Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41961698›Full record

ArticleMedicine2026

Plasma lipidome mediates the causal effect of chronic hepatitis B on cirrhosis: A Mendelian randomization study.

Biao Xiao, Qixiang Song, Zhenggang Wang, Jie Huang, Ying Liu, Boqi Li, Qinghai Zeng, Yelin Deng, Ewelina Krol, Ricardo Khouri and 3 more

Abstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Medicine, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

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

13 authors.

Biao XiaoHunan Provincial Key Laboratory of Clinical Epidemiology, Xiangya School of Public Health, Central South University, Changsha, China.
Qixiang SongHunan Provincial Key Laboratory of Clinical Epidemiology, Xiangya School of Public Health, Central South University, Changsha, China.
Zhenggang WangHunan Provincial Key Laboratory of Clinical Epidemiology, Xiangya School of Public Health, Central South University, Changsha, China.
Jie HuangHunan Provincial Key Laboratory of Clinical Epidemiology, Xiangya School of Public Health, Central South University, Changsha, China.
Ying LiuHunan Provincial Key Laboratory of Clinical Epidemiology, Xiangya School of Public Health, Central South University, Changsha, China.
Boqi LiHunan Provincial Key Laboratory of Clinical Epidemiology, Xiangya School of Public Health, Central South University, Changsha, China.
Qinghai ZengDepartment of Dermatology, The Third Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, China.
Yelin DengDepartment of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Soochow University, Suzhou, China.
Ewelina KrolLaboratory of Recombinant Vaccines, Intercollegiate Faculty of Biotechnology, University of Gdansk and Medical University of Gdansk, Gdansk, Poland.
Ricardo KhouriLaboratory of Precision Medicine and Public Health, Gonçalo Moniz Institute, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Salvador, Brazil.
Erik De ClercqDepartment of Microbiology, Immunology and Transplantation, Rega Institute for Medical Research, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.
Min ZhangInstitute of Hepatology and Department of Infectious Diseases, The Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, China.
Guangdi LiHunan Provincial Key Laboratory of Clinical Epidemiology, Xiangya School of Public Health, Central South University, Changsha, China.ORCID 0000-0001-8852-034

Funding

the National Natural Science Foundation of China 82430071the National Nature Science Foundation of China 92269112the Scientific Research Project of Hunan Health Commission C202303088786
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

This study aimed to investigate the role of the plasma lipid species in the progression from chronic hepatitis B (CHB) infection to cirrhosis. We conducted 2-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) and genome-wide mediation analyses to explore the causal relationship between CHB and cirrhosis, focusing on lipid species as potential mediators. The inverse variance weighted method was used as the primary analytical approach, supported by complementary estimators. Sensitivity analyses - including Cochran's Q test, MR-Egger intercept test, of Mendelian randomization pleiotropy residual sum and outlier global test, and leave-one-out analysis - were performed to assess robustness, heterogeneity, and horizontal pleiotropy. We found a significant positive association between CHB and cirrhosis (odds ratio = 1.206; 95% CI: 1.080 to 1.346; P = .001). Among 179 common lipid species analyzed, genetic predispositions for 29 were significantly associated with CHB and 4 with cirrhosis. Mediation analysis identified 2 lipid species - ceramide (d40:2) and phosphatidylcholine (18:2_20:4) - as potential mediators in the causal pathway from CHB to cirrhosis. Ceramide (d40:2) mediated 11.65% of the effect (mediation effect: 0.022; 95% CI: 0.002 to 0.049; P = .037), while phosphatidylcholine (18:2_20:4) mediated 6.62% (mediation effect: 0.012; 95% CI: -0.0003 to 0.030; P = .072). Overall, this study provides genetic evidence supporting the causal role of CHB in the development of cirrhosis and highlights ceramide (d40:2) and phosphatidylcholine (18:2_20:4) as key mediators in this process.

Indexed as

Hepatitis B, ChronicLipidsLiver CirrhosisCeramidesGenetic Predisposition to DiseaseGenome-Wide Association StudyHumansLipidomicsMendelian Randomization AnalysisPhosphatidylcholinesCeramidesLipidsPhosphatidylcholineschronic hepatitis BcirrhosismediationMendelian randomization

Identifiers

PMID41961698
PMCPMC13593292

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
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.