Blood lead level is associated with advanced liver fibrosis in patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease: A nationwide survey (NHANES 2011–2016)

Association of Cholecystectomy With Liver Fibrosis and Cirrhosis Among Adults in the USA: A Population-Based Propensity Score-Matched Study

“…Furthermore, current alcohol use was categorized as none, moderate (>0 to ≤ 2 drinks/d for men or >0 to ≤ 1 drink/d for women), heavy (>2 to <5 drinks/d for men or >1 to <4 drink/d for women) or binge (≥5 drinks/d for men or ≥4 drink/d for women) based on recommendations from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) in the National Institute of Health. On the other hand, smoking was categorized according to the serum cotinine levels into low (<0.015 ng/ml), moderate (0.015–3 ng/ml) and high levels (>3 ng/ml) ( 21 ). Moreover, the participants were categorized into three groups: active (≥the recommended level of activity), less active (< the recommended level of activity) and inactive (no activity), based on evidence that more than 75 min of vigorous or 150 min of moderate physical activity per week is recommended for Americans ( 22 ).…”

Association of Serum Vitamin C With NAFLD and MAFLD Among Adults in the United States

“…In addition, alcohol consumption was classified as none, moderate (1 drink/day for women or 1-2 drinks/day for men), heavy (2-3 drinks/day for women or 3-4 drinks/day for men), or binge (≥4 drinks/day for women or ≥5 drinks/day for men) according to definitions from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) in the National Institute of Health. Smoking was classified based on serum cotinine levels into low (<0.015 ng/ml), moderate (0.015-3 ng/ml), and high levels (>3 ng/ml) (25). Moreover, based on Physical Activity Guidelines recommendation of ≥75 min/week of vigorous or ≥150 min/week of moderate physical activity, participants were classified into three groups, namely active (≥the level of recommended activity), less active (<the level of recommended activity), and inactive (no physical activity) (26).…”

Targeting CC chemokine ligand (CCL) 20 by miR-143-5p alleviate lead poisoning-induced renal fibrosis by regulating interstitial fibroblasts excessive proliferation and dysfunction

“…Therefore, excessive interstitial fibroblast proliferation and ECM deposition are recognized as the key pathogenic contributors to renal interstitial fibrosis. Noticeably, increased serum lead level has been proven to be independently associated with an increased risk of advanced fibrosis [ 9 ]. In this study, analogously with our previous findings [ 17 ], lead exposure induced fibroblast proliferation and abundant ECM-related collagen I, fibronectin expression.…”

“…Although lead contamination has declined over the last few decades, it remains a critical public health issue in high-income and lower- and middle-income countries [ 8 , 10 ]. Accumulating evidence supports the idea that lead exposure is associated with various chronic fibrotic progression, including renal fibrosis [ 7 , 9 , 11 ]. Decreased creatinine clearance and increased albuminuria have been observed among lead-exposed populations, which ultimately impair renal function and result in fibrosis in peritubular and interstitial lesions [ 4 , 11 ].…”

“…Except for common pathogenic risk factors, nephrotoxicity caused by chronic exposure to environmental toxins (for example, heavy-metals) has frequently been reported in epidemiological studies [ 7 , 8 ]. Among them, lead poisoning is a common heavy-metals contamination in environmental water, soil, and dust, and has been reported to induce various toxicities in the cardiovascular, liver, and renal systems [ 8 , 9 ]. Although lead contamination has declined over the last few decades, it remains a critical public health issue in high-income and lower- and middle-income countries [ 8 , 10 ].…”