Publication Name	World Journal of Hepatology
Manuscript ID	126177
DOI	10.4254/wjh.126177
Country	China

Category	Gastroenterology & Hepatology
Manuscript Type	Correspondence
Article Title	Letter to the Editor: Unpacking the active ingredient of home-based metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease care: Separating incentive from surveillance effects
Manuscript Source	Unsolicited Manuscript
All Author List	Ze-Cheng Yang, Jing-Tan Wang and Zhi-Gang Ren
Funding Agency and Grant Number	Funding Agency Grant Number the National Natural Science Foundation of China No. 82470654 the Prevention and Control of Emerging and Major Infectious Diseases-National Science and Technology Major Project No. 2025ZD01906305 the Henan Zhongyuan Medical Science and Technology Innovation and Development Foundation No. ZYYC202301ZD
Corresponding Author	Zhi-Gang Ren, MD, PhD, Department of Infectious Diseases, State Key Laboratory of Antiviral Drugs, Pingyuan Laboratory, the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, No. 1 Jianshe East Road, Zhengzhou 450052, Henan Province, China. fccrenzg@zzu.edu.cn
Key Words	Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease; Home-based intervention; Timeliness-incentive theory; Medical surveillance; Causal inference; Complex intervention; Intervention components
Core Tip	This letter examines the timeliness-incentive home-based metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease trial by Mei et al. The intervention bundled psychological incentives with added diagnostic surveillance, which constituted a material reward. These two components therefore overlap, so the benefit cannot be attributed to the theory alone. We recommend attention-matched controls, multiphase optimization strategy factorial designs, and prospective recording of contact frequency and patients’ awareness of fibrosis status. Because the same overlap recurs in multicomponent behavioral and digital interventions, the lesson extends beyond this trial.
Citation	Yang ZC, Wang JT, Ren ZG. Letter to the Editor: Unpacking the active ingredient of home-based metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease care: Separating incentive from surveillance effects. World J Hepatol 2026; In press DOI: https://doi.org/10.4254/wjh.126177
PDF	126177-in-press.pdf

Received	2026-07-29 07:01
Peer-Review Started	2026-07-30 06:36
First Decision by Editorial Office Director
Return for Revision	2026-08-22 09:18
Revised	2026-09-04 15:58
Publication Fee Transferred
Second Decision by Editor	2026-10-14 05:44
Second Decision by Editor-in-Chief
Final Decision by Editorial Office Director	2026-10-14 09:01
Articles in Press	2026-10-14 09:01
Edit the Manuscript by Language Editor
Typeset the Manuscript

ISSN	1948-5182 (online)
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