Telemonitoring-Supported Exercise Training in Employees With Metabolic Syndrome Improves Liver Inflammation and Fibrosis

Research trends and hotspots in exercise interventions for liver cirrhosis: A bibliometric analysis via CiteSpace

Cirrhosis is a chronic liver disease with severe consequences for a patient's health and survival. Exercise is an essential therapeutic strategy for both cirrhosis prevention and treatment. On the other hand, information regarding the present status of exercise-related research in cirrhosis is limited. Therefore, this study seeks to close the information gap in the scientific literature by using bibliometric techniques to analyze the trends, focal points, and cutting-edge research areas on exercise and cirrhosis. On September 22, 2023, research articles and reviews on exercise intervention for cirrhosis were obtained and downloaded from the Web of Science Core Collection (WoSCC). Subsequently, we employed CiteSpace (version 6.1.R6) to conduct bibliometric and knowledge graph analyses. 588 papers in 301 scholarly journals were written by 673 authors from 460 institutions spread over 63 countries and regions. The most productive nation among them is the United States. Not only is Zobair M. Younossi 1 of the most prolific writers, but he also receives the most co-citations. Most articles were published by the University of Michigan in the US, with the University of Alberta in Canada coming in second. Meanwhile, the WORLD JOURNAL OF GASTROENTEROLOGY has the most published articles, whereas HEPATOLOGY has the greatest number of co-citations. Apart from the theme words, the most frequently utilized keywords were "quality of life," "insulin resistance," and "mortality." Future research may concentrate on "obesity," "sarcopenia," and "Mediterranean diet," according to the analysis of keyword emergence. CiteSpace is used in this work to visually represent the topic of exercise intervention in cirrhosis, offering valuable information to researchers regarding the field's current status and possible future direction.

Association of food intake with a risk of metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease: a cross-sectional study

Background

Metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD) is a common liver disease, the risk of which can be increased by poor diet. The objective of this study was to evaluate the associations between food items and MAFLD, and to propose reasonable dietary recommendations for the prevention of MAFLD.

Methods

Physical examination data were collected from April 2015 through August 2017 at Nanping First Hospital (n = 3,563). Dietary intakes were assessed using a semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire. The association between food intake and the risk of MAFLD was assessed by using the inverse probability weighted propensity score.

Results

Beverages (soft drinks and sugar-sweetened beverages) and instant noodles were positively associated with MAFLD risk, adjusting for smoking, drinking, tea intake, and weekly hours of physical activity [adjusted odds ratio (ORadjusted): 1.568; P = 0.044; ORadjusted: 4.363; P = 0.001]. Milk, tubers, and vegetables were negatively associated with MAFLD risk (ORadjusted: 0.912; P = 0.002; ORadjusted: 0.633; P = 0.007; ORadjusted: 0.962; P = 0.028). In subgroup analysis, the results showed that women [odds ratio (OR): 0.341, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.172-0.676] had a significantly lower risk of MAFLD through consuming more tubers than men (OR: 0.732, 95% CI: 0.564-0.951).

Conclusions

These findings suggest that reducing consumption of beverages (soft drinks and sugar-sweetened beverages) and instant noodles, and consuming more milk, vegetables, and tubers may reduce the risk of MAFLD.

Hypothyroidism and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease: A coincidence or a causal relationship?

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a global problem. It may be caused by metabolic and hormonal disorders, including hypothyroidism. However, non-thyroid causes of NAFLD in people with hypothyroidism, including improper eating behavior and low physical activity, should be acknowledged. This study aimed to present the current literature on whether the development of NAFLD is related to hypothyroidism or a typical consequence of an unhealthy lifestyle in people with hypothyroidism. The results of previous studies do not allow for an unequivocal determination of the pathogenetic relationship between hypothyroidism and NAFLD. Important non-thyroid-initiating factors include providing too many calories in relation to requirements, consuming excessive amounts of monosaccharides and saturated fats, being overweight, and maintaining low physical activity levels. The recommended nutritional model for both hypothyroidism and NAFLD may be the Mediterranean diet, which is rich in fruits and vegetables, polyunsaturated fatty acids, and vitamin E.

Comparison of the prognostic value of a comprehensive set of predictors in identifying risk of metabolic-associated fatty liver disease among employed adults

Objective

Metabolic-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD) is of concern in employed adults, while the crucial indicators in predicting MAFLD are understudied in this population. We aimed to investigate and compare the prediction performance of a set of indicators for MAFLD in employed adults.

Methods

A cross-sectional study recruiting 7968 employed adults was conducted in southwest China. MAFLD was assessed by abdominal ultrasonography and physical examination. Comprehensive indicators of demographics, anthropometric, lifestyle, psychological, and biochemical indicators were collected by questionnaire or physical examination. All indicators were evaluated for importance in predicting MAFLD by random forest. A prognostic model based on multivariate regression model was constructed to obtain a prognostic index. All indicators and prognostic index were compared to evaluate their prediction performance in predicting MAFLD by the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve, calibration plot, and Decision curve analysis (DCA).

Results

Triglyceride Glucose-Body Mass Index (TyG-BMI), BMI, TyG, triglyceride (TG)/high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-C), and TG ranked the top five important indicators, and TyG-BMI performed the most accurate prediction of MAFLD according to the ROC curve, calibration plot and DCA. The area under the ROC curves (AUCs) of the five indicators were all over 0.7, with TyG-BMI (cut-off value: 218.284, sensitivity: 81.7%, specificity: 78.3%) suggesting the most sensitive and specific indicator. All five indicators showed higher prediction performance and net benefit than the prognostic model.

Conclusion

This epidemiological study firstly compared a set of indicators to evaluate their prediction performance in predicting MAFLD risk among employed adults. Intervention targeting powerful predictors can be helpful to reduce the MAFLD risk among employed adults.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12889-023-15365-9.

The Effectiveness of Wearable Devices in Non-Communicable Diseases to Manage Physical Activity and Nutrition: Where We Are?

Wearable devices are increasingly popular in clinical and non-clinical populations as a tool for exercise prescription, monitoring of daily physical activity and nutrition, and health-related parameters management. In this regard, smart devices not only assist people in pursuing a healthier lifestyle, but also provide a constant stream of physiological and metabolic data for management of non-communicable diseases (NCDs). Although the benefits of lifestyle-based interventions (exercise and nutrition) for NCDs are well known, the potential of wearable devices to promote healthy behaviors in clinical populations is still controversial. In this narrative review, we aimed to discuss the current application of wearable devices in NCDs, highlighting their role in prescribing and monitoring daily physical activity and dietary habits in the population living with chronic diseases. None of the studies considered specifically addressed the efficacy of the use of wearable devices, and limited are those that incorporate monitoring of both physical activity and nutrition for NCDs. However, there is evidence that such devices have helped improve physical activity levels, physical fitness, body composition, and metabolic and psychological parameters. Therefore, the authors believe that the benefits obtained from the use of wearable devices are likely to translate to public health and represent one of the important tools for the development of prevention plans in everyday life and clinical practice for optimal patient management.