Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40198239›Full record

ArticleAmerican journal of reproductive immunology (New York, N.Y. : 1989)2025

Effect of COVID-19 Infection During Pregnancy on the Plasma/Extracellular Vesicles Pro-Inflammatory Cytokine Profile.

C Heeralall, Usri H Ibrahim, M Jenneker, S Singh, L Lazarus, Irene Mackraj

Abstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in American journal of reproductive immunology (New York, N.Y. : 1989), 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing 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

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Review
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.

C HeeralallDiscipline of Clinical Anatomy, School of Laboratory Medicine and Medical Sciences, College of Health Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa.
Usri H IbrahimDiscipline of Human Physiology, School of Laboratory Medicine and Medical Sciences, College of Health Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa.
M JennekerDiscipline of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, School of Clinical Medicine, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa.
S SinghOptics & Imaging Centre, Doris Duke Medical Research Institute, College of Health Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa.
L LazarusDiscipline of Clinical Anatomy, School of Laboratory Medicine and Medical Sciences, College of Health Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa.
Irene MackrajDiscipline of Human Physiology, School of Laboratory Medicine and Medical Sciences, College of Health Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa.ORCID 0000-0002-7488-3091

Funding

National Research Foundation of South Africa MND210518602191University of KwaZulu-Natal
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

purposeThe Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has impacted pregnant women significantly, with increased mortality and morbidity. The implications of this virus are linked to extracellular vesicles (EVs) and maternal inflammation due to the cytokine storm. Hence, this study aims to investigate the impact of COVID-19 on the pro-inflammatory cytokine profile in both plasma and EVs of South African pregnant women.

methodsPlasma samples were obtained from pregnant women in the third trimester, from which EVs were extracted using the Invitrogen Total Exosome Isolation Kit. These plasma-derived EVs were characterised using transmission electron microscopy and nanoparticle tracking analysis (NTA).

resultsCOVID-19 infection in pregnancy did not significantly affect the average particle size and concentration of isolated EVs. The levels of IFN gamma, IL-6, MIP-1 alpha and TNF alpha were analysed in the plasma and circulating EVs through a multiplex assay. Compared to the control group, a significant increase in IL-6, IFN-γ, TNF-α and MIP-1α levels were observed in both plasma and EVs content of COVID-19 pregnancies.

conclusionThese findings suggest that COVID-19 infection impacts the pro-inflammatory cytokine profile in the plasma and EVs of South African pregnant women.

Indexed as

COVID-19CytokinesExtracellular VesiclesPregnancy Complications, InfectiousSARS-CoV-2AdultCytokine Release SyndromeFemaleHumansPregnancySouth AfricaYoung AdultCytokinesCOVID‐19cytokine stormextracellular vesiclesinflammationpregnancy

Identifiers

PMID40198239
PMCPMC11977858

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

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 Socratic graph.