Platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio might predict the response to dupilumab treatment for patients with nasal polyposis.

BACKGROUND: Dupilumab is a monoclonal antibody against interleukin 4 receptor alpha and has proven to be clinically effective in treating patients with chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps (CRSwNP). However, a certain number of patients are non- or partial responders. This study aims to investigate the relevance of inflammatory markers with regard to therapy response to dupilumab in CRSwNP patients. METHODS: All patients with CRSwNP treated with dupilumab at a tertiary healthcare center with available pretreatment inflammatory markers were included. The values of pretreatment neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) were associated with the outcome. Patients were stratified according to the respective median value (> median was considered high). The binary logistic regression was performed with regard to total treatment response (post-treatment total nasal polyp score (NPS) 0). RESULTS: A total of 65 CRSwNP patients with available pretreatment peripheral blood values were included in the study. The mean pre- and post-treatment total NPS values were 4.3 ± 1.9 and 1.2 ± 1.6, respectively. High PLR (> 131.2) was independently associated with a 3.9-fold higher probability of reaching the NPS value of 0 in the multivariable analysis. On the other hand, High NLR (> 1.9) did not significantly associate with the outcome. CONCLUSIONS: The current study provides insights into the potential positive predictive value of the high PLR (> 131.2) in CRSwNP patients regarding treatment with dupilumab. There is a need for further prospective studies for validation of these results, especially in cohorts of patients with severe CRSwNP.

Seasonal Variations in Public Inquiries into Laryngitis: An Infodemiology Study.

OBJECTIVES: Acute laryngitis is a common disease with self-limiting nature. Since the leading cause is attributed to viral infections and thus self-limiting, many affected individuals do not seek professional medical help. However, because the major symptom of hoarseness imposes a substantial burden in everyday life, it might be speculated that web-based search interest on this condition follows incidence rates, with highest peaks during winter months. The aim of this study was to evaluate global public health-information seeking behaviour on laryngitis-related search terms. METHODS: We utilized Google Trends to assess country-specific, representative laryngitis-related search terms for English and non-English speaking countries of both hemispheres. Extracted time series data from Australia, Brazil, Canada, Germany, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America, covering a timeframe between 2004 and 2019 were first assessed for reliability, followed by seasonality analysis using the cosinor model. RESULTS: Direct comparisons revealed different, representative laryngitis-related search terms for English- and non-English speaking countries. Extracted data showed a trend of higher reliability in countries with more inhabitants. Subsequent graphical analysis revealed winter peaks in all countries from both hemispheres. Cosinor analysis confirmed these seasonal variations to be significant (all P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Public interest in laryngitis-related, online health information displayed seasonal variations in countries from both hemispheres, with highest interest during winter months. These findings emphasize the importance to optimize the distribution of reliable, web-based health education in order to prevent the spread of misinformation and to improve health literacy among general populations.