Publications by authors named "Zhewen Ren"
Background: Observational studies have identified an inverse association between education and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). However, it is not possible to establish causality for this relationship.
Aims: To gain more insight into the causal nature of the relationship between education and NAFLD.
Background & Aims: Recent studies have unveiled an association between socioeconomic position (SEP) and intrahepatic lipid (IHL) content. The aim of this study was to examine to what extent traditional lifestyle factors mediate the relationship between SEP and IHL content, independent of aetiology, and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD).
Methods: We used cross-sectional data derived from The Maastricht Study (N = 4,001; mean age: 60 years, 49% women, 32% low education level, 21% diabetes, 21% NAFLD).
Cardiovascular Implications of Metabolic Dysfunction-Associated Fatty Liver Disease.
Endocrinol Metab Clin North Am
September 2023
Both nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD) have been associated with incident cardiovascular disease (CVD), independent of confounders. Causality has recently been inferred by Mendelian randomization studies. Although these findings have contributed to current guidelines that recommend screening for and treatment of cardiovascular risk factors, it not yet clear how to position NAFLD/MAFLD in cardiovascular risk estimation scores and, consequently, which treatment targets should be used.
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- The study investigated whether genetic predisposition to nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) increases the risk of pancreatic cancer using Mendelian randomization methods.
- Data from multiple genome-wide association studies involving thousands of individuals were analyzed, using various statistical methods to predict the genetic heritability of NAFLD.
- Results showed no association between genetically predicted NAFLD and pancreatic cancer risk, suggesting that any observed links might instead stem from related metabolic issues like obesity or diabetes.
Article Synopsis
- The study investigates how dietary patterns influence glucose metabolism and explores the role of metabolites in this relationship, focusing on prediabetes and type 2 diabetes.
- Data was collected from The Maastricht Study involving 3441 participants, and both short-term and long-term effects were analyzed through various dietary patterns and their related metabolites.
- Results indicated that certain metabolites, particularly APOA1 and DHA, were consistently associated with improved glucose metabolism, suggesting that a healthy diet could potentially mitigate diabetes risk through metabolic pathways.
Background And Aims: There is an ongoing debate on whether NAFLD is an active contributor or an innocent bystander in the pathogenesis of coronary artery disease (CAD). The aim of the present study was to assess the causal relationship between NAFLD and CAD.
Approach And Results: We performed two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) analyses using summary-level data to assess the association between genetically predicted NAFLD (i.
Article Synopsis
- This study examined the nutrient intakes of tuberculosis (TB) patients in two impoverished counties in China, revealing significant deficiencies in energy and protein intake compared to dietary guidelines.
- The average daily energy intake for male and female patients was notably below the recommended levels, with 87.4% of males and 59.9% of females failing to meet these standards.
- Factors such as unemployment increased the risk of low energy intake, while eating out was associated with better protein intake among these patients, indicating a need for targeted public health interventions.
To reduce smoking-related diseases, a research priority is to develop effective interventions for smoking cessation, and evidence from randomized controlled trials (RCTs) is usually considered to be the most valid. However, findings from RCTs may still be misleading due to methodological flaws. This study aims to assess the quality of 1083 RCTs of smoking cessation interventions in 41 relevant Cochrane Systematic Reviews (CSRs).
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