Table I.
Baseline characteristics of the patient cohort.
| Characteristic | HC (n=9) | NAFL (n=27) | NASH (n=20) | NAFLD-cirrhosis (n=24) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age, years | 53.78±6.96 | 47.56±10.01 | 52.50±9.76 | 49.17±8.91 |
| Male sex | 4 (44.44) | 12 (44.44) | 11 (55.00) | 8 (33.33) |
| BMI, kg/m2 | 22.46±1.76 | 27.40±3.17a | 28.81±3.34a | 28.29±2.47a |
| T2DM | 0 (0.00) | 5 (18.52) | 4 (20.00) | 6 (25.00) |
| Hypertension | 0 (0.00) | 4 (14.81) | 3 (15.00) | 4 (16.67) |
| Dyslipidemia | 0 (0.00) | 9 (33.33) | 7 (35.00) | 8 (33.33) |
| ALT, U/l | 26.89±9.35 | 38.04±12.06 | 108.35±40.99a,b | 59.71±30.38c,d |
| AST, U/l | 24.22±7.41 | 30.00±7.71 | 67.70±29.85a,b | 58.63±23.26a,b |
| ALP, U/l | 55.00±17.08 | 61.11±17.81 | 118.50±65.09b,e | 135.79±55.87a,b |
| FIB-4 index | 1.11±0.43 | 1.57±0.69 | 2.63±0.72a,b | 3.36±0.59a,b |
| TNF-α, pg/ml | 0.050±0.011 | 0.062±0.035 | 0.158±0.032a,b | 0.251±0.022a,b |
aP<0.001 vs. HC;
bP<0.001 vs. NAFL;
cP<0.05 vs. HC;
dP<0.05 vs. NAFL; and
eP<0.01 vs. HC. Values are expressed as the mean ± standard error of the mean or n (%). ALP, alkaline phosphatase; ALT, alanine aminotransferase; AST, aspartate aminotransferase; BMI, body mass index; FIB-4, fibrosis-4; HC, healthy control; NAFLD, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease; NASH, non-alcoholic steatohepatitis; NAFLD-cirrhosis, NAFLD-related cirrhosis; T2DM, type 2 diabetes mellitus.