Evidence map›Paper›PMID 32024544›Full record

ArticleFluids and barriers of the CNS2020

Increased age and male sex are independently associated with higher frequency of blood-cerebrospinal fluid barrier dysfunction using the albumin quotient.

Massimiliano Castellazzi, Andrea Morotti, Carmine Tamborino, Francesca Alessi, Silvy Pilotto, Eleonora Baldi, Luisa M Caniatti, Alessandro Trentini, Ilaria Casetta, Enrico Granieri and 3 more

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

Article in Fluids and barriers of the CNS, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 43 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
43citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
5.2field-weighted citation impact, top 3% 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

43 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 61 citations in OpenAlex.

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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

13 authors at 2 institutions in 2 countries.

Massimiliano CastellazziDepartment of Biomedical and Specialist Surgical Sciences, University of Ferrara, Via Aldo Moro 8, Settore 1C3, 44124, Ferrara, Italy.
Andrea MorottiStroke Unit, IRCCS Mondino Foundation, Pavia, Italy.
Carmine TamborinoNeurology Unit, Azienda Ulss 3 Serenissima, Mestre, Italy.
Francesca AlessiSchool of Medicine, University of Ferrara, Ferrara, Italy.
Silvy PilottoSchool of Medicine, University of Ferrara, Ferrara, Italy.
Eleonora BaldiInterdepartmental Research Center for the Study of Multiple Sclerosis and Inflammatory and Degenerative Diseases of the Nervous System, University of Ferrara, Ferrara, Italy.
Luisa M CaniattiInterdepartmental Research Center for the Study of Multiple Sclerosis and Inflammatory and Degenerative Diseases of the Nervous System, University of Ferrara, Ferrara, Italy.
Alessandro TrentiniDepartment of Biomedical and Specialist Surgical Sciences, University of Ferrara, Via Aldo Moro 8, Settore 1C3, 44124, Ferrara, Italy.
Ilaria CasettaDepartment of Biomedical and Specialist Surgical Sciences, University of Ferrara, Via Aldo Moro 8, Settore 1C3, 44124, Ferrara, Italy.
Enrico GranieriDepartment of Biomedical and Specialist Surgical Sciences, University of Ferrara, Via Aldo Moro 8, Settore 1C3, 44124, Ferrara, Italy.
Maura PugliattiDepartment of Biomedical and Specialist Surgical Sciences, University of Ferrara, Via Aldo Moro 8, Settore 1C3, 44124, Ferrara, Italy. maura.pugliatti@unife.it.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-9396-8683
Enrico FainardiInterdepartmental Research Center for the Study of Multiple Sclerosis and Inflammatory and Degenerative Diseases of the Nervous System, University of Ferrara, Ferrara, Italy.
Tiziana BelliniDepartment of Biomedical and Specialist Surgical Sciences, University of Ferrara, Via Aldo Moro 8, Settore 1C3, 44124, Ferrara, Italy.
University of Ferrara · ITAULSS 2 Marca Trevigiana · IT

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundThe cerebrospinal fluid (CSF)/serum quotient of albumin (QAlb) is the most used biomarker for the evaluation of blood-cerebrospinal fluid barrier (B-CSF-B) permeability. For years QAlb was considered only as an age-related parameter but recently it has also been associated to sex. The aim of the present study was to explore the impact of sex in the determination of B-CSF-B dysfunction.

methodsThe analysis was retrospectively conducted on subjects consecutively admitted to the neurological ward. CSF and serum albumin levels were measured by immunonephelometry and pathological QAlb thresholds were considered: 6.5 under 40 years, 8.0 in the age 40-60 and 9.0 over 60 years.

results1209 subjects were included in the study. 718 females and 491 males (age: 15-88 years): 24.6% of patients had a diagnosis of multiple sclerosis, 23.2% suffered from other inflammatory neurological diseases, 24.6% were affected by non-inflammatory neurological diseases, and for 27.6% of patients the final neurological diagnosis could not be traced. Dysfunctional B-CSF-B was detected more frequently (44 vs. 20.1%, p < 0.0001) and median QAlb value were higher (7.18 vs. 4.87, p < 0.0001) in males than in females in the overall study population and in all disease subgroups. QAlb and age were positively correlated both in female (p < 0.0001) and male (p < 0.0001) patients, however the slopes of the two regression lines were not significantly different (p = 0.7149), while the difference between the elevations was extremely significant (p < 0.0001) with a gap of 2.2 units between the two sexes. Finally, in a multivariable linear regression analysis increased age and male sex were independently associated with higher QAlb in the overall study population (both p < 0.001) and after stratification by age and disease group.

conclusionsAccordingly, identification and validation of sex-targeted QAlb thresholds should be considered as a novel tool in an effort to achieve more precision in the medical approach.

Indexed as

Age FactorsPermeabilitySex FactorsAdolescentAdultAgedAged, 80 and overBiomarkersBlood-Brain BarrierFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedMultiple SclerosisRetrospective StudiesSerum AlbuminBiomarkersSerum AlbuminAgeBlood–cerebrospinal fluid barrier (B-CSF-B)Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) analysisQuotient of albumin (QAlb)Sex

Identifiers

PMID32024544
PMCPMC7003357
OpenAlexW3012785766

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY
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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.