Correlation between thrombopoietin and inflammatory factors,platelet indices,and thrombosis in patients with sepsis:A retrospective study

BACKGROUND Thrombopoietin(TPO)is a primary regulator of thrombopoiesis in physiological conditions.TPO,in combination with its specific cytokine receptor c-Mpl,drives platelet production by inducing the proliferation and differentiation of megakaryocytes.However,the role of TPO in sepsis is not well determined.The elevated levels of TPO are often accompanied by a decrease of platelet count(PLT)in systemic infected conditions,which is contrary to the view that TPO promotes platelet production under physiological conditions.In addition,whether TPO mediates organ damage in sepsis remains controversial.AIM To explore the relationships between TPO and inflammatory factors,platelet indices,and thrombotic indicators in sepsis.METHODS A total of 90 patients with sepsis diagnosed and treated at the emergency medicine department of The First People’s Hospital of Foshan between January 2020 and March 2021 were enrolled in this study.In addition,110 patients without sepsis who came to the emergency medicine department were included as controls.Clinical and laboratory parameters including age,gender,TPO,blood cell count in peripheral blood,platelet indices,inflammatory factors such as high-sensitivity Creactive protein(hs-CRP),interleukin(IL)-21,and IL-6,organ damage indicators,and thrombotic indicators were collected and analyzed by using various statistical approaches.RESULTS The results showed that the TPO levels were higher in the sepsis group than in controls[86.45(30.55,193.1)vs 12.45(0.64,46.09)pg/mL,P<0.001],but PLT was lower(P<0.001).Multivariable analysis showed that white blood cell count(WBC)[odds ratio(OR)=1.32;95%confidence interval(CI):1.01-1.722;P=0.044],TPO(OR=1.02;95%CI:1.01-1.04;P=0.009),IL-21(OR=1.02;95%CI:1.00-1.03;P=0.019),troponin I(OR=55.20;95%CI:5.69-535.90;P=0.001),and prothrombin time(PT)(OR=2.24;95%CI:1.10-4.55;P=0.027)were independent risk factors associated with sepsis.TPO levels were positively correlated with IL-21,IL-6,hs-CRP,creatinine,D-dimer,PT,activated prothrombin time,international normalized ratio,fibrinogen,WBC count,and neutrophil count,and negatively correlated with PLT,thrombin time,red blood cell count,and hemoglobin concentration(P<0.05).Receiver operating characteristic analysis showed that TPO had fair predictive value in distinguishing septic patients and non-septic patients(the area under the curve:0.788;95%CI:0.723-0.852;P<0.001).With an optimized cutoff value(28.51 pg/mL),TPO had the highest sensitivity(79%)and specificity(65%).CONCLUSION TPO levels are independently associated with sepsis.High TPO levels and low PLT suggest that TPO might be an acute-phase response protein in patients with infection.

Research advances of Legionella and Legionnaires’ disease

Legionella is a causative agent of legionellosis or Legionnaires’disease.Infection with Legionella spp.is an important cause of community and hospital-acquired pneumonia.Moreover,infection with Legionella is one of the most common causes of severe pneumonia in community settings,and Legionella is isolated in 40%of hospital-acquired pneumonia cases.The clinical features of legionellosis or Legionnaires’disease are not unique,which makes the diagnosis challenging.Macrolides andfluoroquinolones are the most widely used drugs in treatment.Early recognition,treatment and effective measures for prevention and control of the disease are important and required.Although there have been a lot of methods for diagnosis of Legionella infection,they were often time-consuming or complex,not suitable for clinical purposes.This review summarizes available information regarding the microbiology,taxonomy,epidemiology,pathogenesis and diagnosis of Legionnaires’disease,with an emphasis on the laboratory diagnosis of infection with Legionella spp.