Active clinical trials for "Fatty Liver"

Evaluate the relationship between the severity of fatty liver in NAFLD assessed by ultrasonography and CT and the visceral fat area measured by CT

Examine the association of chronic liver diseases (including hepatitis B, hepatitis C, alcoholic liver disease, fatty liver, liver cirrhosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma) with other systemic diseases by retrospectively analyzing the data from the Hospital Database of Buddhist Tzu Chi Medical Foundation.

The purpose of this study is is to use non-invasive diagnostic tests, Fibroscan and a simple blood test, to diagnose NASH in patients who undergo liver transplantation. Liver transplantation is a life-saving procedure for people with cirrhosis. Fatty liver is a common reason for liver transplantation due to obesity and diabetes. Fatty liver can happen again to the new transplanted liver and it is often due to metabolic risk factors (including diabetes, rapid weight gain, and immunosuppressive therapy, which are used to avoid rejection of the new liver). Some patients with fatty liver after liver transplant have non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) injury to liver the tissue (inflammation) and damage which is caused by a build-up of fat in the liver. This is a serious problem and can lead to cirrhosis and loss of the transplanted liver. There has been no detailed study into the recurrence of NASH. One reason for this is one of the only ways to detect fatty liver and NASH is to have a liver biopsy, which can be painful and have complications. Recently, a new technology (Fibroscan) and a simple blood test (cytokeratin 18) have been developed which can tell doctors how much a liver is damaged and how much fat it contains without pain or complications. This is a year long study involving one screening visit and 3 study visits, 3 months apart.

The rise in high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) consumption over the past 40 years since its introduction as a popular sweetener in the United States has led to much concern regarding its contribution to the rise in obesity (1), diabetes (2) and related cardiometabolic disorders (3).Unlike sucrose which contains equal proportions of fructose and glucose bound by an α-glycosidic bond, HFCS contains 42-55% of fructose to glucose in a free (unbound) form (4). Despite these differences in composition, both sugars possess identical energy contribution on a gram to gram basis (4). However, the higher ratio of fructose to glucose in HFCS has led to the hypothesis that HFCS may uniquely contribute to cardiometabolic risk, more so than sucrose, through proposed differences in fructose metabolism, endocrine and hedonic properties (5). We will conduct a series of systematic reviews and meta-analyses to assess the role of HFCS versus sucrose under energy matched (isocaloric) conditions on cardiometabolic risk.

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the most common liver disease in the United States. The cause of NAFLD is poorly defined but is thought to involve complex interactions of genetic and environmental factors. NAFLD is often associated with the traits of the metabolic syndrome including diabetes, high cholesterol or elevated blood pressure. Currently, there are no accurate noninvasive means of evaluating NAFLD and its more serious form which includes inflammation that may lead to severe scarring in the liver. The goal of this study is to evaluate shared genetic factors that underlie NAFLD and features of the metabolic syndrome as determined by blood work and radiographic studies in a cohort of twins and first degree relatives.

The investigators are very pleased to register the study entitled "A prospective study for the effect of cholecystectomy to the liver in consideration of hepatic steatosis 3months after cholecystectomy with Ultrasound". This study deals with prospective ultrasound study about hepatic steatosis development 3 months after cholecystectomy. This study was approved by the Institutional Review Board of the local institute. From Oct, 2013 to Jul, 2014, assessment of liver changes after cholecystectomy was carried out in 82 patients with gallbladder disease. In conclusion, the investigators thought that cholecystectomy might be considered as a risk factor for hepatic steatosis.

Background Fetuin A, synthesized in hepatocyte, is a circulatory inhibitor of precipitation of calcium and phosphate and links to cardiovascular calcification and mortality in dialysis patients; besides, it is associated with insulin resistance in general population. Hepatic fat accumulation enhanced fetuin A secretion in animal model. Objects This study is designed to investigate the association of fetuin A level, insulin resistance and hepatic fat content in dialysis patients. Besides, we planed to observe the survival of dialysis patient with different hepatic fat content. Methods. This is a prospective observational study. Three hundred and fifty ESRD patients undergoing maintenance HD or PD will be recruited for this prospective investigation. All the participants will receive baseline abdominal ultrasound for estimation of hepatic fat content. Hepatic fat content will be estimated as minimal, mild, moderate or severe according to the Hepburn classification. Besides, all participants also check baseline fetuin A, HOMA-IR, hs-CRP, adiponectin, leptin and lipid profiles (T-CHO, TG, LDL-C, HDL-C), nutritional parameter and other biochemical parameters. All participants will be followed for 4 years for survival analysis. The outcomes are all-cause mortality and composite CV mortality. Expected results Dialysis patients with higher hepatic fat may have higher fetuin A levels which may lead to long-term survival benefits.

The aim of the project is to investigate the metabolic regulation of the hepatic urea nitrogen handling and various cognitive functions measured by psychometric and neurophysiological tests before and after bariatric surgery in patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD).

NAFLD is a common comordidity in patients with IMID, including inflammatory bowel disease and psoriasis. Nevertheless, the prevalence of NAFLD and NASH in the IMID population is not clear, and the risk factors are not completely understood. Interestingly, NASH and most of IMIDs share main molecular and immunological mechanisms of disease, as the inflammatory pathways depending on TNFa or imbalance in T cell subtypes like Th17/Treg. This common pathogenesis may explain, at least in a subset of patients, the development of NASH in the absence of classic metabolic risk factor. Thus, our main hypothesis is that in the NASH assciated to IMIDs two different phenotypes co-exist. First, a predominantly inflammatory phenotype, and not associated to the metabolic syndrome ande second, a predominantly metabolic phenptype, strongly associated to he metabolic syndrome. In this way, we believe that in a particular subset of NAFLD patients, NASH could be considered as an IMID, as most of the definiting features of IMIDs are present. To demonstrate our hypothesis, we consider a two-stage study. First, we will determine the NAFLD and NASH prevalence in a cohort of well-characterized IMID patients and controls. Second, we will adress the molecular and immunophenotype characterization in liver biopsies of NASH patients with and without the co-existence of IMIDs.

The aim of the present study is to assess, by using a simple algorithm combining FIB-4 and Fibroscan, the prevalence of NASH with advanced fibrosis in outpatients followed in various hospital specialty clinics other than hepato/gastroenterology and to examine risk factors associated with this condition. The prevalence of NASH will be investigated among 6 cohorts of outpatients followed in different hospital specialty clinics at Hôpitaux Universitaires de Strasbourg.