Evidence map›Paper›PMID 30908309›Full record

Observational studyClinical and translational gastroenterology2019

Reduced Serum Sphingolipids Constitute a Molecular Signature of Malnutrition in Hospitalized Patients With Decompensated Cirrhosis.

Vikrant Rachakonda, Josepmaria Argemi, Amir A Borhani, Ramon Bataller, Amit Tevar, Jaideep Behari

Open access · goldAbstract readObservational Study
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Observational study in Clinical and translational gastroenterology, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 8 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
8citing papers in PubMed
1.4field-weighted citation impact, top 19% 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

8 citing papers in PubMed, 13 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Article
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  3. Mechanisms and treatment approaches for ACLF.Liver international : official journal of the International Association for the Study of the Liver · 2025
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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.

Vikrant RachakondaDepartment of Medicine, Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA.
Josepmaria ArgemiDepartment of Medicine, Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA.
Amir A BorhaniDepartment of Radiology, Division of Abdominal Imaging, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA.
Ramon BatallerDepartment of Medicine, Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA.
Amit TevarDepartment of Surgery, Division Abdominal Transplantation, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA.
Jaideep BehariDepartment of Medicine, Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA.
University of Pittsburgh · US

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

introductionMalnutrition is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in cirrhosis. Although multiple noninvasive measures of nutritional status have been studied, no consensus exists for early identification of malnutrition in cirrhosis. Serum metabolomics offers a novel approach for identifying biomarkers in multiple disease states. To characterize alterations in metabolic pathways associated with malnutrition in hospitalized cirrhotic patients and to identify biomarkers for disease prognosis.

methodsIn this cross-sectional, observational cohort study, 51 hospitalized cirrhotic patients were classified as malnourished (42.3%) or nourished (57.7%) based on low mid-arm muscle circumference and dominant handgrip strength. Anthropometric measurements and computed tomography body composition analysis were performed. Serum was collected after overnight fasting for unbiased metabolomics analysis.

resultsMalnourished cirrhotic patients exhibited mild reductions in skeletal muscle index, with more marked reductions in visceral fat index. Seventy-one biochemicals were significantly altered in malnourished subjects. The serum metabolite profile was significantly different between nourished and malnourished cirrhotic patients. Pathway analysis demonstrated that only sphingolipid metabolic pathways were significantly enriched in altered metabolites. Hierarchical clustering revealed that sphingolipid metabolites clustered into nourished and malnourished cohorts. Spearman analysis demonstrated multiple statistically significant correlations between sphingolipid species and Model for End-Stage Liver Disease-Sodium. Using logistic regression, we identified 8 sphingolipids that were significantly associated with malnutrition after controlling for Model for End-Stage Liver Disease-Sodium, age, and gender.

conclusionsMalnutrition in hospitalized cirrhotic patients is characterized by reductions in multiple sphingolipid species. Dysregulated sphingolipid metabolism may be involved in the pathophysiology of malnutrition in cirrhosis and potentially serve as a biomarker of nutritional status in this population.

Indexed as

AgedBiomarkersCross-Sectional StudiesFemaleHumansLiver CirrhosisMaleMalnutritionMiddle AgedNutritional StatusPrognosisProspective StudiesSphingolipidsBiomarkersSphingolipids

Identifiers

PMID30908309
PMCPMC6445606
OpenAlexW2923168185

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
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Registered trials

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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.