Evidence map›Paper›PMID 34850411›Full record

SynthesisJournal of medical virology2022

Combination therapy of tocilizumab and steroid for COVID-19 patients: A meta-analysis.

Mahmood Moosazadeh, Tahoora Mousavi

Open access · bronzeAbstract readMeta-Analysis
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Synthesis in Journal of medical virology, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 18 papers, 5 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
18citing papers in PubMed, 5 pooled it
1.3field-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

18 citing papers in PubMed, 5 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 25 citations in OpenAlex.

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  15. Biologics in COVID-19 So Far: Systematic Review.Pharmaceuticals (Basel, Switzerland) · 2022
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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

2 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.

Mahmood MoosazadehEpidemiology, Gastrointestinal Cancer Research Center, Non-communicable Diseases Institute, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran.
Tahoora MousaviMedical Sciences Technologies, Molecular and Cell Biology Research Center (MCBRC), Faculty of Medicine, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran.ORCID 0000-0003-2505-370X
Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences · IR

Funding

Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences IR.MAZUMS.REC.1400.9213
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

The coagulation markers, pro-inflammatory cytokines (such as IL-2R, IL-6, IL-10, and TNF-a) and lymphopenia are associated with the severity of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) disease. The use of anti-inflammatory agents, such as corticosteroids (CS) or tosilizumab (TCZ), has been suggested for the treatment of advanced stage of COVID-19 and the reduction of mechanical ventilators and mortality. The aim of this meta-analysis is to determine the role of combination therapy with tocilizumab and steroids in COVID-19 patients. Relevant studies were found using online international databases, and suitable studies were selected and assessed by two independent researchers. The quality of all papers was determined by a checklist. Heterogeneity assay among the primary studies was evaluated by Cochran's Q-test and I2 index. The statistical analyses were done using the Stata ver. 14 package (StataCorp) software. Publication bias was estimated through Egger's test, and the impact of each study on the overall estimate was assessed by sensitivity analysis. Five studies were entered into this meta-analysis. The results of these studies showed that the risk of death for COVID-19 patients treated with the combination of corticosteroids and tocilizumab compared to tocilizumab and the control group was 0.74 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.36-1.50) and 0.48 (95% CI: 0.31-0.74), respectively. This meta-analysis showed that the risk of death in COVID-19 patients who were treated with corticosteroids and tocilizumab was lower than the tocilizumab alone and control groups (26% and 52%, respectively).

Indexed as

COVID-19 Drug TreatmentAntibodies, Monoclonal, HumanizedAnti-Inflammatory AgentsCOVID-19Drug Therapy, CombinationHumansSARS-CoV-2SteroidsTreatment OutcomeAntibodies, Monoclonal, HumanizedAnti-Inflammatory AgentsSteroidstocilizumabCOVID-19steroidtherapytocilizumab

Identifiers

PMID34850411
PMCPMC9015319
OpenAlexW3172484127

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.