Evidence map›Paper›PMID 34945060›Full record

ArticleJournal of clinical medicine2021

Anti-Inflammatory Effects of Immunostimulation in Patients with COVID-19 Pneumonia.

Pierachille Santus, Dejan Radovanovic, Micaela Garziano, Stefano Pini, Giuseppe Croce, Giuseppe Fuccia, Debora Spitaleri, Mara Biasin, Mario Clerici, Daria Trabattoni

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Journal of clinical medicine, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 7 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
7citing papers in PubMed
0.6field-weighted citation impact, top 29% 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

7 citing papers in PubMed, 8 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Article
  2. Article
  3. Article
  4. From Legacy to Innovation: Pidotimod's Expanding Therapeutic Horizon.Mediterranean journal of hematology and infectious diseases · 2025
    Review
  5. Pidotimod in pediatrics: new evidence and future perspectives.Multidisciplinary respiratory medicine · 2024
    Article
  6. Mpox (formerly monkeypox): pathogenesis, prevention, and treatment.Signal transduction and targeted therapy · 2023
    Review
  7. 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

10 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.

Pierachille SantusDepartment of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences (DIBIC), Università degli Studi di Milano, Via G.B. Grassi 74, 20157 Milan, Italy.ORCID 0000-0003-3462-8253
Dejan RadovanovicDivision of Respiratory Diseases, Luigi Sacco University Hospital, ASST Fatebenefratelli-Sacco, Via G.B. Grassi 74, 20157 Milan, Italy.ORCID 0000-0002-9013-3418
Micaela GarzianoDepartment of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences (DIBIC), Università degli Studi di Milano, Via G.B. Grassi 74, 20157 Milan, Italy.
Stefano PiniDepartment of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences (DIBIC), Università degli Studi di Milano, Via G.B. Grassi 74, 20157 Milan, Italy.ORCID 0000-0002-3084-4365
Giuseppe CroceDepartment of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences (DIBIC), Università degli Studi di Milano, Via G.B. Grassi 74, 20157 Milan, Italy.
Giuseppe FucciaDepartment of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences (DIBIC), Università degli Studi di Milano, Via G.B. Grassi 74, 20157 Milan, Italy.
Debora SpitaleriDepartment of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences (DIBIC), Università degli Studi di Milano, Via G.B. Grassi 74, 20157 Milan, Italy.
Mara BiasinDepartment of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences (DIBIC), Università degli Studi di Milano, Via G.B. Grassi 74, 20157 Milan, Italy.ORCID 0000-0003-3671-4235
Mario ClericiDepartment of Pathophysiology and Transplantation, Università degli Studi di Milano, Via Francesco Sforza 35, 20122 Milan, Italy.ORCID 0000-0001-5920-6191
Daria TrabattoniDepartment of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences (DIBIC), Università degli Studi di Milano, Via G.B. Grassi 74, 20157 Milan, Italy.ORCID 0000-0001-9535-3359
University of Milan · ITASST Fatebenefratelli Sacco · IT

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundThe effects of immunomodulators in patients with Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pneumonia are still unknown. We investigated the cellular inflammatory and molecular changes in response to standard-of-care + pidotimod (PDT) and explored the possible association with blood biomarkers of disease severity.

methodsClinical characteristics and outcomes, neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), plasma and cell supernatant chemokines, and gene expression patterns after SARS-CoV-2 and influenza (FLU) virus in vitro stimulation were assessed in 16 patients with mild-moderate COVID-19 pneumonia, treated with standard of care and PDT 800 mg twice daily (PDT group), and measured at admission, 7 (T1), and 12 (T2) days after therapy initiation. Clinical outcomes and NLR were compared with age-matched historical controls not exposed to PDT.

resultsHospital stay, in-hospital mortality, and intubation rate did not differ between groups. At T1, NLR was 2.9 (1.7-4.6) in the PDT group and 5.5 (3.4-7.1) in controls (

conclusionsImmunomodulation exerted by PDT and systemic corticosteroids may foster a restoration in the innate response to the viral infection. These results should be confirmed in larger RCTs.

Indexed as

COVID-19cytokineimmune responseimmunomodulationpidotimodrespiratory failuretoll like receptorviral pneumonia

Identifiers

PMID34945060
PMCPMC8706211
OpenAlexW4200488270

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
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.