Prognostic significance of lymphocyte-to-monocyte ratio in patients with classical Hodgkin lymphoma before and after receiving first-line chemotherapy.

Introduction: Despite the presence of a prognostic risk stratification sco-ring system for Hodgkin lymphoma (HL), the lymphocyte-to-monocyte ratio (LMR) is a simple and low-cost test that has been investigated as a prognostic marker to evaluate the clinical course and survival outcomes. Material and methods: We prospectively enrolled 92 patients with classical HL (CHL), who were diagnosed and treated in the period from April 2017 to April 2020. Lymphocyte monocyte ratio cut-off values were estimated using receiver operating characteristic curves. Results: We found that patients with LMR < 1.4 at the time of diagnosis had poorer progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) than those with LMR > 1.4. Patients with increased LMR values after the first 2 cycles of chemotherapy had better PFS and OS; meanwhile, patients who had low LMR after the end of chemotherapy had poorer PFS and OS in comparison to patients who gained higher value after the completion of all cycles of chemotherapy. Conclusions: A rise of LMR value indicated better outcome and better survival rate, so it can be an independent prognostic factor for survival and to predict outcome in patients with CHL.

The Role of Pancreatic Stone Protein in Diagnosis of Early Onset Neonatal Sepsis.

Introduction. Early diagnosis and treatment of neonatal sepsis may help decrease neonatal mortality. Aim of the Study. To evaluate the role of pancreatic stone protein as a marker for early onset neonatal sepsis. Methods. A hospital-based prospective study was conducted on 104 (52 uninfected and 52 infected neonates) admitted to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) of Zagazig University hospitals during the period from April 2014 to April 2015. All newborns were subjected to full history taking, careful neonatal assessment, blood, C-reactive protein (CRP), and serum pancreatic stone protein. Results. Serum PSP levels were significantly higher in the infected group than in the uninfected group. At a cutoff level of PSP 12.96 ng/mL, the sensitivity was 96.2%, the specificity was 88.5%, positive predictive value was 95.8%, negative predictive value was 89.3%, and area under the curve was 0.87. A significant positive correlation between CRP and PSP was found in infected group. Conclusion. The high negative predictive value of PSP (89.3%) indicates that the serum PSP level is a good marker for diagnosis of early onset neonatal sepsis and can be used to limit hospital stay and antibiotic use in neonates treated for suspected sepsis.