Evidence map›Paper›PMID 34233893›Full record

ArticleBMJ open respiratory research2021

Effects of infliximab on lung and circulating natural killer cells, CD56+ T cells and B cells in sarcoidosis.

Susanna Kullberg, Natalia V Rivera, Johan Grunewald, Anders Eklund

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in BMJ open respiratory research, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
0.2field-weighted citation impact, top 46% 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

2 citing papers in PubMed, 2 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. New Therapies for Sarcoidosis: Molecular and Pathophysiological Basis.International journal of molecular sciences · 2026
    Review
  2. Article
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 2 institutions in 1 country.

Susanna KullbergDepartment of Respiratory Medicine, Theme Inflammation and Ageing, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden susanna.kullberg@ki.se.ORCID 0000-0003-2844-4773
Natalia V RiveraRespiratory Medicine Division, Department of Medicine, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden.
Johan GrunewaldDepartment of Respiratory Medicine, Theme Inflammation and Ageing, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden.
Anders EklundDepartment of Respiratory Medicine, Theme Inflammation and Ageing, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden.
Karolinska University Hospital · SEKarolinska Institutet · SE

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundTumour necrosis factor α (TNF-α) is pivotal in sarcoid granuloma formation, and inhibitors of TNF-α offer an attractive third-line treatment option in sarcoidosis. The sarcoid inflammation is characterised by an exaggerated T helper 1 response, and evidence indicates a contribution of dysregulated and/or deficient NK (natural killer) cells, CD56+ T cells and B cells.

objectivesInsight into how TNF-α inhibitors influence these cells may provide more information on inflammatory mechanisms in sarcoidosis and improve understanding of such treatment. We therefore evaluated treatment effects of the TNF-α inhibitor infliximab on lung and peripheral blood (PB) NK, CD56+ T cells and B cells.

methodsFifteen patients were assessed with PB samples, spirometry and CT scan, and 11 of them also underwent bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) close to start of infliximab treatment. These investigations were repeated after 6 months of treatment.

resultsTwelve out of 15 patients disclosed a clinical improvement at follow-up. Median percentage of BAL fluid (BALF) CD56+ T cells increased while a decrease was seen in PB (p<0.05 and 0.005, respectively). No significant changes were observed for NK cells. There was a trend towards increased median percentage of PB B cells (p=0.07), and a negative correlation was observed between PB and BALF B cells after treatment (p<0.05).

conclusionIn conclusion, 6 months of infliximab treatment in patients with sarcoidosis, of whom the majority benefited from the treatment, influenced immune cells in the lung and circulation differently, highlighting the importance of investigating several compartments concomitantly when evaluating treatment effects on the inflammatory activity.

Indexed as

InfliximabLungSarcoidosisB-LymphocytesHumansKiller Cells, NaturalT-LymphocytesInfliximablymphocyte biologysarcoidosissystemic disease and lungs

Identifiers

PMID34233893
PMCPMC8264913
OpenAlexW3181144655

What OpenQuestion holds

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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.