Evidence map›Paper›PMID 34992423›Full record

ArticleJournal of inflammation research2021

Prealbumin and Retinol-Binding Protein 4: The Promising Inflammatory Biomarkers for Identifying Endoscopic Remission in Crohn's Disease.

Rirong Chen, Li Li, Chao Li, Yuhan Su, Yingfan Zhang, Xiaobai Pang, Jieqi Zheng, Zhirong Zeng, Min-Hu Chen, Shenghong Zhang

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Journal of inflammation research, 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
0.7field-weighted citation impact, top 25% 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, 5 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Beyond tumor biology: nursing interventions for psychological and immune health in cancer patients.Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer · 2026
    Review
  2. Early prediction of plastic bronchitis in pediatric patients withFrontiers in cellular and infection microbiology · 2026
    Article
  3. Article
  4. Human Infection withChina CDC weekly · 2025
    Article
  5. Review
  6. Article
  7. Review
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 1 institution in 1 country.

Rirong Chen *Division of Gastroenterology, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, People's Republic of China.
Li Li *Division of Gastroenterology, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, People's Republic of China.
Chao LiDepartment of Clinical Medicine, Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, People's Republic of China.ORCID 0000-0002-4086-575X
Yuhan SuDepartment of Clinical Medicine, Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, People's Republic of China.ORCID 0000-0002-8251-531X
Yingfan ZhangDivision of Gastroenterology, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, People's Republic of China.
Xiaobai PangDepartment of Clinical Medicine, Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, People's Republic of China.
Jieqi ZhengDepartment of Clinical Medicine, Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, People's Republic of China.
Zhirong ZengDivision of Gastroenterology, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, People's Republic of China.
Min-Hu ChenDivision of Gastroenterology, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, People's Republic of China.
Shenghong ZhangDivision of Gastroenterology, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, People's Republic of China.
Sun Yat-sen University · CN

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectiveEndoscopic remission is the primary therapeutic target and associated with clinical outcome in Crohn's disease (CD). Non-invasive and accurate biomarkers are important in monitoring endoscopic remission frequently. Our study aimed at investigating the predictive capacity of prealbumin and retinol-binding protein 4 (RBP4) for identifying endoscopic remission.

methodsFrom June 2018 to December 2020, 515 endoscopy procedures (332 in the training cohort and 183 in the validation cohort) were enrolled in this multicentre retrospective cohort study. Blood samples were collected for prealbumin or RBP4 testing with 7 days before the endoscopy. A simple Endoscopic Score for CD (SES-CD) was performed to evaluate endoscopic activity and defined endoscopic remission. The area under receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC), sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value and negative predictive value were performed to assess the predictive capacity of the biomarkers.

resultsSerum concentration of prealbumin and RBP4 was demonstrated to be higher in patients with endoscopic remission and significantly negatively correlated with SES-CD in the training cohort. The AUROC of prealbumin and specificity of prealbumin and RBP4 were larger than that of C-reactive protein in the training cohort and the validation cohort. The model combining prealbumin and faecal calprotectin had the largest AUROC (0.842 [95% CI: 0.775-0.908]). Furthermore, in both cohorts, prealbumin had a larger AUROC than C-reactive protein for identifying endoscopic remission in patients with anti-tumour necrosis factor therapy.

conclusionPrealbumin and RBP4 were promising biomarkers for identifying endoscopic remission, especially in patients with anti-tumour necrosis factor therapy.

Indexed as

Crohn’s diseaseendoscopic remissionprealbuminretinol-binding protein 4

Identifiers

PMID34992423
PMCPMC8715867
OpenAlexW4200477113

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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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.