Aim: The current data have proven the pivotal role of inflammation in the development of atherosclerosis and cardiovascular diseases in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). Neutrophil to lymphocyte (N/L) ratio has increasingly been reported as a measure of systemic inflammation. This study assessed N/L ratio and investigated its associations with standard inflammatory biomarkers in different stages of CKD patients. Material and methods: This cross-sectional study included 30 predialysis, 40 hemodialysis, 35 peritoneal dialysis patients, and 30 healthy subjects. N/L ratio and important clinical and laboratory parameters were registered. Multivariate regression analyses were carried out to investigate the relations of N/L ratio. Results: N/L ratio was significantly higher in each patient group compared to the healthy subjects (for all, p < 0.001). It was positively correlated with interleukin-6 (IL-6) (r ¼ 0.393, p < 0.001) and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) (r ¼ 0.264, p ¼ 0.002) levels and negatively correlated with hemoglobin (r ¼ À0.271, p ¼ 0.001), serum albumin (r ¼ À0.400, p < 0.001), and high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol levels (r ¼ À0.302, p < 0.001). In CKD patients with hypertension (HT), higher N/L ratio was detected when compared to those without HT (p ¼ 0.006). Having CKD, the presence of HT, serum albumin, HDL-cholesterol, IL-6, and hs-CRP levels were found to be independent predictors of the ratio after adjusting for significant covariates (p < 0.001). Conclusion: An easy and inexpensive laboratory measure of N/L ratio might provide significant information regarding inflammation in CKD including predialysis and dialysis patients.

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YKL-40 has been introduced as a marker of inflammation in different clinical situations. The association between YKL-40 and inflammation in chronic renal failure patients has not been researched currently. The objectives of this study were to establish serum YKL-40 concentrations in dialysis patients with chronic renal failure compared to healthy subjects and to explore its relationships with a proinflammatory cytokine, interleukine-6 (IL-6) and an acute phase mediator, high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP). The study population included hemodialysis patients (N = 43; mean age of 40.9 ± 14.5), peritoneal dialysis patients (N = 38; mean age of 45.8 ± 13.7) and healthy subjects (N = 37; mean age of 45.5 ± 10.6). Serum concentrations of YKL-40, IL-6, hs-CRP and routine laboratory measures were evaluated. Compared to the healthy subjects, hemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis patients had higher concentrations of YKL-40, IL-6, hs-CRP, as well as lower concentrations of hemoglobin, serum albumin and high density lipoprotein-cholesterol (P < 0.001). YKL-40 concentrations were positively correlated with serum creatinine (P < 0.001, r = 0.495), IL-6 (P < 0.001, r = 0.306), hs-CRP (P = 0.001, r = 0.306) levels and inversely correlated with hemoglobin (P = 0.002, r = -0.285), serum albumin (P < 0.001, r = -0.355) and high density lipoprotein-cholesterol (P = 0.001, r = -0.306). In multivariate regression analysis YKL-40 was associated with creatinine, serum albumin and hs-CRP concentrations after adjustments with covariates. Dialysis patients with chronic renal failure have elevated serum YKL-40 concentrations. Associations with standard inflammatory parameters suggest that YKL-40 might be a novel inflammatory marker in this population.

Background and goals: The aims of the present study were to investigate the natural history of cirrhosis and to determine trends in the etiology of cirrhosis. Methods: Between January 2001 and January 2018, a total of 1341 patients had been diagnosed with cirrhosis were included. Results: A total of 898 cirrhotic patients, who were followed for at least six months were included into the analysis. The median age was 54 years. The median Child-Pugh and MELD scores were 7.5 and 11, respectively. Ascites (51%) was the most common causes of decompensation. Chronic viral hepatitis was the most frequent cause of cirrhosis (58%). Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection was the main etiology (34%), followed by hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection (18%). Among 129 patients with cryptogenic cirrhosis (CC), 60 had metabolic abnormalities. If these 60 patients with CC were considered to have non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD)-related cirrhosis, the proportion of NAFLD-related cirrhosis increased from 1.8% to 8.0%. At admission, 74 patients (8%) had been diagnosed with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). A new HCC developed in 80 patients during the follow-up period. The probability of developing HCC was 3.9% at 12 months. Logistic regression analysis showed that the development of HCC was significantly associated with older age (p<0.001), male gender (p<0.001), viral etiology (p=0.026) and baseline high aspartate aminotransferase level (p=0.01). Overall, 104 cirrhotic patients died. In conclusion: HBV and HCV remain the leading causes of etiology in cirrhosis and HCC. However, NAFLD-related cirrhosis is recognized is recognized as a growing burden.

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