Evidence map›Paper›PMID 20002097›Full record

ReviewBritish journal of pharmacology2010

Procalcitonin in sepsis and systemic inflammation: a harmful biomarker and a therapeutic target.

Kenneth L Becker, Richard Snider, Eric S Nylen

Open access · bronzeAbstract readReview
In one paragraph

Review in British journal of pharmacology, 2010. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 135 papers, 5 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
135citing papers in PubMed, 5 pooled it
5.6field-weighted citation impact, top 4% of its field
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

135 citing papers in PubMed, 5 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 293 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Procalcitonin as a Candidate Biomarker for Malarial Infection and Severe Malaria: A Meta-Analysis.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022
    Pooled it
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  11. First Case Report ofInfectious disease reports · 2026
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75 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.

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

3 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.

Kenneth L BeckerGeorge Washington University and Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Washington, DC 20422, USA. drkbecker@gmail.com
Richard Snider
Eric S Nylen
Washington University Medical Center · USGeorge Washington University · US

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

The worldwide yearly mortality from sepsis is substantial, greater than that of cancer of the lung and breast combined. Moreover, its incidence is increasing, and its response to therapy has not appreciably improved. In this condition, the secretion of procalcitonin (ProCT), the prohormone of calcitonin, is augmented greatly, attaining levels up to thousands of fold of normal. This hypersecretion emanates from multiple tissues throughout the body that are not traditionally viewed as being endocrine. The serum values of ProCT correlate with the severity of sepsis; they recede with its improvement and worsen with exacerbation. Accordingly, as highlighted in this review, serum ProCT has become useful as a biomarker to assist in the diagnosis of sepsis, as well as related infectious or inflammatory conditions. It is also a useful monitor of the clinical course and prognosis, and sensitive and specific assays have been developed for its measurement. Moreover, it has been demonstrated that the administration of ProCT to septic animals greatly increases mortality, and several toxic effects of ProCT have been elucidated by in vitro experimental studies. Antibodies have been developed that neutralize the harmful effects of ProCT, and their use markedly decreases the symptomatology and mortality of animals that harbour a highly virulent sepsis analogous to that occurring in humans. This therapy is facilitated by the long duration of serum ProCT elevation, which allows for a broad window of therapeutic opportunity. An experimental groundwork has been established that suggests a potential applicability of such therapy in septic humans.

Indexed as

AnimalsBiomarkersCalcitoninCalcitonin Gene-Related PeptideHumansInflammationProtein PrecursorsSepsisSystemic Inflammatory Response SyndromeBiomarkersCALCA protein, humanCalcitoninCalcitonin Gene-Related PeptideProtein Precursors

Identifiers

PMID20002097
PMCPMC2825349
OpenAlexW1562151504

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

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.