OBJECTIVE: Chronic inflammation is associated with cardiovascular (CV) risk factors and psychiatric disorders. The neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR) has been investigated as a new biomarker for systemic inflammatory response. The aim of the study is to investigate the relation of NLR with severity of depression and CV risk factors. METHODS: The study population consisted of 256 patients with depressive disorder. Patients were evaluated with the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HAM-D). Patients were classified into four groups according to their HAM-D score such as mild, moderate, severe, and very severe depression. Patients were also evaluated in terms of CV risk factors. RESULTS: Patients with higher HAM-D score had significantly higher NLR levels compared to patients with lower HAM-D score. Correlation analysis revealed that severity of depression was associated with NLR in depressive patients (r=0.333, p<0.001). Patients with one or more CV risk factors have significantly higher NLR levels. Correlation analysis revealed that CV risk factors were associated with NLR in depressive patients (r=0.132, p=0.034). In logistic regression analyses, NLR levels were an independent predictor of severe or very severe depression (odds ratio: 3.02, 95% confidence interval: 1.867-4.884, p<0.001). A NLR of 1.57 or higher predicted severe or very severe depression with a sensitivity of 61.4% and specificity of 61.2%. CONCLUSION: Higher HAM-D scores are associated with higher NLR levels in depressive patients. NLR more than 1.57 was an independent predictor of severe or very severe depression. A simple, cheap white blood cell count may give an idea about the severity of depression.
Depression* ; Depressive Disorder ; Humans ; Inflammation ; Leukocyte Count ; Logistic Models ; Lymphocytes ; Neutrophils ; Risk Factors* ; Sensitivity and Specificity

OBJECTIVE: The primary objective of the present study was to further elucidate the effects of oxcarbazepine (OXC) and levetiracetam (LEV) monotherapies on the bone health status of patients with epilepsy. METHODS: This study included 48 patients who attended our epilepsy outpatient clinic, had a diagnosis of epilepsy, and were undergoing either OXC or LEV monotherapy and 42 healthy control subjects. The demographic and clinical features of the patients, including gender, age, onset of disease, daily drug dosage, and duration of disease, were noted. Additionally, the calcium, ionized calcium, and 25-OH vitamin-D3 levels of the participants were prospectively evaluated. RESULTS: The 25-OH vitamin-D3, calcium, and ionized calcium levels of the patients taking OXC were significantly lower than those of the control group. These levels did not significantly differ between the patients taking LEV and the control group, but there was a significant negative relationship between daily drug dose and ionized calcium levels in the LEV patients. CONCLUSION: In the present study, anti-epileptic drugs altered the calcium, ionized calcium, and 25-OH vitamin-D3 levels of epilepsy patients and resulted in bone loss, abnormal mineralization, and fractures. These findings suggest that the calcium, ionized calcium, and 25-OH vitamin-D3 levels of patients with epilepsy should be regularly assessed.
Ambulatory Care Facilities ; Anticonvulsants ; Bone Diseases ; Calcium* ; Diagnosis ; Epilepsy* ; Humans ; Prospective Studies

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: In this study, we examined the role of inflammatory parameters in an apical mural thrombus with a reduced ejection fraction due to large anterior myocardial infarction (MI). SUBJECTS AND METHODS: A total of 103 patients who had suffered from heart failure, 45 of whom had left ventricular apical thrombus (AT) after a large anterior MI, were enrolled in the study. A detailed clinical history was taken of each participant, biochemical inflammatory markers, which were obtained during admission, were analyzed and an echocardiographical and angiographical evaluation of specific parameters were performed. RESULTS: There were no statistically significant differences in terms of age, gender, and history of hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and atrial fibrillation between both groups (p>0.05). Similarly there were no statistically significant differences in terms of biochemical and echocardiographic parameters (p>0.05). However, there were significant differences in terms of neutrophil lymphocyte ratio (p=0.032). After a multivariate regression analysis, neutrophil lymphocyte ratio (NLR) was an independent predictor of thrombus formation (β: 0.296, p=0.024). The NLR >2.74 had a 78% sensivity and 61% specifity in predicting thrombus in patients with a low left ventricular ejection fraction. CONCLUSION: In this study, neutrophil lymphocyte ratios were significantly higher in patients with apical thrombus.
Atrial Fibrillation ; Diabetes Mellitus ; Echocardiography ; Heart Failure ; Humans ; Hypertension ; Inflammation ; Lymphocytes* ; Myocardial Infarction* ; Neutrophils* ; Stroke Volume ; Thrombosis*