Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40064441›Full record

SynthesisJournal of advanced research2026

Gastrointestinal traits, common inflammatory disorders, gallstones, and biliary tract cancer: A network Mendelian randomization study.

Ye Bai, Min Zhang, Lin Chen, Peiwen Zhou, Bai Zhou, Ruobing Wang, Rixin Li, Junzhuo Si, Shuai Zhou, Yanfang Jiang

Abstract readMeta-Analysis
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Synthesis in Journal of advanced research, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
4citing 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

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

  1. Pooled it
  2. Article
  3. Article
  4. 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.

Ye BaiGenetic Diagnosis Center, The First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, Jilin, China.
Min ZhangClinical and Public Health Research Center, Women and Children's Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, China.
Lin ChenWest China School of Public Health and West China Fourth Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China.
Peiwen ZhouGenetic Diagnosis Center, The First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, Jilin, China.
Bai ZhouGenetic Diagnosis Center, The First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, Jilin, China.
Ruobing WangDepartment of General Surgery, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China.
Rixin LiBiobank, Jilin Cancer Hospital, Changchun, Jilin, China.
Junzhuo SiGenetic Diagnosis Center, The First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, Jilin, China.
Shuai ZhouGenetic Diagnosis Center, The First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, Jilin, China.
Yanfang JiangGenetic Diagnosis Center, The First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, Jilin, China. Electronic address: yanfangjiang@jlu.edu.cn.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

introductionObservational studies have shown that gallstone disease (GSD), cholecystitis, cholangitis, polyp of gallbladder, viral hepatitis, pancreatitis and gastrointestinal (GI) traits such as H. pylori infection, inflammatory bowel disease, and digestive ulcer are associated with the risk of biliary tract cancer (BTC). However, no study has explored their causal associations.

objectivesTo gain a more comprehensive understanding of the causal relationships between GI traits, inflammatory diseases of the digestive system, gallstones, and the development of BTC, further investigation into a comprehensive causal network is warranted.

methodsBased on findings of our Meta-analysis, the present study proposed to investigate the causal role of GSD (26,122 recorded cases) together with 15 GIs and common digestive system inflammatory diseases (sample size from 14,890 to 602,604) in the risk of incident BTC (832 cases and 475,259 controls), using a network Mendelian randomization. Independent associations were further discovered.

resultsWe found significant positive associations between GSD (OR = 1.26, 95 %CI: 1.05-1.51), cholecystitis (OR = 1.43, 95 %CI: 1.20-1.69), gallbladder polyps (OR = 1.11, 95 %CI: 1.00-1.24), primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC, OR = 1.07, 95 %CI: 1.00-1.13), ulcerative colitis (UC, OR = 1.07, 95 %CI: 1.00-1.14) and the risk of BTC. The association of GSD with BTC was attenuated after adjusting for cholecystitis and gallbladder polyps (OR = 1.45, 95 %CI: 0.60-3.52), while the association of UC remained significant, without the mediation of biliary tract diseases (OR = 1.12, 95 %CI: 1.03-1.22). Beyond that, we verified that the causal associations between primary biliary cholangitis, viral hepatitis, chronic pancreatitis, gastritis, gastric ulcer, Crohn's disease, irritable bowel syndrome, peptic ulcer disease, gastroesophageal reflux disease, appendicitis, and an increased risk of BTC were not significant.

conclusionsOur results implicate the effect of GSD on incident BTC to interact with cholecystitis and polyp of gallbladder, while UC as an independent risk factor for BTC. Clinical studies are needed to determine our findings.

Indexed as

Biliary Tract NeoplasmsGallstonesGastrointestinal DiseasesInflammationHumansMendelian Randomization AnalysisRisk FactorsAutoimmune diseasesBiliary tract cancerCausal relationshipInterleukin-1Ulcerative colitis

Identifiers

PMID40064441
PMCPMC12766238

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
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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.