Distribution of interleukin-6 in human plasma implications for statistical modelling and meta-analysis

Lead Investigator: Gustav Nilsonne, Karolinska Institutet
Title of Research Proposal: Distribution of interleukin-6 in human plasma implications for statistical modelling and meta-analysis
Vivli Data Request: 3361
Funding Source: None
Potential Conflicts of Interest: None

Many biological variables are approximately exponentially distributed. A priori knowledge of the expected distribution of a variable enables researchers to plan analyses and make decisions about variable transformation and statistical modelling. Interleukin-6 (IL-6) is a cytokine released by cells of the immune system when an inflammatory response is activated, and it signals to multiple organs, including the other cells of the immune system, the liver, and the brain. Data on circulating IL-6 from humans are often log-transformed in order to approximate a normal distribution, but no systematic analysis of the distribution of IL-6 levels has been presented to our knowledge. The current investigation will investigate whether data on cytokines such as IL-6 should be log-transformed to follow a normal distribution and hence allow for statistical analyses which assume a normal distribution. The current project is relevant to current research in immunology, where no standard exists regarding data transformation. The development of such a standard would contribute to the improvement of research into IL-6 as a biomarker.

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