Analysis of association between circulating miR-122 and histopathological features of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease in patients free of hepatocellular carcinoma

Table 4 Correlation between changes in levels of clinical parameters and histological scores

	ΔSteatosis		ΔBallooning		ΔLobular inflammation		ΔStage
	r	P	r	P	r	P	r	P
ΔAge	0.4	0.011	0.3	0.049	0.3	0.055	0.4	0.026
ΔBody mass index	0.3	0.045	0.3	0.045	0.6	<0.001	0.5	0.004
ΔSerum aspartate aminotransferase	0.4	0.018	0.3	0.126	0.6	<0.001	0.6	<0.001
ΔSerum alanine aminotransferase	0.4	0.018	0.3	0.108	0.5	0.001	0.3	0.054
ΔGamma-glutamyl transpeptidase	0.1	0.555	0.3	0.099	0.3	0.043	0.3	0.044
ΔSerum albumin	-0.1	0.748	-0.1	0.393	-0.3	0.110	-0.2	0.165
ΔPlatelet count	0.1	0.740	0.0	0.918	-0.2	0.145	-0.1	0.416
ΔFasting plasma glucose	0.0	0.913	0.2	0.390	0.3	0.102	0.3	0.100
ΔUric acid	-0.1	0.671	0.1	0.539	0.2	0.374	0.3	0.089
ΔTotal cholesterol	0.1	0.636	0.3	0.096	0.0	0.992	0.1	0.546
ΔTriglycerides	0.2	0.213	0.1	0.530	0.2	0.195	0.4	0.031
ΔHigh-density lipoprotein cholesterol	0.1	0.738	0.1	0.670	-0.3	0.056	-0.2	0.218
ΔLow-density lipoprotein cholesterol	0.0	0.942	0.2	0.248	0.0	0.855	0.0	0.849
ΔNon high-density lipoprotein cholesterol	0.1	0.675	0.3	0.109	0.1	0.597	0.1	0.385
ΔFerritin	0.3	0.048	0.3	0.063	0.6	<0.001	0.4	0.007
ΔHyaluronic acid	0.2	0.366	0.4	0.036	0.3	0.075	0.5	0.002
Serum miR-122 ratio^a	0.5	0.001	0.2	0.226	0.6	<0.001	0.5	0.002

^aSerum miR-122 ratio represented the ratio of serum miR-122 level at second biopsy to that at first biopsy
Changes (Δ) in levels of clinical parameters and histopathological scores were calculated by: value at second biopsy minus value at first biopsy