Background: The triglyceride-glucose index (TyG) is a reliable predictor of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Its association with the severity of hepatic steatosis and liver fibrosis in NAFLD is poorly understood. This study evaluated the relationship between these factors in NAFLD. Methods: A total of 4784 participants who underwent ultrasonography were enrolled. Anthropometric and biochemical measurements were assessed. Participants with NAFLD were diagnosed by ultrasound. The degree of hepatic steatosis and liver stiffness was evaluated with transient elastography. Results: The TyG index was significantly correlated with the severity of hepatic steatosis and the presence of liver fibrosis in patients with NAFLD. TyG quartile values correlated with increasing prevalence of NAFLD (Q1 30.9%, Q2 53.3%, Q3 71.7%, and Q4 86.4%, P < 0.001) and with the presence of liver fibrosis (Q1 13.5%, Q2 17.6%, Q3 18.8%, and Q4 26.1%, P < 0.001). The AUROC for the TyG index to predict NAFLD was 0.761, resulting in a cut-off value of 8.7. However, the AUC value of the TyG index was 0.589 for liver fibrosis, which was insufficient to predict this condition. The adjusted odds of having hepatic steatosis or liver fibrosis were more strongly associated with TyG values compared with HOMA-IR. Conclusion: The TyG index is positively related to the severity of hepatic steatosis and the presence of liver fibrosis in NAFLD. The index also performed better than HOMA-IR.

Background and Aims: Epidemiological evidence has shown the association between nutritional habits and liver disease. However, results remain conflicting. This study investigated the influence of dietary factors on the risk of incident non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), cirrhosis, and liver cancer. Methods: Data from the UK Biobank database were analyzed (n = 372,492). According to baseline data from the food frequency questionnaire, two main dietary patterns (Western and prudent) were identified using principal component analysis. We used cox proportional hazards models to explore the associations of individual food groups and dietary patterns with NAFLD, cirrhosis, and liver cancer. Results: During a median follow-up of 12 years, 3527 hospitalized NAFLD, 1643 cirrhosis, and 669 liver cancer cases were recorded among 372,492 participants without prior history of cancer or chronic liver diseases at baseline. In multivariable adjusted analysis, participants in the high tertile of Western dietary pattern score had an 18% (95%CI = 1.09–1.29), 21% (95%CI = 1.07–1.37), and 24% (95%CI = 1.02–1.50) higher risk of incident NAFLD, liver cirrhosis, and liver cancer, respectively, compared with the low tertile. Participants in the high tertile of prudent scores had a 15% (95%CI = 0.75–0.96) lower risk of cirrhosis, as compared with those in the low tertile. In addition, the higher consumption of red meat and the lower consumption of fruit, cereal, tea, and dietary fiber were significantly associated with a higher risk of NAFLD, cirrhosis, and liver cancer (p_trend < 0.05). Conclusions: This large prospective cohort study showed that an increased intake of food from the Western dietary pattern could be correlated with an increased risk of chronic liver diseases, while the prudent pattern was only correlated with a reduced liver cirrhosis risk. These data may provide new insights into lifestyle interventions for the prevention of chronical liver diseases.

Objectives: Neutrophil‐to‐lymphocyte ratio (NLR), platelet‐to‐lymphocyte ratio (PLR), and systemic immune‐inflammation index (SII), easily accessible systemic inflammation response parameters, were reported to associate with poor lung cancer prognosis. However, research on the effects of these markers on the risk of positive nodules (PNs) and lung cancer is limited.Methods: Participants in this retrospective study were those who had their first computed tomography (CT) screening at Jiangsu Province Hospital's Health Promotion Center between January 1, 2017 and December 31, 2020. We identified PNs (≥6 mm in diameter) from free text of CT reports and lung cancer from medical records. Multivariate logistic analysis was used to assess the association between NLR, PLR, or SII and PNs or lung cancer.Results: The detected rate of PNs was 9.60% among the 96,476 participants. Age, smoking and body mass index were possible influencing factors for PNs. We observed linear dose‐effect relationship between NLR, PLR, or SII and PNs (p_non‐linear > 0.05). Compared with low quintile, participants with top quintiles of NLR, PLR or SII had an increased risk of PNs, with the adjusted ORs of 1.19 (1.11–1.28), 1.11 (1.04–1.19) or 1.11 (1.03–1.18), respectively. Meanwhile, NLR showed the U‐shaped relationship with lung cancer, with adjusted ORs of 1.40 (1.08–1.81) comparing highest NLR quintile to the third quintile. The high PLR and SII showed significantly associated with lung cancer with adjusted ORs of 1.29 (0.99–1.68) and 1.35 (1.04–1.74) comparing to the lowest quintile.Conclusions: The high levels of systemic inflammation markers were associated with the risk of positive pulmonary nodules and lung cancer, which suggested systemic immune response may be an important pre‐clinical feature for the early identification of diseases.

Background and Aims: It is unclear whether a healthy lifestyle impacts mortality in the presence of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). The present study aimed to examine the joint association of several modifiable lifestyle factors with mortality risk for NAFLD patients. Methods: We collected lifestyle behavior data form the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) III from 1988 to 1994 and follow-up data form NHANES III-linked mortality data through 2015. We estimated joint association between four healthy lifestyle factors (non-smoking, non-drinking, regular physical activity, a healthy diet) after NAFLD diagnosis and mortality using Cox proportional hazards regression models. Results: During a median of 22.83 years of follow-up, 2932 deaths occurred. The risk of all-cause mortality decreased significantly with the healthy lifestyle scores increasing (p < 0.001). NAFLD patients with a favorable lifestyle (3 or 4 healthy lifestyle factors) reduced 36% of all-cause mortality and 43% of cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality compared with those with an unfavorable lifestyle (0 or 1 healthy lifestyle factor) (HR, 0.64 [95% CI, 0.50–0.81], 0.57 [95% CI, 0.37–0.88]). Compared with the non-NAFLD group, the number of NAFLD patients required to adhere to a favorable lifestyle to prevent one cardiovascular disease death in 20 years was fewer (77 vs. 125). Conclusions: For the NAFLD patients, adopting a healthy lifestyle could significantly reduce their risk of death.

Lipid ratios, for example total cholesterol/high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (TC/HDL-C) and triglyceride/high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (TG/HDL-C), are associated with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). However, the predictive values of lipid ratios in prediabetes remain unclear. The aims of this study were: 1) to investigate the association between lipid ratios and abnormal glucose tolerance; 2) to compare the predictive significance of lipid ratios with commonly used indicators of lipid variables in clinical practice in a Chinese population. The cross-sectional study enrolled 2680 participants from the Health Promotion Center of the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University. All participants received a 75 g oral glucose tolerance test. Blood samples were obtained at baseline and 120 min after glucose ingestion. Participants were classified as normal glucose tolerance (NGT), impaired glucose regulation (IGR), and T2DM. The odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated using logistic regression model. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to identify the cutoff points of lipid and lipid ratios. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC), sensitivity and specificity were calculated to estimate their diagnostic values. TC, TG, TC/HDL-C, TG/HDL-C and non-HDL-C were significantly correlated with both prediabetes and T2DM after adjustment for other risk factors such as blood glucose, whereas LDL-C was only positively correlated with prediabetes. TG and TG/HDL-C showed higher diagnostic values for prediabetes and T2DM than TC, LDL-C, HDL-C, TC/HDL-C and non-HDL-C, with the AUC values over 0.70. For predicting prediabetes, the optimal cutoff point was 1.36 mmol/l for TG and 1.13 for TG/HDL-C. For predicting T2DM, the optimal cutoff point was 1.46 mmol/l for TG and 1.22 for TG/HDL-C. Both TG and TG/HDL-C are promising biomarkers for distinguishing individuals with abnormal glucose tolerance, and can be used to predict prediabetes and T2DM in Chinese population.

Aim: The neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) has been reported as a prognostic marker of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC); however, the relationship between NLR and risk of HCC occurrence has yet to be systematically elucidated. We aimed to investigate the association between NLR and HCC risk in patients with hepatitis B-caused cirrhosis (HBC) undergoing antiviral therapy. Methods: A total of 1599 patients with HBC receiving entecavir or tenofovir at three tertiary hospitals between June 2014 and November 2017 were included. Cox proportional hazards regression was used to identify the association between NLR and risk of HCC occurrence by adjusting for potential risk factors. The cumulative incidence of HCC was evaluated using Kaplan–Meier analysis. Results: At study enrollment, the median NLR was 2.0 (interquartile range, 1.4–3.0). The 3-year cumulative probabilities of HCC were 4.8, 8.4, 13.2, and 18.0% across the NLR quartiles, respectively (P < 0.001). Compared with the lowest quartile, higher NLR correlated with an increased HCC occurrence [NLR 1.4–2.0: adjusted hazard ratio (aHR), 1.18 (95% confidence interval (CI), 1.11–1.25); NLR 2.0–3.0: aHR, 2.09 (95% CI, 1.19–3.66); NLR > 3.0: aHR, 2.80 (95% CI, 1.59–4.95); P for trend = 0.001] in the fully adjusted models. In the subgroup analysis, elevated NLR was associated with increased HCC risk, regardless of stratification criteria. Conclusion: Elevated NLR is an independent risk factor for HCC occurrence in patients with HBC undergoing antiviral therapy.