European journal of clinical investigation
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Eur. J. Clin. Invest. · Aug 2018
Meta AnalysisThe neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio as a marker of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and its exacerbations: A systematic review and meta-analysis.
The main white blood cell populations, neutrophils and lymphocytes, are involved in the pathophysiology of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of studies investigating the relationship between the neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR, a marker of subclinical inflammation), presence of COPD, and its exacerbations. ⋯ Our meta-analysis showed that NLR values are significantly higher in stable COPD patients when compared to healthy individuals, although the magnitude of the difference is reduced after trim and fill adjustment, and in patients with COPD exacerbations when compared to patients with stable disease. Further studies, in larger cohorts, are needed to confirm whether the NLR is a useful tool in discriminating between COPD patients with stable disease, those with acute exacerbations, and subjects without the disease.
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Eur. J. Clin. Invest. · Aug 2018
Meta AnalysisHomoarginine and all-cause mortality: A systematic review and meta-analysis.
Homoarginine, a basic amino acid and analogue of L-arginine, has been shown to exert salutary effects on vascular homoeostasis, possibly through interaction with the enzymes nitric oxide synthase and arginase. This might translate into improved survival outcomes, particularly in subjects with moderate-high cardiovascular risk. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to investigate the association between circulating homoarginine concentrations and all-cause mortality in observational studies of human cohorts. ⋯ This meta-analysis of observational studies showed an inverse association between circulating homoarginine concentrations and all-cause mortality. Further research is warranted to investigate the direct effects of homoarginine on cardiovascular homoeostasis, the associations between homoarginine and all-cause mortality in other population groups, and the effects of interventions on homoarginine concentrations on clinical outcomes.
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Eur. J. Clin. Invest. · Aug 2018
ReviewExercising the hepatobiliary-gut axis. The impact of physical activity performance.
Physical inactivity puts the populations at risk of several health problems, while regular physical activity brings beneficial effects on cardiovascular disease, mortality and other health outcomes, including obesity, glycaemic control and insulin resistance. The hepatobiliary tract is greatly involved in several metabolic aspects which include digestion and absorption of nutrients in concert with intestinal motility, bile acid secretion and flow across the enterohepatic circulation and intestinal microbiota. Several metabolic abnormalities, including nonalcoholic fatty liver as well as cholesterol cholelithiasis, represent two conditions explained by changes of the aforementioned pathways. ⋯ Several beneficial effects of physical activity are anticipated on metabolic disorders linking liver steatosis, gallstone disease, gut motility, enterohepatic circulation of signalling bile acids in relation to intestinal microbiota and inflammatory changes.
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Eur. J. Clin. Invest. · Aug 2018
Observational StudyPredicting obstructive coronary artery disease using carotid ultrasound parameters: A nomogram from a large real-world clinical data.
Carotid ultrasound is a noninvasive tool for risk assessment of coronary artery disease (CAD). There is no consensus on which carotid ultrasound parameter constitutes the best measurement of atherosclerosis. We investigated which model of carotid ultrasound parameters and clinical risk factors (CRF) has the highest predictive value for CAD. ⋯ Total number of plaques, area of maximum soft, hard and mixed plaques showed significantly incremental prediction ability over CRF. A nomogram based on these factors provided an intuitive and practical method in detecting CAD.