Evidence map›Paper›PMID 32244852›Full record

ArticleJournal of clinical medicine2020

Smoking Upregulates Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme-2 Receptor: A Potential Adhesion Site for Novel Coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 (Covid-19).

Samuel James Brake, Kathryn Barnsley, Wenying Lu, Kielan Darcy McAlinden, Mathew Suji Eapen, Sukhwinder Singh Sohal

Registry-linked trialOpen access · goldAbstract readEditorial
In one paragraph

Article in Journal of clinical medicine, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT04705766 (The KIDCOV Study), which is not on this map. Cited by 294 papers, 5 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
294citing papers in PubMed, 5 pooled it
13.4field-weighted citation impact, top 1% 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.

NCT04705766 recruitingnot on this mapstarted 2021, after this paper: background citation

The KIDCOV Study: ASSESSMENT of SARS-CoV-2 Without HOSPITALIZATION as a RISK FACTOR for ACUTE KIDNEY INJURY

Typeobservational_patient_registrySponsorUniversity of California, San FranciscoRan2021 to 2027Enrolled2,000ConditionsSARS-CoV Infection, Covid19, Corona Virus Infection, Acute Kidney InjuryArmsUrine Collection
3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

294 citing papers in PubMed, 5 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 559 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
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  5. Toxic metal exposure as a possible risk factor for COVID-19 and other respiratory infectious diseases.Food and chemical toxicology : an international journal published for the British Industrial Biological Research Association · 2020
    Pooled it
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  12. Genetic Analysis and Clinical Effect ofSultan Qaboos University medical journal · 2026
    Article
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  15. Review
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234 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

6 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.

Samuel James BrakeRespiratory Translational Research Group, Department of Laboratory Medicine, School of Health Sciences, University of Tasmania, Launceston, Tasmania 7248, Australia.
Kathryn BarnsleySchool of Medicine, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Tasmania 7001, Australia.
Wenying LuRespiratory Translational Research Group, Department of Laboratory Medicine, School of Health Sciences, University of Tasmania, Launceston, Tasmania 7248, Australia.ORCID 0000-0003-1550-2276
Kielan Darcy McAlindenRespiratory Translational Research Group, Department of Laboratory Medicine, School of Health Sciences, University of Tasmania, Launceston, Tasmania 7248, Australia.
Mathew Suji EapenRespiratory Translational Research Group, Department of Laboratory Medicine, School of Health Sciences, University of Tasmania, Launceston, Tasmania 7248, Australia.ORCID 0000-0003-0570-7059
Sukhwinder Singh SohalRespiratory Translational Research Group, Department of Laboratory Medicine, School of Health Sciences, University of Tasmania, Launceston, Tasmania 7248, Australia.
University of Tasmania · AU

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

The epicenter of the original outbreak in China has high male smoking rates of around 50%, and early reported death rates have an emphasis on older males, therefore the likelihood of smokers being overrepresented in fatalities is high. In Iran, China, Italy, and South Korea, female smoking rates are much lower than males. Fewer females have contracted the virus. If this analysis is correct, then Indonesia would be expected to begin experiencing high rates of Covid-19 because its male smoking rate is over 60% (Tobacco Atlas). Smokers are vulnerable to respiratory viruses. Smoking can upregulate angiotensin-converting enzyme-2 (ACE2) receptor, the known receptor for both the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS)-coronavirus (SARS-CoV) and the human respiratory coronavirus NL638. This could also be true for new electronic smoking devices such as electronic cigarettes and "heat-not-burn" IQOS devices. ACE2 could be a novel adhesion molecule for SARS-CoV-2 causing Covid-19 and a potential therapeutic target for the prevention of fatal microbial infections, and therefore it should be fast tracked and prioritized for research and investigation. Data on smoking status should be collected on all identified cases of Covid-19.

Indexed as

ACE2 receptorCOPDCovid-19Electronic cigarettesHeat-Not-BurnIQOSSARS-CoV-2SmokingVaping

Identifiers

PMID32244852
PMCPMC7141517
OpenAlexW3011260630

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

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.