Evidence map›Paper›PMID 27499957›Full record

ArticleJournal of thoracic disease2016

A potential role for VEGF in the diagnostic approach of pleural effusions.

Aggeliki Psatha, Demosthenes Makris, Theodora Kerenidi, Zoe Daniil, Theodoros Kiropoulos, Konstantinos Gourgoulianis

Open access · hybridAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Journal of thoracic disease, 2016. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
4citing papers in PubMed
1.0field-weighted citation impact, top 21% 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

4 citing papers in PubMed, 6 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Review
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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

6 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.

Aggeliki PsathaDepartment of Respiratory Medicine, University of Thessaly, Medical School, Larissa, Greece.
Demosthenes MakrisDepartment of Critical Care Medicine, University of Thessaly, Medical School, Larissa, Greece.
Theodora KerenidiDepartment of Respiratory Medicine, University of Thessaly, Medical School, Larissa, Greece.
Zoe DaniilDepartment of Respiratory Medicine, University of Thessaly, Medical School, Larissa, Greece.
Theodoros KiropoulosDepartment of Respiratory Medicine, University of Thessaly, Medical School, Larissa, Greece.
Konstantinos GourgoulianisDepartment of Respiratory Medicine, University of Thessaly, Medical School, Larissa, Greece.
University of Thessaly · GR

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundVascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) may play a role in pleural fluid formation, as it represents a potent inducer of capillary permeability. We aimed to investigate the diagnostic utility of VEGF levels in pleural fluid and serum in patients with pleural effusions with initially negative diagnostic work up.

methodsSeventy-one patients with exudative lymphocytic pleural effusions undiagnosed after initial diagnostic work up were enrolled in this prospective study and their clinical course was followed up to 24 months. VEGF levels were measured in serum and pleural fluid by using immunoenzymometric assay.

resultsDuring the follow up period, in 43 patients the pleural effusion was eventually attributed to malignancy while in the rest 28 patients it was due to non-malignant causes (benign and unknown origin). Patients with malignancy had significantly higher VEGF levels in pleural fluid compared to patients with non-malignant effusions (1,506 vs. 588 pg/dL, P=0.0001), while no statistically significant difference was found in the VEGF serum levels between the two groups.

conclusionsPleural VEGF levels may be helpful in identifying malignant pleural effusion (MPE) in patients with negative diagnostic work up at the initial assessment and help in selecting patients for more invasive procedures.

Indexed as

diagnostic biomarkerlymphocytic pleural effusionmalignant pleural effusions (MPEs)Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)

Identifiers

PMID27499957
PMCPMC4958865
OpenAlexW2416645951

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.