Pentraxin 3 and the TyG Index as Two Novel Markers to Diagnose NAFLD in Children

Abstract

Background. The diagnosis of NAFLD requires a liver biopsy, which is difficult in children. This study explored the diagnostic value of pentraxin 3 (PTX-3) and the triglyceride-glucose (TyG) index for NAFLD in children. Methods. Sixty-eight children with NAFLD were selected as study subjects, and 68 healthy children enrolled during the same period served as controls. The TyG index was calculated, serum PTX-3 expression was detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, and the correlations between PTX-3 or the TyG index and clinical and biochemical indicators were analyzed. A receiver operating characteristics curve analysis and area under the curve (AUC) were used to evaluate diagnostic accuracy. Results. Serum PTX-3 level and the TyG index of the NAFLD patients were significantly higher than those of the healthy controls ( P < 0.001 ), which was closely related with the BMI, ALT, and insulin resistance. The AUC of PTX-3 for diagnosing NAFLD was 0.731 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.646-0.806), and the AUC of the TyG index for diagnosing NAFLD was 0.765 (95% CI 0.682-0.835). The AUC of PTX-3, the TyG index, and ALT for the combined diagnosis of NAFLD was 0.964 (95% CI 0.916-0.989). Conclusion. PTX-3 and the TyG index are novel diagnostic biomarkers for NAFLD, as they effectively improved the diagnostic accuracy for NAFLD when combined with ALT.

The Diagnostic and Prognostic Value of the Triglyceride-Glucose Index in Metabolic Dysfunction-Associated Fatty Liver Disease (MAFLD): A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

“…The comprehensive computer literature search from PubMed, MEDLINE, Web of Science, EMBASE and the Cochrane Library revealed 4722 articles, as shown in Figure 1 . Ultimately, 20 studies involving 165,725 participants were included [ 10 , 21 , 22 , 23 , 24 , 25 , 26 , 27 , 28 , 29 , 30 , 31 , 32 , 33 , 34 , 35 , 36 , 37 , 38 , 39 ].…”

“…The detailed situation of the included studies is presented in Table 2 . The regions included China [ 10 , 21 , 22 , 23 , 25 , 26 , 27 , 28 , 29 , 30 , 31 , 32 , 33 , 34 ] (n = 14), Iran [ 35 , 36 ] (n = 2), Korea [ 37 , 38 , 39 ] (n = 3) and Japan [ 24 ] (n = 1). Two studies [ 21 , 30 ] included only children, and 12 studies included only adults.…”

“…The regions included China [ 10 , 21 , 22 , 23 , 25 , 26 , 27 , 28 , 29 , 30 , 31 , 32 , 33 , 34 ] (n = 14), Iran [ 35 , 36 ] (n = 2), Korea [ 37 , 38 , 39 ] (n = 3) and Japan [ 24 ] (n = 1). Two studies [ 21 , 30 ] included only children, and 12 studies included only adults. Six studies had comorbid conditions (obesity [ 35 , 39 ], chronic kidney disease (CKD) [ 37 ], T2D [ 27 ], MetS [ 34 ], and obesity/T2D [ 36 ]).…”

“…( A ) Overall assessment of the quality for included studies. ( B ) Methodological quality summary for included studies [ 10 , 21 , 22 , 23 , 24 , 25 , 26 , 27 , 28 , 29 , 30 , 31 , 32 , 33 , 34 , 35 , 36 , 37 , 38 , 39 ].…”

Study on Syndrome Intervention of Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease from the Perspective of Deficiency and Excess

“…Overwork depletes vitality, and Qi plays a role in promoting body fluid movement in the body [ 12 ]. If the body fluid is not running smoothly, it will cause various diseases including the nonalcoholic fatty liver.…”