Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40951528›Full record

ArticleJournal of clinical and translational hepatology2025

Biomarker Discovery for Metabolic Dysfunction-associated Steatotic Liver Disease Utilizing Mendelian Randomization, Machine Learning, and External Validation.

Gong Feng, Giovanni Targher, Christopher D Byrne, Na He, Man Mi, Yi Liu, Hongbin Zhu, Ming-Hua Zheng, Feng Ye

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Journal of clinical and translational hepatology, 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
–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

3 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Review
  2. Review
  3. Review
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

9 authors.

Gong FengDepartment of Infectious Diseases, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, Shaanxi, China.
Giovanni TargherDepartment of Medicine, University of Verona, Verona, Italy.
Christopher D ByrneSouthampton National Institute for Health and Care Research Biomedical Research Centre, University Hospital Southampton and University of Southampton, Southampton General Hospital, Southampton, UK.
Na HeDepartment of Gastroenterology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Medical University, Xi'an, Shaanxi, China.
Man MiXi'an Medical University, Xi'an, Shaanxi, China.
Yi LiuDepartment of Traditional Chinese Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, Shaanxi, China.
Hongbin ZhuDepartment of Gastroenterology, the 983rd Hospital of the Joint Logistics Support Force of the Chinese People's Liberation Army, Tianjin, China.
Ming-Hua ZhengMAFLD Research Center, Department of Hepatology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, China.
Feng YeDepartment of Infectious Diseases, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, Shaanxi, China.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1418-7980

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Background and Aims: The causal biomarkers for metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) and their clinical value remain unclear. In this study, we aimed to identify biomarkers for MASLD and evaluate their diagnostic and prognostic significance. Methods: We conducted a Mendelian randomization analysis to assess the causal effects of 2,925 molecular biomarkers (from proteomics data) and 35 clinical biomarkers on MASLD. Mediation analysis was performed to determine whether clinical biomarkers mediated the effects of molecular biomarkers. The association between key clinical biomarkers and MASLD was externally validated in a hospital-based cohort (n = 415). A machine learning-based diagnostic model for MASLD was developed and validated using the identified molecular biomarkers. Prognostic significance was evaluated for both molecular and clinical biomarkers. Results: Six molecular biomarkers-including canopy FGF signaling regulator 4 (CNPY4), ectonucleoside triphosphate diphosphohydrolase 6 (ENTPD6), and major histocompatibility complex, class I, A (HLA-A)-and eight clinical biomarkers (e.g., serum total protein (STP)) were identified as causally related to MASLD. STP partially mediated the effect of HLA-A on MASLD (23.61%) and was associated with MASLD in the external cohort (odds ratio = 1.080, 95% confidence interval: 1.011-1.155). A random forest model demonstrated high diagnostic performance (AUC = 0.941 in training; 0.875 in validation). High expression levels of CNPY4 and ENTPD6 were associated with the development of and poorer survival from hepatocellular carcinoma. Low STP (<60 g/L) predicted all-cause mortality (HR = 2.50, 95% confidence interval: 1.22-5.09). Conclusions: This study identifies six causal molecular biomarkers (e.g., CNPY4, ENTPD6, HLA-A) and eight clinical biomarkers for MASLD. Notably, STP mediates the effect of HLA-A on MASLD and is associated with all-cause mortality.

Indexed as

Causal biomarkersMachine learningMediation analysisMendelian randomizationMetabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver diseaseNon-invasive diagnosisPrognosisProteomics

Identifiers

PMID40951528
PMCPMC12422874

What Socratic holds

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LicenceCC BY-NC
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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.