Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40048451›Full record

Observational studyPloS one2025

Increased galanin-galanin receptor 1 signaling, inflammation, and insulin resistance are associated with affective symptoms and chronic fatigue syndrome due to long COVID.

Wasim Talib Mahdi Al Masoodi, Sami Waheed Radhi, Habiba Khdair Abdalsada, Mengqi Niu, Hussein Kadhem Al-Hakeim, Michael Maes

Abstract readObservational Study
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Observational study in PloS one, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 9 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
9citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
–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

9 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Review
  3. Article
  4. Article
  5. Article
  6. Insulin Resistance and Inflammation.International journal of molecular sciences · 2026
    Review
  7. Article
  8. Article
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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.

Wasim Talib Mahdi Al MasoodiDepartment of Chemistry, College of Science, University of Kufa, Najaf, Iraq.
Sami Waheed RadhiDepartment of Chemistry, College of Science, University of Kufa, Najaf, Iraq.
Habiba Khdair AbdalsadaCollege of Pharmacy, Al-Muthanna University, Samawah, Iraq.
Mengqi NiuSichuan Provincial Center for Mental Health, Sichuan Provincial People's Hospital, School of Medicine, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China.
Hussein Kadhem Al-HakeimDepartment of Chemistry, College of Science, University of Kufa, Najaf, Iraq.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6143-5196
Michael MaesSichuan Provincial Center for Mental Health, Sichuan Provincial People's Hospital, School of Medicine, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundPatients with Long COVID (LC) often experience neuropsychiatric symptoms such as depression, anxiety, and chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), collectively referred to as the physio-affective phenome of LC. Activated immune-inflammatory pathways and insulin resistance significantly contribute to the physio-affective phenome associated with LC.

methodsIn a cohort of 90 individuals, categorized into those with and without LC, we evaluated, 3-6 months following acute SARS-CoV-2 infection, the correlations between the Hamilton Depression (HAMD), Hamilton Anxiety (HAMA), and Fibro-Fatigue (FF) Rating Scale scores, and serum C-reactive protein (CRP), prostaglandin E2 (PGE2), galanin-galanin receptor 1 (GAL-GALR1) signaling, insulin resistance, insulin-like growth factor (IGF-1), plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI1), S100B and neuron-specific enolase (NSE).

resultsHAMD, HAMA, FF scores, CRP, PGE2, GAL-GALR1 signaling, insulin resistance, PAI1, NSE, and S100B are all higher in people with LC compared to those without LC. The HAMD/HAMA/FF scores were significantly correlated with PGE, CRP, GAL, GALR1, insulin resistance, and PAI1 levels, and a composite score based on peak body temperature (PBT) - oxygen saturation (SpO2) (PBT/SpO2 index) during the acute infectious phase. A combination of biomarkers explained a large part of the variance in CFS and affective scores (33.6%-42.0%), with GAL-GALR1 signaling, PGE2, and CRP being the top 3 most important biomarkers. The inclusion of the PBT/SpO2 index increased the prediction (55.3%-67.1%). The PBT/SpO2 index predicted the increases in GAL-GALR1 signaling.

conclusionThese results indicate that the CFS and affective symptoms that are linked to LC are the consequence of metabolic aberrations, activated immune-inflammatory pathways, and the severity of inflammation during the acute phase of SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Indexed as

Affective SymptomsFatigue Syndrome, ChronicGalaninInflammationPost-Acute COVID-19 SyndromeReceptor, Galanin, Type 1AdultCase-Control StudiesFemaleHumansInsulin ResistanceMaleMiddle AgedSARS-CoV-2Severity of Illness IndexSignal TransductionGalaninReceptor, Galanin, Type 1

Identifiers

PMID40048451
PMCPMC11884674

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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.