CTSO and Hepatic steatosis: In individuals with liver steatosis compared to those without, an increase in mean NPX values from 2.99 ± 0.20 to 3.32 ± 0.35 was detected for CTSO (padj < 0.003), from 3.55 ± 0.32 to 3.94 ± 0.40 for CDH2 (padj < 0.007), from 5.41 ± 0.35 to 5.72 ± 0.28 for LILRA5 (padj < 0.021), from 4.42 ± 0.20 to 4.65 ± 0.31for SERPINB6 (padj < 0.034) and from 5.36 ± 0.16 to 5.68 ± 0.40 (padj < 0.007) for FAP, indicating an increased serum expression of certain proteins (Fig. 2).