Active clinical trials for "Liver Cirrhosis"

Primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC) is a slowly progressive disease that causes substantial loss of intrahepatic bile ducts, ultimately resulting in cholestasis, advanced fibrosis, cirrhosis, liver failure and even hepatocellular carcinoma. Histologically, the disease is characterized by chronic portal inflammation with infiltration, destruction and loss of the epithelial cells in the small-sized and medium-sized bile ducts. Currently, Ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) in a dose of 13-15mg/kg/day is recommended as therapeutic drugs for PBC by AASLD and is approved for this indication by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Treatment with UDCA may delay disease progression and prolong survival free of liver transplantation. However, one out of three patients does not adequately respond to UDCA therapy and many need additional medical therapy or liver transplantation, or both. UC-MSC has been application for the treatment of several severe autoimmune diseases, such as immune thrombocytopenia, systemic lupus erythematosus, and therapy-resistant rheumatoid arthritis. In this study, the safety and efficacy of UC-MSC transplantation for PBC patients will be evaluated.

Orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT) is currently the most effective method for end-stage liver diseases. However, the critical shortage of donor organs, high cost, and the problem of immune rejection limit its clinical application, and even some patients on the waiting list will never survive to receive a matched liver. Stem cell transplantation instead of conventional medical therapy or orthotopic liver transplantation will be a promising alternate approach to regenerate damaged hepatic mass. Adult mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are generally thought of as an autologous source of regenerative cells in previous studies.In this study, the safety and efficacy of menstrual blood-derived stem cells transplantation for patients with liver cirrhosis will be evaluated.

OBJECTIVES: I. Investigate the efficacy and safety of colchicine therapy in improving hepatic function and reducing hepatic fibrosis (scarring) in children with hepatic cirrhosis.

OBJECTIVE(S): Primary: To assess the safety of the intrahepatic reinfusion of increasing numbers of autologous highly purified CD133+ stem cells (SCs) to patients with end-stage liver disease. Safety will be evaluated as the incidence of adverse event (graded according to WHO) and clinically significant abnormal laboratory value following reinfusion of SCs. Secondary: To assess the feasibility of the immunomagnetic selection of autologous CD133+ cells collected with leukapheresis from the peripheral blood (PB) of patients with end-stage liver disease, previously mobilized with G-CSF. To assess the effects of the intrahepatic reinfusion of highly purified CD133+ cells on residual hepatic function of the patients. STUDY DESIGN: Twelve patients will be enrolled. At first, G-CSF at 7.5µg/Kg/b.i.d. will be administered subcutaneously (sc) from day 1 until the completion of peripheral blood stem cells (PBSC) collection. Harvest of bone marrow (BM)-derived PBSC will begin on day + 4 only if the concentration of CD133+ cells is > 8/uL and will be continued until the collection of the target cell dose: 0.5 x 106 CD133+ cells/Kg for the first 2 cohorts of patients; 1 x 106 CD133+ cells/Kg for cohort 3 and 2 x 106 CD133+ cells/Kg for cohort 4 (see below for definitions). PB mononuclear cells obtained from mobilized standard-volume leukapheresis will be incubated with Macs colloidal superparamagnetic CD133 microbeads and CliniMacs device will be used for the positive selection of CD133+ cells under good manufacturing practice (GMP) conditions. Cryopreservation and storage in liquid nitrogen will be performed according to standard procedures. At least 4 weeks after SC mobilization and collection, up to 40 mL of single cell suspension of highly purified autologous CD133+ cells, obtained after rapid thawing, will be infused through the hepatic artery by transfemoral or transbrachial arteriography. Infusion time will be lower than 15ml/min to avoid thrombi formation. The entire procedure will be performed under anesthesiological control. According to modified Fibonacci's increment rule, highly purified G-CSF-mobilized CD133+ cells will be administered to patients starting from 5x104/Kg patient's body weight and increased every 3 patients. The maximum infused cell dose will be 1x106/kg. G-CSF at 5µg/Kg/day will be administered sc for 3 days after the reinfusion of SCs (day 0 to day +2).

The study will be conducted in two phases. Phase A will evaluate the contribution of bacterial overgrowth and colonic inertia to development of Hepatic Encephalopathy (HE)in 50 ambulatory subjects with HE and hepatitis C cirrhosis. This phase will include a Screening and Evaluation Visit. Phase B will evaluate the effect of rifaximin on bacterial outgrowth and severity of HE in 20 of the subjects enrolled in Phase A who have a somewhat greater degree of encephalopathy. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the following: the relationship between bacterial overgrowth and the presence and severity of HE in patients with hepatitis C cirrhosis; the effectiveness and tolerability of rifaximin relative to placebo in treatment of HE associated with hepatitis C cirrhosis; the relationship between bacterial overgrowth and the presence and severity of HE before and after rifaximin treatment.

This study is to determine whether a compound, nitric oxide, made within the body, is the factor responsible for the changes in blood pressure and renal (kidney) functions that may occur during the course of cirrhosis. Patients with cirrhosis (liver scarring which causes poor liver function) will be eligible to participate. A group of healthy subjects will also be studied to compare the effects of the treatment to patients with cirrhosis and to confirm safety. A total number of 30 patients with cirrhosis and 10 healthy subjects will be enrolled in the study.

Acute on chronic liver failure (ACLF) is a distinct syndrome in patients with chronic liver disease with rapid clinical deterioration and has high short term mortality within one month.Despite aggressive clinical care, only half of the patients could survive an episode of ACLF. The investigators hypothesized that the early treatment with therapeutic plasma exchange with plasma and albumin in ACLF patients might improve overall survival in carefully selected patients by removing cytokines, chemokines and toxic substances.

Cirrhotic patients are predisposed to intestinal dysmotility, bacterial overgrowth, and increased intestinal permeability all leading to an increase in bacterial translocation and increased endotoxemia. Rifaximin is an antibiotic that is virtually non-absorbed after oral administration and exhibits broad spectrum antimicrobial activity against both aerobic and anaerobic gram-positive and gram-negative microorganisms within the gastrointestinal tract. It has been suggested that oral prophylactic antibiotics or bowel decontamination might improve long-term outcomes in patients with cirrhosis. The aim of this study was to explore the effect of rifaximin on the complications of advanced cirrhosis.

The main objective of the study will determine if patients with liver cirrhosis, anticoagulation free survival improves hypertension decompensation portal and / or transplantation without serious side effects. For it is conduct a double-blind multicenter clinical trial in which patients will be randomized to receive Rivaroxaban or placebo. It included 160 patients with liver cirrhosis and insufficiency mild to moderate hepatic. It will also analyze and develop secondary endpoint portal vein thrombosis. The confirmation of our hypothesis would lead to a radical change in treatment of patients with cirrhosis include treatment with Rivaroxaban in its drove.

Liver Cirrhosis is a common pathological consequence of chronic liver disease. Hepatitis B Virus (HBV) is one of most etiologies of Liver cirrhosis in China. The effective inhibition of HBV can partially regress or reverse liver fibrosis in patients with chronic Hepatitis and liver cirrhosis due to HBV, however some patients keep existence or development although HBV DNA is under-detectable after anti-virals. Theses refractory liver fibrosis is required the anti-fibrotic treatment focusing on the regulation of hepatic extracellular matrix, especially is necessary for in the patients with advance fibrosis stage ie. liver cirrhosis. Fuzheng Huayu has been found to enhance the degradation of collagens in fibrotic liver and have a good action against liver fibrosis in patients with chronic hepatitis B. However, there are no high quality clinical evidences which can demonstrate if the combination of anti-viral and anti-fibrotic therapy can improve the reversion of refractory liver fibrosis in liver cirrhosis due to HBV. The primary objective of this study is to establish the safety and efficacy of the combination of Entecavir and Traditional Chinese Medicine in refractory liver fibrosis in liver cirrhosis due to HBV.