Chronic Liver Disease

This study looks to gather data on hepatomiR, a CE-certified test already intended for gauging liver-related outcomes, in order to define a cut-off regarding specific decompensation events (ascites, variceal hemorrhage, hepatic encephalopathy) in chronic liver disease (CLD). Based on these data, it is aimed to advance the current understanding of factors driving decompensation, with potential repercussions for future risk management and therapy.

Title - To study the clinical course and outcomes of non-electively hospitalised patients of chronic liver disease (CLD) with Hepatic or Extra-hepatic predominant organ failure(s) at 6 months. Summary - ACLF is a condition where acute insult leading to worsening liver failure with or without extra-hepatic failure leads to a high short-term mortality. However, the presence of cirrhosis, prior decompensation, non-hepatic/systemic acute insult, organ failure and treatment are different in different part of the world. This is due to in-homogenous patient cohort. The current study was planned for all patients of CLD, who were non-electively hospitalized and were followed up for long-term to identify the differences in clinical course, acute insult, organ failure, therapy and outcome in relation to liver failure with or without extra-hepatic organic failure. In the study the laboratory, clinical parameters, inflammatory and regenerative markers will be evaluated as a marker of disease progression, reversal, recompensation or regression. This will enable us to differentiate the ACLF between east and west, guide us for defining the natural course of CLD with failure.

This prospective study aims to assess health-related social needs (HRSNs) among patients with chronic liver disease (CLD) receiving outpatient care at Indiana University Health. Patients with CLD often face socioeconomic challenges that adversely affect health outcomes, but no validated screening tool exists for this population. The primary objective is to measure the prevalence and types of HRSNs in CLD patients. Secondary objectives are to evaluate patient preferences regarding provider involvement in addressing social needs, explore reasons for declining assistance, and assess provider perspectives on incorporating HRSN data into clinical care. A total of 200 adult patients with CLD and their visit providers will be enrolled. Participants will complete surveys on demographics, HRSNs, health literacy, quality of life, social support, and patient activation, with medical data supplemented from chart review. Providers will complete surveys about their experiences using HRSN data in routine practice. Results will describe unmet social needs in this population, patient and provider attitudes toward screening, and inform strategies for integrating HRSN assessments into liver disease management and routine healthcare delivery.

This placebo controlled randomized control study aims to analyze the effect of UDCA supplementation on liver regeneration in Living Donor Liver Transplant (LDLT) recipients. All eligible LDLT recipients during the study period will be included in the study and randomized into two groups. One group will receive Tab UDCA starting atleast 10 days pre-operatively and continued till post-operative day 10 and the other group will receive placebo. UDCA will be given at a dose of 15mg/kg per day in two divided doses. Recipients who are not willing to participate in the study, have hypersensitivity to UDCA will be excluded from the study. Pediatrics recipients and acute liver failure recipients will also be excluded. Pre- operative, intra-operative and post-operative data will be collected from medical records, electronic hospital information system (HIS) and radiological images collected from the hospital Picture archiving and communication system (PACS). The enrolled subjects will be followed up till for a period of 14 days after the transplant till NCCT Abdomen is done and regenerated liver volumes are analyzed. The anatomic(volumetric), functional(liver function tests) and regenerative biomarkers (HGF, TNF-Alpha, IL6, TGF-Beta1) will be compared between the two groups. Evaluation of incidence of Early Allograft Dysfunction (EAD) as per Modified Olthoff criteria1 will be done between the two groups. FXR receptor concentration (hepatocytes) and TGR-5 receptor concentration (cholangiocytes) will be seen in the explant liver along with evaluation of monocyte number and function and mitochondrial and nuclear DNA.

Patients identified as being at risk of liver fibrosis because of a positive Fibrosis-4 (FIB-4) test in the primary care setting will be offered be enrolled in the trial and to undergo an Hepatoscope exam (external non-invasive ultrasound imaging exam) to screen for liver fibrosis (with stiffness measurements) and/or steatosis (with ultrasound parameters related to fatty liver). All patients presenting with a liver stiffness value of at least 6.5 kilopascal (kPa) will be referred to the tertiary hepatology consultations for further assessment. Hepatoscope measurements will be compared to the standard of care for these patients, as defined at the tertiary hepatology center.

End stage liver disease or cirrhosis is a major cause of mortality in the United States and the world. Other than targeting the underlying cause, such as alcohol cessation and antiviral therapy, very few medical treatments can change the natural history of cirrhosis. Malnutrition is one of the few potentially modifiable factors that have been associated with cirrhosis severity and poor prognosis. The transition metal copper (Cu) is an essential trace metal that must be acquired from diet. Its metabolism is primarily regulated by the liver in its role as a master regulator of nutrients. In 2019, the investigators reported that Cu deficiency defined by below normal serum or liver concentrations occurred in a wide range of liver disorders and was associated with a severe disease phenotype. Improvement in liver function was observed in 2 of the 3 patients who received Cu supplementation. In 2023, the investigators conducted a longitudinal cohort study utilizing clinical, serum and liver explant tissue data from 183 cirrhosis patients. The investigators showed that Cu deficiency was associated with 2-fold higher infection rate and a more than 3-fold increase in the risk of death compared to patients with normal Cu status. These preliminary findings and the well-established importance of Cu in human health prompted the investigators to design the current pilot randomized, placebo-controlled, crossover trial to determine the effect of Cu supplementation on Cu dependent biochemical changes, patient safety and patient reported outcomes in cirrhosis.

Intro: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the 6th leading cause of cancer worldwide. In France, more than 10,000 new cases are identified each year. The latter occur in 85% of cases in cirrhosis, the most frequent causes of which are excessive alcohol consumption, metabolic syndrome or HBV/HCV infection. Patients with cirrhosis justify being included in monitoring programs involving the performance of a semi-annual liver ultrasound (US) in order to detect HCC eligible for curative treatment (liver resection or percutaneous ablation). This practice is considered to be cost-effective in the event of an annual incidence of HCC\> 1.5%. US in this context has a low sensitivity for the detection of HCC at the very early stage and the following observations have been made in the last 20 years: * The rate of patients detected at early stage BCLC 0 is around 30% by ultrasound * The rate of patients included in surveillance programs detected with advanced HCC eligible for palliative treatment is around 20% * Reducing the periodicity of liver ultrasounds from 6 to 3 months does not improve these results. In parallel, liver MRI has been evaluated as a tool for the early detection of HCC. Its performance for the detection of HCC at the very early stage exceeds 80%. However, due to the higher cost compared to US, it was estimated that its use in screening context would only be cost effective in the event of an annual incidence\> 3%. In addition, the practice of these expensive and long-lasting MRIs (30 to 45 minutes) can be optimized by carrying out abbreviated MRI protocols" or Fast-MRI: short protocols (\<10 minutes), based on the sequences with the better detection sensitivities (Se\> 83%). The hypothesis is that Fast-MRI used as a screening examination in patients at high risk of HCC (\> 3% per year) could increase the rates of patients detected at an early stage accessible to curative treatment and demonstrate its cost-effectiveness in this population. Hypothesis/Objective: The main objective is to assess the cost / QALY and / patient detected with an early HCC BCLC 0 (single tumor \<2cm) by semi-annual monitoring by liver US and Fast-MRI, compared to conventional semi-annual monitoring by liver US alone in patients with cirrhosis and an anticipated HCC incidence\>3%. Conclusion: If positive, this trial could modify international practice guidelines and set MRI as the optimal tool for early HCC detection in high-risk patients.

Control group : LAENNEC subcutaneous injection (4 ml) Experimental group : LAENNEC intravenous injection (10 ml)

This study shall be a prospective, multicenter, single arm, consecutive, interventional study conducted in a post-market setting using commercially available devices. Consecutive, eligible patients with clinical suspicion of MASLD or MASH reporting for an endoscopic ultrasound and liver biopsy for evaluation of fibrosis will be enrolled. EUS Shear Wave Elastography and Attenuation Imaging technologies will be compared to liver biopsy and FibroScan results and other non-invasive fibrosis screening modalities . The data collected during this study will be evaluated in accordance with the procedures set forth in the protocol. The main question\[s\] it aims to answer are: * Establish optimal cutoffs for EUS-SWE in reference to liver biopsies staging system for liver fibrosis * Evaluate the diagnostic performance of EUS-SWE compared to FibroScan (VCTE) and to other non-invasive fibrosis screening modalities (screening scores). Participants will undergo: * Endoscopic Ultrasound with Shear Wave Elastography (SWE) and Attenuation Imaging (ATI) * Liver biopsy * FibroScan

Hepatitis D is by far the most severe form of chronic viral hepatitis, frequently leading to liver failure, hepatocellular carcinoma and death. Hepatitis D is caused by coinfection Hepatitis D is caused by co-infection with hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis D virus (HDV). This multicenter cohort should enable a comprehensive and unbiased biomarker screening of well-defined HDV-infected patients, followed by mechanistic studies to determine the functional role of distinct molecules. Patient surveillance strategies and antiviral treatment approaches could be personalized which should reduce clinical and social disease burden, improve quality of life and save direct and indirect costs caused by HDV infection.

Liver transplantation has been a lifesaving treatment for individuals with end stage liver disease and acute liver failure. However, initial poor function of a liver allograft after liver transplantation, termed early graft dysfunction (EGD), has been associated with increased allograft loss or mortality after transplantation. EGD in LDLT is multifactorial. Factors affecting EGD are GRWR, ischemia reperfusion injury, recipient metabolic demand, graft quality, graft inflow and outflow. Studies shows that the incidence of EGD is 15-38%. It is associated with increased allograft loss \&amp; mortality. Rifaximin is an antibiotic that reduces EGD by 50% as shown by 2 studies but this study was done in DDLT setting and rifaximin was given in the pretransplant group. In this investigators will study the effect of perioperative oral rifaximin on early graft dysfunction in adult living donor liver transplant.

Chronic liver diseases, affecting over 800 million people worldwide, lead to approximately 2 million annual deaths. The need for early, sensitive diagnostic strategies to prevent disease progression and reduce mortality is still unmet. The traditional serum markers lack sensitivity and specificity, leading to the integration of these biomarkers into panel tests with algorithms or imaging measures. Despite their widespread use, these tests have limitations at an individual level, including an inability to predict disease progression or response to treatment. To address these shortcomings, our project proposes utilizing albumin post-translational modifications (PTM) as a predictive biomarker for liver disease progression. The hypothesis is that albumin modifications occur in the early stages of hepatocellular damage and are indicative of future liver diseases. These modifications can be detected through serum albumin isoform determination, albumin isoforms profiles or the albumin's ligand-binding capacities. Innovatively, the study will use the Serum Enhanced Binding (SEB) test, which identifies reduced ligand-binding capacities, and discusses a second patent for determining a typical isoform profile based on the hepatic injury type. Our preliminary results from animal models and a proof-of-concept studies with patients support this hypotheses. Our previous studies demonstrated also significant differences in albumin isoform profiles in response to different types of hepatic injury and high sensitivity and specificity in the SEB test among cirrhotic patients. The primary objective of the MALAHBAR project is to evaluate the capacity of albumin PTM to predict liver disease progression over three years in chronic liver disease patients. Secondary objectives include assessing the predictive ability of different albumin isoforms and the SEB test for liver disease progression, evaluating diagnostic performances and confirming characteristic albumin isoform profiles related to specific hepatic injuries. The study could represent a significant advancement in liver disease diagnostics and management, offering new insights into the role of albumin in liver pathology.

DILI is an underdiagnosed and under appreciated causal or contributing factor to liver injury. DILI can mimics features of the entire spectrum of acute and chronic liver disease. Asia-Pacifc region is characterized by two unique features; the high prevalence of tuberculosis (TB) in the population and the ubiquitous use of traditional and complimentary medicines.Current definition of Hy's law presents significant difficulties when dealing with patients with preexisting CLD in clinical trials. Hallmark of the hepatic manifestation in these patients is hyperbilirubinemia and coagulopathy rather than ALT elevation.

Investigators want to compare the seroconversion rates between two-dose and three-dose regimens of the hepatitis B vaccine (Heplisav B) among patients with cirrhosis, a randomized prospective study.

Primary objective is to study the relevance of non-invasive test (NITs) in predicting disease stage (diagnostic biomarker) and outcome (predictive biomarker) in patients with suspected or established liver disease and cirrhosis.

The aim of this retrospective and prospective study is to evaluate the 20-year prognosis value of non-invasive methods for the diagnosis of chronic liver disease for predicting survival and complications of cirrhosis.

Hepatic steatosis may cause inflammation and fibrosis within the liver potentially leading to end-stage liver disease cirrhosis, liver failure and death. The condition is associated with several other chronic liver diseases like autoimmune hepatitis, primary biliary cholangitis, primary sclerosing cholangitis, hereditary hemochromatosis and alpha-1-antitrypsin deficiency and may also develop secondary to other diseases like inflammatory bowel disease and chronic pancreatitis. Diagnosing chronic liver diseases can be challenging and treatment may be limited. In-depth phenotyping at a tissue level may generate insight into the underlying pathophysiology of diseases and furthermore identify common as well as specific diagnostic biomarkers and future treatment targets of the diseases. We therefore undertake a study that evaluates patients with chronic liver diseases associated with hepatic steatosis.

Deaths due to advanced liver scarring (liver cirrhosis) continue to increase, and liver disease is now the 3rd leading cause of premature death in the United Kingdom. The majority of liver disease is lifestyle related (alcohol, obesity and associated type 2 diabetes, injecting drug use) and therefore reversible if caught at a precirrhosis stage. However, current liver function blood tests are poor inadequate, and subsequently a large burden of liver disease is currently missed. A variety of noninvasive liver biomarkers (blood and imaging tests) have been developed which identify liver disease accurately at earlier stages of scarring. The identification of liver disease in the community, where previous studies have discovered a large burden of previously unidentified but significant liver disease, is therefore a feasible place to develop new liver disease investigation pathways using these noninvasive markers. In collaboration with the Department of Health, Nottingham University Hospitals have commenced a pilot community liver disease pathway in two General Practices in Nottingham in February 2012. Patients with liver risk factors (hazardous alcohol use, obesity or type 2 diabetes)are invited to take part in the pathway. Patients undergo a simple blood test (AST:ALT ratio and BARD score), with a high test result requiring referral for a liver stiffness scan (Fibroscan)which is performed in the community setting. High threshold scan values are reviewed by a consultant liver specialist in a community liver clinic. Preliminary findings show that the pathway accurately identifies patients with early liver scarring and previously unidentified significant liver disease. The participating General Practitioners have also noted a striking number of patients finally engaging in important lifestyle changes following pathway implementation. A second phase of the pilot pathway, in 2 Inner City General Practices with a total practice population of c.14,000 patients commenced in June 2013. We have subsequently designed this cohort study, where pilot participants will be consented for follow up over a long period. We will assess future liver-related and cardiovascular events (including death), and perform qualitative patient interviews to assess the reasons for and persistence of lifestyle changes after liver disease investigation. We hypothesize that stratification of liver disease in the community will unearth a significant amount of previously undetected but significant chronic liver disease. Moreover, we will evaluate whether stratification of liver disease using these tests predicts future liver and cardiovascular disease and death, and whether stratification has an impact on patient's future lifestyle choices.