Monocyte to High-Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol Ratio at the Nexus of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus Patients With Metabolic-Associated Fatty Liver Disease

High sensitivity C-reactive protein implicates heterogeneous metabolic phenotypes and severity in metabolic dysfunction associated-steatotic liver disease

BACKGROUND

Whether include high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (Hs-CRP) in diagnostic flow remains debatable during the updated definition to metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) despite systemic inflammation contributes to the disease development and progression. We aimed to identify values of hs-CRP compared to other inflammatory markers derived from routine blood tests in MASLD.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

This cross-sectional study included consecutive participants (ultrasound-diagnosed MASLD: 1,006, healthy controls: 582), and 175 patients received liver biopsy., with 733 and 310 patients underwent magnetic resonance imaging proton density fat fraction for liver fat content (LFC) quantification and two-dimensional shear-wave elastography liver stiffness measurements (LSM), respectively.

RESULTS

Multiple linear regression analysis revealed a significant positive association between hs-CRP and LFC among overweight/obesity group patients (β 0.19, P = 0.03), and LSM among lean/normal weight group (β 0.30, P < 0.001). For the metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH), the hs-CRP and the ratio of monocytes to high-density lipoprotein both performed well in the overweight/obesity group and type 2 diabetes group (Overweight/obesity group, hs-CPR AUC 0.65 and 0.74, P = 0.02), bu no valuable inflammatory indicators were observed in MASH and liver fibrosis.

CONCLUSION

Hs-CRP levels are associated with LFC in overweight/obese MASLD and liver stiffness in lean MASLD patients, yet the reported AUC values suggest weak predictive ability.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

The study protocol was registered at the Chinese Clinical Trial Registry, (ChiCTR-ChiCTR2000034197), approved by the First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University institutional with the regional medical ethics committees (Approval number: [2020] No. 187), and performed in accordance with the ethical standards of the 1964 Declaration of Helsinki. Written informed consent was obtained from all the patients.

Monocytes to Apolipoprotein A1 ratio is associated with metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease in type 2 diabetes mellitus

The monocyte-to-Apolipoprotein A1 ratio (MAR) emerges as a potentially valuable inflammatory biomarker indicative of metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease (MASLD). Accordingly, this investigation primarily aims to assess the correlation between MAR and MASLD risk. A cohort comprising 957 individuals diagnosed with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) participated in this study. The relationship between MAR and MASLD was analyzed through binomial logistic regression analysis and restricted cubic splines (RCS). Furthermore, a comparative assessment of MAR and monocyte to high-density lipoprotein ratio (MHR) in identifying MASLD efficacy was conducted using receiver operating characteristic curve analysis. Remarkably, even after adjusting for metabolic parameters and hepatic functional markers, MAR stood out as an independent predictor for MASLD (OR 1.58, 95% CI 1.36-1.84; P < 0.001) and displayed a nonlinear positive association with MASLD risk according to RCS analysis (P for nonlinearity and overall < 0.001). Notably, MAR exhibited superior diagnostic accuracy for identifying MASLD compared to MHR (AUC: 0.772 vs 0.722, P < 0.001). In summary, MAR emerges as a promising inflammatory indicator for MASLD, demonstrating potential as a valuable screening tool to bolster the management of MASLD within the T2DM population.

Association between monocyte to high-density lipoprotein cholesterol ratio and kidney stone: insights from NHANES

Purpose

The ratio of monocyte to high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (MHR) has surfaced as a novel biomarker indicative of inflammation and oxidative stress. The aim of our study was to evaluate the association between MHR and the risk of kidney stones.

Methods

This study analyzed data from individuals aged 20-79 who participated in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) between 2007 and 2018. The MHR was assessed as the exposure variable, while a self-reported history of kidney stones was used as the outcome variable. The independent relationship between MHR and the risk of kidney stones was thoroughly evaluated.

Results

This study included 28,878 participants, and as the quartile range of the MHR increased, the proportion of kidney stones also rose progressively (7.20% to 8.89% to 10.88% to 12.05%, P<0.001). After adjusting for confounding factors, MHR was independently associated with an increased risk of kidney stones (OR=1.31, 95%CI=1.11-1.54, P=0.001), also independent of some common inflammatory indices. Subgroup analysis suggested that the relationship between MHR and kidney stones was more pronounced in female and individuals aged 20-49. Further restricted cubic spline (RCS) analysis indicated a nonlinear relationship between MHR and the risk of kidney stones.

Conclusion

Our results indicate a positive correlation between MHR and an increased risk of kidney stones in US adults, underscoring the need for further large-scale prospective cohort studies to validate these findings.

Association of systemic inflammatory indices with anthropometric measures, metabolic factors, and liver function in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease

The present cross-sectional study aimed to explore the relationship between systemic inflammatory indices (SIIs) and anthropometric measures, metabolic, and liver function biomarkers in patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). This study was carried out on 238 NAFLD patients with overweight or obesity, aged 18-55 years. Anthropometric measurements were done and body mass index (BMI), waist-to-hip ratio (WHR), and waist-to-height ratio (WHtR) were estimated. Metabolic factors including serum glucose, lipid profile, liver function biomarkers, and complete blood cell count were assessed after a 24-h fasting state. SIIs including the ratios of neutrophil to lymphocyte (NLR), monocytes to lymphocyte (MLR), platelet to lymphocyte (PLR), and monocytes to high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (MHR) were calculated. Results indicate that apart from PLR, all of the SIIs significantly changed by increasing steatosis severity (all p < 0.05). Moreover, changes in NLR showed a significant association with anthropometric indices including waist circumference (p = 0.032), BMI (p = 0.047), and WHtR (p = 0.002), as well as levels of fasting blood sugar (p = 0.045), triglycerides, (p = 0.025) and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (p = 0.006). The findings also indicate the relations between lipid profile and all studied SIIs, notably MHR and MLR. All of the SIIs exhibited associations with some liver function indices as well. MHR was positively correlated with the metabolic risk factors of NAFLD while, oppositely, PLR was considered as a preventive marker of NAFLD.

CRP/HDL-C and Monocyte/HDL-C ratios as Predictors of Metabolic Syndrome in Patients With Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus

Background

Metabolic syndrome (MetS) denotes a cluster of co-occurring medical conditions associated with regulating hyperglycemia and acute cardiovascular events and complications. The escalating frequency of MetS among individuals afflicted with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) underscores its burgeoning significance as a critical public health concern and a complex clinical conundrum. Timely identification is imperative to avert the expedited progression of diabetic complications.

Objective

To investigate the role of CRP/HDL-C and Monocyte/HDL ratios in predicting MetS in T2DM individuals.

Methods

The study was designed as a two-year prospective study and included 80 T2DM patients divided into MetS and non-MetS groups based on MetS development over two years. The patients' serums were analyzed for complete blood count parameters, lipid profile, and C-reactive protein (CRP). Based on the laboratory test results, Monocyte/HDL-C and CRP/HDL-C ratios were calculated and analyzed. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve and their corresponding areas under the curve (AUC) were used to determine prognostic accuracy.

Results

Monocyte/HDL-C ratio and CRP/HDL-C ratio were significantly higher in MetS-T2DM2 than in nonMetS-T2DM (p=0.003 and p=0.029, respectively). The results of ROC curve analysis have shown that the CRP/HDL-C ratio (AUC of 0.695) and Monocytes/HDL-C ratio (AUC of 0.645) can serve as good predictors of MetS in T2DM patients.

Conclusion

This study confirms the reliability of the Monocytes/HDL-C and CRP/HDL-C ratios as novel, simple, low-cost, and valuable predictors of MetS development in T2DM.

Increased Serum Adipsin Correlates with MAFLD and Metabolic Risk Abnormalities

PURPOSE

A panel of international experts proposed a new definition of fatty liver in 2020, namely metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD). As an adipokine, adipsin is closely related to metabolic-related diseases. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the relationship among MAFLD, serum adipsin, and metabolic risk abnormalities.

METHODS

Our study was a cross-sectional study based on the first follow-up of the Guangzhou Nutrition and Health Study (GNHS). A total of 908 patients with hepatic steatosis were involved in our study. Detailed data of patients were collected based upon questionnaire information, physical examination, and blood biochemical test.

RESULTS

Among the 908 patients, 789 patients were diagnosed with MAFLD. The levels of serum adipsin in the MAFLD group and non-MAFLD group were (3543.00 (3187.94-3972.50) ng/mL) and (3095.33 (2778.71-3354.77) ng/mL) (P < 0.001), respectively. After adjusting for potential confounders, adipsin levels were found to be associated with MAFLD. The OR was 3.46 (95% CI: 1.57-7.64) for adipsin when comparing subjects in the highest tertile with those in the lowest tertile. With the increase in the number of metabolic risk abnormalities, both the levels of serum adipsin and the proportion of moderate to severe fatty liver increased (all p-trend < 0.001).

CONCLUSION

Increased serum adipsin correlates with MAFLD. Both adipsin levels as well as fatty liver severity increase with higher numbers of metabolic risk abnormalities.

Combination model of neutrophil to high-density lipoprotein ratio and system inflammation response index is more valuable for predicting peripheral arterial disease in type 2 diabetic patients: A cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND

Neutrophil/high-density lipoprotein (HDL) ratio (NHR), monocyte/HDL ratio (MHR), lymphocyte/HDL ratio (LHR), platelet/HDL ratio (PHR), systemic immune-inflammation index (SII), system inflammation response index (SIRI), and aggregate index of systemic inflammation (AISI) have been recently investigated as novel inflammatory markers. Herein, the correlation was investigated between these inflammatory biomarkers and peripheral arterial disease (PAD) in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients.

METHODS

In this retrospective observational study, the hematological parameter data of 216 T2DM patients without PAD (T2DM-WPAD) and 218 T2DM patients with PAD (T2DM-PAD) at Fontaine stages II, III or IV stage had been collected. Differences in NHR, MHR, LHR, PHR, SII, SIRI, and AISI were analyzed, and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were used to analyze the diagnostic potential of these parameters.

RESULTS

The levels of NHR, MHR, PHR, SII, SIRI and AISI in T2DM-PAD patients were significantly higher than in T2DM-WPAD patients (P < 0.001). They were correlated with disease severity. Further, multifactorial logistic regression analyses showed that higher NHR, MHR, PHR, SII, SIRI, and AISI might be independent risk factors for T2DM-PAD (P < 0.001). The areas under the curve (AUCs) of the NHR, MHR, PHR, SII, SIRI, and AISI for T2DM-PAD patients was 0.703, 0.685, 0.606, 0.648, 0.711, and 0.670, respectively. The AUC of the NHR and SIRI combined model was 0.733.

CONCLUSION

The levels of NHR, MHR, PHR, SII, SIRI, and AISI were higher in T2DM-PAD patients, and they were independently linked with its clinical severity. The combination model of NHR and SIRI was most valuable for predicting T2DM - PAD.

Diagnostic performance of novel inflammatory biomarkers based on ratios of laboratory indicators for nonalcoholic fatty liver disease

INTRODUCTION

There is few effective biomarkers for diagnosing nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in clinical practice. This study was aimed to investigate the predictive ability of novel inflammatory biomarkers, including the monocyte to high-density lipoprotein cholesterol ratio (MHR), neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR), platelet to lymphocyte ratio (PLR), and lymphocyte to monocyte ratio (LMR), for NAFLD.

METHODS

A total of 4465 outpatients diagnosed with NAFLD and 3683 healthy controls were enrolled between May 2016 and November 2021 from the West China Hospital of Sichuan University, and anthropometric and laboratory examination data were collected. The two-sample Mann-Whitney U test and binary logistic regression analysis were used to evaluate the correlations between four inflammatory biomarkers and NAFLD. The areas under the curves (AUCs) of receiver operating characteristic were used to evaluate their predictive ability for NAFLD.

RESULTS

The MHR, NLR and LMR were higher in patients with NAFLD than in healthy controls (P<0.001), whereas the PLR was remarkably lower (P<0.001). The OR values of the MHR, NLR, PLR, and LMR were 1.599 (1.543-1.658), 1.250 (1.186-1.317), 0.987(0.986-0.988) and 1.111(1.083-1.139), respectively(P<0.001). After adjusting for confounding factors, MHR was still the most relevant risk factor for NAFLD compared with other inflammatory markers (P<0.001). The AUCs of the MHR, NLR, PLR, and LMR were as follows: 0.663 (0.651-0.675), 0.524 (0.512-0.537), 0.329 (0.318-0.341), and 0.543 (0.530-0.555), respectively (P<0.001). Furthermore, the diagnostic model combining the MHR with alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, total cholesterol, triglycerides, fasting blood glucose, creatinine, uric acid, and body mass index had the best AUC of 0.931 (0.925-0.936).

CONCLUSIONS

MHR was superior to NLR, PLR and LMR as an inflammatory biomarker in the prediction of NAFLD. When combined with relevant laboratory parameters, the MHR may improve the clinical noninvasive diagnosis of NAFLD.