COVID-19 patients, it is the main comorbidity in non-surviving COVID-19 patients. Interleukin-8 (IL-8) is a cytokine that has been correlated with severity and mortality in COVID-19 patients, but its role in COVID-19 patients with DM comorbidity and its relationship with NLR and CRP as markers of inflammation are not yet fully understood. Objective: To investigate the correlation between IL-8, NLR, and CRP in COVID-19 patients with DM comorbidity. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted at the Integrated Infectious Disease Installation of Dr. Saiful Anwar Malang Hospital from June to November 2021 using consecutive sampling. IL-8 was measured using the ELISA method with Legendmax® Human IL-8. NLR was measured using flow cytometry, while CRP was measured using the immunoturbidimetric method with Cobas C6000®. Patient outcomes were obtained from medical records. Results: A total of 124 research subjects participated in the study. IL-8 and CRP levels were significantly higher (p < 0.05) in COVID-19 patients with DM comorbidity, and were also significantly higher (p < 0.05) in non-surviving COVID-19 patients. Overall, there was a positive correlation between IL-8 and CRP (r = 0.58, p < 0.05). There was also a positive correlation between IL-8 (r = 0.58; p < 0.05), NLR (r = 0.45, p < 0.05), CRP (r = 0.54, p < 0.05) and mortality in COVID-19 patients with DM comorbidity. The presence of DM comorbidity increased IL-8 levels and aggravated inflammation in COVID-19 patients, thereby increasing the risk of mortality. Conclusion: IL-8, CRP and NLR levels were higher in non-surviving COVID-19 patients with DM comorbidity, indicating that they could serve as good predictors of poor outcomes in this patient population.

Neutrophil/Lymphocyte Ratio (NLR) and Lymphocyte/Monocyte Ratio (LMR) - Risk of Death Inflammatory Biomarkers in Patients with COVID-19.

Aim: The aim of our retrospective study was search for new prognostic parameters, which can help quickly and cheaply identify patients with risk for severe course of SARS-CoV-2 infection. Materials and Methods: The following peripheral blood combination biomarkers were calculated: NLR (neutrophil/lymphocytes ratio), LMR (lymphocyte/monocyte ratio), PLR (platelet/lymphocyte ratio), dNLR (neutrophils/(white blood cells - neutrophils)), NLPR (neutrophil/(lymphocyte × platelet ratio)) in 374 patients who were admitted to the Temporary Hospital no 2 of Clinical Hospital in Bialystok (Poland) with COVID-19. The patients were divided into four groups depending on the severity of the course of COVID-19 using MEWS classification. Results: The NLR and dNLR were significantly increased with the severity of COVID-19, according to MEWS score. The AUC for the assessed parameters was higher in predicting death in patients with COVID-19: NLR (0.656, p=0.0018, cut-off=6.22), dNLR (0.615, p=0.02, cut-off=3.52) and LMR (0.609, p=0.03, cut-off=2.06). Multivariate COX regression analysis showed that NLR median above 5.56 (OR: 1.050, P=0.002), LMR median below 2.23 (OR: 1.021, P=0.011), and age >75 years old (OR: 1.072, P=0.000) had a significant association with high risk of death during COVID-19. Conclusion: Our results indicate that NLR, dNLR, and LMR calculated on admission to the hospital can quickly and easy identify patients with risk of a more severe course of COVID-19. Increase NLR and decrease LMR have a significant predictive value in COVID-19 patient's mortality and might be a potential biomarker for predicting death in COVID-19 patients.

Dynamic NLR and PLR in Predicting COVID-19 Severity: A Retrospective Cohort Study.

INTRODUCTION: The hyperinflammation phase of severe SARS-CoV-2 is characterised by complete blood count alterations. In this context, the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and the platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) can be used as prognostic factors. We studied NLR and PLR trends at different timepoints and computed optimal cutoffs to predict four outcomes: use of continuous positive airways pressure (CPAP), intensive care unit (ICU) admission, invasive ventilation and death. METHODS: We retrospectively included all adult patients with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pneumonia admitted from 23 January 2020 to 18 May 2021. Analyses included non-parametric tests to study the ability of NLR and PLR to distinguish the patients' outcomes at each timepoint. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were built for NLR and PLR at each timepoint (minus discharge) to identify cutoffs to distinguish severe and non-severe disease. Their statistical significance was assessed with the chi-square test. Collection of data under the SMACORE database was approved with protocol number 20200046877. RESULTS: We included 2169 patients. NLR and PLR were higher in severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Both ratios were able to distinguish the outcomes at each timepoint. For NLR, the areas under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC) ranged between 0.59 and 0.81, and for PLR between 0.53 and 0.67. From each ROC curve we computed an optimal cutoff value. CONCLUSION: NLR and PLR cutoffs are able to distinguish severity grades and mortality at different timepoints during the course of disease, and, as such, they allow a tailored approach. Future prospects include validating our cutoffs in a prospective cohort and comparing their performance against other COVID-19 scores.

The Effects of GCSF Primary Prophylaxis on Survival Outcomes and Toxicity in Patients with Advanced Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer on First-Line Chemoimmunotherapy: A Sub-Analysis of the Spinnaker Study.

GCSF prophylaxis is recommended in patients on chemotherapy with a >20% risk of febrile neutropenia and is to be considered if there is an intermediate risk of 10−20%. GCSF has been suggested as a possible adjunct to immunotherapy due to increased peripheral neutrophil recruitment and PD-L1 expression on neutrophils with GCSF use and greater tumour volume decrease with higher tumour GCSF expression. However, its potential to increase neutrophil counts and, thus, NLR values, could subsequently confer poorer prognoses on patients with advanced NSCLC. This analysis follows on from the retrospective multicentre observational cohort Spinnaker study on advanced NSCLC patients. The primary endpoints were OS and PFS. The secondary endpoints were the frequency and severity of AEs and irAEs. Patient information, including GCSF use and NLR values, was collected. A secondary comparison with matched follow-up duration was also undertaken. Three hundred and eight patients were included. Median OS was 13.4 months in patients given GCSF and 12.6 months in those not (p = 0.948). Median PFS was 7.3 months in patients given GCSF and 8.4 months in those not (p = 0.369). A total of 56% of patients receiving GCSF had Grade 1−2 AEs compared to 35% who did not receive GCSF (p = 0.004). Following an assessment with matched follow-up, 41% of patients given GCSF experienced Grade 1−2 irAEs compared to 23% of those not given GCSF (p = 0.023). GCSF prophylaxis use did not significantly affect overall or progression-free survival. Patients given GCSF prophylaxis were more likely to experience Grade 1−2 adverse effects and Grade 1−2 immunotherapy-related adverse effects.

Neutrophil Lymphocyte Ratio (NLR) as a Predictor of Disease Severity and Mortality in Geriatric Patients with COVID-19

Introduction: COVID-19 pandemic affected 44,696,984 people in India Geriatric (age 60 years and above) population is increasing globally. Older adults have been affected badly with COVID-19 Neutrophil lymphocyte ratio (NLR) is used in several diseases as an inflammatory marker in predicting prognosis. According to a recent study patients with severe COVID-19 are reported to have higher Neutrophil lymphocyte ratio ( NLR). In this study we aimed to assess the accuracy of Neutrophil lymphocyte ratio (NLR) as a predictor of disease severity and mortality in geriatric patients with COVID-19. Material(s) and Method(s): 200 geriatric inpatients infected with COVID-19 were included in the study. Neutrophil lymphocyte ratio (NLR) at admission was recorded. Neutrophil lymphocyte ratio (NLR) cutoff was taken 3.5. Patients were categorized into mild, moderate, severe and critical cases according to criteria given by Maharashtra Task Force. Relationship between Neutrophil lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and disease outcome was assessed. A p value < 0.05 was taken as statistically significant. Result(s): The mean age of study sample was 69.00 +/-7.09 years. A significant association was found between Neutrophil lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and disease severity (p-0.048) as well as mortality (p-0.041).Copyright © 2023, Dr Yashwant Research Labs Pvt Ltd. All rights reserved.

Can Hemogram Parameters Be Used to Predict the Prognosis in Hospitalized COVID-19 Patients?

Introduction: The Coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) has caused a serious pandemic. Thus, it is important to evaluate patients with data obtained at the first admission. Patients with severe disease should be recognized among patients admitted to the hospital symptomatically. This study aimed to examine the role of admission hemogram parameters in predicting prognosis in patients who were hospitalized for COVID-19. Materials and Methods: We enrolled all patients diagnosed with confirmed or probable COVID-19 retrospectively. Age, sex, smoking history, chronic disease, hemogram parameters [i.e., leukocytes, neutrophils, monocytes, lymphocytes, hemoglobin, hematocrit, platelets, neutrophillymphocyte ratio (NLR), platelet-lymphocyte ratio (PLR), and lymphocyte-monocyte ratio (LMR)], D-dimer, ferritin, albumin, C-reactive protein, and lactate dehydrogenase were recorded. The relationship between hemogram parameters and poor prognosis was evaluated. The need for pulse-steroid therapy, transfer to the intensive care unit, and mortality indicated a poor prognosis. Results: The median age of the 156 patients enrolled in the study was 63 (24-94) years. Significant correlations were found in the univariate analysis between leukocytes, neutrophils, lymphocytes, monocytes, NLR, PLR, LMR, and poor prognosis (p=0.013, p=0.004, p=0.000, p=0.036, p=0.000, p=0.010, and p=0.025, respectively). In the multivariate analysis, significant correlations were found between leukocytes, NLR, and poor prognosis (p=0.04 and p=0.001, respectively). The cut-off value of the COVID-hemogram score was three points, with 87% sensitivity and 62% specificity. The scoring system determined the risk for a poor prognosis in patients. The median score was 7 (5-8) in those with a poor prognosis and 2 (0-6) in those who did not have a poor prognosis (p<0.001). Conclusion: Admission hemogram parameters can be used to predict a poor prognosis in patients hospitalized for COVID-19. The use of the COVIDhemogram score in the first admission will guide physicians in making treatment decisions.

Morbidity and mortality results of COVID-19 variant in COVID-19 positive patients treated in the intensive care unit

Aim: COVID-19 has the potential to affect many systems and organs, resulting in serious clinical symptoms that necessitate admission to the intensive care unit. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between CAR, other laboratory findings, comorbidities, and mortality in patients infected with the original SARSCoV-2 or other variants.Materials and Methods: The data of 368 patients admitted to the intensive care unit with COVID-19 pneumonia between March 2020 and July 2021 were analyzed. These patients were divided into two groups. The first group included [(OC) Original SARSCoV-2 ] COVID-19 infected patients in the first period of the pandemic. The second group [(OV) Other Variants] included patients with COVID-19 infection due to other variants.Results: The mean age (Mean +/- SD) in the OC group was 69.79 +/- 11.77 years. The mean age of the patients in OC was higher than in the OV group (p=0.001). The most common comorbid disease in both groups was Hypertension (54.1%, 48.8%), followed by diabetes mellitus (DM) (30.2%, 31.6%). The mean age of the survivors in the OC and OV groups was lower (64.53 +/- 13.04, 57.85 +/- 16.78, p=0.001, p=0.001, respectively). It was observed that albumin and lymphocyte counts were lower in the deceased, while LDH, CRP, Neutrophil, procalcitonin, NLR and CAR were higher (p<0.05). Discussion: In critically ill COVID-19 patients, high CAR and NLR are good predictors of mortality. In the period when the variants were dominant, the mean age of the patients and the length of stay in the intensive care unit were lower.

Hematological and Biochemical Parameters at Admission as Predictors for Mortality in Patients with Moderate to Severe COVID-19

BACKGROUND: Timely diagnosis and effective use of available resources are urgent to avoid the loss of time, medical, and technological resources, particularly in COVID-19 pandemic. This study aimed to identify the most dominant predicting factor for mortality in moderate-severe COVID-19 patients.METHODS: This retrospective cohort study included a total of 253 patients diagnosed with moderate-severe COVID-19. The primary outcome measure was mortality during hospitalization. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to determine cut-off points. The data were categorized according to the cut-off points in ROC curve and analyzed using Chi-square and by binary logistic regression test to identify the independent predictors associated with mortality.RESULTS: The mean number of leukocytes (/mu L), neutrophils (%), neutrophil lymphocyte ratio (NLR), platelet lymphocyte ratio (PLR), C-reactive protein (CRP, mg/L), and D-dimer (mg/L) in the non-survived group was significantly higher than those of the survived group. Meanwhile, the mean number of platelet count/mu L, absolute lymphocyte count (ALC), in the non-survived group was significantly lower than those of the survived group. CRP level predicted mortality with a cut-off point of >= 8.41 mg/L, sensitivity of 98.1%, and specificity of 72.0% (P = .000).CONCLUSIONS: High leukocyte count, low platelet count, high NLR, high CRP level, and high D-dimer on admission predicted mortality of COVID-19 patients. In addition, CRP was found to be the most dominant predicting factor of mortality in moderate-severe COVID-19 patients.

COVID-19 Biomarkers at the Crossroad between Patient Stratification and Targeted Therapy: The Role of Validated and Proposed Parameters.

Clinical knowledge about SARS-CoV-2 infection mechanisms and COVID-19 pathophysiology have enormously increased during the pandemic. Nevertheless, because of the great heterogeneity of disease manifestations, a precise patient stratification at admission is still difficult, thus rendering a rational allocation of limited medical resources as well as a tailored therapeutic approach challenging. To date, many hematologic biomarkers have been validated to support the early triage of SARS-CoV-2-positive patients and to monitor their disease progression. Among them, some indices have proven to be not only predictive parameters, but also direct or indirect pharmacological targets, thus allowing for a more tailored approach to single-patient symptoms, especially in those with severe progressive disease. While many blood test-derived parameters quickly entered routine clinical practice, other circulating biomarkers have been proposed by several researchers who have investigated their reliability in specific patient cohorts. Despite their usefulness in specific contexts as well as their potential interest as therapeutic targets, such experimental markers have not been implemented in routine clinical practice, mainly due to their higher costs and low availability in general hospital settings. This narrative review will present an overview of the most commonly adopted biomarkers in clinical practice and of the most promising ones emerging from specific population studies. Considering that each of the validated markers reflects a specific aspect of COVID-19 evolution, embedding new highly informative markers into routine clinical testing could help not only in early patient stratification, but also in guiding a timely and tailored method of therapeutic intervention.

Predictive Value of Neutrophil-to-Lymphocyte Ratio at Admission for Chest X-Ray Progression in Hospitalized COVID-19 Patients

Objective: Previous studies focused on using the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) to monitor COVID-19 patients as an early warning signal of severe COVID-19 infection. Results showed that NLR could also be used as a prognostic factor. In the present study, the role of NLR in predicting chest X-ray (CXR) progression in hospitalized COVID-19 patients was investigated. Material(s) and Method(s): The present study was an ambispective observational cohort study that included COVID-19 patients admitted to the isolation ward and COVID-19 intensive care unit between July and September 2021 in Buddhasothorn Hospital, Chachoengsao, Thailand. NLR and demographic findings were analyzed. Result(s): Medical details of 564 patients were retrospectively analyzed using 3.24 as the cut-off value of the maximum Youden index to classify a high NLR group and a low NLR group. The estimated cumulative hazard function for CXR progression in the high NLR group was statistically significant, (HR 1.31, 95% CI 1.02 to 1.68, p=0.031). Univariate analysis suggested that high NLR value and three or more clinical risk factors (age 60 years or older, diabetes mellitus, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, chronic kidney disease, cirrhosis, stroke, obesity, and immunocompromised) were associated with CXR progression, while multivariate analysis determined high NLR as an independent predictive marker for COVID-19 CXR progression (aOR 1.54, 95% CI 1.06 to 2.23, p=0.022). Using NLR along with pre-existing comorbidity risk factors significantly increased the predictive value for COVID-19 CXR progression (area under the ROC curve 0.565, p=0.017). Conclusion(s): High NLR at the time of hospitalization was identified as a simple predictor for COVID-19 CXR progression requiring close monitoring.Copyright © 2023 JOURNAL OF THE MEDICAL ASSOCIATION OF THAILAND.

The Gender Difference and Correlations of Neutrophil-to-Lymphocyte Ratio and D-Dimer among Hospitalized Patients with Covid-19 in North Macedonia

Introduction: Coronavirus disease has had a catastrophic effect on the world's demographics, resulting in more than 5.8 million deaths worldwide and more than 422 million confirmed cases reported globally. The aim of this study was to assess the utility of the neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), a simple, widely available, and inexpensive laboratory examination, as a reliable inflammatory biomarker for COVID-19 patients. By comparing the NLR with the D-dimer plasma level, we also want to analyze gender differences between hematological and hemostatic parameters in patients with COVID-19. Method(s): This study was carried in 2021 in Public Health Organization Clinical Hospital "Dr. Trifun Panovski" in Bitola in 2021. Our study describes the laboratory characteristics of 40 COVID-19 patients hospitalized in the Department of Infective Diseases. Result(s): The overall mean count of white blood cells count was 9 +/- 0.28 x 109. The overall mean of NLR was 9.3 +/- 5.6. The overall mean of CRP and D-dimer was 58.7 +/- 41.22 mg/l and 5624 +/- 1944 FEU ng/ml, respectively. NLR, CRP and D-dimer in the male and female groups in patients with COVID-19 did not show statistically significant differences. We confirmed a significant correlation between NLR and D-dimer levels in patients with COVID-19. Conclusion(s): NLR was found to correlate well with the established inflammatory marker CRP and coagulation marker D-Dimer, which is capable of predicting severe COVID-19. Therefore, NLR that is easily calculated at the emergency department using routine laboratory tests, even in a remote area, may serve as a practical and cost-effective marker for guiding the physician in awareness regarding the need for intensive care.Copyright © 2022, Central Medical Library Medical University - Sofia. All rights reserved.

Correlation of Patient Profiles and Biomarkers with Outcomes in Covid-19 Icu Patients: A Retrospective Analysis.

Background: COVID-19 is a novel disease with a highly variable and unpredictable clinical course. Various clinicodemographic factors and numerous biomarkers have been identified in studies from the West and marked as possible predictors of severe illness and mortality which may be used to triage patients for early aggressive care. This triaging becomes even more significant in resource-limited critical care settings of the Indian subcontinent. Methods: This retrospective observational study recruited 99 cases of COVID-19 admitted to intensive care from 1 May to 1 August 2020. Demographic, clinical and baseline laboratory data were collected and analysed for association with clinical outcomes, including survival and need for mechanical ventilatory support. Results: Male gender (p=0.044) and diabetes mellitus (p=0.042) were associated with increased mortality. Binomial logistic regression analysis revealed Interleukin-6 (IL6) (p=0.024), D-dimer (p=0.025) and CRP (p<0.001) as significant predictors of need of ventilatory support and IL6 (p=0.036), CRP (p=0.041), D-dimer (p=0.006) and PaO2FiO2 ratio (p=0.019) as significant predictors of mortality. CRP >40 mg/L predicted mortality with sensitivity of 93.3% and specificity of 88.9% (AUC 0.933) and IL6> 32.5 pg/ml with a sensitivity of 82.2% and specificity of 70.4% (AUC 0.821). Conclusion: Our results suggest that a baseline CRP >40 mg/L, IL6 >32.5 pg/ml or D-dimer >810 ng/ml are early accurate predictors of severe illness and adverse outcomes and may be used to triage patients for early intensive care.

Clinical Investigation of Leukocyte DNA Damage in COVID-19 Patients.

This prospective cross-sectional study aimed to evaluate leukocyte DNA damage in coronavirus disease (COVID-19) patients. In this study, 50 COVID-19-positive patients attending the Erzurum City Hospital Internal Medicine Outpatient Clinic and 42 control group patients were included. DNA damage was detected in living cells through leukocyte isolation in 50 COVID-19-positive patients using the comet assay method. DNA tail/head (olive) moments were evaluated and compared. White blood cells (WBC), red blood cells (RBC), hemoglobin (HGB), neutrophils (NEU), lymphocytes (LYM), eosinophils (EO), monocytes (MONO), basophils (BASO), platelets (PLT), and the neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio (NLR) were analyzed. The RBC, lymphocyte, eosinophil, and monocyte means were significantly higher in the control group (p < 0.05), whereas the HGB and neutrophile means were significantly higher in the study group (p < 0.05). There were significant negative correlations between COVID-19 and RBC (r = -0.863), LYM (r = -0.542), EO (r = -0.686), and MONO (r = -0.385). Meanwhile, there were significant positive correlations between COVID-19 and HGB (r = 0.863), NEU (r = 0.307), tail moment (r = 0.598), and olive moment (r = 0.582). Both the tail and olive moment mean differences were significantly higher in the study group, with higher ranges (p < 0.05). COVID-19 infection caused statistically significant increases in both the tail and olive damage percentage in patients, causing DNA damage. Lastly, the NLR rate was associated with the presence and progression of COVID-19.

Outcome prediction in hospitalized COVID-19 patients: Comparison of the performance of five severity scores.

Background: The aim of our study was to externally validate the predictive capability of five developed coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)-specific prognostic tools, including the COVID-19 Spanish Society of Infectious Diseases and Clinical Microbiology (SEIMC), Shang COVID severity score, COVID-intubation risk score-neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio (IRS-NLR), inflammation-based score, and ventilation in COVID estimator (VICE) score. Methods: The medical records of all patients hospitalized for a laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 diagnosis between May 2021 and June 2021 were retrospectively analyzed. Data were extracted within the first 24 h of admission, and five different scores were calculated. The primary and secondary outcomes were 30-day mortality and mechanical ventilation, respectively. Results: A total of 285 patients were enrolled in our cohort. Sixty-five patients (22.8%) were intubated with ventilator support, and the 30-day mortality rate was 8.8%. The Shang COVID severity score had the highest numerical area under the receiver operator characteristic (AUC-ROC) (AUC 0.836) curve to predict 30-day mortality, followed by the SEIMC score (AUC 0.807) and VICE score (AUC 0.804). For intubation, both the VICE and COVID-IRS-NLR scores had the highest AUC (AUC 0.82) compared to the inflammation-based score (AUC 0.69). The 30-day mortality increased steadily according to higher Shang COVID severity scores and SEIMC scores. The intubation rate exceeded 50% in the patients stratified by higher VICE scores and COVID-IRS-NLR score quintiles. Conclusion: The discriminative performances of the SEIMC score and Shang COVID severity score are good for predicting the 30-day mortality of hospitalized COVID-19 patients. The COVID-IRS-NLR and VICE showed good performance for predicting invasive mechanical ventilation (IMV).

Hematological Parameters and Procalcitonin as Discriminants between Bacterial Pneumonia-Induced Sepsis and Viral Sepsis Secondary to COVID-19: A Retrospective Single-Center Analysis.

Bacterial and viral sepsis induce alterations of all hematological parameters and procalcitonin is used as a biomarker of infection and disease severity. Our aim was to study the hematological patterns associated with pulmonary sepsis triggered by bacteria and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome-Coronavirus-type-2 (SARS-CoV-2) and to identify the discriminants between them. We performed a retrospective, observational study including 124 patients with bacterial sepsis and 138 patients with viral sepsis. Discriminative ability of hematological parameters and procalcitonin between sepsis types was tested using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis. Sensitivity (Sn%), specificity (Sp%), positive and negative likelihood ratios were calculated for the identified cut-off values. Patients with bacterial sepsis were older than patients with viral sepsis (p < 0.001), with no differences regarding gender. Subsequently to ROC analysis, procalcitonin had excellent discriminative ability for bacterial sepsis diagnosis with an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.92 (cut-off value of >1.49 ng/mL; Sn = 76.6%, Sp = 94.2%), followed by RDW% with an AUC = 0.87 (cut-off value >14.8%; Sn = 80.7%, Sp = 85.5%). Leukocytes, monocytes and neutrophils had good discriminative ability with AUCs between 0.76-0.78 (p < 0.001), while other hematological parameters had fair or no discriminative ability. Lastly, procalcitonin value was strongly correlated with disease severity in both types of sepsis (p < 0.001). Procalcitonin and RDW% had the best discriminative ability between bacterial and viral sepsis, followed by leukocytes, monocytes and neutrophils. Procalcitonin is a marker of disease severity regardless of sepsis type.

The Impact of Granulocyte Colony-Stimulating Factor Administration in a Neutropenic Cancer Patient With COVID-19-Related Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome.

Chemotherapy-induced neutropenia is a serious adverse effect found in cancer patients treated with chemotherapy. As these patients are at risk of infections, granulocyte colony-stimulating factors (G-CSF) are commonly used in these patients to increase neutrophil counts. This report describes a case of a 73-year-old female with metastatic breast cancer treated with letrozole and palbociclib who presented to the hospital with flu-like symptoms and a positive SARS-CoV-2 test. She was saturating well on room air without the need for supplemental oxygen initially, however, she was febrile and lab work revealed neutropenia. Subsequently, she was given two doses of Tbo-filgrastim. Her respiratory status deteriorated shortly afterward and she required supplemental oxygen. The chest X-ray obtained at that time revealed increased atelectasis or infiltration in the middle and lower lung fields, and computed tomography angiography of the chest revealed bilateral patchy airspace and ground glass opacities. The timeline from symptom onset along with her imaging findings suggested COVID-19-related acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) as a possible explanation for her respiratory status decline. Interestingly, her neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) had consistently increased, along with her respiratory status deterioration, after the completion of the two doses of G-CSF. The patient was treated with dexamethasone. Her respiratory status eventually improved prior to discharge.

Impact of high neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio on survival in hospitalized cancer patients with COVID-19.

Neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) has been studied as a prognostic factor for mortality in COVID-19 patients. Our study aimed to evaluate the association between NLR at COVID-19 diagnosis and survival during the following 90 days in hospitalized patients with solid cancer. Between May 2020 and June 2021, 120 patients were included in a retrospective cohort study. Univariable analysis showed patients with an NLR > 8.3 were associated with an increased risk of death (HR: 4.34; 95% CI: 1.74-10.84) compared to patients with NLR < 3.82 and with NLR ≥3.82 and ≤8.30 (HR: 2.89; 95% CI: 1.32-6.36). Furthermore, on multivariable analysis, NLR > 8.30 independently correlated with increased mortality. In patients with solid malignancies with COVID-19, an NLR > 8.3 is associated with an increased risk of death.