Evidence map›Paper›PMID 33045526›Full record

ArticleCytokine2021

Cytokine profile and disease severity in patients with COVID-19.

Ali Ghazavi, Ali Ganji, Nafiseh Keshavarzian, Somayeh Rabiemajd, Ghasem Mosayebi

Open access · greenAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Cytokine, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 134 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
134citing papers in PubMed, 2 pooled it
4.1field-weighted citation impact, top 4% 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

134 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 214 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Pooled it
  3. Trial
  4. Observational
  5. Article
  6. Article
  7. Review
  8. Effect of proinflammatory cytokines on intestinal drug transporters in human enteroid monolayers.Drug metabolism and disposition: the biological fate of chemicals · 2026
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  9. Review
  10. Potential relationships between circulating gene expression ofJournal of Zhejiang University. Science. B · 2025
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  15. Article
  16. Recent advances in TAM mechanisms in lung diseases.Journal of translational medicine · 2025
    Review
  17. Article
  18. Article
  19. Article
  20. Article

74 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

5 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.

Ali GhazaviDepartment of Immunology & Microbiology, School of Medicine, Arak University of Medical Sciences, Arak, Iran; Traditional and Complementary Medicine Research Center (TCMRC), Arak University of Medical Sciences, Arak, Iran; Infectious Diseases Research Center (IDRC), Arak University of Medical Sciences, Arak, Iran.
Ali GanjiDepartment of Immunology & Microbiology, School of Medicine, Arak University of Medical Sciences, Arak, Iran; Molecular and Medicine Research Center, Arak University of Medical Sciences, Arak, Iran.
Nafiseh KeshavarzianDepartment of Immunology & Microbiology, School of Medicine, Arak University of Medical Sciences, Arak, Iran.
Somayeh RabiemajdDepartment of Immunology & Microbiology, School of Medicine, Arak University of Medical Sciences, Arak, Iran.
Ghasem MosayebiDepartment of Immunology & Microbiology, School of Medicine, Arak University of Medical Sciences, Arak, Iran; Molecular and Medicine Research Center, Arak University of Medical Sciences, Arak, Iran. Electronic address: ghasemmosayebi@arakmu.ac.ir.
Arak University of Medical Sciences · IR

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Cytokine dysregulation is the proposed mechanism for Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). The aim of this study was to evaluate the serum levels of interferon (IFN)-γ, interleukin (IL)-5, IL-8, Il-9, IL-17, TGF-β and IFN-γ in patients infected with SARS-CoV-2. The study was conducted between 63 adult patients with COVID-19 and compared with 33 age and gender-matched healthy subjects as controls. The age range in both groups was 50-70 years. The patients were classified into mild group (33 patients) and severe group (30 patients). Serum samples were collected from all participants and tested for the cytokine levels by ELISA (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay) method. Statistical analysis was performed using the one-way ANOVA. The mean serum levels of IFN-γ, TGF-β, IL-17 and IL-8 in the COVID-19 patients were significantly higher than those observed in the control group. A comparison of between the mild and severe groups showed significant differences in TGF-β levels. The mean concentration of serum IL-5 and IL-9 in patients with COVID-19 did not differ from those in the control group. Systemic IL-17 levels correlated positively and significantly with TGF-β in patients with COVID-19. Th1 (IFN-γ), Treg (TGF-β), and Th17 (IL-17) cytokines concentration were increased in COVID-19 patients. Interferon-γ and IL-17 are involved in inducing and mediating proinflammatory responses. Our data suggest that TGF-β can be used as a predictive factor of disease severity in patients with COVID-19.

Indexed as

AgedBiomarkersCOVID-19CytokinesFemaleHumansInflammationInterferon-gammaInterleukin-17Interleukin-5Interleukin-8Interleukin-9MaleMiddle AgedSeverity of Illness IndexTransforming Growth Factor betaBiomarkersCytokinesIL5 protein, humanIL9 protein, humanInterferon-gammaInterleukin-17Interleukin-5Interleukin-8Interleukin-9Transforming Growth Factor betaCOVID-19CytokinesDisease severity

Identifiers

PMID33045526
PMCPMC7524708
OpenAlexW3089936348

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.