Evidence mapPaperPMID 38514508Full record

ArticleBiological trace element research2025

Associations of Urinary Nickel with NAFLD and Liver Fibrosis in the USA: A Nationwide Cross‑Sectional Study.

Kening Zhang, Chunxiao Yang, Xue Zhao, Yuanyuan Wang, Zhuo Gu, Ruiming Yang, Haiyan Ding, Shuangshuang Li, Jian Qin, Xia Chu

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Article in Biological trace element research, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed
1.5field-weighted citation impact, top 20% of its field
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

3 citing papers in PubMed, 5 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Review
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  3. Article
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

10 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.

Kening Zhang *Department of Nutrition and Food Hygiene, Public Health College, Harbin Medical University, No.157 Baojian Road, Nangang District, Heilongjiang Province, Harbin, 150081, China.
Chunxiao Yang *Department of Nutrition and Food Hygiene, Public Health College, Harbin Medical University, No.157 Baojian Road, Nangang District, Heilongjiang Province, Harbin, 150081, China.
Xue ZhaoDepartment of Nutrition and Food Hygiene, Public Health College, Harbin Medical University, No.157 Baojian Road, Nangang District, Heilongjiang Province, Harbin, 150081, China.
Yuanyuan WangDepartment of Nutrition and Food Hygiene, Public Health College, Harbin Medical University, No.157 Baojian Road, Nangang District, Heilongjiang Province, Harbin, 150081, China.
Zhuo GuDepartment of Nutrition and Food Hygiene, Public Health College, Harbin Medical University, No.157 Baojian Road, Nangang District, Heilongjiang Province, Harbin, 150081, China.
Ruiming YangDepartment of Nutrition and Food Hygiene, Public Health College, Harbin Medical University, No.157 Baojian Road, Nangang District, Heilongjiang Province, Harbin, 150081, China.
Haiyan DingDepartment of Nutrition and Food Hygiene, Public Health College, Harbin Medical University, No.157 Baojian Road, Nangang District, Heilongjiang Province, Harbin, 150081, China.
Shuangshuang LiDepartment of Nutrition and Food Hygiene, Public Health College, Harbin Medical University, No.157 Baojian Road, Nangang District, Heilongjiang Province, Harbin, 150081, China.
Jian QinDepartment of Nutrition and Food Hygiene, Public Health College, Harbin Medical University, No.157 Baojian Road, Nangang District, Heilongjiang Province, Harbin, 150081, China.
Xia ChuDepartment of Nutrition and Food Hygiene, Public Health College, Harbin Medical University, No.157 Baojian Road, Nangang District, Heilongjiang Province, Harbin, 150081, China. cx831128@163.com.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-5228-9999
Harbin Medical University · CN

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Despite the robust correlation between metabolic disorders and heavy metals, there has been limited research on the associations between nickel levels and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) as well as liver fibrosis. This study aimed to examine the associations among urinary nickel, NAFLD, and liver fibrosis. The data utilized in this study were obtained from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2017-2020. A comprehensive screening process was conducted, resulting in the inclusion of a total of 3169 American adults in the analysis. The measurement of urinary nickel was conducted through inductively coupled-plasma mass spectrometry. Vibration-controlled transient elastography was employed to assess the controlled attenuation parameter and liver stiffness measurement as indicators for NAFLD and liver fibrosis, respectively. Multivariable logistic regression models were employed to evaluate the associations among urinary nickel, NAFLD, and liver fibrosis. Restricted cubic splines were employed to explored the nonlinear associations. After adjusting for all covariates, the correlation between the highest quartile of urinary nickel and NAFLD was found to be significant (OR = 1.65; 95% CI, 1.19-2.27). Subgroup analysis revealed that the correlation was significant only in men. A significant association occurred between the second quartile of urinary nickel and liver fibrosis (OR 1.88; 95% CI, 1.22-2.90). Restricted cubic spline showed that the relationship was linear between urinary nickel and NAFLD and non-monotonic, inverse U-shaped between urinary nickel and liver fibrosis. This cross-sectional study indicated that the risk of NAFLD is associated with urinary nickel, and this correlation was only present among males.

Indexed as

Liver CirrhosisNickelNon-alcoholic Fatty Liver DiseaseAdultCross-Sectional StudiesFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedNutrition SurveysUnited StatesNickelLiver fibrosisNAFLDNHANESUrinary nickel

Identifiers

PMID38514508
OpenAlexW4393091909

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
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Registered trials

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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.