The role played by serum folate in the progression of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) remains controversial. The purpose of this study was to investigate the association of serum folate with NAFLD and advanced liver fibrosis (AHF). We conducted a cross-sectional study with 5417 participants using 2011–2018 NHANES data. Multiple logistic regression analysis and propensity score matching analysis were used to investigate the association of serum folate with NAFLD and AHF. In the completely adjusted model, participants in the high serum folate group had a 27% (OR 0.73, 95% CI 0.62, 0.87, p = 0.0003) and 53% (OR 0.47, 95% CI 0.35, 0.63, p < 0.0001) lower odds of suffering from NAFLD and AHF, respectively, compared to the low serum folate group. The similar results in propensity score matching further validated the above association. Stratified analysis showed that the negative correlation of serum folate with NAFLD and AHF demonstrated a broad consistency across populations. The results of this study indicate that higher serum folate level was associated with lower odds of NAFLD and AHF among US adults. Further prospective studies are necessary due to the limitations of cross-sectional studies.

Objectives In this study, assessing whether coffee consumption and caffeine intake were associated with periodontitis infection separately was set as the objective. Materials and Methods Divided into binary and continuous categories, coffee consumption was set as the exposure variable along with caffeine intake and periodontitis infection as the outcome variables. Other covariables were regarded as potential confounders. The cross-sectional study was conducted based on the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, with multivariate regression models, subgroup analyses, smooth fitting curves, and threshold effect examinations conducted to pursue a definite correlation between exposures and the outcome. Results Negative associations were discovered between binary coffee consumption and caffeine intake and periodontitis infection, with all confounders adjusted. In subgroup analyses stratified by sex, diabetes mellitus status, and hypertension status, interaction and threshold effects were observed, which were revealed intuitively by smooth-fitting curves. Conclusions Significant negative associations between binary consumption and caffeine intake and periodontitis infection separately were indicated, with no evidence suggesting a credible correlation between continuous coffee consumption and periodontitis infection risk. The benefits of the behavior of consuming coffee and consuming caffeine were more obvious among males and individuals who do not suffer from diabetes or hypertension.

Currently, tuberculosis (TB) is the second most lethal disease in the world caused by a single infectious pathogen. Rapid diagnosis of TB is of great importance for its treatment and management. Xpert MTB/RIF is a novel rapid diagnostic assay for the diagnosis of pulmonary TB (PTB). Use of the Xpert assay based on bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) samples is indicated when TB is suspected and sputum smears or cultures are negative. The aim of this meta-analysis was to systematically evaluate the diagnostic performance of the Xpert assay based on BALF samples for the diagnosis of PTB. A systematic review of previously published articles was performed, and relevant data were extracted. Meta-DiSc 1.4 and Stata 12.0 were used to analyze the data. When Mycobacterium tuberculosis cultures were used as the criterion standard, the combined sensitivity of BALF-based Xpert was 0.89 (95% CI, 0.87–0.91), the specificity was 0.87 (95% CI, 0.85-0.88), the positive likelihood ratio was 8.28 (95% CI, 5.39–12.71), the negative likelihood ratio was 0.14 (95% CI, 0.10–0.19) and the diagnostic ratio was 84.08 (95% CI, 42.00–168.31). When composite reference standard was used as the criterion standard, the above observations were 0.69 (95% CI, 0.67–0.72), 0.98 (95% CI, 0.97–0.98), 41.40 (95% CI, 14.56–117.71), 0.28 (95% CI, 0.21–0.37) and 190.47 (95% CI, 50.56–717.54), respectively. The area under the summary receiver operating characteristic curve was close to 1 for both. Overall, the Xpert MTB/RIF assay based on BALF samples showed high sensitivity and specificity for the diagnosis of PTB and seems to be a reliable rapid detection method.

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a globally widespread ribonucleic acid virus that transmits through blood and sexual contact. Its morbidity and mortality are particularly higher in economically underdeveloped areas. Therefore, an economical and effective diagnostic method for detection of HCV is urgently needed. In this study, we evaluated the diagnostic accuracy of the SD BIOLINE rapid diagnostic test for HCV detection. We searched for studies related to SD BIOLINE and HCV in PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and the Cochrane Library and then designed inclusion and exclusion criteria. After extracting valid data, the included literature was evaluated with the quality assessment tool Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies. After our data analysis, the sensitivity, specificity, positive likelihood ratio, negative likelihood ratio, diagnostic accuracy, summary receiver operating characteristic curve, funnel plot, box plot, and Fagan plot of the diagnostic method were determined. Nine articles with nine sets of data were finally included. The sensitivity and specificity were 0.94 and 0.98, respectively, the positive likelihood ratio was 79.53, the negative likelihood ratio was 0.05, the diagnostic odds ratio was 1590.32, and the summary receiver operating characteristic curve was 0.9958. The SD BIOLINE test has the advantages of high sensitivity, high specificity, low cost, and easy operation for diagnosing HCV. Therefore, we recommend using SD BIOLINE for rapid and effective screening of HCV, which is especially applicable for economically underdeveloped areas.