Active clinical trials for "End Stage Liver Disease"

All consecutive patients admitted in ILBS from MAY 2015 to DECEMBER 2016.ACLF (Acute on chronic Liver Failure). ACLF will be randomize into Group 1: MVP (Modest Volume Paracentesis) OF Less than 5 liters with IV albumin at a dose 8 gms/L of ascitic fluid Group 2: MVP (Modest Volume Paracentesis) of Less than 5 liters without albumin

Transplant-eligible patients with cirrhosis and ESLD, age 40-70, MELD >/= 10 referred to transplant physical therapy will be invited to participate. The investigators will exclude those who lack a smartphone or the understanding of its functionality, lack home wireless internet, or have recurrent/persistent overt hepatic encephalopathy. Following signing of informed consent, each participant will be given a Fitbit Charge 3 and have EL-FIT and Fitbit apps downloaded to their smartphone. After a brief session with a member of the research team explaining the basic components and functionality of EL-FIT and Fitbit, patients will be provided with general physical activity recommendations (as per our current standard of care) and asked to explore all features of EL-FIT and Fitbit apps, up until their 12-week follow-up visit. Phone calls to incentivize physical activity and exercise will be performed by members of the research team.

Point-of-care echocardiography (POC-Echo) is used to determine left ventricular systolic and diastolic dysfunction (LVDD), inferior vena cava (IVC) dynamics and volume status in cirrhosis and Acute-on-chronic liver failure ACLF accurately. We will assess IVC dynamics, LV systolic function [LV ejection fraction (EF) & cardiac output (CO)], and diastolic dysfunction (E/e', e' and E/A ratio) and urinary biomarkers (cystatin C and NGAL) in patients with cirrhosis and ACLF with hepatorenal syndrome-acute kidney injury (HRS-AKI).

The herein study consists in the transplantation of liver progenitor cells isolated from human fetal liver tissue with the aim of improving conventional liver therapy and broadening therapeutical options other than liver transplantation.

Consecutive patients, who were treated for end stage liver cirrhosis by LDLT were included in this a prospective study.Patients enrolled in the study divided into two groups according to the day of surgery. The study population was divided into two groups; group (A) Parenchymal liver transection was performed by harmonic scalpel (HS) and group (B) Parenchymal liver transection was performed by spray diathermy (SD).

Data for stool microbiome will be collected for all the chronic hepatitis B subjects (pre cirrhotic,compensated,decompensated and reactivation). All the in and out patient with Hepatitis B reactivation will be recruited and randomized into two arms. Group 1 Tenofovir Group 2 Tenofovir with FMT (Fecal Microbiota Transplant). Tenofovir would be given 300 mg once daily FMT through NJ (Naso-Jejunal) tube for 7 days.

The primary aim of this study is to improve both physical fitness and sarcopenia of patients with ESLD who are potentially eligible for liver transplantation through a 12-week physical training program. Secondary aims will focus on changes in anthropometrics, body composition, quality of life, and metabolic profile. This is a randomized clinical trial including 50 patients, with half allocated to the active group (physical training program) and half to standard of care.

Regulatory CD4+CD25+ T cells (Treg) derived from the thymus and/or periphery can control immune responsiveness to auto- and allo-antigens. However, there have been few efforts to harness the therapeutic potential of isolated Tregs to control graft rejection and inducing transplantation tolerance in solid organ recipients. In order for Tregs to be used as a clinical treatment, the following properties are necessary: ex vivo generation of sufficient numbers of cells, migration in vivo to sites of antigenic reactivity, ability to suppress rejection in an alloantigen-specific manner, and survival/expansion after infusion. The and others have demonstrated 1) the feasibility of expanding Treg ex vivo, 2) the ability of these cells to down-regulate allogeneic immune responses in vitro, and 3) the efficacy of Treg for prevention of allograft rejection in animal models. In kidney transplant, the investigators have developed strategies for the ex vivo expansion of naturally occurring human Tregs (nTregs) from leukapheresis products that would allow for the clinical employment of this cellular therapy. The investigators are also interested in this approach in patients with end stage liver disease (ESLD) undergoing liver transplantation (LT). Our central hypothesis is that alloreactive human nTreg with suppressive action can be expanded ex vivo from ESLD patients (this proposal) and used to both prevent liver transplant rejection and facilitate the minimization and withdrawal of drug-based immunosuppression (future proposals). This application will further define and validate efficient methods for ex vivo expansion of human CD4+CD25+CD127- FOXP3+nTregs cells in ESLD. The investigators herein propose to use leukapheresis products obtained from patients with ESLD to further refine and optimize protocols for expansion of Tregs. Suppressive function of expanded cells will be assessed using in vitro assays of alloreactivity (mixed lymphocyte culture).

Background: To effectively alleviate suffering and improve quality of life for patients with serious illness and their caregivers, palliative care (PC) services must be offered across multiple settings. Research is needed to determine how best to optimize home-based palliative care (HBPC) services to meet the needs of individuals with high symptom burden and functional limitations. Aim: The investigators will compare a standard HBPC model that includes routine home visits by a nurse and provider with a more efficient tech-supported HBPC model that promotes timely inter-professional team coordination via synchronous video consultation with the provider while the nurse is in the patient's home. The investigators hypothesize that tech-supported HBPC will be as effective as standard HBPC. Design: Cluster randomized trial. Registered nurses (n~130) will be randomly assigned to the tech-supported or standard HBPC model so that half of the patient-caregiver dyads will receive one of the two models. Setting/Participants: Kaiser Permanente (15 Southern California and Oregon sites). Patients (n=10,000) with any serious illness and a prognosis of 1-2 years and their caregivers (n=4,800) Methods: Patients and caregivers will receive standard PC services: comprehensive needs assessment and care planning, pain and symptom management, education/skills training, medication management, emotional/spiritual support; care coordination, referral to other services, and 24/7 phone assistance. Results: Primary patient outcomes: symptom improvement at 1 month and days spent at home in the last six months of life; caregiver outcome: perception of preparedness for caregiving. Conclusion: Should the more efficient tech-supported HBPC model achieves comparable improvements in outcomes that matter most to patients and caregivers, this would have a lasting impact on PC practice and policy.

Acute-on-chronic liver failure (ACLF) refers to a liver failure syndrome in which some patients with chronic liver disease with relatively stable liver function suffer from acute liver decompensation and liver failure due to the effects of various acute injury factors，while acute liver failure (ALF) refers to a potentially reversible disorder that was the result of severe liver injury, with an onset of encephalopathy within 8 weeks of symptom appearance and in the absence of pre-existing liver disease. Liver transplantation is the only curative treatment for this type of end-stage liver disease, but the rapid disease progression and lack of donors limit its application. The potential of MSCs to repair or regenerate damaged tissue and suppress immune responses makes them promising in the treatment of liver diseases, especially in the field of liver transplantation. Many studies have shown that MSC-based therapies can reduce the symptoms of liver disease due to their paracrine effects. It has been confirmed in previous studies that infusion of allogeneic MSCs is safe and convenient for patients with ACLF and improve liver function and decrease the incidence of severe infections. Compared to the cells they derive from, mesenchymal stem cells-derived extracellular vesicles (MSC-EVs) are gradually gaining attention for their enhanced safety, as they do not replicate or cause microvascular embolism, and can be easily stored without losing their properties. It represents a novel and effective cell-free therapeutic agent as alternative to cell-based therapies for liver diseases, and liver failure was also concerned. This study was designed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of MSC-EVs in ACLF/ALF .