Basic Study
Copyright ©The Author(s) 2021.
World J Gastroenterol. Jul 7, 2021; 27(25): 3863-3876
Published online Jul 7, 2021. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v27.i25.3863
Table 1 Clinical characteristics of patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease and controls
Variables
NAFLD (n = 59)
Controls (n = 93)
P value
Sex (M/F)43/1659/340.227
Age (year)38.20 ± 13.7842.20 ± 11.050.039
BMI (kg/m2)27.31 ± 3.3123.06 ± 2.74< 0.0001
ALT (U/L)70.56 ± 47.624.98 ± 16.07< 0.0001
GGT (U/L)72.75 ± 55.22 25.94 ± 18.17< 0.0001
ALP (U/L)97.07 ± 44.7396.50 ± 32.540.347
TC (mmol/L)4.86 ± 0.864.39 ± 0.890.001
TG (mmol/L)1.99 ± 1.251.14 ± 0.74< 0.0001
HDL-C (mmol/L)1.20 ± 0.281.23 ± 0.280.177
LDL-C (mmol/L)2.83 ± 0.72.24 ± 0.50< 0.0001
FBG (mmol/L)5.93 ± 2.625.31 ± 0.790.941
UA (μmol/L)361.32 ± 105.78274.25 ± 76.53< 0.0001
CAP (dB/m)313 (277-351)212 (172-232)< 0.0001
LSM (kPa)7.7 (5.6-12)5.25 (4.1-7.0)< 0.0001
Hypertension, n (%)22 (37.29%)15 (16.13%)0.003
T2DM, n (%)7 (11.86%)1 (1.08%)0.005
Obesity, n (%)41 (69.49%)19 (20.43%)< 0.0001
Steatosis (S, n)
S1/S2/S325/25/9//
Activity (A, n)
A0/A1/A2/A3/A41/12/16/22/8//
Fibrosis (F, n)
F0/F1/F2/F3/F411/29/8/7/4//
Table 2 Clinical characteristics of patients with nonalcoholic steatohepatitis and nonalcoholic fatty liver among patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease
Variable
NAFL (n = 22)
NASH (n = 37)
P value
Sex (M/F)17/526/110.559
Age (year)37.23 ± 13.6438.78 ± 14.010.605
BMI (kg/m2)27.07 ± 3.6927.38 ± 3.170.675
ALP (U/L)102.96 ± 52.3493.56 ± 39.910.982
GGT (U/L)38.00 (23.80-69.03)69.70 (39.00-85.50)0.023
ALT (U/L)46.00 (30.33-64.95)71.40 (46.9-111.70)0.006
TC (mmol/L)5.03 ± 1.044.76 ± 0.720.801
TG (mmol/L)1.91 ± 0.742.04 ± 1.480.532
HDL-C (mmol/L)1.21 ± 0.281.19 ± 0.280.903
LDL-C (mmol/L)2.97 ± 0.912.72 ± 0.490.444
FBG (mmol/L)6.43 ± 3.595.62 ± 1.770.318
UA (μmol/L)360.91 ± 107.80361.62 ± 106.220.482
CAP (dB/m)295.50 (249.25-345.00)333.00 (296.25-356.25)0.038
LSM (kPa)6.20 (4.55-9.95)9.60 (6.50-12.85)0.008
Obesity, n (%)16 (72.73)25 (60.97)0.677
Hypertension, n (%)8 (36.36)14 (37.84)0.910
T2DM, n (%)3 (13.64)4 (10.81)0.746
Table 3 Genotype distribution of PPARGC1A rs8192678 and patatin-like phospholipase domain-containing protein 3 rs738409 in patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease and controls
Genotype
NAFLD (n = 59)
Controls (n = 93)
χ2
P value
OR (95%CI)
PPARGC1A rs8192678
GG14 (23.73%)39 (41.94%)
GA37 (62.71%)37 (39.78%)7.1480.0082.786 (1.300-5.962)
AA8 (13.56%)17 (18.28%)0.2620.6091.311 (0.464-3.704)
GA+AA45 (76.27%)54 (58.06%)5.2690.0222.321 (1.121-4.806)
PNPLA3 rs738409
CC12 (20.34%)35 (37.63%)
CG27 (45.76%)43 (46.24%)2.1520.1421.831 (0.812-4.131)
GG20 (33.90%)15 (16.13%)8.4230.0043.889 (1.524-9.926)
CG + GG47 (79.56%)58 (62.37%)5.0550.0252.364 (1.105-5.055)
Table 4 Association tests of PPARGC1A rs8192678 polymorphism between different groups
PPARGC1A rs8192678Case

Control

Dominant model
GG
GA
AA
GG
GA
AA
χ2
P value
OR (95%CI)
NAFLD vs Control 143783937175.2690.0222.321 (1.121-4.806)
NASH vs Control52843937179.5500.0024.622 (1.653-12.929)
NASH vs NAFL52849945.7210.0174.431 (1.245-15.763)
Obese vs nonobese participants1733103641151.8640.1721.626 (0.807-3.276)
Obese NAFLD vs nonobese NAFLD927551030.2350.6281.368 (0.384-4.865)
Obese NASH vs nonobese NASH41921920.4080.3480.477 (0.047-4.806)
Obese NAFL vs nonobese NAFL583411 2.2640.1324.400 (0.596-32.501)
Obese NASH vs obese NAFL41925831.3240.2502.386 (0.531-10.734)
Nonobese NASH vs nonobese NAFL1924116.7850.02122.000 (1.540-314.292)
Table 5 Multiple logistic regression analysis of predictive factors for nonalcoholic fatty liver disease
Variables
B
S.E.
Wald
OR (95%CI)
P value
Age (year)-0.031 0.015 4.236 0.970 (0.942-0.999)0.040
Sex (Male)-0.233 0.385 0.365 0.793 (0.373-1.686)0.546
PPARGC1A rs8192678 A allele0.789 0.388 4.148 2.202 (1.030-4.705)0.042
PNPLA3 rs738409 G allele0.857 0.403 4.524 2.356 (1.070-5.191)0.033
Table 6 Association of the PPARGC1A genotypes with steatosis, activity, and fibrosis in patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease
Histological features
Genotypes
Dominant model
Multivariate analysis1
GG (n = 14)
GA + AA (n = 45)
P value
OR (95%CI)
P value
OR (95%CI)
Steatosis (S)S110 (71.43%)15 (33.33%)
S2-34 (28.57%)30 (66.67%)0.0125.000 (1.343-18.620)0.0116.190 (1.508-25.410)
Activity (A)A < 26 (42.86%)7 (15.56%)
A ≥ 28 (57.14%)38 (84.44%)0.0314.071 (1.076-15.402)0.0404.506 (1.070-18.978)
Significant fibrosisF0-112 (85.71%)28 (62.22%)
F2-42 (14.29%)17 (37.78%)0.1003.643 (0.726-18.292)0.1863.449 (0.551-21.598)
Advanced fibrosisF0-213 (92.86%)35 (77.78%)
F3-41 (7.14%)10 (22.22%)0.2063.714 (0.432-31.949)0.4262.549 (0.255-25.490)
NASHNAFL9 (64.28%)13 (28.89%)
NASH5 (35.71%)32 (71.11%)0.0174.431 (1.245-15.763)0.0356.337 (1.135-35.392)
Table 7 Biochemical and genetic characteristics of patients with nonobese nonalcoholic fatty liver disease
Variables
NAFL (n = 6)
NASH (n = 12)
P value
Sex (M/F)4/210/20.569
Age (year)35.33 ± 18.4439.67 ± 4.800.452
BMI (kg/m2)22.83 ± 1.6123.69 ± 0.900.122
ALP (U/L)123.32 ± 77.6284.25 ± 23.280.426
GGT (U/L)28.50 (21.18-85.00)73.25 (54.75-99.25)0.068
ALT (U/L)42.00 (21.78-78.50)71.15 (41.10-115.25)0.325
TC (mmol/L)5.11 ± 0.554.96 ± 1.020.606
TG (mmol/L)2.00 ± 0.431.77 ± 0.950.371
HDL-C (mmol/L)1.10 ± 0.161.24 ± 0.440.943
LDL-C (mmol/L)3.16 ± 0.462.82 ± 0.800.524
FBG (mmol/L)5.03 ± 0.945.24 ± 0.850.587
UA (μmol/L)360.86 ± 167.34354.17 ± 67.430.684
CAP (dB/m)257.00 ± 57.03316.73 ± 43.480.056
LSM (kPa)6.95 ± 4.076.79 ± 2.060.421
PPARGC1A rs8162678
GG, n (%) 4 (66.67)1 (8.33)
GA + AA, n (%)2 (33.33)11 (91.67)0.021
PNPLA3 rs738409
CC, n (%)2 (33.33)1 (8.33)
CG + GG, n (%)4 (66.67)11 (91.67)0.245