Active clinical trials for "Liver Diseases"

A major consequence of chronic liver disease in childhood is growth failure. This is because a chemical essential for growth called growth factor is created in the liver. Lack of response to growth hormone in people with chronic liver disease is characterized by high levels of growth hormone and low levels of growth factors. This growth hormone resistance is reflected in a variety of factors including insulin resistance and low nutritional intake. Unfortunately, growth hormone therapy has no effect for children with liver disease. In addition, failure of normal growth or malnutrition makes liver disease even worse in children, and growth hormone therapy is not likely to reverse this. A lack of proper nutrition is associated with hospitalizations and frequent complications. Poor growth is a predictor of poor outcomes after liver transplantation. Thus the management of children with liver disease remains a challenge. Children who have successful orthotopic liver transplants (OLT) show much improvement in some aspects of growth, including skin fold thickness, mid-arm circumference, and normalization of growth factor levels. However, some studies have recently reported that the growth of 15-20% of children remains poor even after a liver transplant. This can be explained by persistent abnormalities in growth factors after transplant. Growth factor was found to be a good tool for prognosis in patients with chronic liver disease. Studies showed that patients with liver cirrhosis and growth factor levels below normal values showed lower long-term survival rates compared with patients who had above normal values. This suggests that growth factor can be a good predictor of survival and early marker of poor liver function. In this case, aggressive feeding may modestly improve growth factor levels leading to improved growth but it is unlikely that effects will be optimal. The investigators propose that growth factor administration may have a positive effect that leads to better growth which is a major predictor of good outcome. To date, no reports study the use of growth factor in children with chronic liver disease. This study proposes to examine the effect of growth factor therapy in childhood chronic liver disease.

The purpose of this study is to find the best monthly dose schedule for the new Hepatitis Immune Globulin (Boca HBVIg, a study drug) when used in combination with an antiviral agent Lamivudine after liver transplantation. Boca HBVIg will be given along with Lamivudine to prevent hepatitis B reinfection following liver transplantation in patients with end stage liver failure due to hepatitis B infection.

The objective of this study is to investigate the potential beneficial effect of increasing protein in the diet in order to decrease hepatic lipid accumulation on a high-fat diet. The investigators hypothesize that increasing protein in a high-fat diet suppresses lipid accumulation in the liver, and that changes in (hepatic) fat handling underlie this reduced lipid accumulation.

This study evaluated that strict control of perioperative blood glucose following hepatic resection by using an artificial pancreas would improve postoperative surgical site infection.

This study is to evaluate the predictive value of NRL972 pharmacokinetics in the diagnosis of steatohepatitis using fatty liver disease as the comparator group. In addition, the sensitivity and specificity of NRL972 pharmacokinetics as a diagnostic tool will be compared to results from the standard laboratory tests, elastography, tests of metabolic markers and serum fibrosis markers frequently used in the evaluation of clinically predicted NAFLD patients. Patients will be included if they have clinical evidence of fatty liver disease and have been referred to the clinic for a diagnostic work-up, including a liver biopsy, blood tests and scans of the liver.

Chinese bayberry, one of six Myrica species native to China, is rich in anthocyanins, and cyanidin-3-O-glucoside (C3G) was identified as a major anthocyanin component. In previous animal studies from us and other investigators, anthocyanins have been shown to ameliorate dyslipidemia and hepatic steatosis in different rodent models. The aim of the present study was to examine the effects of Chinese bayberry juice (CBJ) on the serum lipid profile and on levels of biomarkers related to antioxidant status in young adults with features of fatty liver disease.

Metformin is being compared to exercise and diet modifications. The researchers are interested in learning if the addition of metformin to lifestyle modifications is more helpful in treating the condition or disorder. Although metformin is FDA approved to treat type 2 diabetes, it is not FDA approved for the treatment of Non-alcoholic fatty liver (NAFLD) and is considered investigational for the purpose of this study.

Renal ischemia/reperfusion (I/R)-induced injury is known to be associated with immediate and long-term hepatic dysfunction after liver transplantation. Protecting the liver against I/R injury and maintaining hepatic function during transplant surgery is therefore very important in order to improve post-operative outcome. This purpose of this study is to investigate whether propofol anesthesia done in both liver donors and recipients during living-donor liver transplantation is effective in reducing liver I/R injury via its antioxidant and antiinflammatory properties and improve post-transplant outcome compared to desflurane anesthesia.

The spectrum of NAFLD as emerging epidemic ranges from steatosis to steatohepatitis (NASH), cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Disease progression is poorly understood and treatment options are limited. Fructose overconsumption has been associated with gut permeability and progression of NAFLD. To unravel the mechanisms of fructose-induced intestinal changes, volunteers will receive a 4-week fructose challenge prior to assessment of intestinal permeability/translocation using endomicroscopy, sugar probes, serum markers of intestinal damage, inflammation, iron/copper homeostasis and histological/molecular analysis of intestinal biopsies. Findings in volunteers will be compared with liver patients undergoing study procedures without fructose challenge. Translational in vitro experiments will explore cellular responses to fructose and endotoxin. This project should provide novel insights into dietary induced alterations of the gut integrity in progression of NAFLD to NASH.

This study evaluates the influence of Silymarin in reducing laboratory, ultrasonographic (Fibroscan) and metabolic components of NAFLD. Half of the patients will receive Silymarin (Verum) while the other half will receive placebo