Skip to main content
. 2017 Apr 6;12(4):e0175123. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0175123

Table 3. Prognostic biomarkers subdivided by evidence based medicine modified GRADE criteria.

GRADE Quality of Evidence Biomarker
A High

  • Serum CRPa

  • Serum WBCa

  • Serum lymphocyte count

  • Serum albumin

  • Serum ALP

  • Serum urea/BUNa

  • Serum Naa
B Moderate

  • Platelet counta

  • Serum prealbumin

  • Serum vitamin B12

  • Serum bilirubin

  • Serum AST

  • Serum ALTa

  • INR

  • Serum LDHa

  • Serum cholesterol

  • Serum uratea

  • Serum pseudocholinesterase
C Low

  • Plasma IL-6ab

  • Plasma sTNF- r1b

  • Plasma MCP-1b

  • Plasma IL-18b

  • Plasma TGF-β1b

  • Plasma MIFb

  • Plasma IL-1rab

  • Plasma IL-1βb

  • Plasma IL-6b

  • ESRb

  • Serum haemoglobin

  • Serum GGT

  • Serum creatinine

  • Serum calcium

  • Serum magnesium

  • Plasma glucose

  • Urine VOCsb
D Very Low

  • Proteinuria

  • Serum potassium

  • Serum phosphate

ALP = alkaline phosphatase; ALT = alanine aminotransferase; AST = aspartate transaminase; BUN = blood urea nitrogen; CRP = C-reactive protein; IL-1ra = interleukin-1 receptor antagonist; IL-1β = interleukin-1 beta; IL-6 = interleukin-6; IL-18 = interleukin-18; ESR = erythrocyte sedimentation rate; GGT = gamma-glutamyl transferase; INR = international normalised ratio; LDH = lactate dehydrogenase; MCP-1 = monocyte chemoattractant protein-1; MIF = macrophage migration inhibitory factor; sTNF- r1 = soluble tumour necrosis factor receptor 1; TGF-β1 = transforming growth factor β1; VOCs = volatile organic compounds; WBC = white blood cell count.

aBiomarkers detectable in the blood in the last two weeks of life

bPrognostic significance not assessed