Evidence map›Paper›PMID 36482996›Full record

ArticleFrontiers in endocrinology2022

Mendelian randomization study supports the causal association between serum cystatin C and risk of diabetic nephropathy.

Baiyu Feng, Yu Lu, Lin Ye, Lijun Yin, Yingjun Zhou, Anqun Chen

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Frontiers in endocrinology, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 17 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
17citing papers in PubMed
3.3field-weighted citation impact, top 7% 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

17 citing papers in PubMed, 24 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Review
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  3. [High serum cystatin C is an independent risk factor for poor renal prognosis in IgA nephropathy].Nan fang yi ke da xue xue bao = Journal of Southern Medical University · 2025
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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

6 authors at 3 institutions in 2 countries.

Baiyu FengDepartment of Nephrology, Hunan Key Laboratory of Kidney Disease and Blood Purification, Institute of Nephrology, The Second Xiangya Hospital at Central South University, Changsha, China.
Yu LuDepartment of Health Sciences, Boston University College of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences: Sargent College, Boston University, Boston, MA, United States.
Lin YeDepartment of Nephrology, Hunan Key Laboratory of Kidney Disease and Blood Purification, Institute of Nephrology, The Second Xiangya Hospital at Central South University, Changsha, China.
Lijun YinDepartment of Nephrology, Hunan Key Laboratory of Kidney Disease and Blood Purification, Institute of Nephrology, The Second Xiangya Hospital at Central South University, Changsha, China.
Yingjun ZhouDepartment of Nephrology, Hunan Key Laboratory of Kidney Disease and Blood Purification, Institute of Nephrology, The Second Xiangya Hospital at Central South University, Changsha, China.
Anqun ChenDepartment of Nephrology, Hunan Key Laboratory of Kidney Disease and Blood Purification, Institute of Nephrology, The Second Xiangya Hospital at Central South University, Changsha, China.
Central South University · CNSecond Xiangya Hospital of Central South University · CNBoston University · US

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Aims: Cystatin C, an inhibitor of cysteine protease, has been used as a biomarker for estimating glomerular filtration rate. However, the causal relation between cystatin C and diabetic nephropathy remains uncertain. Methods: We assessed the causal effect of cystatin C together with other five serum biomarkers including KIM-1, GDF-15, TBIL, uric acid, and Scr on diabetic nephropathy by Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis. 234 genetic variants were selected as instrumental variables to evaluate the causal effect of cystatin C (N Results: Among the six serum biomarkers, only cystatin C causally associated with diabetic nephropathy (IVW OR: 1.36, 95%CI [1.15, 1.61]). After adjusting for the potential confounders BMI and SBP, cystatin C maintained its causal effect on the DN (OR: 1.17, 95%CI [1.02, 1.33]), which means that the risk of DN increased by 17% with an approximate 1 standard deviation (SD) increment of serum cystatin C level. Two-step MR results indicated that BMI might mediate the causal effect of cystatin C on diabetic nephropathy. Interpretation: Our findings discovered that cystatin C was a risk factor for diabetic nephropathy independent of BMI and SBP in diabetes mellitus patients. Future research is required to illustrate the underlying mechanism and prove targeting circulating cystatin C could be a potential therapy method.

Indexed as

Cystatin CDiabetes MellitusDiabetic NephropathiesHumansMendelian Randomization AnalysisCystatin Cbiomarkercystatin Cdiabetic nephropathyglomerular filtration rateMendelian randomization

Identifiers

PMID36482996
PMCPMC9724588
OpenAlexW4309609584

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY
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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.