scholarly journals Low free-T3 serum levels and prognosis of COVID-19: systematic review and meta-analysis

Author(s):  
Michael Llamas ◽  
Maria Luisa Garo ◽  
Luca Giovanella

Abstract Objectives There is increasing interest regarding the relationship between serum levels of free triiodothyronine (fT3) and outcomes of COronaVIrus Disease-19 (COVID-19) patients. As several recent reports have described a worse prognosis in patients with low fT3 levels, we performed a meta-analysis to assess the prognostic role of fT3 serum levels in patients with COVID-19 as this information could be clinically relevant for the management of these patients. Methods The methodology was registered in the International prospective register of systematic reviews (PROSPERO) database under the protocol number CRD42021260952. A systematic search was carried out on PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and Scopus from May to June 2021 without time and language restrictions. The literature search strategy was based on the following keywords: (T3 OR fT3 OR triiodothyronine) AND (COVID-19) AND (prognosis OR survival). Results The literature search identified 163 studies. Seven retrospective studies met the inclusion and exclusion criteria and were included in the meta-analysis. The included studies had a total of 1,183 patients. From the analysis of the included studies, lower fT3 serum levels were consistently observed in intensive care unit (ICU) than in non-ICU patients and in non-survivors than survivors, respectively. Conclusions Serum fT3 concentrations are significantly lower in patients with severe COVID-19 than in non-severely ill patients and predict all-cause mortality of patients with severe COVID-19. Accordingly, fT3 may become a simple tool for stratified management of patients with severe COVID-19.

2022 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yiru Chen ◽  
Xiuneng Li ◽  
Yu Dai ◽  
Jingjing Zhang

ObjectivesRecently, a number of reports have described the potential relationship between COVID-19 and thyroid hormones, but the results were conflicting. We performed a meta-analysis to evaluate the effect of the severity of COVID-19 on thyroid-related hormones and the effect of thyroid-related hormones on the outcome of COVID-19 in order to try to confirm the association between the serum levels of free triiodothyronine (FT3), free thyroxine (FT4) and thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) and the severity or mortality of coronavirus-19 patients.MethodsThe methodology was already registered in the International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (PROSPERO) database, and the protocol number is CRD42021269246. Systematic searches were carried out on the Cochrane Library, Embase, PubMed and Web of Science databases on November 15, 2021. We set up the literature search strategy based on the following keywords: [(T3 OR FT3 OR triiodothyronine) or (T4 OR FT4 OR thyroxine) or (TSH or thyrotropin)] and (COVID-19 OR SARS-CoV-2), without time restrictions.ResultsTwenty studies satisfied the inclusion/exclusion criteria and were included in the meta-analysis. A total of 3609 patients were enrolled in the study. From the analysis of the included studies, the incidence of thyroid-related hormone abnormalities was higher in patients with severe COVID-19, and the serum levels of FT3 and TSH were lower than those of patients with nonsevere COVID-19. However, the difference in the FT4 levels was not significant. Similar characteristics were shown between survivors and nonsurvivors. In addition, the outcomes of the meta-analysis showed that patients with abnormal thyroid-related hormones had greater mortality.ConclusionsLow FT3 serum levels, low FT4 serum levels and low TSH serum levels may increase the mortality of COVID-19 patients during admission. On the other hand, the higher the severity level of COVID-19, the higher the probability of decreases in the FT3, FT4, TSH levels.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hossein Dabiriyan Tehrani ◽  
Sara Yamini

This systematic review aimed to find attitudes toward Altruistic and Game-playing love styles across individualistic and collectivistic cultures. Addressing major moderators concerning Altruistic and Game-playing love styles are the secondary objectives of this review. This review included 102 articles comprising samples from 37 countries (N = 41997). The findings of this meta-analysis show that there is a collectivistic and individualistic difference in Game-playing but not in the Altruistic love style. Collectivistic and individualistic cultures, on average, demonstrate the same perception concerning the Altruistic love style, whereas collectivistic culture shows the Game-playing love style more strongly. To explain the role of moderators in key measures, the subgroup analysis and meta-regression show that both Game-playing and Altruistic love styles decline by increasing the length of the relationship. Likewise, having children affects these love styles such that the Altruistic love style is improved, and the Game-playing love style is reduced by the presence of children in families.


Author(s):  
Danai Christopoulou ◽  
Nikolaos Papageorgiadis ◽  
Chengang Wang ◽  
Georgios Magkonis

AbstractWe study the role of the strength of Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) law protection and enforcement in influencing horizontal productivity spillovers from inward FDI to domestic firms in host countries. While most WTO countries adopted strong IPR legislation due to exogenous pressure resulting from the signing of the Trade-Related Aspects of IPR (TRIPS) agreement, public IPR enforcement strength continues to vary significantly between countries. We meta-analyse 49 studies and find that public IPR enforcement strength has a direct positive effect on horizontal productivity spillovers from inward FDI to domestic firms and a negative moderating effect on the relationship between IPR law protection strength and horizontal productivity spillovers from inward FDI to domestic firms.


2019 ◽  
Vol 40 (6) ◽  
pp. 1421-1454 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tamar Kalandadze ◽  
Valentina Bambini ◽  
Kari-Anne B. Næss

AbstractIndividuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) often experience difficulty in comprehending metaphors compared to individuals with typical development (TD). However, there is a large variation in the results across studies, possibly related to the properties of the metaphor tasks. This preregistered systematic review and meta-analysis (a) explored the properties of the metaphor tasks used in ASD research, and (b) investigated the group difference between individuals with ASD and TD on metaphor comprehension, as well as the relationship between the task properties and any between-study variation. A systematic search was undertaken in seven relevant databases. Fourteen studies fulfilled our predetermined inclusion criteria. Across tasks, we detected four types of response format and a great variety of metaphors in terms of familiarity, syntactic structure, and linguistic context. Individuals with TD outperformed individuals with ASD on metaphor comprehension (Hedges’ g = −0.63). Verbal explanation response format was utilized in the study showing the largest effect size in the group comparison. However, due to the sparse experimental manipulations, the role of task properties could not be established. Future studies should consider and report task properties to determine their role in metaphor comprehension, and to inform experimental paradigms as well as educational assessment.


2021 ◽  
Vol 27 ◽  
pp. 107602962110029
Author(s):  
Mira Merashli ◽  
Alessia Arcaro ◽  
Maria Graf ◽  
Matilde Caruso ◽  
Paul R. J. Ames ◽  
...  

The relationship between antiphospholipid antibodies (aPL) and sickle cell disease (SCD) has never been systematically addressed. Our aim was to evaluate potential links between SCD and aPL in all age groups. EMBASE/PubMed was screened from inception to May 2020 and Peto odds ratios for rare events were calculated. The pooled prevalence (PP) of IgG anticardiolipin antibodies (aCL) was higher in individuals with SCD than in controls (27.9% vs 8.7%, P < 0.0001), that of IgM aCL was similar in the two groups (2.9% vs 2.7%); only individuals with SCD were positive for lupus anticoagulant (LA) (7.7% vs 0%, P < 0.0001). The PP of leg ulcers was similar between aPL positive and negative individuals (44% vs 53%) and between patients in acute crisis and stable patients (5.6% vs 7.3%). Reporting of aPL as a binary outcome and not as a titer precluded further interpretation. The results indicate that a prospective case-control study with serial measurements of a panel of aPL in SCD patients might be warranted, in order to understand further the possible pathogenic role of aPL in SCD.


2020 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
pp. 1759720X2098121
Author(s):  
Gustavo Constantino de Campos ◽  
Raman Mundi ◽  
Craig Whittington ◽  
Marie-Josée Toutounji ◽  
Wilson Ngai ◽  
...  

Aims: The objective of this review was to examine the relationship between osteoarthritis (OA) and mobility-related comorbidities, specifically diabetes mellitus (DM) and cardiovascular disease (CVD). It also investigated the relationship between OA and mortality. Methods: An overview of meta-analyses was conducted by performing two targeted searches from inception to June 2020. The association between OA and (i) DM or CVD ( via PubMed and Embase); and (ii) mortality ( via PubMed) was investigated. Meta-analyses were selected if they included studies that examined adults with OA at any site and reported associations between OA and DM, CVD, or mortality. Evidence was synthesized qualitatively. Results: Six meta-analyses met inclusion criteria. One meta-analysis of 20 studies demonstrated a statistically significant association between OA and DM, with pooled odds ratio of 1.41 (95% confidence interval: 1.21, 1.65; n = 1,040,175 patients). One meta-analysis of 15 studies demonstrated significantly increased risk of CVD among OA patients, with a pooled risk ratio of 1.24 (1.12, 1.37, n = 358,944 patients). Stratified by type of CVD, OA was shown to be associated with increased heart failure (HF) and ischemic heart disease (IHD) and reduced transient ischemic attack (TIA). There was no association reported for stroke or myocardial infarction (MI). Three meta-analyses did not find a significant association between OA (any site) and all-cause mortality. However, OA was found to be significantly associated with cardiovascular-related death across two meta-analyses. Conclusion: The identified meta-analyses reported significantly increased risk of both DM and CVD (particularly, HF and IHD) among OA patients. It was not possible to confirm consistent directional or causal relationships. OA was found to be associated with increased mortality, but mostly in relation to CVD-related mortality, suggesting that further study is warranted in this area.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Weiwei Chen ◽  
Yuting Li ◽  
Liliangzi Guo ◽  
Chenxing Zhang ◽  
Shaohui Tang

Background: Several studies have assessed the relationship between long non-coding RNA five prime to Xist (FTX) expression, clinicopathological features, and survival outcomes in cancer patients with conflicting results. This meta-analysis synthesized existing data to clarify the association between FTX with cancer prognosis.Methods: PubMed, Embase, Cochrane library, Web of Science, Chinese CNKI, and the Chinese WanFang databases were used to search for relevant studies. Role of FTX in cancers was evaluated by pooled odds ratios (ORs) and hazard ratios (HRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs).Results: Eleven studies comprising 1,210 participants including colorectal cancer (CRC), hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), gastric cancer (GC), renal cell carcinoma (RCC), osteosarcoma (OSC), and glioma were enrolled in this analysis. The meta-analysis showed that high FTX expression was significantly associated with several clinicopathological characteristics, including lymph node metastasis in patients with CRC, GC, HCC, and RCC, distant metastasis in patients with CRC, GC, HCC, and OSC, larger tumor size in patients with CRC, GC, HCC, RCC, and OSC, and subsequently TNM/clinical stage in patients with CRC, GC, HCC, OSC, and glioma. The pooled results from the survival analysis revealed a significant correlation between high FTX expression and shorter OS in patients with HCC, CRC, GC, OSC, and glioma. Further, FTX overexpression could be an independent predictive marker for shorter OS in patients with CRC, HCC, OSC, and glioma. Conclusions: FTX may be a potential oncogene, with high FTX expression being associated with a poorer prognosis in patients with CRC, HCC, OSC, and glioma


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert Robinson ◽  
Vidhya Prakash ◽  
Raad Al Tamimi ◽  
Nour Albast ◽  
Basma Al-Bast ◽  
...  

AbstractBackgroundThe COVID-19 pandemic has stimulated worldwide investigation into a myriad of potential therapeutic agents, including antivirals such as remdesivir. The first RCT reporting results on the impact of remdesivir on COVID-19 in a peer reviewed journal was the ACTT-1 trial published in November, 2020. The ACTT-1 trial showed more rapid clinical improvement and a reduced risk of 28-day mortality in patients who received remdesivir.This study is a meta-analysis of peer reviewed RCTs aims to estimate the association of remdesivir therapy compared to the usual care or placebo on all-cause mortality in hospitalized patients with COVID-19. Software based tools to accelerate the analysis process.MethodsMeta-analysis of peer reviewed RCTs comparing remdesivir to usual care or placebo. The protocol for this meta-analysis was registered and published in the PROSPERO database (CRD42021229985) on February 5, 2021.ResultsFour English language RCTs were identified, including data from 7,333 hospitalized patients worldwide using remdesivir in COVID-19 positive patients.Meta-analysis of all identified RCTs showed no difference in survival in patients who received remdesivir therapy compared to usual care or placebo. The random effects meta-analysis has a summary odd ratio is 0.89 (95% CI 0.65-1.21, p = 0.30). Considerable variability in the severity of illness is noted with the rates of IMV at the time of randomization ranging from 0% to 27%.ConclusionsThis meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials published in peer-reviewed literature by February 1, 2021 did not show reduced mortality in hospitalized patients with COVID-19 who received remdesivir. Further research is needed to clarify the role of remdesivir therapy in the management of COVID-19.


2018 ◽  
Vol 6 (5) ◽  
pp. 772-776 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ahmed I. Abd Elneam ◽  
Mohammed Saleh Al-Dhubaibi ◽  
Ali Ismaiel Ali Abd Alrheam

BACKGROUND: Psoriasis is a chronic, recurrent inflammatory skin disease. It is characterised by autoimmune, environmental factors and complex genetic disorder.AIM: To explore the role of IL-6, IL-8, and ACE I/D polymorphism in the pathogenesis of Psoriasis and investigation of the relationship between ACE polymorphism and occurrence of psoriasis.PATIENTS AND METHODS: In this study, we took 73 psoriasis patients and 47 healthy patients as a control. These two groups subjected to analysis for ACE gene I/D polymorphism by PCR and biochemical methods.RESULTS: The serum levels of ACE, IL-8 and IL-6 were statistically significantly higher in psoriasis patients compared to healthy subjects (P < 0.001). ID and DD polymorphism were more common in psoriasis patients than healthy subjects. Also, D allele was significantly over-represented in patients compared to controls (52.7% Vs 35.1%).CONCLUSION: ACE gene polymorphism might grant susceptibility to develop psoriasis.


Author(s):  
Hua Ma ◽  
QIng Gu ◽  
Huining Niu ◽  
Xiaohua Li ◽  
Rong Wang

Background: The use of Aspirin in the primary prevention of cardiovascular disease (CVD) is still a topic of debate, especially in patients with diabetes. The present meta-analysis aims to rule out the efficacy of Aspirin in patients with diabetes and to compare the effectiveness of Aspirin with a placebo (or no treatment) for the primary prevention of CVD and all-cause mortality events in people with diabetes. Materials and Methods: An extensive and systematic search was conducted in Medline (via PubMed), Cinahl (via Ebsco), Scopus, and Web of Sciences from 1988 to December 2020. A detailed literature search was conducted using Aspirin, cardiovascular disease (CVD), diabetes, and efficacy to identify trials of patients with diabetes who received Aspirin for primary prevention of CVD. Demographic details with the primary outcome of events and bleeding outcomes were analyzed. The risk of bias (RoB) in included studies was evaluated using the QUADAS-2 tool. Results: A total of 5 studies out of 13 were included with 23,570 diabetic patients; 11,738 allocated to Aspirin and 11,832 allocated to the placebo group. In patients with diabetes, there was no difference between Aspirin and placebo with respect to the risk of all-cause death with a confidence interval (CI) varying 0.63 to 1.17. In addition, there were no differences in the bleeding outcomes with an odds ratio of 1.4411 (CI 0.47 to 4.34). Conclusion: Aspirin has no significant risk on primary endpoints of cardiovascular events and the bleeding outcomes in diabetic patients compared to placebo. More research on the use of Aspirin alone or in combination with other antiplatelet drugs is required in patients with diabetes to supplement currently available research.


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