The atherogenic index of plasma: A novel factor more closely related to non-alcoholic fatty liver disease than other lipid parameters in adults

Association between the atherogenic index of plasma and kidney stones: a nationally representative study

PURPOSE

The atherogenic index of plasma (AIP) is a novel comprehensive lipid index. We aimed to investigate a possible relationship between AIP index and kidney stones in US adults.

METHODS

This cross-sectional study was conducted among adults with complete AIP index and questionnaire records on kidney stones from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) spanning from 2007 to 2018. The AIP index served as the exposure variable, defined as the logarithm of the ratio between triglycerides (TG, mmol/L) and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-c, mmol/L). Self-reported history of kidney stones was utilized as the outcome variable. The independent relationship between AIP index and the risk of kidney stones was fully assessed.

RESULTS

A total of 14,833 participants were included in this study, with an average AIP index of -0.07 ± 0.01. The proportion of kidney stones progressively increased with higher AIP index tertile intervals (7.33% vs. 9.97% vs. 12.57%, P < 0.001). Furthermore, AIP index was found to be independently associated with the risk of kidney stones after adjusting for confounding factors (OR = 1.32, 95% CI 1.08-1.61, P = 0.006). Restricted cubic spline (RCS) analysis confirmed the robustness of our results. There was no significant interaction observed based on subgroup analysis stratified by age, gender, race, body mass index (BMI, kg/m2), smokers, diabetes, hypertension, and cardiovascular disease (P for interaction > 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

The AIP index may be a potential epidemiological tool to quantify the role of dyslipidemia in the risk of kidney stones in US adults.

Traditional and nontraditional lipid parameters in Helicobacter pylori infection

Aims: This study sought to evaluate the relationship between Helicobacter pylori infection and traditional and nontraditional lipid parameters, including atherogenic index of plasma, cardiogenic risk ratio, atherogenic coefficient and remnant cholesterol. Methods: After the application of exclusion criteria, 309 patients were allocated according to the absence (n = 52) or presence (n = 257) of H. pylori infection. Results: Total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) and non-high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (non-HDL-C) levels were nonsignificantly higher, and HDL-C levels were nonsignificantly lower, in the H. pylori-infected patient group. Triglyceride-to-HDL-C ratio, LDL-C-to-HDL-C ratio, atherogenic index of plasma, cardiogenic risk ratio, atherogenic coefficient and remnant cholesterol were comparable among groups. Conclusion: There was no significant association between H. pylori infection and traditional and nontraditional novel lipid parameters and indices.

Association with the plasma atherogenic index with hepatic steatosis and fibrosis in the US population

Plasma atherogenic index (AIP) reflects a novel intricate biochemical indicator of lipids' metabolism. The involvement of lipid metabolism for pathogenesis concerning nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) has been established. However, the precise association across AIP and hepatic steatosis and fibrosis remains unclear. This present investigation explored the potential correlation across AIP, hepatic steatosis and fibrosis. Data were acquired through National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) from 2017 to 2020. Hepatic steatosis was detected through the controlled attenuation parameter (CAP), while hepatic fibrosis was examined via liver stiffness measurement (LSM). The study employed multiple linear, Fitted smoothed curves and subgroup analyses were used for investigating relationships between the AIP, CAP, and LSM. The study recruited 6239 participants. In multivariate linear regression analysis, findings indicated a remarkable correlation between AIP and exacerbated NAFLD risk [odds ratio (95% confidence interval), 1.17 (1.12, 1.21)]. Analysis further revealed a positive link across AIP and hepatic steatosis, as indicated through the CAP [β (95% CI), 4.07 (3.32, 4.82)]. Tests for non-linearity, revealed a non-linear correlation between AIP and CAP (inflection point = 0.22). Subgroup analyses assessed the consistency of the link across AIP and CAP, indicating that the association remained comparable across all subgroups. Following the adjustment for all relevant variables, the linear regression analysis revealed a lack of statistical significance across the AIP and hepatic fibrosis. [LSM, β (95% CI), -0.39 (-1.06, 0.28), P = .2501]. Smooth-fitting curves examined the link across AIP and LSM and showed a U-shaped pattern, indicating their positive correlation with AIP less than 0.48. However, no significant correlation was observed with AIP more than 0.48. This study highlighted a substantial positive relationship across AIP and hepatic steatosis, as measured through CAP, and suggests that it may be used as an efficient and rapid measure for clinical prediction of hepatic steatosis.

The association between remnant cholesterol and rheumatoid arthritis: insights from a large population study

OBJECTIVES

While lipid metabolism disorder is widely acknowledged as a contributing factor to inflammation, the association between remnant cholesterol (RC), which indicates lipid metabolism, and rheumatoid arthritis (RA) has not been investigated. Accordingly, this study evaluated whether RC is associated with RA disease events.

METHODS

Data were collected and specifically extracted from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 1999-2008 database. The RC value was derived by subtracting the combined amount of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) from the total cholesterol (TC). The association between RC and RA was evaluated using multivariate regression analysis and subgroup analysis.

RESULTS

The study analyzed 7777 patients, of which 581 patients (7.47%) were diagnosed with RA. After accounting for different covariates, the multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed a notable correlation between increased RC levels and an increased likelihood of RA (odds ratio OR = 1.54; 95% confidence interval CI: 1.11-2.13; P = 0.0092). The interaction test did not yield statistically significant effects on this association. The linear correlation between RC and RA was observed within restricted cubic spline regression model limitations.

CONCLUSION

The results suggest that higher RC levels are associated with increased odds of RA, indicating that RC can serve as a novel and convenient index for forecasting the likelihood of RA in the United States. Additionally, these findings offer insights into early intervention strategies for susceptible populations at risk of developing RA.

Diabetes Mellitus Mediates the Relationship Between Atherogenic Index of Plasma and Gallstones: A Population-Based Cross-Sectional Study

Purpose

Previous studies have shown a correlation between diabetes mellitus and gallstone formation. The atherogenic index of plasma (AIP) is associated with many metabolic diseases. However, insufficient evidence still exists to elucidate the association between AIP and gallstones. The primary objective of this study was to investigate the correlation between AIP and gallstones in US adults, and the secondary objective was to analyze whether diabetes plays a mediating role in the association.

Patients and Methods

Using data from the National Health and Nutrition Survey (NHANES) conducted between 2017 and March 2020, this study investigated the association between AIP and gallstone incidence in US adults. A variety of statistical methods were used to analyze the data in this study, including multivariate logistic regression, subgroup analyses, restricted cubic spline curves (RCS), and mediation effects analysis. In addition, two-stage linear regression was used to detect possible threshold and saturation effects.

Results

A total of 6952 subjects were enrolled in the trial, of which 748 patients were diagnosed with gallstones. A significant positive association between AIP and gallstones was observed by fully adjusted multivariate logistic regression analysis, with an odds ratio (OR) of 1.45 and a 95% confidence interval (CI) of (1.09, 1.93). In addition, a non-linear positive association and saturation effect between AIP and gallstones were found, with an inflection point of 0.2246. Mediation analysis showed that diabetes had a mediating effect of 16.9% in the association between AIP and gallstones.

Conclusion

This study suggests that elevated levels of AIP are linked to an augmented vulnerability to gallstone development, with diabetes serving as a mediating factor. These findings present a novel perspective on clinical approaches to prevent and manage gallstones.

Triglyceride glucose index and Atherogenic index of plasma for predicting colorectal neoplasms in patients without cardiovascular diseases

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

Colorectal neoplasms (CRN) include colorectal cancer (CRC) and colorectal adenoma (CRA). The relationship between CRN and triglyceride-glucose (TyG) index or between CRN and atherogenic index of plasma (AIP) is unclear. This study aims to investigate the roles of TyG index and AIP in predicting CRN in people without cardiovascular disease (CVD).

METHODS

2409 patients without CVD underwent colonoscopy were enrolled. Clinical information and relevant laboratory test results of these patients were collected and recorded. According to endoscopic and pathological results, all participants were divided into a neoplasms group and a non-neoplasms group. The TyG index was calculated as ln (TGs×FPG/2), while AIP was calculated as log (TGs/HDL-C). We used uni- and multivariate logistic regression and restricted cubic spline (RCS) to analyze the association between the TyG inedx, AIP and CRN, develop predictive models and construct the nomograms. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were utilized to evaluate the predictive value for CRN.

RESULTS

Participants in the neoplasms group were more likely to be older, have higher TyG index, higher AIP and higher rates of fecal occult blood test positivity, and were more likely to be male, smokers and those with the family history of CRC (P < 0.05). The higher TyG index was related to the higher risk of CRN [OR (95% CI): 1.23 (1.08 - 1.41), P = 0.003]. The higher AIP was related to the higher risk of CRN [OR (95% CI): 1.55 (1.16 - 2.06), P = 0.003]. These two indicators are better for predicting CRN in women than men. The combined use of the TyG index and other independent risk factors (age, sex, smoking status, family history and FOBT) to distinguish CRN was effective, with a sensitivity of 61.0%, a specificity of 65.1% and an AUC of 0.669 (95%CI, 0.639 - 0.698). Likewise, the combined use of the AIP and other independent risk factors to distinguish CRN was also effective, the model had an overall 56.3% sensitivity and 68.7% specificity with an AUC of 0.667 (95%CI, 0.638 - 0.697).

CONCLUSION

This study showed that the TyG index and the AIP might be biomarkers that could be used to predict the risk of CRN in patients without CVD.

A Study of Biomarkers Associated with Metabolic Dysfunction-Associated Fatty Liver Disease in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes

Metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD) is a new term that no longer excludes patients that consume alcohol or present other liver diseases, unlike nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). The aim of this study was to evaluate the role of different biomarkers as predictors of MAFLD in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). In this regard, a cross-sectional, non-interventional study was conducted over a period of 8 months in patients with T2DM. Liver steatosis displayed by abdominal ultrasound certified the MAFLD diagnosis. A percentage of 49.5% of the studied patients presented MAFLD. Through logistic regression adjusted for gender, age, T2DM duration, lipid-lowering therapy, smoking status, nutritional status, we demonstrated that elevated triglycerides (TG) levels, high non-high-density-lipoprotein (HDL)-cholesterol-to-HDL-cholesterol (non-HDL/HDL) ratio, high atherogenic index of plasma (AIP), and increased Homeostatic Model Assessment for Insulin Resistance (HOMA-IR) had predictive value for MAFLD in patients with T2DM. Furthermore, we calculated the optimal cut-off values for these biomarkers (184 mg/dL for TG, 0.615 for AIP, 3.9 for the non-HDL/HDL ratio, and 2.01 for HOMA-IR) which can predict the presence of MAFLD in patients with T2DM. To our knowledge, this is the first study to assess the predictive value of the non-HDL/HDL ratio for MAFLD in patients with T2DM.