Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39888266›Full record

ArticleJournal of cellular and molecular medicine2025

OPG and BAFF as predictive biomarkers of the severity of SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Andy Ruiz, Carlos Peña-Bates, Lucero A Ramon-Luing, Daniel Baca-Nuñez, Marco Antonio Vargas, Karen Medina-Quero, Neptali Gutierrez, Joel A Vázquez-Pérez, Ramcés Falfán-Valencia, Gloria Pérez-Rubio and 5 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Journal of cellular and molecular medicine, 2025. 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
–field-weighted citation impact
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.

  1. Impact of Gestational Maternal SARS-CoV-2 Infection on Neonatal Inflammatory Biomarkers.American journal of reproductive immunology (New York, N.Y. : 1989) · 2026
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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

15 authors.

Andy RuizResearch Unit, Instituto Nacional de Enfermedades Respiratorias Ismael Cosío Villegas, Mexico City, Mexico.
Carlos Peña-BatesResearch Unit, Instituto Nacional de Enfermedades Respiratorias Ismael Cosío Villegas, Mexico City, Mexico.
Lucero A Ramon-LuingResearch Unit, Instituto Nacional de Enfermedades Respiratorias Ismael Cosío Villegas, Mexico City, Mexico.
Daniel Baca-NuñezResearch Unit, Escuela Militar de Graduados de Sanidad, Mexico City, Mexico.
Marco Antonio VargasResearch Unit, Escuela Militar de Graduados de Sanidad, Mexico City, Mexico.
Karen Medina-QueroResearch Unit, Escuela Militar de Graduados de Sanidad, Mexico City, Mexico.
Neptali GutierrezResearch Unit, Escuela Militar de Graduados de Sanidad, Mexico City, Mexico.
Joel A Vázquez-PérezResearch Unit, Instituto Nacional de Enfermedades Respiratorias Ismael Cosío Villegas, Mexico City, Mexico.
Ramcés Falfán-ValenciaResearch Unit, Instituto Nacional de Enfermedades Respiratorias Ismael Cosío Villegas, Mexico City, Mexico.
Gloria Pérez-RubioResearch Unit, Instituto Nacional de Enfermedades Respiratorias Ismael Cosío Villegas, Mexico City, Mexico.
Carolina Di BenedettoDepartment of Radiation Oncology, University of California, San Francisco, California, USA.
Ivette Buendia-RoldanResearch Unit, Instituto Nacional de Enfermedades Respiratorias Ismael Cosío Villegas, Mexico City, Mexico.
Moisés SelmanResearch Unit, Instituto Nacional de Enfermedades Respiratorias Ismael Cosío Villegas, Mexico City, Mexico.
Paola BetancurDepartment of Radiation Oncology, University of California, San Francisco, California, USA.
Leslie Chavez-GalanResearch Unit, Instituto Nacional de Enfermedades Respiratorias Ismael Cosío Villegas, Mexico City, Mexico.ORCID 0000-0002-2334-0361

Funding

COVID Catalyst Award Henry Wheeler Center Emerging Neglected Diseases (CEND)Ministry of Health of Mexico FPIS-2024-4810
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Molecules of the tumour necrosis factor superfamily (TNFSF) are key players in immune regulation; an increase in some TNFSF molecules has been reported during severe COVID-19. In this study, we profiled and evaluated TNFSF members in the serum of COVID-19 vaccine-naïve patients to identify potential biomarkers associated with disease severity. Our data show that TRAIL serum levels are lower in severely affected patients than those mildly affected by COVID-19 (AUC 0.8, p = 0.0003). On the contrary, OPG and BAFF serum levels are higher in severe COVID-19 compared to mild COVID-19 cases (AUC 0.8, p = 0.0001; AUC 0.7, p = 0.0012; respectively) and moderate COVID-19 cases (OPG p < 0.01), BAFF (p < 0.05). At the transcriptional level, TRAIL, OPG and BAFF are elevated in severe compared to mild COVID-19 cases, with OPG and BAFF also higher in moderate compared to mild COVID-19 patients. Additionally, we found that APRIL, LIGHT, CD30L and CD40L protein-levels are higher in COVID-19 patients compared to healthy donors but not significantly different between various COVID-19 clinical statuses. Finally, we found that TNF-α, TNF-β, RANKL and TWEAK protein levels were not affected during COVID-19. Our work identifies OPG and BAFF as potential biomarkers and therapeutic targets for preventing severe COVID-19. Due to the opposite contradictory levels of TRAIL (protein/transcriptional level), its role during COVID-19 should be elucidated and clarified with more in-depth studies.

Indexed as

B-Cell Activating FactorCOVID-19OsteoprotegerinAdultAgedBiomarkersFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedSARS-CoV-2Severity of Illness IndexTNF-Related Apoptosis-Inducing LigandB-Cell Activating FactorBiomarkersOsteoprotegerinTNF-Related Apoptosis-Inducing LigandTNFSF10 protein, humanTNFSF13B protein, humanBAFFCOVID‐19OPGseverityTRAIL

Identifiers

PMID39888266
PMCPMC11783147

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.