The preoperative globulin-to-albumin ratio, a novel inflammation-based prognostic system, predicts survival after potentially curative liver resection for patients with hepatocellular carcinoma

Fibrinogen, albumin-to-globulin ratio, and fibrinogen to albumin-to-globulin ratio may be potential diagnostic biomarkers for infected tibial nonunion

AIM

The accurate preoperative diagnosis of infected tibial nonunion remains challenging. Hence, we evaluated the diagnostic potential of novel biomarkers for infected tibial nonunion.

METHODS

This single-center retrospective study was conducted in 252 patients divided into two groups: infected tibial nonunion (67 patients) and aseptic tibial nonunion (185 patients). The preoperative clinical biomarkers included D-dimer, fibrinogen, albumin, globulin, total protein, and C-reactive protein (CRP) levels; albumin-to-globulin ratio (AGR); erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR); and white blood cell (WBC) count. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves, sensitivity, and specificity were utilized to compare the biomarkers' diagnostic potential.

RESULTS

The area under the curve (AUC) values for fibrinogen and AGR were 0.829 and 0.821, respectively, suggesting similarly good diagnostic potentials for infected tibial nonunion. Fibrinogen and AGR were better diagnostic biomarkers for infected tibial nonunion than the WBC count; ESR; D-dimer, albumin, globulin, CRP, and total protein levels, whose AUC values were 0.623, 0.684, 0.741, 0.797, 0.765, 0.715, and 0.554, respectively. The sensitivity and specificity of fibrinogen with a cut-off value of 3.35 g/L were 71.64% and 84.86%, respectively. The corresponding values for AGR with a cut-off value of 1.33 were 73.13% and 86.49%. Moreover, the fibrinogen-AGR (FAGR), i.e., the combination of fibrinogen and AGR, had the highest diagnostic accuracy for infected tibial nonunion (AUC = 0.906). The optimal FAGR cut-off was 2.69, with fair sensitivity (74.63%) but the highest specificity (94.59%).

CONCLUSION

Fibrinogen, AGR, and FAGR are promising biomarkers for the diagnosis of infected tibial nonunion.

Prognostic Significance of Serum Albumin Level and Albumin-Based Mono- and Combination Biomarkers in Patients with Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the predominant form of primary liver cancer. Although many surgical and nonsurgical therapeutic options have been established for treating HCC, the overall prognosis for HCC patients receiving different treatment modalities remains inadequate, which causes HCC to remain among the most life-threatening human cancers worldwide. Therefore, it is vitally important and urgently needed to develop valuable and independent prognostic biomarkers for the early prediction of poor prognosis in HCC patients, allowing more time for more timely and appropriate treatment to improve the survival of patients. As the most abundant protein in plasma, human serum albumin (ALB) is predominantly expressed by the liver and exhibits a wide variety of essential biological functions. It has been well recognized that serum ALB level is a significant independent biomarker for a broad spectrum of human diseases including cancer. Moreover, ALB has been commonly used as a potent biomaterial and therapeutic agent in clinical settings for the treatment of various human diseases. This review provides a comprehensive summary of the evidence from the up-to-date published literature to underscore the prognostic significance of serum ALB level and various ALB-based mono- and combination biomarkers in the prediction of the prognosis of HCC patients after treatment with different surgical, locoregional, and systemic therapies.

Predictive Value of Globulin to Prealbumin Ratio for 3-Month Functional Outcomes in Acute Ischemic Stroke Patients

Objective

We aimed to evaluate and compare the association between globulin to albumin ratio (GAR) and globulin to prealbumin ratio (GPR) and 3-month functional prognosis of acute ischemic stroke (AIS) patients receiving intravenous thrombolysis therapy.

Methods

234 AIS patients undergoing intravenous thrombolysis were retrospectively enrolled with acute ischemic stroke from February 2016 to October 2019. Blood sample was collected within 24 h after admission. Poor outcome was defined as the modified Rankin Scale (mRS) ≥ 3 and a favorable outcome as mRS < 3. Severe stroke was defined as the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) score > 10 on admission. Student's t-test, Mann–Whitney U test, Chi-square test, logistics' regression analysis, and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis were performed.

Results

Patients with poor functional outcome had higher GAR and GPR levels compared with favorable functional group (p = 0.001, p < 0.001, respectively). Severe stroke was also associated with these two increasing variables. After adjustment for confounding factors, multivariate logistic regression analysis indicated that GPR was an independent indicator predictor of AIS.

Conclusions

The 24 h GPR level can predict the 3-month functional outcome in AIS patients accepting recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (r-tPA) intravenous thrombosis.

Clinical online nomogram for predicting prognosis in recurrent hepatolithiasis after biliary surgery: A multicenter, retrospective study

BACKGROUND

Methods for predicting the prognosis of patients undergoing surgery for recurrent hepatolithiasis after biliary surgery are currently lacking.

AIM

To establish a nomogram to predict the prognosis of patients with recurrent hepatolithiasis after biliary surgery.

METHODS

In this multicenter, retrospective study, data of consecutive patients in four large medical centers who underwent surgery for recurrent hepatolithiasis after biliary surgery were retrospectively analyzed. We constructed a nomogram to predict the prognosis of recurrent hepatolithiasis in a training cohort of 299 patients, following which we independently tested the nomogram in an external validation cohort of 142 patients. Finally, we used the concordance index (C-index), calibra-tion, area under curve, decision curve analysis, clinical impact curves, and visual fit indices to evaluate the accuracy of the nomogram.

RESULTS

Multiple previous surgeries [2 surgeries: Odds ratio (95% confidence interval), 1.451 (0.719-2.932); 3 surgeries: 4.573 (2.015-10.378); ≥ 4 surgeries: 5.741 (1.347-24.470)], bilateral hepatolithiasis [1.965 (1.039-3.717)], absence of immediate clearance [2.398 (1.304-4.409)], neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio ≥ 2.462 [1.915 (1.099-3.337)], and albumin-to-globulin ratio ≤ 1.5 [1.949 (1.056-3.595)] were found to be independent factors influencing the prognosis. The nomogram constructed on the basis of these variables showed good reliability in the training (C-index: 0.748) and validation (C-index: 0.743) cohorts. Compared with predictions using traditional classification models, those using our nomogram showed better agreement with actual observations in the calibration curve for the probability of endpoints and the receiver operating characteristic curve. Dichloroacetate and clinical impact curves showed a larger net benefit of the nomogram.

CONCLUSION

The nomogram developed in this study demonstrated superior performance and discriminative power compared to the three traditional classifications. It is easy to use, highly accurate, and shows excellent calibration.

Globulin, the albumin-to-globulin ratio, and fibrinogen perform well in the diagnosis of Periprosthetic joint infection

Background

Although periprosthetic joint infection (PJI) is a severe complication of total joint arthroplasty (TJA), the diagnosis of PJI remains challenging. Albumin (ALB), globulin (GLB), the albumin-to-globulin ratio (AGR), and fibrinogen could be indicators of the body’s inflammatory state. This study aimed to compare the diagnostic accuracy of these biomarkers with that of other inflammatory biomarkers in PJI patients.

Methods

We conducted a retrospective cohort study that included a consecutive series of patients undergoing debridement antibiotic irrigation and implant retention (DAIR), one-stage or the first stage of a two-stage revision total knee arthroplasty (TKA) or total hip arthroplasty (THA) for acute (n = 31) or chronic (n = 51) PJI, or revision TKA or THA for aseptic failures (n = 139) between January 2017 and December 2019 in our hospital. The 2013 criteria of the Musculoskeletal Infection Society (2013 MSIS) were used as the reference standard for the diagnosis of PJI. The preoperative ALB, GLB, AGR, fibrinogen, D-dimer, platelet count, fibrin degradation product (FDP), platelet-to-lymphocyte (PLR), platelet count to mean platelet volume ratio (PVR), neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) and C-reactive protein (CRP) levels were assessed. The receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC), sensitivity, and specificity were utilized to compare different biomarkers.

Results

Compared with the aseptic patients, the GLB, D-dimer, fibrinogen, FDP, platelet count, PVR, PLR, NLR, ESR, and CRP levels of PJI patients were significantly higher (P < 0.01); however, the ALB and AGR levels were significantly lower (P < 0.01). The area under the curve (AUC), sensitivity and specificity were 0.774, 67.50, 77.54% for ALB; 0.820, 57.50, 89.86% for GLB; 0.845, 66.25, 93.48% for AGR; 0.832, 78.48, 78.95% for fibrinogen; 0.877, 81.48, 85.07% for ESR; 0.909, 83.95, 88.89% for CRP; 0.683, 55.22, 75.83% for D-dimer; 0.664, 38.81, 88.33% for FDP; 0.678, 52.44, 79.86% for platelet count; 0.707, 48.78, 86.33% for PVR; 0.700, 51.22, 80.58% for PLR; and 0.678, 52.44, 81.30% for NLR, respectively. In the clinic, GLB, AGR and fibrinogen could be used for diagnosis of patients suspected of having PJI.

Conclusion

Our study demonstrated that GLB, AGR, and fibrinogen were promising biomarkers in the diagnosis of PJI.

Preoperative Inversed Albumin-to-Globulin Ratio Predicts Worse Oncologic Prognosis Following Curative Hepatectomy for Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Background

A normal albumin-to-globulin ratio (NAGR) in serum is greater than 1. Inversed albumin-to-globulin ratio (IAGR < 1) indicates poor synthetic liver function or malnutrition. The aim of this study is to evaluate whether preoperative IAGR was associated with worse oncologic survival after hepatectomy for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).

Patients and Methods

Patients who underwent curative hepatectomy for HCC between 2009 and 2016 in four centers were divided into the IAGR and NAGR groups based on their preoperative levels, and their clinical characteristics and long-term survival outcomes were compared. Univariable and multivariable Cox regression analyses were performed to identify risk factors of overall survival (OS) and recurrence-free survival (RFS).

Results

Of 693 enrolled patients, 136 (19.6%) were in the IAGR group. Their 5-year OS and RFS rates were 31.6% and 21.3%, respectively, which were significantly worse than the NAGR group (43.4% and 28.7%, both P < 0.001). The area under the receiver operating characteristic curves in predicting 5-year OS and RFS using the albumin-to-globulin ratio were 0.68 and 0.67, respectively, which were significantly higher than albumin (0.60 and 0.59), globulin (0.56 and 0.57), Child-Pugh grading (0.61 and 0.60), Model for End-Stage Liver Disease Score (0.59 and 0.58), and Albumin-Bilirubin grading (0.64 and 0.63). Multivariable analyses identified that preoperative IAGR was independently associated with worse OS (HR: 1.444, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.125–1.854, P = 0.004) and RFS (HR: 1.463, 95% CI: 1.159–1.848, P = 0.001).

Conclusion

Preoperative IAGR was useful in predicting worse OS and RFS in patients who underwent curative hepatectomy for HCC.

Is Onodera's prognostic nutritional index (OPNI) a prognostic factor in small cell lung cancer (SCLC)?

INTRODUCTION

We aimed to evaluate the prognostic value of Onodera's prognostic nutritional index (OPNI) in patients with Small-cell lung cancer (SCLC).

MATERIALS AND METHODS

This study retrospectively examined 109 patients diagnosed with SCLC between January 2008 and October 2018 in our hospital. Patients were divided into two groups according to the median of OPNI values.

RESULTS

A significant difference was observed between the groups in terms of neutrophil percentage, lymphocyte count, lymphocyte percentage, C-reactive protein (CRP), albumin, lactat dehidrogenase (LDH) and neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR) (P < 0.05). LDH, CRP, neutrophil percentage and NLR (P = 0.008, P < 0.001, P = 0.001, P < 0.001, respectively) were significantly higher and albumin, lymphocyte count and lymphocyte percentage (P < 0.001, P < 0.001, P = 0.001, respectively) were significantly lower in the low OPNI group. Survival analyses have shown that mortality rates and lifespan are similar in the two groups.

CONCLUSION

The OPNI may be a helpful tool for determining the prognosis in SCLC.

Prognostic value of the pretreatment albumin:globulin ratio combined with adult comorbidity evaluation 27 and TMN staging in patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the maxillary sinus

The albumin:globulin (A:G) ratio, adult comorbidity evaluation 27 (ACE-27), and TMN staging have been shown to be strong predictive indicators of the survival of patients with many types of tumours. We have investigated the prognostic value of pretreatment based on the A:G ratio combined with TMN staging and ACE-27 in patients with squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the maxillary sinus. We studied 196 patients, and the prognostic value was explored by univariate and multivariate Cox's hazards analysis. Multivariate analyses suggested that pretreatment A:G ratio was independently associated with overall survival (hazard ratio (HR) 1.542, 95% CI 1.219 to 1.991, p=0.002); disease-specific survival, (HR 1.499, 95% CI 1.197 to 1.842, p=0.001); and disease-free survival (HR 1.452, 95% CI 1.207 to 1.834, p<0.001). Additional prognostic factors shown in the survival analyses included ACE-27, pathological T stage, and pathological N stage. Pretreatment A:G ratio combined with ACE-27 and TMN staging were powerful prognostic indicators of outcome in patients with SCC of the maxillary sinus, which has potentially important ramifications for stratification of the disease in the future.

Prognostic significance of preoperative albumin-to-globulin ratio and prognostic nutritional index combined score in Siewert type 3 adenocarcinoma of esophagogastric junction

Purpose

Preoperative nutrition-inflammation-based indicators have been reported to predict the prognosis of malignancies. We evaluated the prognostic significance of a combined score of the albumin-to-globulin ratio (AGR) and prognostic nutritional index (PNI) for overall survival (OS) outcomes in patients with Siewert type 3 adenocarcinoma of esophagogastric junction (S3-AEG).

Patients and methods

The prognostic significance of variables associated with 215 S3-AEG patients’ OS were assessed through univariate and multivariate analyses. The cutoff value of the preoperative AGR and PNI were calculated by the receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC). Patients with either an elevated AGR (≥1.72, cutoff value) or PNI (≥45.55, cutoff value) were given a score of 1; otherwise, they were given a score of 0. The AGR-PNI score ranged from 0 to 2.

Results

OS was independently associated with the N stage (HR: 0.336, 95% CI: 0.141–0.805, P=0.014) and AGR-PNI score (HR: 0.623, 95% CI: 0.487–0.797, P<0.001). Patients with AGR-PNI scores of 0, 1 and 2 had significant differences in OS (P=0.001). The prognostic role of AGR-PNI was significant in patients with stage I + II (P=0.043) and stage III S3-AEGs (P=0.003). ROC analysis indicated that the predictive ability of the AGR-PNI score was better than that of the other parameters.

Conclusion

The preoperative AGR-PNI score was a significant prognosticator of postoperative survival in patients with S3-AEG and could identify high-risk populations for reasonable therapy and effective follow-up.

Clinical significance of the globulin-to-albumin ratio for prediction of postoperative survival in patients with colorectal cancer

AIM

A previous study has revealed that the albumin/globulin ratio (GAR) before treatment is a predictor of cancer-specific survival in patients with colorectal cancer (CRC). The aim of the present study was to investigate the clinical significance of GAR for prediction of postoperative survival in patients with CRC.

METHODS

Nine hundred and forty-one patients who had undergone elective CRC surgery were enrolled. Uni- and multivariate analysis models were performed to detect the clinical characteristics that were most closely associated with overall survival (OS). All recommended cutoff values were defined using receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) analyses. Kaplan-Meier analysis was used to compare the OS curves between the high GAR (GAR > 0.83) and low GAR (GAR ≤ 0.83) groups.

RESULTS

Multivariate analysis using eight clinical characteristics selected by univariate analyses showed that the GAR was associated with OS (>0.83/≤0.83) (hazard ratio [HR], 1.979; 95% CI, 1.321-2.966; P = 0.001) along with carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA; >8.7/≤8.7, ng/mL; HR, 2.319; 95% CI, 1.569-3.428; P < 0.001), carbohydrate antigen 19-9 (CA19-9; >18.5/≤18.5, U/mL; HR, 1.727; 95% CI, 1.178-2.532; P = 0.005), and the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR; >2.9/≤2.9; HR, 2.132; 95% CI, 1.454-3.126; P < 0.001), and the area under the ROC (AUROC) curve revealed that the GAR had the largest AUROC among these four clinical characteristics (GAR 0.711 > CEA 0.698 > CA19-9 0.676 > NLR 0.635). A significant difference in OS was observed between patients with low GAR and those with high GAR (P < 0.001).

CONCLUSION

Globulin-to-albumin ratio is a useful predictor of postoperative survival in patients with CRC.