There is increasing evidence that inflammation is involved in the mechanisms of acute ischemic stroke. The utility of neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) has recently been reported to help in the prognostication of stroke. The utility of NLR in the diagnosis of stroke remains uncertain. In this retrospective study, patients with acute ischemic stroke who presented within the first 24 hours of symptom onset to our clinic from September to December 2019 were studied, involving 93 patients with stroke and 60 control. The mean age in the stroke group was 71.7 ± 12.2 years whereas it was 72.6 ± 5.7 in the control group (p=0.405). The female/male ratio was 47/46 in the stroke group and it was 26/34 in the control group (p=0.411). The NLR level was higher in patients with ischemic stroke as compared to control (p=0.029) whereas hemoglobin levels were lower in the patient group (p= 0.025). The ROC curve analysis revealed that a NLR cutoff point of 2.34 had 61.3 % sensitivity and 60% specificity in detecting patients with ischemic stroke. The regression analyses also revealed that the NLR and hemoglobin levels were predictors for stroke. In conclusion, NLR and hemoglobin may potentially be paraclinical markers in differential diagnosis of stroke.

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to evaluate TMPRSS2:ERG fusion rates in tissue, urine, blood, and pubic hair samples in a cohort of patients with localized prostate cancer and to correlate these findings with various clinicopathological parameters. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A cohort of 40 patients undergoing radical prostatectomy for localized prostate cancer (RRP group) and 10 control patients undergoing prostate biopsy were enrolled between 2006 and 2008. Urine, pubic hair, and peripheral blood samples were obtained following prostatic massage before the needle biopsy or radical prostatectomy. Quantitative polymerase chain reaction analysis was performed on all collected samples. RESULTS: The patients' mean age was 62.4 (+/-5.5) years. We observed higher expressions of TMPRSS2:ERG fusion in tissue, urine, and blood samples from the RRP group than in samples from the control group. Overall, the fusion was present in urine samples of 23 RRP patients (57.5%). To predict high-stage cancer (>T3a), the Gleason score was the only significant factor in the logistic regression analysis (score, 10.579; p=0.001). Quantitative evaluation of the gene fusion in tissue (Pearson r=0.36, p=0.011) and urine (Pearson r=0.34, p=0.014) samples had a significant positive correlation with the preoperative prostate-specific antigen level. CONCLUSIONS: Urine sediments collected after prostatic massage appear to be a feasible noninvasive method of detecting TMPRSS2:ERG fusion. The Gleason score is the only significant factor to predict high-stage cancer (>T3a). No correlation between TMPRSS2:ERG gene fusion status and tumor stage, Gleason grade, prostate-specific antigen level, or surgical margin status was observed.
Biopsy ; Biopsy, Needle ; Cohort Studies ; Evaluation Studies as Topic ; Gene Fusion ; Hair ; Humans ; Logistic Models ; Massage ; Neoplasm Grading ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Prognosis ; Prostate ; Prostate-Specific Antigen ; Prostatectomy ; Prostatic Neoplasms