Single Versus Multiple Plastic Stents in Malignant Distal Bile Duct Obstruction
Plastic Stent OcclusionEndoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) with biliary stent placement is crucial for palliative treatment in patients with malignant bile duct obstruction who cannot perform surgery due to advanced diseases or associated comorbidities. Stent patency is challenge in ERCP. Self expanding metallic stents (SEMS) have a longer duration of patency and fewer of recurrence occlusion of stent when compared with plastic stent (PS). However, the cost of MS is more expensive than PS about 4 times. Therefore, many patients cannot afford the MS due to their economic status. Data regarding the efficacy and safety of multiple PS compared with single PS for the palliative treatment in unresectable malignant distal bile duct obstruction are limited.
A Placebo-controlled Study of Volixibat in Subjects With Elevated Serum Bile Acids Associated With...
Intrahepatic Cholestasis of PregnancyThis is a two-part randomized study of volixibat in patients with Intrahepatic Cholestasis of Pregnancy (ICP) and elevated serum bile acid concentrations (sBA). Part 1 is an open-label study to evaluate safety and tolerability of two doses of volixibat. Part 2 is a double-blind, placebo controlled, study designed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of a selected volixibat dose.
The Effect of Aspirin on Patency of Metal Stent in Malignant Distal Bile Duct Obstruction
Biliary StasisExtrahepaticThe aim of this study is to determine whether administration of aspirin can help maintain the patency of metallic stents for distal malignant common bile duct obstruction. Metal stents are mainly used for malignant biliary obstruction if the surgical treatment is not considered and its maintenance period has been reported to be about 8 months. This study will be prospectively conducted as a randomized controlled study with aspirin treated patients who received metal stents in patients over 20 years who were confirmed malignant distal biliary obstruction. The primary endpoint is the incidence of stent dysfunction in both groups for 6 months after the procedure. The secondary endpoints included duration of metallic stent patency, incidence of further procedures, and adverse events related with aspirin.
Fish Oil for Patients With Liver Disease Due to Parenteral Nutrition
Total Parenteral Nutrition-induced CholestasisPatients who are not able to eat normally for a longer time require parenteral nutrition, i.e. they receive liquids and nutrients directly into their veins. This can have many long-term side effects, including liver problems. This study will examine whether a specific lipid emulsion containing fish oil can improve liver disease in patients on parenteral nutrition. The investigators will compare changes in bilirubin and liver enzymes after 3 months in 10 patients receiving standard lipid emulsion to 10 patients receiving standard lipids + a fish-oil containing emulsion. The investigators will also assess liver histology, the kind of fat, oxidative stress and gene expression in the liver at the beginning and after 6 months of fish-oil. The investigators also want to compare the baseline values from all 20 patients to 20 healthy controls. This will help to explain how fish oil may improve liver disease in patients on parenteral nutrition.
Osmotic Fragility in Red Blood Cells of Pediatric Patients With Cholestatic Liver Disease
CholestasisRed Cell Membrane and Enzyme AbnormalitiesObjective: The investigators propose to perform ektacytometry on 20 pediatric patients over age one with cholestatic liver diseases and a direct bilirubin level of greater than 2 gm/dl. The most common diagnoses will be extrahepatic biliary atresia, progressive familial intrahepatic cholestasis, Alagille syndrome, autoimmune hepatitis, primary sclerosing cholangitis, and parenteral nutrition-associated cholestasis. The investigators will correlate the osmotic fragility and deformability with direct bilirubin levels, serum cholesterol levels, serum bile acid levels, and vitamin E levels. Design/Methods: This pilot study will be a single center, prospective cross-sectional investigation of red blood cell ektacytometry in pediatric patients with extrahepatic cholestasis who are followed at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center. The study will include all participants with cholestasis regardless of the etiology in order to maximize the number of participants. While the population will be heterogeneous, the investigators will stratify participants according to diagnosis, recognizing that only a few participants may fall into each diagnostic category. Ektacytometry will be the method utilized to measure osmotic fragility and deformability of the RBC membrane. The ektacytometry of red cells from cholestatic patients will be compared to that of red cells obtained from contemporaneous age-matched controls recruited among patients without liver disease or red cell membrane defects undergoing blood sampling for evaluation of other entities including but not confined to functional abdominal pain.
Compassionate Use of Omegaven IV Fat Emulsion
CholestasisTotal Parenteral Nutrition-induced CholestasisThis is a compassionate use protocol to use intravenous fish oil infusion, Omegaven®, to infants and children with parenteral nutrition-associated liver disease to enable reversal of elevated serum liver enzymes and direct bilirubin (cholestasis).
Reduction of Neonatal Parenteral Nutrition Associated Cholestasis Through Lipid Emulsions
IntrahepaticCholestasisParenteral nutrition associated cholestasis (PNAC) is a common complication of prolonged and exclusive parenteral nutrition (PN). Infants subjected to major surgery are often unable to receive enteral nutrition for a long period of time, during which they require exclusive PN. In preterm infants, hepatic immaturity is a predisposing factor. Intravenous lipid emulsions (ILE) used in PN may promote PNAC or protect against it depending on their composition. Medium chain triglycerides (MCT) may have a hepatic protective effect. Long chain triglycerides (LCT) of n-3 family may protect from PNAC. In several new-generation emulsions, the α-tocopherol content is higher than the gamma-tocopherol content, acting as an antioxidant, preventing lipid peroxidation. The incidence and severity of PNAC in term and near-term infants subjected to corrective surgery for congenital abnormalities and needing prolonged PN using the ILE SMOFlipid® or Lipofundin® is compared. The investigators hypothesise that SMOFlipid® is more protective from PNAC than Lipofundin®. Single-center, randomized, controlled and double-blinded trial on consecutive neonates admitted in the NICU, with gestational age of 34 weeks or over, undergoing corrective surgery of congenital anomaly of the digestive tract or indirectly affecting the digestive tract. Recruitment if PN with ILE was started within the first 48 hours after birth. Minimum intervention: exclusive PN for at least 1 week. Main outcome: incidence of cholestasis (conjugated serum bilirubin >1 mg/dl [34 mmol/L]). Severity of cholestasis evaluated by the magnitude of the serum conjugated bilirubin and serum γ-glutamyltranspeptidase (GGT). Mixed effects regression models are used to take into account the correlation structure between measures in time. Crude and adjusted odds-ratios with corresponding 95% confidence intervals are calculated.
Compassionate Use of Omegaven® for the Treatment of Intestinal Failure Associated Liver Disease...
Total Parenteral Nutrition-Induced CholestasisThe overall purpose of this study is to determine if replacing standard soybean oil based fat emulsions with Omegaven®, a fish oil based fat emulsion, can reverse or prevent the progression of parenteral nutrition associated liver disease. It is a compassionate use protocol for patients who already have significant liver disease related to parenteral nutrition.
Fibrates in Pediatric Cholestasis
Chronic CholestasisA study conducted to assess the effect of fibrates on pruritus and biochemical picture in pediatric patients with cholestatic liver diseases.
Linerixibat and Obeticholic Acid Drug Interaction Study in Healthy Subjects
CholestasisIn participants with inadequate response/intolerance to ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) taking obeticholic acid (OCA) who experience pruritus (due to primary biliary cholangitis [PBC], OCA, or both) the addition of linerixibat to OCA therapy may be considered following marketing approval. It is therefore important to characterize any potential effect of linerixibat on the pharmacokinetics of OCA in humans at clinically relevant dosages. Accordingly, a drug-drug interaction (DDI) study with linerixibat (potential perpetrator) and OCA (potential victim) will be conducted to inform both future clinical trials with linerixibat and the potential concomitant administration of these drugs in a clinical setting. This is a single-center, one part (with optional second part) open-label, single sequence crossover, drug interaction study to investigate the effect of linerixibat on plasma concentrations of OCA and OCA conjugates in healthy participants. Approximately 19 participants will be enrolled in part A and further 19 participants in part B (if performed) in the study and will have a phone call follow-up till 7-14 days post-last linerixibat dose.