Prognostic impact of neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio in gliomas: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: In some malignant tumors, a high neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) is connected with unfavorable prognosis. Nevertheless, the prognostic value of the NLR in gliomas remains disputed. The clinical significance of the NLR in gliomas was investigated in our study. METHODS: The databases, PubMed, Embase, and the Cochrane Library, were searched using words like "glioma," "glioblastoma," "neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio," and others through May 2019. We evaluated the significance of NLR on overall survival (OS) of patients with gliomas in our study. RESULTS: Finally, 16 cohorts with 2275 patients were analyzed. The pooled analysis revealed that an elevated NLR was connected with unfavorable OS (hazards ratio (HR): 1.43, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.27-1.62) outcomes of patients with gliomas. CONCLUSION: A high NLR can be considered a high-risk prognostic factor in gliomas, and more adjuvant chemotherapy should be recommended for high-risk patients.

Effect of toll-like receptor 3 agonist poly I:C on intestinal mucosa and epithelial barrier function in mouse models of acute colitis.

AIM: To investigate potential effects of poly I:C on mucosal injury and epithelial barrier disruption in dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced acute colitis. METHODS: Thirty C57BL/6 mice were given either regular drinking water (control group) or 2% (w/v) DSS drinking water (model and poly I:C groups) ad libitum for 7 d. Poly I:C was administrated subcutaneously (20 µg/mouse) 2 h prior to DSS induction in mice of the poly I:C group. Severity of colitis was evaluated by disease activity index, body weight, colon length, histology and myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity, as well as the production of proinflammatory cytokines, including tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin 17 (IL-17) and interferon-γ (IFN-γ). Intestinal permeability was analyzed by the fluorescein isothiocyanate labeled-dextran (FITC-D) method. Ultrastructural features of the colon tissue were observed under electron microscopy. Expressions of tight junction (TJ) proteins, including zo-1, occludin and claudin-1, were measured by immunohistochemistry/immunofluorescence, Western blot and real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR). RESULTS: DSS caused significant damage to the colon tissue in the model group. Administration of poly I:C dramatically protected against DSS-induced colitis, as demonstrated by less body weight loss, lower disease activity index score, longer colon length, colonic MPO activity, and improved macroscopic and histological scores. It also ameliorated DSS-induced ultrastructural changes of the colon epithelium, as observed under scanning electron microscopy, as well as FITC-D permeability. The mRNA and protein expressions of TJ protein, zo-1, occludin and claudin-1 were also found to be significantly enhanced in the poly I:C group, as determined by immunohistochemistry/immunofluorescence, Western blot and RT-qPCR. By contrast, poly I:C pretreatment markedly reversed the DSS-induced up-regulated expressions of the inflammatory cytokines TNF-α, IL-17 and IFN-γ. CONCLUSION: Our study suggested that poly I:C may protect against DSS-induced colitis through maintaining integrity of the epithelial barrier and regulating innate immune responses, which may shed light on the therapeutic potential of poly I:C in human colitis.