Objective:Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease(NAFLD)is a common metabolic disorder in overweight and obese children,and its etiology and pathogenesis remain unclear,lacking effective preventive and therapeutic measures.This study aims to explore the association between whole blood copper,zinc,calcium,magnesium and iron levels and NAFLD in overweight and obese children aged 6 to 17 years,providing a scientific basis for the prevention and intervention of early NAFLD in overweight and obese children. Methods:A cross-sectional study design was used to collect relevant data from overweight and obese children who visited the Hunan Children's Hospital from January 2019 to December 2021 through questionnaire surveys.Fasting blood samples were collected from the subjects,and various indicators such as blood glucose,blood lipid,and mineral elements were detected.All children were divided into an overweight group(n=400)and a NAFLD group(n=202).The NAFLD group was divided into 2 subgroups according to the ALT level:A non-alcoholic fatty liver(NAFL)group and a non-alcoholic steatohepatitis(NASH)group.Logistic regression analysis was used to analyze the association between minerals(copper,zinc,calcium,magnesium,and iron)and NAFLD,NAFL and NASH. Results:A total of 602 subjects were included,of whom 73.6%were male,with a median age of 10(9,11)years,and a body mass index(BMI)of 24.9(22.7,27.4)kg/m2.The intergroup comparison results showed that compared with the overweight group,the NAFLD group had higher levels of age,BMI,diastolic blood pressure(DBP),systolic blood pressure(SBP),triglyceride(TG),low density lipoprotein(LDL),alanine transaminase(ALT)and aspartate aminotransferase(AST),and lower level of high density lipoprotein(HDL).The NAFL group had higher levels of age,BMI,DBP,SBP,ALT,and AST,and lower levels of HDL compared with the overweight group.The levels of age,BMI,DBP,SBP,TG,LDL,ALT,and AST of NASH were higher than those in the overweight group,while the level of HDL was lower than that in overweight group(all P<0.017).After adjusting for a variety of confounders,the OR of NAFLD for the highest quantile of iron was 1.79(95%CI 1.07 to 3.00)compared to the lowest quantile,and no significant association was observed between copper,zinc,calcium,and magnesium,and NAFLD.The subgroup analysis of NAFLD showed that the OR for the highest quantile of iron in children with NAFL was 2.21(95%CI 1.26 to 3.88),while no significant association was observed between iron level and NASH.In addition,no significant associations were observed between copper,zinc,calcium,and magnesium levels and NAFL or NASH. Conclusion:High iron level increases the risk of NAFLD(more likely NAFL)in overweight and obese children,while copper,zinc,calcium,magnesium,and other elements are not associated with the risk of NAFLD in overweight and obese children.

Objective:Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease(NAFLD)has significant genetic susceptibility.Adipocytokines play a crucial role in NAFLD development by participating in insulin resistance and hepatic steatosis.However,the association between adipocytokine pathway genes and NAFLD remains unclear.This study aims to explore the association of gene polymorphisms in the adipocytokine pathway and their interactions with NAFLD in obese children. Methods:A case-control study was conducted,dividing obese children into NAFLD and control groups.Peripheral venous blood(2 mL)was collected from each participant for DNA extraction.A total of 14 single nucleotide polymorphisms(SNP)in the adipocytokine pathway were genotyped using multiplex PCR and high-throughput sequencing.Univariate and multivariate Logistic regression analyses were used to assess the association between SNP and NAFLD in obese children.Dominant models were used to analyze additive and multiplicative interactions via crossover analysis and Logistic regression.Generalized multifactor dimensionality reduction(GMDR)was used to detect gene-gene interactions among the 14 SNPs and their association with NAFLD in obese children. Results:A total of 1 022 children were included,with 511 in the NAFLD group and 511 in the control group.After adjusting for age,gender,and BMI,multivariate Logistic regression showed that PPARG rs1801282 was associated with NAFLD in the obese children in 3 genetic models:heterozygote model(CG vs CC,OR=0.58,95%CI 0.36 to 0.95,P=0.029),dominant model(GG+CG vs CC,OR=0.62,95%CI 0.38 to 1.00,P=0.049),and overdominant model(CC+GG vs CG,OR=1.72,95%CI 1.06 to 2.80,P=0.028).PRKAG2 rs12703159 was associated with NAFLD in 4 genetic models:heterozygous model(CT vs CC,OR=1.51,95%CI 1.10 to 2.07,P=0.011),dominant model(CT+TT vs CC,OR=1.50,95%CI 1.10 to 2.03,P=0.010),overdominant model(CC+TT vs CT,OR=0.67,95%CI 0.49 to 0.92,P=0.012),and additive model(CC vs CT vs TT,OR=1.40,95%CI 1.07 to 1.83,P=0.015).No significant multiplicative or additive interaction between PPARG rs1801282 and PRKAG2 rs12703159 was found in association with NAFLD.GMDR analysis,adjusted for age,gender,and BMI,revealed no statistically significant interactions among the 14 SNPs(all P>0.05). Conclusion:Mutations in PPARG rs1801282 and PRKAG2 rs12703159 are associated with NAFLD in obese children.However,no gene-gene interactions among the SNP are found to be associated with NAFLD in obese children.

OBJECTIVES: Insulin signaling pathway plays an important role in metabolic associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD), however, the association between polymorphisms of genes related to insulin signaling pathway and MAFLD remains unclear. This study aims to investigate the association between insulin signaling pathway-related gene polymorphisms and gene-gene interactions with MAFLD susceptibility in obese children so as to provide scientific basis for further study of genetic mechanism. METHODS: A total of 502 obese children with MAFLD who admitted to Hunan Provincial Children's Hospital from September 2019 to October 2021, were recruited as a case group, and 421 obese children with non-MAFLD admitted during the same period were recruited as a control group. Socio-demographic information, preterm birth history, eating habits, and exercise status of the subjects were collected by inquiry survey, and anthropometric information was collected by physical measurement. At the same time, 2 mL of venous blood was collected to extract DNA, and the polymorphism of insulin signaling pathway-related genes (5 representative candidate genes, 12 variants) was detected. Multivariate Logistic regression analysis was used to investigate the association between insulin signaling pathway-related gene polymorphisms and MAFLD in obese children. RESULTS: After adjusting for confounder factors, INS rs3842748 was significantly associated with the risk of MAFLD in obese children in allele, heterozygous, and dominant models [OR and 95% CI 1.749 (1.053 to 2.905), 1.909 (1.115 to 3.267), 1.862 (1.098 to 3.157), all P<0.05]; INS rs3842752 was significantly associated with the risk of MAFLD in obese children in heterozygous and dominant models [OR and 95% CI 1.736 (1.028 to 2.932), 1.700 (1.015 to 2.846), all P<0.05]. NR1H3 rs3758674 was significantly correlated with the risk of MAFLD in obese children in allele model [OR and 95% CI 0.716 (0.514 to 0.997), P<0.05]. SREBP-1c rs2297508 was significantly associated with the risk of MAFLD in obese children in allele and dominant models [OR and 95% CI 0.772 (0.602 to 0.991) and 0.743 (0.557 to 0.991), all P<0.05]. SREBP-1c rs8066560 was significantly associated with the risk of MAFLD in obese children in allele, heterozygous, and dominant models [OR and 95% CI 0.759 (0.589 to 0.980), 0.733 (0.541 to 0.992), 0.727 (0.543 to 0.974), all P<0.05]. NR1H3 rs3758674 mutant C and SREBP-1c rs2297508 mutant G had interaction in the development of MAFLD in obese children [OR and 95% CI 0.407 (0.173 to 0.954), P<0.05]. CONCLUSIONS The INS, NR1H3, and SREBP-1c gene polymorphisms in the insulin signaling pathway are associated with the susceptibility of MAFLD in obese children, but the functions and mechanisms of these genes need to be further studied.
Child ; Infant, Newborn ; Humans ; Female ; Pediatric Obesity/genetics* ; Sterol Regulatory Element Binding Protein 1 ; Premature Birth ; Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease ; Signal Transduction/genetics* ; Insulins