This study aimed to evaluate the relationship between intracoronary thrombus burden and systemic immune-inflammation index (SII) and to compare the predictive capacity of SII together with the neut...

Background: The systemic immune-inflammation index (SII) has recently been investigated for cardiovascular diseases. We aimed to evaluate the relationship between SII and left atrial thrombosis (LAT). Methods: This retrospective, case-control study recruited patients with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF) who underwent transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) for LAT detection before cardioversion or catheter ablation at a tertiary hospital between 2012 and 2021. Demographic characteristics were obtained from the hospital data system. According to TEE findings, the patients were categorized into LAT (+) and (-) groups. Age, gender, history of chronic diseases, urea, creatinine, albumin, hemogram parameters, the neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), the platelet-lymphocyte ratio (PLR), SII, the CHADS₂ score, the CHA₂DS₂-VASc score, echocardiographic parameters, antiaggregant-anticoagulant use, and non-paroxysmal atrial fibrillation were included and analyzed. Results: The study population consisted of 403 patients, including 228 men (56.6%), at a mean age of 60.84±12.26 years. A high white blood cell count (WBC) (OR, 1.26; 95% CI, 1.05 to 1.51; P=0.013), a high SII (OR, 1.00, 95% CI, 1.00 to 1.00; P=0.003), and a low ejection fraction (OR, 0.95; 95% CI, 0.90 to 0.99; P=0.018) were independent predictors of LAT (+). A spontaneous echo contrast (OR, 2.43; 95% CI, 1.35 to 4.39; P=0.003) was associated with LAT (+). SII values above 693.6 predicted LAT (+) with 71.6% sensitivity and 71.7% specificity (AUC, 0.77; P<0.001). The predictiveness of SII was similar to that of NLR (0.77 vs 0.74, P=0.093) but higher than PLR (0.77 vs 0.67; P<0.001) and WBC (0.77 vs 0.69; P=0.031). Conclusion: SII is an independent predictor of LAT in patients with NVAF.

Background: Coronary artery disease (CAD) is a widespread health issue globally, linked to significant morbidity and mortality. While oxidative stress, dysregulated lipid metabolism, and unhealthy lifestyle choices contribute to CAD, recent research highlights the role of immune responses and inflammation. Malnutrition, a modifiable risk factor, notably impacts CAD prognosis. The prognostic nutritional index (PNI), derived from serum albumin and lymphocyte count, predicts outcomes in various diseases. This study aims to elucidate the relationship between malnutrition, as assessed by the PNI score, and the functional significance of coronary artery stenosis, evaluated by fractional flow reserve (FFR) measurements. Methods: A retrospective analysis involved 232 patients with single intermediate-grade coronary stenosis who underwent FFR measurement between January 2022 and January 2024. Prognostic nutritional index values were calculated from serum albumin and lymphocyte counts. Patients were divided into 2 groups based on FFR values. Results: Patients with hemodynamically significant coronary stenosis (FFR ≤ 0.80) exhibited higher inflammatory markers and triglycerides, while those with FFR > 0.80 showed elevated albumin and PNI levels. Triglycerides and PNI emerged as independent predictors of significant coronary stenosis. Conclusions: This study demonstrates that PNI is independently associated with the functional significance of coronary artery stenosis as determined by FFR. Since lymphocytes, total protein and albumin values, which are readily available from routine blood tests, form the basis for PNI, this index can be easily used in clinical settings to predict hemodynamically significant coronary artery stenosis. However, the results of this study should be further expanded and validated through studies involving larger samples and prospective designs.

Aim:We aimed to investigate the association between whole blood viscosity (WBV) and nondipping pattern in patients with essential hypertension.Materials & methods:A total of consecutive 530 patients who had been evaluated by ambulatory blood pressure monitoring were included. WBV was estimated by using hematocrit and plasma total protein levels for both WBV in low shear rate (0.5 s(-1)) and WBV in high shear rate (208 s(-1)) according to the de Simone's formula.Results:In the multivariate analysis, low shear rate and high shear rate of WBV were associated independently with nondipping pattern in patients with essential hypertension.Conclusion:As a simple, inexpensive and noninvasive tool, WBV seems to be a significant predictor of nondipping hypertension.

Background: Hypertension is a major cause of cardiovascular diseases. Many studies have pointed out that the atherogenic index of plasma (AIP), which demonstrates plasma atherogenicity, is correlated with all-cause mortality, cardiovascular morbidity, atherosclerosis, and severity of coronary artery disease. Within this context, we tried to evaluate the correlation between nondipping circadian pattern and AIP. Methods: We enrolled 1,030 hypertensive patients (mean age: 53.6 ± 11.4) as part of the target population, separated into different groups based on the circadian blood pressure (BP) pattern taken from dipper and nondipper groups subsequent to 24-h ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM). We calculated the level of AIP using the log transformation of the ratio of triglyceride to high-density lipoprotein cholesterol. Results: The AIP observed in the nondipper group was remarkably higher than those of the dipper group (p < 0.001). After measuring the 24-h ABPM, we determined that AIP had a weak but significant correlation with nighttime systolic BP (r = 0.090, p = 0.004) and nighttime diastolic BP (r = 0.073, p = 0.019). As for the analysis based on the multivariate logistic regression, high AIP and age were found to be independently associated with the presence of the nondipping pattern. Conclusion: AIP levels are higher in patients with nondipping pattern compared to dipper patients. Additionally, higher levels of AIP are independently associated with the presence of the nondipping pattern in hypertensive patients.