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OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to evaluate the diagnostic value of the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) in early detection of metabolic syndrome (MetS) in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). PATIENTS AND METHODS:We retrospectively enrolled hospital records of 140 COPD patients and 50 sex and age-matched healthy controls. The diagnostic values of NLR were estimated using the sensitivity, specificity, and area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC). RESULTS: In total, 140 patients with COPD of which 63 patients had MetS and 50 healthy subjects were included in the study. We found that the NLR values of the stable COPD patients were significantly higher than those of the controls (p < 0.001). Among patients with COPD, the NLR was significantly higher in patients with than without MetS (p < 0.001). The AUC of the NLR was 0.898 in patients with MetS.The optimal NLR cut-off was 2.56 and was validated in the testing set. For evaluation of MetS, the sensitivity and specificity were 84.1% and 84.4% in patients with COPD under the suggested cut-offs CONCLUSIONS: The NLR is a simple, effective, and practical predictor of MetS in patients with stable COPD. It has potential value in public health practice for management of patients with COPD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

OBJECTIVES: To demonstrate the pure effect of obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) on cardiac autonomic function (CAF) using heart rate turbulence (HRT) parameters. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A total of 64 patients with OSAS and 30 age- and gender-matched healthy subjects were enrolled. All subjects had normal coronary arteries and were free from diabetes mellitus (DM) and hypertension (HT). The HRT parameters (TO, turbulence onset; TS, turbulence slope) were obtained from 24-h ambulatory electrocardiogram (ECG) recordings. HRT parameters were compared between groups, and the relationship between HRT and the apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) was examined. RESULTS: No between-group differences were found in age or gender. Mean TO was significantly higher in the OSAS group than in healthy controls (0.89 ± 0.5, -0.08 ± 0.26; p < 0.001; respectively). The mean TS did not differ between the two groups (2.81 ± 3.06 versus 3.14 ± 2.33; p = 0.212). The AHI was positively correlated with TO (r = 0.845, p < 0.001). The multiple logistic regression analysis revealed that after adjustment for other variables, TO was a significant and independent predictor of AHI, OR 2.394 (95% CI: 1.596-3.591). CONCLUSIONS: HRT (TO in particular) is correlated with AHI. Thus, impaired HRT may be an important factor underlying the occurrence of arrhythmia and sudden cardiac death in patients with OSAS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]