Evidence map›Paper›PMID 33011212›Full record

ArticleInternational journal of radiation oncology, biology, physics2021

Pneumonia After Bacterial or Viral Infection Preceded or Followed by Radiation Exposure: A Reanalysis of Older Radiobiologic Data and Implications for Low-Dose Radiation Therapy for Coronavirus Disease 2019 Pneumonia.

Mark P Little, Wei Zhang, Roy van Dusen, Nobuyuki Hamada

Open access · bronzeAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in International journal of radiation oncology, biology, physics, 2021. 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
1.2field-weighted citation impact, top 17% 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, 12 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Article
  2. Radiotherapy for non-cancer diseases: benefits and long-term risks.International journal of radiation biology · 2024
    Review
  3. Article
  4. Pre-clinic study of radiopharmaceutical for Covid-19 inactivation: Dose distribution with Monte Carlo Simulation.Applied radiation and isotopes : including data, instrumentation and methods for use in agriculture, industry and medicine · 2022
    Article
  5. Review
  6. Review
  7. Article
  8. 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 4 institutions in 3 countries.

Mark P LittleDivision of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, Radiation Epidemiology Branch, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services, Rockville, Maryland. Electronic address: mark.little@nih.gov.
Wei ZhangCentre for Radiation, Chemical and Environmental Hazards, Public Health England, Chilton, Didcot, United Kingdom.
Roy van DusenInformation Management Services, Silver Spring, Maryland.
Nobuyuki HamadaRadiation Safety Research Center, Nuclear Technology Research Laboratory, Central Research Institute of Electric Power Industry, Tokyo, Japan.
Associated Management Services (United States) · USCentral Research Institute of Electric Power Industry · JPNational Cancer Institute · USPublic Health England · GB

Funding

Studies of Populations Exposed to Therapeutic Medical Radiation and Other AgentsZIACP010131 · NCI · DIVISION OF CANCER EPIDEMIOLOGY AND GENETICS · PI MORTON, LINDSAY · 2009 to 2025
$81.0M
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

purposeCurrently, there are about 15 ongoing clinical studies on low dose radiation therapy for Coronavirus Disease 2019 pneumonia. One of the underlying assumptions is that irradiation of 0.5 to 1.5 Gy is effective at ameliorating viral pneumonia. We aimed to reanalyze all available experimental radiobiologic data to assess evidence for such amelioration. METHODS AND MATERIALS: With standard statistical survival models, and based on a systematic literature review, we reanalyzed 13 radiobiologic animal data sets published in 1937 to 1973 in which animals (guinea pigs/dogs/cats/rats/mice) received radiation before or after bacterial or viral inoculation, and assessing various health endpoints (mortality/pneumonia morbidity). In most data sets absorbed doses did not exceed 7 Gy.

resultsFor 6 studies evaluating postinoculation radiation exposure (more relevant to low dose radiation therapy for Coronavirus Disease 2019 pneumonia) the results are heterogeneous, with one study showing a significant increase (P < .001) and another showing a significant decrease (P < .001) in mortality associated with radiation exposure. Among the remaining 4 studies, mortality risk was nonsignificantly increased in 2 studies and nonsignificantly decreased in 2 others (P > .05). For preinoculation exposure the results are also heterogeneous, with 6 (of 8) data sets showing a significant increase (P < .01) in mortality risk associated with radiation exposure and the other 2 showing a significant decrease (P < .05) in mortality or pneumonitis morbidity risk.

conclusionsThese data do not provide support for reductions in morbidity or mortality associated with postinfection radiation exposure. For preinfection radiation exposure the inconsistency of direction of effect is difficult to interpret. One must be cautious about adducing evidence from such published reports of old animal data sets.

Indexed as

Radiation DosageRadiobiologyBacterial InfectionsCOVID-19HumansRadiation InjuriesRadiotherapy Dosage

Identifiers

PMID33011212
PMCPMC7527825
OpenAlexW3091750817

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.