Evidence mapPaperPMID 42130883Full record

ArticleFrontiers in public health2026

Association of heavy metal mixtures with liver function biomarkers: multi-model analysis identifies cadmium as the primary driver.

Honglong Zhang, Xingwang Zhu, Meng Tian, Tingting Wang, Ruipeng Wang, Mingtong Zhang, Jun Yan, Xun Li

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Frontiers in public health, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing 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

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. 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

8 authors.

Honglong ZhangDepartment of Breast and Thyroid Surgery, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China.
Xingwang ZhuThe First School of Clinical Medicine, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China.
Meng TianThe First School of Clinical Medicine, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China.
Tingting WangThe First School of Clinical Medicine, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China.
Ruipeng WangThe First School of Clinical Medicine, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China.
Mingtong ZhangGansu Provincial Institute of Drug Control, Lanzhou, China.
Jun YanThe First School of Clinical Medicine, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China.
Xun LiThe First School of Clinical Medicine, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Background: Evidence regarding the hepatotoxic effects of co-exposure to multiple heavy metals in the general middle-aged and older adults population remains limited. This study aimed to investigate the association between heavy metal mixtures and liver function in the population of Northwest China, with key findings supported using an animal model. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study involving 451 participants from the Dongdagou Xinglong cohort. Concentrations of heavy metals and liver function indices were measured. Multiple linear regression, Bayesian kernel machine regression (BKMR), weighted quantile sum (WQS), and quantile-based g-computation (Qgcomp) regression were employed to evaluate the combined effects of co-exposure to multiple heavy metals on liver function. A sub-chronic cadmium (Cd) exposure rat model was further established to validate population-based findings. Results: Multiple linear regression analysis revealed that blood Cd was positively correlated with GGT (β = 0.236), TBA (β = 0.162), ALT (β = 0.142) and AST (β = 0.114), while negatively correlated with DBil (β = -0.207), TBil (β = -0.166) and IBil (β = -0.157) (all Conclusions: Overall, our study shows that co-exposure to heavy metals is associated with liver function biomarkers in middle-aged and older adults, with Cd identified as the predominant factor associated with liver function biomarkers.

Indexed as

BiomarkersCadmiumLiverMetals, HeavyAdultAnimalsChinaCross-Sectional StudiesFemaleHumansLiver Function TestsMaleMiddle AgedRatsBiomarkersCadmiumMetals, HeavyBKMRcadmiumheavy metal mixtureliver function biomarkersQgcompWQS

Identifiers

PMID42130883
PMCPMC13161090

What Socratic holds

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LicenceCC BY
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.