Evidence map›Paper›PMID 35533499›Full record

ArticleEBioMedicine2022

Butyrylcholinesterase is a potential biomarker for Sudden Infant Death Syndrome.

Carmel Therese Harrington, Naz Al Hafid, Karen Ann Waters

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

Article in EBioMedicine, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 26 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
26citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
5.3field-weighted citation impact, top 3% 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

26 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 54 citations in OpenAlex.

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  7. Reducing the risk of sudden unexpected infant death: the caffeine hypothesis.Journal of perinatology : official journal of the California Perinatal Association · 2025
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

3 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.

Carmel Therese HarringtonSIDS and Sleep Apnoea Research Group, The Children's Hospital at Westmead, Cnr Hawkesbury Road and Hainsworth Street, Locked Bag 4001, Westmead, NSW 2145, Australia. Electronic address: Carmel.Harrington@health.nsw.gov.au.
Naz Al HafidSIDS and Sleep Apnoea Research Group, The Children's Hospital at Westmead, Cnr Hawkesbury Road and Hainsworth Street, Locked Bag 4001, Westmead, NSW 2145, Australia.
Karen Ann WatersSIDS and Sleep Apnoea Research Group, The Children's Hospital at Westmead, Cnr Hawkesbury Road and Hainsworth Street, Locked Bag 4001, Westmead, NSW 2145, Australia; Child and Adolescent Health, The University of Sydney, Camperdown, NSW 2006, Australia.
Children's Hospital at Westmead · AUThe University of Sydney · AU

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundAutonomic dysfunction has been implicated in the pathophysiology of the Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS). Butyrylcholinesterase (BChE) is an enzyme of the cholinergic system, a major branch of the autonomic system, and may provide a measure of autonomic (dys)function. This study was undertaken to evaluate BChE activity in infants and young children who had died from Sudden Infant Death or Sudden Unexpected Death.

methodsIn this case-control study we measured BChE activity and total protein in the eluate of 5μL spots punched from the dried blood spots taken at birth as part of the newborn screening program. Results for each of 67 sudden unexpected deaths classified by the coroner (aged 1 week-104 weeks) = Cases, were compared to 10 date of birth - and gender-matched surviving controls (Controls), with five cases reclassified to meet criteria for SIDS, including the criterion of age 3 weeks to 1 year.

findingsConditional logistic regression showed that in groups where cases were reported as "SIDS death" there was strong evidence that lower BChE specific activity (BChEsa) was associated with death (OR=0·73 per U/mg, 95% CI 0·60-0·89, P=0·0014), whereas in groups with a "Non-SIDS death" as the case there was no evidence of a linear association between BChEsa and death (OR=1·001 per U/mg, 95% CI 0·89-1·13, P=0·99).

interpretationBChEsa, measured in dried blood spots taken 2-3 days after birth, was lower in babies who subsequently died of SIDS compared to surviving controls and other Non-SIDS deaths. We conclude that a previously unidentified cholinergic deficit, identifiable by abnormal -BChEsa, is present at birth in SIDS babies and represents a measurable, specific vulnerability prior to their death.

fundingAll funding provided by a crowd funding campaign https://www.mycause.com.au/p/184401/damiens-legacy.

Indexed as

Sudden Infant DeathBiomarkersButyrylcholinesteraseCase-Control StudiesChildChild, PreschoolCholinergic AgentsHumansInfantInfant, NewbornRisk FactorsBiomarkersButyrylcholinesteraseCholinergic AgentsArousalAutonomic functionButyrylcholinesteraseCholinergic deficitSudden Infant Death SyndromeSudden Unexpected Death in Infancy

Identifiers

PMID35533499
PMCPMC9092508
OpenAlexW4229066350

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.