Evidence map›Paper›PMID 32487162›Full record

SynthesisBMC pharmacology & toxicology2020

Aflatoxins as a risk factor for liver cirrhosis: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Abraham Nigussie Mekuria, Michael N Routledge, Yun Yun Gong, Mekonnen Sisay

Open access · goldAbstract readMeta-AnalysisSystematic Review
In one paragraph

Synthesis in BMC pharmacology & toxicology, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 14 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
14citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
4.4field-weighted citation impact, top 6% 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

14 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 34 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Aflatoxin BJournal of fungi (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026
    Article
  3. Review
  4. Review
  5. Human Leukocyte Antigen (International journal of molecular sciences · 2026
    Review
  6. Biological Activity of Natural and Synthetic Peptides as Anticancer Agents.International journal of molecular sciences · 2024
    Review
  7. Article
  8. Article
  9. Article
  10. Article
  11. Contribution of Aflatoxin BInternational journal of general medicine · 2023
    Article
  12. Article
  13. Fungal Toxins and Host Immune Responses.Frontiers in microbiology · 2021
    Review
  14. Review
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

4 authors at 3 institutions in 3 countries.

Abraham Nigussie MekuriaDepartment of Pharmacology, School of Pharmacy, Haramaya University, P.O. Box 235, Harar, Ethiopia. abrishn@yahoo.com.ORCID 0000-0003-0675-9862
Michael N RoutledgeSchool of Medicine, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK.
Yun Yun GongSchool of Food Science and Nutrition, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK.
Mekonnen SisayDepartment of Pharmacology, School of Pharmacy, Haramaya University, Harar, Ethiopia.
Haramaya University · ETJiangsu University · CNUniversity of Leeds · GB

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundLiver cirrhosis is characterized by fibrosis and nodule formation in the liver, due to a chronic injury, and subsequent alteration of the normal architecture of the liver. Even though there is a huge effort to elucidate the possible etiologic factors of liver cirrhosis, a significant number of cases are cryptogenic, especially in Sub Saharan Africa, where there is a high burden of aflatoxin exposure. Aflatoxins are known to cause hepatocellular carcinoma, which share similar etiologic factors with liver cirrhosis. This study aimed to assess the association between aflatoxin exposure and the risk of liver cirrhosis.

methodsRelevant studies were identified through systematic searches conducted in Ovid MEDLINE, PubMed and Google Scholar. Also, by searching the references of retrieved articles. The abstracts and full text were screened for eligibility and the risk of bias was assessed for each study using Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) critical appraisal checklist for observational studies. The extracted data from included studies using Microsoft Excel were exported to Stata software version 15.0 for analyses. The overall pooled estimation of outcomes was calculated using a random-effects model of DerSimonian-Laird method at a 95% confidence level. The heterogeneity of studies was determined using I2 statistics. The presence of publication bias between studies was evaluated using the Begg's and Egger's tests and funnel plot. The protocol of this systematic review and meta-analysis was registered in the Prospero database with reference number ID: CRD42019148481.

resultsA total of 5 studies published between the years 2005 and 2018 that met the pre-defined inclusion and exclusion criteria were included. The meta-analysis showed that a significant increase in the risk of liver cirrhosis is associated with aflatoxin exposure (unadjusted pooled odds ratio (OR) = 3.35, 95% CI: 2.74-4.10, p = 0.000; I

conclusionsThe present meta-analysis suggests that aflatoxin exposure is associated with a higher risk of liver cirrhosis.

Indexed as

AflatoxinsEnvironmental ExposureHumansLiver CirrhosisRisk FactorsAflatoxinsAflatoxin, mycotoxinChronic liver diseaseLiver cirrhosisMeta-analysis

Identifiers

PMID32487162
PMCPMC7268458
OpenAlexW3029460884

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
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.