Evidence map›Paper›PMID 37915081›Full record

ArticleEuropean journal of medical research2023

Soluble immune checkpoints are elevated in patients with primary biliary cholangitis.

Xiuzhu Gao, Xiaomei Wang, Yazhe Guan, Liquan Wang, Yanhang Gao, Junqi Niu

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in European journal of medical research, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
5citing papers in PubMed
1.2field-weighted citation impact, top 20% 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

5 citing papers in PubMed, 6 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. The role of PD‑1/PD‑L1 axis in liver diseases.Clinical and experimental medicine · 2025
    Review
  2. Observational
  3. Elevated Serum Soluble Tim-3 in Primary Biliary Cholangitis: Lack of Correlation with Cytokines, Chemokines, and Clinical Parameters.The Turkish journal of gastroenterology : the official journal of Turkish Society of Gastroenterology · 2025
    Article
  4. Article
  5. 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

6 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.

Xiuzhu Gao *Department of Hepatology, First Hospital of Jilin University, Jilin University, No 71 Xinmin Street, Changchun, 130021, Jilin, China.
Xiaomei Wang *Department of Hepatology, First Hospital of Jilin University, Jilin University, No 71 Xinmin Street, Changchun, 130021, Jilin, China.
Yazhe GuanDepartment of Hepatology, First Hospital of Jilin University, Jilin University, No 71 Xinmin Street, Changchun, 130021, Jilin, China.
Liquan WangJilin Province Occupational Disease Prevention and Treatment Hospital, 2351 Mingxi Road, Changchun, 130052, China.
Yanhang GaoDepartment of Hepatology, First Hospital of Jilin University, Jilin University, No 71 Xinmin Street, Changchun, 130021, Jilin, China. yanhang@mail.jlu.edu.cn.
Junqi NiuDepartment of Hepatology, First Hospital of Jilin University, Jilin University, No 71 Xinmin Street, Changchun, 130021, Jilin, China. junqi_niu@163.com.
Jilin University · CNFirst Hospital of Jilin University · CN

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundPrimary biliary cholangitis (PBC) is a chronically progressive liver disease mediated by an autoimmune response. The aetiology and pathogenesis of PBC are not fully understood and may be related to immune disorders caused by genetic factors and their interaction with environmental factors. Immune checkpoints play an important role in preventing the occurrence of autoimmunity. However, the level of immune checkpoints in PBC has not been reported. Here, we aimed to identify the serum levels of soluble checkpoints in patients with PBC.

methodsSoluble checkpoint levels were evaluated using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay in 60 patients with PBC and 20 healthy controls (HCs). The expression of immune checkpoints was compared in liver biopsy tissue samples using immunohistochemistry. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves and area under the curve (AUCs) were used to determine the diagnostic performance of soluble checkpoints and laboratory indexes between patients with PBC and HCs and patients with mild and advanced PBC. A logistic regression was performed for advanced PBC.

resultssCD134, sLAG-3, sPD-1, sPD-L1, and sTIM-3 levels were significantly increased in patients with PBC compared with those in healthy controls. Additionally, the levels of sCD134, sPD-1, sPD-L1, and sTIM-3 were positively associated with disease progression. Moreover, soluble checkpoints were correlated with immunoglobulin and liver functions. ROC analyses between patients with PBC and HCs showed that the AUCs of sOX40, sPD-1, and sPD-L1 were 0.967, 0.922, and 0.971, respectively. The optimal cut-off values of sOX40, sPD-1, and sPD-L1 for PBC diagnosis were 89.15, 213.4, and 68, respectively. ROC analyses between mild and advanced patients with PBC revealed that the AUCs of sOX40 and sTIM-3 were 0.767 and 0.765, respectively. The optimal cut-off values for predicting PBC stage ≥ III were 199.45 and 361.5, respectively. In univariate analysis, age, ALB, and sOX40 were associated with advanced PBC. Further, the expression of CD134 and TIM-3 was upregulated in the liver of patients with PBC.

conclusionsOur study results indicate that the serum titer of soluble checkpoints is increased in Chinese patients with PBC.

Indexed as

Liver Cirrhosis, BiliaryDisease ProgressionEnzyme-Linked Immunosorbent AssayHumansROC CurveCD134LAG-3PD-1PD-L1Primary biliary cholangitisTIM-3

Identifiers

PMID37915081
PMCPMC10621234
OpenAlexW4388230299

What OpenQuestion holds

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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.