Cirrhosis cohort from Nanfang Hospital
The diagnosis of liver cirrhosis was based on a combination of clinical history, laboratory findings, and endoscopic or radiologic evidence. The presence of clinical cirrhosis was adjudicated in a blinded fashion by two independent hepatology experts, and inclusion required concordant agreement by both reviewers. To be eligible, all patients were required to have evidence of chronic liver disease for at least 6 months and a clearly identifiable alcoholic etiology. Alcohol-associated liver disease was defined by a documented history of alcohol use disorder or sustained alcohol consumption exceeding 2 ounces of ethanol per day for men or 1 ounce per day for women for more than 10 years, in the absence of alternative causes of chronic liver disease. Patients with other etiologies of cirrhosis, including viral hepatitis B or C (as determined by HBV DNA or HCV RNA positivity), nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, autoimmune liver disease (based on international autoimmune scoring criteria), or other chronic liver disorders, were explicitly excluded. Fecal samples were collected using sterile collection kits and immediately stored at -80 °C.