Serum ubiquitin C-terminal hydrolase L1 as a biomarker for traumatic brain injury: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Abstract

OBJECTIVE:

Serum ubiquitin C-terminal hydrolase L1 (UCH-L1) has been proposed as a biomarker of traumatic brain injury (TBI). However, previous studies on levels of UCH-L1 in serum remain inconsistent. This systematic review and meta-analysis were conducted on observational studies that reported the association between serum UCH-L1 levels and TBI.

METHODS:

Studies were identified by searching PubMed and ISI Web of Science up to February 2015. For the continuous outcomes, we calculated the weighted mean difference and 95% confidence interval. The statistical analysis was performed by RevMan 5.1 and Stata 12 software. Only case-control studies were included if they had data on serum UCH-L1 levels in TBI patients and healthy controls. Funnel plot and Egger's regression test were applied to assess the potential publication bias.

RESULTS:

Of the 145 selected studies, 11 observational studies (including 9 case-control and 2 case-crossover studies) met the selection criteria, containing a total of 1138 TBI cases and 1373 controls. Finally, 5 case-control studies (including 673 TBI and 1004 controls) were eligible for the present meta-analysis. The results of our study showed that there was a significant increase in serum UCH-L1 levels in patients with TBI compared to controls (weighted mean difference, 0.96; 95% confidence interval, 0.31-1.61; P = .004).

CONCLUSION:

In conclusion, TBI cases had higher serum UCH-L1 concentrations than matched controls. This reinforces the conceptualization of UCH-L1 as a potential biomarker of TBI.

• Authors: Jian Li, Chao Yu, Yang Sun, Yuyuan Li
• Journal: The American journal of emergency medicine (Am J Emerg Med) Vol. 33 Issue 9 Pg. 1191-6 (Sep 2015) ISSN: 1532-8171 [Electronic] United States
• PMID: 26087705 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Meta-Analysis, Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural, Review, Systematic Review)
• Copyright: Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Chemical References

• Biomarkers
• Ubiquitin Thiolesterase

Topics

• Biomarkers (blood)
• Brain Injuries (blood, diagnosis)
• Humans
• Observational Studies as Topic
• Prognosis
• Ubiquitin Thiolesterase (blood)