Evidence map›Paper›PMID 35676519›Full record

ArticleScientific reports2022

The ratio of serum LL-37 levels to blood leucocyte count correlates with COVID-19 severity.

Matthias Keutmann, Gabriele Hermes, Denise Meinberger, Annika Roth, Jannik Stemler, Oliver A Cornely, Andreas R Klatt, Thomas Streichert

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Scientific reports, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 9 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
9citing papers in PubMed
1.8field-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

9 citing papers in PubMed, 14 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Article
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  7. Phytochemicals and Vitamin D for a Healthy Life and Prevention of Diseases.International journal of molecular sciences · 2023
    Review
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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

8 authors at 4 institutions in 2 countries.

Matthias KeutmannFaculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, University of Cologne, Institute for Clinical Chemistry, 50937, Cologne, Germany.
Gabriele HermesFaculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, University of Cologne, Institute for Clinical Chemistry, 50937, Cologne, Germany.
Denise MeinbergerFaculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, University of Cologne, Institute for Clinical Chemistry, 50937, Cologne, Germany.
Annika RothFaculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, University of Cologne, Institute for Clinical Chemistry, 50937, Cologne, Germany.
Jannik StemlerFaculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, Translational Research, Cologne Excellence Cluster On Cellular Stress Responses in Aging-Associated Diseases (CECAD), University of Cologne, 50931, Cologne, Germany.
Oliver A CornelyFaculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, Translational Research, Cologne Excellence Cluster On Cellular Stress Responses in Aging-Associated Diseases (CECAD), University of Cologne, 50931, Cologne, Germany.
Andreas R KlattFaculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, University of Cologne, Institute for Clinical Chemistry, 50937, Cologne, Germany. andreas.klatt@uk-koeln.de.
Thomas StreichertFaculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, University of Cologne, Institute for Clinical Chemistry, 50937, Cologne, Germany.
University of Cologne · DEUniversity Hospital Cologne · DEDüsseldorf University Hospital · DEHeinrich Heine University Düsseldorf · DE

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Beneficial effects of vitamin D on COVID-19 progression have been discussed in several studies. Vitamin D stimulates the expression of the antimicrobial peptide LL-37, and evidence shows that LL-37 can antagonize SARS-CoV-2. Therefore, we investigated the association between LL-37 and vitamin D serum levels and the severity of COVID-19. To this end, 78 COVID-19 patients were divided into 5 groups according to disease severity. We determined serum levels of LL-37, vitamin D, and routine laboratory parameters. We demonstrated a correlation of CRP, IL-6, PCT, leukocyte count, and LDH with the severity of COVID-19. Our study did not demonstrate a direct relationship between serum levels of LL-37 and vitamin D and the severity of COVID-19. LL-37 is produced by granulocytes and released at the site of inflammation. Therefore, the analysis of LL-37 in broncho-alvelolar lavage rather than in patient serum seems critical. However, since LL-37 is produced by granulocytes, we determined serum LL-37 levels as a function of leukocyte count. The LL-37/leukocyte count ratio correlates highly significantly inversely proportional with COVID-19 severity. Our results indicate that the LL-37/leukocyte count ratio could be used to assess the risk of COVID-19 progression as early as hospital admission.

Indexed as

COVID-19HumansLeukocyte CountLeukocytesSARS-CoV-2Vitamin DVitamin D

Identifiers

PMID35676519
PMCPMC9175165
OpenAlexW4281676379

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.