Predictive value of neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio in outcomes of patients with acute coronary syndrome.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Acute coronary syndrome (ACS) is associated with many hereditary and acquired predisposing factors. It has been recently shown that inflammation may play a role in myocardial ischemia. Hence, the white blood cell (WBC) count provides a simple and inexpensive method for assessment of inflammatory status in patients with ACS. An elevated WBC count has been associated with cardiovascular risk, but which leukocyte subtype carries this risk is uncertain. The aim of this study was to investigate the utility of admission neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio (NLR) in predicting the likelihood of poor outcomes in patients with ACS. METHODS: A total of 300 consecutive patients admitted to the Internal Medicine Department, Sohar Hospital, Oman with the diagnosis of ACS from June 2008 to May 2009 were included in this study. Patients were divided into tertile groups according to the NLR. The primary end point was all-cause in-hospital mortality at the end of 30 days. RESULTS: The mean age of patients included in this cohort was 61 years, with 63% of male patients. The mortality in the three groups based on NLR was 4, 10 and 19%, in the low-, middle- and high-risk groups, respectively (p <0.003; χ² test). CONCLUSIONS: Admission NLR is clearly an independent predictor of all-cause mortality in patients with ACS.

Cytogenetic, morphological, and immunophenotypic patterns in Omani patients with de novo acute myeloid leukemia.

Chromosome aberrations observed at diagnosis are considered to be the most valuable prognostic factors in acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Some specific aberrations vary in frequency among different geographical areas and ethnic groups. There are only limited studies on the role of such variability in AML patients. Here, we report the results of a cytogenetic study on 63 ethnic Omani patients with de novo AML: 18 children (

Cytogenetic profile of childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia in Oman.

BACKGROUND: Chromosomal abnormalities have important diagnostic and prognostic significance in acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). The purpose of this study was to define and classify the frequency and type of chromosomal abnormalities among newly diagnosed children with ALL and compare the results with those reported from other geographical regions of the world. METHODS: Bone marrow chromosomal studies with GTG banding were performed in untreated ALL pediatric patients aged from 7 days to 14 years. RESULTS: Among Omani children examined with ALL, 47 (81%) patients yielded results, with 26 (55.3%) showing an abnormal karyotype [10 (21.3%) pseudodiploid, 2 (4.3%) hypodiploid and 14 (29.7%) hyperdiploidy] and 21 (44.6%) had normal diploidy. Structural abnormalities were observed in 16 (34%), of which 11 (23.4%) cases were translocations, the most frequent being t(9;22) observed in three (6.4%) of our patients. Uncommon translocations such as t(9;15)(p11;q10), t(3;6)(p12;q11), t(1;6)(?31;?q23), t(1;19)(q12;q12), der(18)t(12;18)(q11;p11), and other structural aberrations add(2)(q22), add(6)(q16), add(18)(q22), add(14)(q32) along with deletions del(10)(q22), del(12)(p11), del(12)(p12), del(18)(q11) were also observed. CONCLUSIONS: The study showed a good correlation and concordance between the ploidy distribution by cytogenetics and flow cytometry. The patterns of chromosomal anomalies in our patients showed some variations in the frequency of aberrations reported. It is therefore necessary that newer techniques like fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) along with reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and spectral karyotyping will help us identify chromosomal aberrations not detected by conventional cytogenetic methods in the near future. To our knowledge, this is the first report from the Middle East of a cytogenetic study on childhood ALL.