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Background Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) elicits robust inflammatory reaction that may result in a declining albumin serum level. This meta-analysis aimed to evaluate the prognostic properties of hypoalbuminemia for poor prognosis and factors that may influence the relationship. Method A systematic literature search of PubMed was conducted from inception to April 22, 2021. The main exposure was albumin level below normal range–defined by the included studies. The outcome of interest was composite poor outcome that comprises of mortality, severity, and the requirement of mechanical ventilation or intensive care unit. Results There were 6200 patients from 19 studies. Meta-analysis showed that hypoalbuminemia was associated with composite poor outcome (OR 6.97 (95% CI 4.20–11.55), p<0.001; I 2 =91.3%, p<0.001). Meta-regression analysis showed that age (p=0.44), gender (p=0.76), HT (p = 0.97), DM (p = 0.40), CKD (p = 0.65), liver disease (p = 0.72), and malignancy (p = 0.84) did not affect the association. Subgroup analysis showed that hypoalbuminemia increased mortality (OR 6.26 (95% CI 3.26–12.04), p<0.001; I 2 =69.6%, p<0.01) and severity of the disease (OR 7.32 (95%CI 3.94-13.59), p<0.001; I 2 =92.5%, p<0.01). Pooled diagnostic analysis of hypoalbuminemia yielded a sensitivity of 0.63 (95% CI 0.52-0.72), specificity of 0.81 (95% CI 0.73-0.87), and AUC of 0.77. The probability of poor outcome was 70% in patients with hypoalbuminemia and 24% in patients with normal albumin level. Conclusion Hypoalbuminemia was associated with poor prognosis in COVID-19 patients.

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Introduction Low-grade chronic inflammation has emerged as a key pathogenic link between high-fat diet (HFD)–induced obesity and the increased risk of chronic diseases. Evidence has shown that HFDs may induce inflammation in the central nervous system and peripheral tissues. Monocyte Chemoattractant Protein-1 (MCP-1) is a product of various cells that is known to be an inflammatory marker. This study investigated whether a HFD could induce obesity and increase the level of MCP-1 in Wistar rats. Methods The Wistar rats were randomized into two groups: normal diet (ND) and HFD (n = 12 per group). Both groups were fed for 8 and 16 weeks, thus dividing the rats into 4 arms: ND8, ND16, HFD8, and HFD16 (n = 6 per sub-group). Obesity in rats was measured using the Lee index. Blood samples were taken to measure the level of MCP-1. Results Our results showed that obesity did not occur in the group with a normal diet (ND8 and ND16). However, in the HFD group (HFD8 and HFD16), 4 of the 6 rats became obese. However, MCP-1 was significantly higher among non-obese rats in the HFD group compared with the ND group (p < 0.001). Conclusion HFDs have been shown to increase the risk of obesity. In addition, increases in circulating MCP-1 were significantly different between Wistar rats given a HFD compared with the ND group.