Evidence map›Paper›PMID 34431615›Full record

ArticleUnited European gastroenterology journal2021

Serum L-arginine and endogenous methylarginine concentrations predict irritable bowel syndrome in adults: A nested case-control study.

Mark A McEvoy, John R Attia, Christopher Oldmeadow, Elizabeth Holliday, Wayne T Smith, Arduino A Mangoni, Roseanne Peel, Stephen J Hancock, Marjorie M Walker, Nicholas J Talley

Open access · hybridAbstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in United European gastroenterology journal, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
5citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
0.8field-weighted citation impact, top 27% 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

5 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 9 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
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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

10 authors at 5 institutions in 1 country.

Mark A McEvoyLa Trobe Rural Health School, College of Science, Health and Engineering, La Trobe University, Bendigo, Victoria, Australia.ORCID 0000-0002-5505-5557
John R AttiaHunter Medical Research Institute, School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, New South Wales, Australia.
Christopher OldmeadowHunter Medical Research Institute, School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, New South Wales, Australia.
Elizabeth HollidayHunter Medical Research Institute, School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, New South Wales, Australia.
Wayne T SmithSchool of Medicine & Public Health, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, New South Wales, Australia.
Arduino A MangoniDiscipline of Clinical Pharmacology, College of Medicine and Public Health, Flinders University and Flinders Medical Centre, Adeliade, South Australia, Australia.
Roseanne PeelHunter Medical Research Institute, School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, New South Wales, Australia.
Stephen J HancockHunter Medical Research Institute, School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, New South Wales, Australia.
Marjorie M WalkerSchool of Medicine & Public Health, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, New South Wales, Australia.
Nicholas J TalleyNHMRC Centre for Research Excellence in Digestive Health, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, New South Wales, Australia.
Hunter Medical Research Institute · AUUniversity of Newcastle Australia · AUFlinders University · AULa Trobe University · AUNational Health and Medical Research Council · AU

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

BACKGROUND &

aimsNitric oxide, a major inhibitory nonadrenergic, noncholinergic neurotransmitter that relaxes smooth muscle, may be implicated in the pathophysiology of visceral hypersensitivity in irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Impaired bioavailability of the nitric oxide precursor molecule L-arginine and higher concentrations of methylarginines (endogenous inhibitors of nitric oxide synthesis) are known to impair nitric oxide synthesis in numerous gastrointestinal cell types. We therefore examined serum concentrations of L-arginine and the methylarginines in a nested case-control study, to assess whether these factors are associated with adult IBS.

methodsData on clinical characteristics, methylarginines, and L-arginine (measured using LC-MS/MS) were collected from a random population-based cohort of Australian adults (median age = 64 years; IQR = 60-70). Cases of IBS, defined according to Rome III criteria (N = 156), and controls (N = 332) were identified from within the cohort at the 5-year follow-up.

resultsIn adjusted logistic regression analyses, L-arginine, asymmetric dimethylarginine, symmetric dimethylarginine, L-arginine/asymmetric dimethylarginine ratio, and Kessler-10 psychological distress scores were significantly associated with IBS (p < 0.05). [Correction added on 18 September 2021, after first online publication: In the preceding sentence, the value (p > 0.05) has been changed to (p < 0.05)]. Similar results were found for IBS subtypes. Higher serum L-arginine concentration had the strongest association with IBS diagnosis, with an odds ratio of 9.03 for those with serum L-arginine at the 75th (84 μmol/L) versus 25th (46 μmol/L) percentile (95% CI: 5.99-13.62). L-arginine had the best discriminative ability with a bias-adjusted area under the receiver operator characteristic curve of 0.859.

conclusionsHigher serum concentrations of L-arginine and endogenous methylarginines are strongly associated with IBS in adults.

Indexed as

AgedAged, 80 and overArginineBiomarkersCase-Control StudiesCohort StudiesFemaleHumansIrritable Bowel SyndromeLogistic ModelsMaleMiddle AgedNitric OxideOdds RatioPsychological DistressROC CurveArginineBiomarkersNitric OxideN,N-dimethylargininesymmetric dimethylarginineirritable bowel syndromeL-argininemethylarginineolder adults

Identifiers

PMID34431615
PMCPMC8435254
OpenAlexW3195916354

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
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.