
Impact of Ketogenic Diet on Lipoproteins in Refractory Epilepsy
EpilepsyCardiovascular Disease2 moreThe ketogenic diet is a non-pharmacological treatment prescribed especially for children and indicated in most specialized centers for patients with refractory epilepsy. The composition of the ketogenic diet is based on high-fat, low-carbohydrate, moderate protein content, and the production of ketone bodies is the probable mechanism involved in the control of seizures. The relationship between the treatment of the ketogenic diet and changes in oxidative characteristics, physical and lipid are not well established. Some studies show a significant increase in total cholesterol and triglycerides in children being treated with ketogenic diet, but other studies have shown that changes in lipid profile in the long term do not appear to be significant, beyond the influence of these changes on coronary heart disease are unknown. The studies performed in the last two decades have shown that besides the changes in the lipid profile, oxidative modification of lipoproteins are essential for the initiation and progression of atherosclerosis and physical properties of lipoproteins also appear to be involved in this process, suggesting that the particle size of lipoproteins, through the analysis of subfractions can provide more details of the cardiovascular risk. Thus, this projetct aims to compare the effects of the classical ketogenic diet with the ketogenic diet modified with lower content of saturated fatty acids and a higher content of monounsaturated and polyunsaturated, the oxidative changes of LDL, lipidomic profile, the concentration of antioxidants in production inflammatory cytokines and the subfractions of LDL and HDL in children and adolescents with refractory epilepsy, the clinical effect on controlling epilepsy.

Efficacy and Safety of Modified Anti-tubercular Regimens in Treatment of Tuberculosis in Patients...
Chronic Liver Disease With TuberclosisDuring the Study: Subject is required to visit every week for the first 2 months and then every month till completion of study or as and when required The usual symptomatic and supportive treatment of Chronic Liver Disease, including use of antiviral, will be given to all patients. Effort will be made to avoid use of other hepatotoxic drug(s) during Anti-Tubercular Treatment. Liver function tests (LFT) will be done weekly during first 2 months then at one month interval or as when required. The treatment efficacy of Anti-Tubercular Treatment (ATT) will be made on the basis of clinical, biochemical, microbiological and imaging parameters at months 2, 4, 7 and 9. Patients not improving at 4 weeks after initiation of treatment will be shifted to alternative regimens and will be excluded from the study.

Prospective Clinical Study of the Role of the Immune Response, in Relation to Diet, in Patients...
Chronic Hepatitis C VirusNon Alcoholic Fatty Liver DiseaseChronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) are characterized by a spectrum of pathological conditions ranging from an early stage of inflammation and fibrosis up to more advanced disease conditions, such as hepatocellular carcinoma. The prevalence of NAFLD is between 10 and 25% of the population, with large differences in age and ethnic groups, while it is well known that HCV infection is a major cause of chronic liver disease in Western countries. For both diseases the progression of liver damage is in close correlation with the lifestyle of patients (eg., nutrition, physical activity, ingestion of alcohol, etc.). In fact, it was shown that feeding imbalances may have implications in altering the normal immune functions of the subjects, suggesting that the metabolic and the immune systems are closely related to each other. Although it is well known the negative role of obesity on the progression of NAFLD and HCV liver diseases, the pathogenic mechanism underlying the alterations related to the immune response is not yet fully understood. Insulin resistance, altered lipid metabolism, lipid peroxidation, oxidative stress and mitochondrial alterations are pathogenic mechanisms that induce liver damage and its progression, both in NAFLD and in HCV infection. Recent studies suggest that the evolution of viral infections and chronic inflammation in NAFLD are deeply influenced by CD4+ T helper cells expressing IL-17 , defined as T helper 17 (Th17) cells. Broadening the knowledge on the role of diet in the course of NAFLD and HCV infection in the activation of Th17 cells and in the alteration of some of their functions, will allow to shed light on the pathogenic mechanisms underlying the progression of immune-mediated diseases. Moreover, this investigation will allow to understand whether Th17 cells may have a role in the diminished response to therapy in patients who have high cholesterol levels. If the results will confirm our hypothesis, this study will provide useful informations for the clinical management of patients with both steatosis and chronic HCV infection. The data obtained can also be used for the development of new therapeutic strategies directed to modulate the antiviral immune response. All patients will undergo clinical and instrumental assessment depending on the type of pathology. Patients will be required to follow a normocaloric low cholesterol diet for a period of 30 days. The prospective clinical study does not present any form of additional risk for the patients and will be conducted in accordance with the principles established by the Declaration of Helsinki and with the standards of Good Clinical Practice (GCP). The study does not require any additional costs.

Factors Associated With End Stage Liver Disease
CirrhosisHepatic Encephalopathy2 more100 ambulatory cirrhotic patients attending a liver transplant clinic will undergo a comprehensive clinical evaluation for severity of liver disease, anemia, depression, and fatigue. Fatigue will be assessed with the FIS and sub-maximal exercise capacity with the 6-minute walk test (6MWT), a standardized exercise test that measures the distance that a patient is capable of walking in 6 minutes (6MWD). Depression will be assessed by using three well-known questionnaires. The SF-36, Beck's Depression Inventory (BDI-II), EQ-5D, and the Psychological General Well-Being Index (PGWBI). Univariate analysis will be performed to select the factors that potentially are associated with the scores as indicated by a P value <.20; the selected factors will then be entered in a stepwise regression to create a multivariate model giving the combination of factors that are significantly associated with the measure of fatigue and depression. Hemoglobin (Hb) levels will then be added to the model in order to test its significance while controlling for the other factors.

Palliative Care for Non-Malignant Diseases (COMPASS Trial)
Liver DiseasesLiver Cirrhosis1 moreThe purpose of this study is to evaluate, through a randomized controlled trial, the impact of integrated comprehensive palliative care services on time to first hospital readmission and other hospital utilization outcomes, quality of life, and patient/caregiver outcomes. The intervention includes comprehensive, standardized palliative care services for adult hepatology cirrhosis patients for which prognosis is poor.

Autologous Bone Marrow Stem Cells Infusion for the Treatment of Liver Diseases.
Liver DiseasesThis study evaluates the effect of autologous bone marrow stem cells infusion (ABMSCi) therapy for liver diseases.Treatment group will receive ABMSCi and drugs therapy ,while control group will only receive drugs therapy.

The Effect of Consecutive Fecal Microbiota Transplantation on Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease...
NAFLDNonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a disease of alarmingly increasing prevalence, linked to metabolic, cardiovascular and malignant morbidity and without any officially approved treatment. It is increasingly recognized that the gut microbiome is implicated in the pathogenesis and progression of numerous chronic diseases, including NAFLD. Through the so-called gut-liver axis, the liver is exposed to gut-bacterial-derived products, including toxins (lipopolysaccharides), enzymes (methylamines), alcohol, and short-chain fatty acids (mainly acetate, propionate, and butyrate), that may lead to accumulation of triglycerides, inflammatory responses, oxidative stress and accompanying damage to the hepatocytes. The primary objective is to study the effect of consecutive FMT on liver fat accumulation measured by Magnetic Resonance Images (MRI) LiverMultiscan at 12 weeks. Secondary objectives are weight, waist, blood pressure, metabolic parameters (including glucose, cholesterol, pancreatic beta-cell function, HOMA-IR), objective and subjective stress indicators, gut-microbiota and bile composition and liver enzymes. Stool samples will be collected for microbiota analysis at time point 0, 3, 6 and 12 weeks.

A Randomized Controlled Trial of Effects of DAIry PROtein Products on Liver Disease Severity and...
Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver DiseaseMetabolic Syndrome7 moreThe overarching aim of this project is to investigate effects of dietary interventions on nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) severity and to delineate the relationship with improvements in metabolic aberrations in liver-, fat- and muscle tissue, using a panel of state-of-the art techniques. The investigators will conduct a randomized clinical trial with three arms to investigate if micellar cassein isolate and whey protein supplementation as part of a high-protein diet during 4 weeks of weight maintenance and 20 weeks of hypocaloric intake (30% energy restriction) inducing modest weight loss (5% of baseline weight) has beneficial effects on NAFLD severity and metabolic aberrations compared to normal diet in NAFLD patients. It is hypothesized that: (i) a high-protein diet improves liver disease severity and metabolic function compared to a normal protein diet; (ii) Cassein provides greater benefits than whey; and(iii) these effects manifest during both weight maintenance and weight loss.

Avatrombopag in Patients With End-stage Liver Disease and Thrombocytopenia
Liver FailureThrombocytopenia1 moreEnd stage liver disease is prone to thrombocytopenia. This study is a multi-center, randomized, prospective, randomized controlled Phase IV Clinical trial to discuss the Efficacy and Safety of Avatrombopag in Patients with End-stage Liver Disease and Thrombocytopenia.

The Effect of Probiotics on the Clinical Outcomes and Gut Microenvironment in Patients With Fatty...
Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver DiseaseFatty liver has been associated with high risk of progression to inflammation of the liver, liver cirrhosis (hardening of the liver), and eventually can lead to liver cancer. So far, the treatment for this condition involves controlling the cholesterol level in the body by practicing low fat diet and daily exercise. However, recently there has been evidence that alteration of the normal population of various types of bacteria that lives in the intestines may contributes to the development of fatty liver. Probiotics is a dietary supplement containing live bacteria that is formulated to change the composition and population of the bacteria in the intestines. It is postulated that by taking specifically formulated probiotics, the alteration of the intestinal bacteria may lead to improvement of the fatty liver, leading to better daily liver function. In this 6-month study, investigators would like to investigate the effectiveness of the probiotics in improving the liver function and in the treatment of the fatty liver. It will compare the fatty liver of patients who took the probiotics supplements compared to those who did not took it and see if there is any improvement.