Evidence map›Paper›PMID 38745277›Full record

ArticleBMC musculoskeletal disorders2024

Synovial fluid monocyte-to-lymphocyte ratio in knee osteoarthritis patients predicts patient response to conservative treatment: a retrospective cohort study.

Jong Min Lee, Sumin Lim, Gunoo Kang, Jun Young Chung, Hee-Woong Yun, Yong Jun Jin, Do Young Park, Jae-Young Park

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in BMC musculoskeletal disorders, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
5citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

5 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Synovial Fluid Biomarkers Reflect Pre- and Postoperative Clinical Features in Rotator Cuff Tears, Independent of Tear Size.Journal of orthopaedic research : official publication of the Orthopaedic Research Society · 2026
    Article
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors.

Jong Min LeeDepartment of Orthopaedic Surgery, School of Medicine, Ajou University, Suwon, South Korea.
Sumin LimDepartment of Orthopaedic Surgery, School of Medicine, Ajou University, Suwon, South Korea.
Gunoo KangDepartment of Orthopaedic Surgery, School of Medicine, Ajou University, Suwon, South Korea.
Jun Young ChungDepartment of Orthopaedic Surgery, School of Medicine, Ajou University, Suwon, South Korea.
Hee-Woong YunDepartment of Orthopaedic Surgery, School of Medicine, Ajou University, Suwon, South Korea.
Yong Jun JinDepartment of Orthopaedic Surgery, School of Medicine, Ajou University, Suwon, South Korea.
Do Young Park *Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, School of Medicine, Ajou University, Suwon, South Korea. doytheboy@gmail.com.
Jae-Young Park *Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Uijeongbu Eulji Medical Center, Eulji University School of Medicine, Uijeongbu-si, Republic of Korea. neoxcv@gmail.com.

Funding

Eulji University 2022EMBRISN0005National Research Foundation of Kore RS-2023-00210901National Research Foundation of Korea 2022R1G1A101141611National Research Foundation of Korea 2023R1A2C1007200
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundBiomarkers that predict the treatment response in patients with knee osteoarthritis are scarce. This study aimed to investigate the potential role of synovial fluid cell counts and their ratios as biomarkers of primary knee osteoarthritis.

methodsThis retrospective study investigated 96 consecutive knee osteoarthritis patients with knee effusion who underwent joint fluid aspiration analysis and received concomitant intra-articular corticosteroid injections and blood tests. The monocyte-to-lymphocyte ratio (MLR) and neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) were calculated. After 6 months of treatment, patients were divided into two groups: the responder group showing symptom resolution, defined by a visual analog scale (VAS) score of ≤ 3, without additional treatment, and the non-responder group showing residual symptoms, defined by a VAS score of > 3 and requiring further intervention, such as additional medication, repeated injections, or surgical treatment. Unpaired t-tests and univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were conducted between the two groups to predict treatment response after conservative treatment. The predictive value was calculated using the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve, and the optimal cutoff value was determined.

resultsSynovial fluid MLR was significantly higher in the non-responder group compared to the responder group (1.86 ± 1.64 vs. 1.11 ± 1.37, respectively; p = 0.02). After accounting for confounding variables, odds ratio of non-responder due to increased MLR were 1.63 (95% confidence interval: 1.11-2.39). The optimal MLR cutoff value for predicting patient response to conservative treatment was 0.941.

conclusionsMLR may be a potential biomarker for predicting the response to conservative treatment in patients with primary knee osteoarthritis.

Indexed as

Conservative TreatmentLymphocytesMonocytesOsteoarthritis, KneeSynovial FluidAgedBiomarkersFemaleHumansInjections, Intra-ArticularLeukocyte CountMaleMiddle AgedPredictive Value of TestsRetrospective StudiesTreatment OutcomeBiomarkersBiomarkerMonocyteMonocyte to lymphocyte ratioOsteoarthritis

Identifiers

PMID38745277
PMCPMC11092220

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.