Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40082781›Full record

ArticleBMC gastroenterology2025

Estimated sdLDL-C as a biomarker of hepatic steatosis severity in MASLD: a retrospective study.

Shuo Jiang, Fan Zhang, Hui Yang, Xue Han, Jieru Mao, Guojun Zheng, Yan Fan

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in BMC gastroenterology, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
5citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

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Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

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3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

5 citing papers in PubMed.

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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors.

Shuo Jiang *Center of Medical Laboratory, Changzhou Third People's Hospital, Changzhou, Jiangsu, China.ORCID http://orcid.org/0009-0001-3675-3464
Fan Zhang *Department of Endocrinology, Changzhou Third People's Hospital, Changzhou, Jiangsu, China.
Hui YangCenter of Medical Laboratory, Changzhou Third People's Hospital, Changzhou, Jiangsu, China.
Xue HanCenter of Medical Laboratory, Changzhou Third People's Hospital, Changzhou, Jiangsu, China.
Jieru MaoCenter of Medical Laboratory, Changzhou Third People's Hospital, Changzhou, Jiangsu, China.
Guojun ZhengCenter of Medical Laboratory, Changzhou Third People's Hospital, Changzhou, Jiangsu, China. immu_zheng@126.com.
Yan FanCenter of Medical Laboratory, Changzhou Third People's Hospital, Changzhou, Jiangsu, China. 369726775@qq.com.

Funding

Natural Science Foundation of Changzhou Municipality CJ20220226Natural Science Foundation of Changzhou Municipality CJ20230075Natural Science Foundation of Changzhou Municipality CJ20245033
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundMetabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) is the most prevalent chronic liver disease worldwide. However, there is a lack of cost-effective and accurate biomarkers to assess the degree of hepatic steatosis. Estimated small dense low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (EsdLDL-C), a calculated value derived from triglyceride (TG) and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) levels, has emerged as a potential indicator. This study aimed to explore the relationship between EsdLDL-C and the severity of hepatic steatosis.

methodsThis single-center retrospective study estimated and directly measured small dense low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (sdLDL-C) in 1,969 patients who underwent serum lipid testing at Changzhou Third People's Hospital between January and July 2024. Among these, 461 patients diagnosed with MASLD were included in the study. These patients were further classified into mild (Mil) and moderate-to-severe (Mod-Sev) groups based on controlled attenuation parameter (CAP) values to explore the relationship between EsdLDL-C and the severity of hepatic steatosis.

resultsThe correlation coefficient (R) between EsdLDL-C and DsdLDL-C was 0.837, with a bias of 0.223. Both EsdLDL-C (OR 1.095, 95% CI 1.029-1.180) and visceral fat area (VFA) (OR 1.019, 95% CI 1.010-1.028) were identified as independent risk factors for Mod-Sev steatosis compared to the Mil group. After adjusting for all confounders, patients with MASLD had a 1.155-fold increased risk of developing Mod-Sev hepatic steatosis for each unit increase in EsdLDL-C. Furthermore, EsdLDL-C demonstrated good predictive value for Mod-Sev steatosis in MASLD patients, with an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.825 (95% CI 0.784-0.867).

conclusionsEsdLDL-C may serve as a practical and cost-effective biomarker for identifying high-risk MASLD patients.

trial registrationThe retrospective study was approved by the Ethics Committee of Changzhou Third People's Hospital (02 A-A20230015), and a waiver of informed consent was agreed to, as the data were obtained from medical records, and a waiver of informed consent would not have affected the participants.

Indexed as

Cholesterol, LDLFatty LiverAdultAgedBiomarkersFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedRetrospective StudiesSeverity of Illness IndexTriglyceridesBiomarkersCholesterol, LDLTriglyceridesDsdLDL-CEsdLDL-CMASLDRetrospective study

Identifiers

PMID40082781
PMCPMC11907928

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.