Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39833665›Full record

ArticleBMC gastroenterology2025

Association between neutrophil-albumin ratio and ultrasound-defined metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease in U.S. adults: evidence from NHANES 2017-2018.

Ming-Yu He, Xin-Jie Du, Yi-Ming Liu

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in BMC gastroenterology, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 7 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
7citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
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

7 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Article
  3. Article
  4. Determinants of Liver Steatosis Progression in Chinese Children: A Prospective Cohort Study.Diabetes, metabolic syndrome and obesity : targets and therapy · 2026
    Article
  5. Article
  6. Article
  7. Frontiers in nutrition · 2025
    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

3 authors.

Ming-Yu HeUltrasonography Department, Longyan First Hospital, Longyan, 364300, Fujian, China.
Xin-Jie DuThyroid and Breast Surgery Department, Longyan First Hospital, Longyan, 364300, Fujian, China.
Yi-Ming LiuGastroenterology Department, Longyan First Hospital, No. 105 Jiuyi North Road, Xinluo District, Longyan, 364300, Fujian, China. anhei4daigou@163.com.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundMetabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD) is increasingly prevalent, and systemic inflammation markers may play a role in its pathogenesis. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between neutrophil-albumin ratio (NAR) and MAFLD.

methodsThis population-based study was performed using data from NHANES 2017-2018 and included 4526 individuals with a median age of 44 years old, and the males account for 46.13% (n = 2088). Ultrasound-defined MAFLD was diagnosed using a controlled attenuation parameter (CAP) threshold of ≥ 285 dB/m. Differences in baseline characteristics between patients with CAP ≥ 285 dB/m and < 285 dB/m were analyzed. A generalized additive model (GAM) and restricted cubic splines (RCS) were applied to explore the nonlinear relationship between NAR and CAP, followed by generalized linear models (GLMs). Threshold effect analysis was performed to identify the inflection point in the nonlinear relationship. CAP-related variables were ranked using XG Boost and random forest algorithms, and predictive models were developed and evaluated.

resultsThe study population included 1,503 patients with CAP ≥ 285 dB/m. NAR was significantly elevated in subjects with CAP ≥ 285 dB/m (P < 0.001), and nonlinear relationships between NAR and CAP were observed. NAR was positively associated with CAP in three GLMs, and this relationship remained after adjusting for confounding factors or dividing NAR into tertiles. Additionally, when NAR < 1.436, a one-unit rise in NAR was linked to a 3.304-fold increase in the risk of NAFLD (OR = 3.304, 95% CI: 2.649-4.122). The NAR-based random forest model showed the best predictive performance with AUC values of 0.978 (training) and 0.813 (validation).

conclusionNAR is positively associated with CAP, and the NAR-based random forest model is optimal for predicting MAFLD risk, highlighting the importance of NAR in predicting MAFLD.

Indexed as

NeutrophilsNon-alcoholic Fatty Liver DiseaseSerum AlbuminAdultBiomarkersFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedNutrition SurveysUltrasonographyUnited StatesBiomarkersSerum AlbuminControlled attenuation parameterCross-sectional studyMetabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver diseaseNeutrophil-albumin ratioPredictive model

Identifiers

PMID39833665
PMCPMC11744826

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

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.