Active clinical trials for "Liver Diseases"

This is a retrospective review of images from patient data. There is no recruitment necessary for this study. Research Question: Can advanced multiparametric MRI techniques improve the detection and characterization of focal and diffuse liver disease, accurately assess treatment response and predict patient outcomes based on longitudinal monitoring? Hypotheses: Advanced multiparametric MRI techniques improve the detection, characterization and response assessment of focal and diffuse liver disease and can predict serious liver related outcomes.

Out objective is to identify the mechanisms that promote hepatic and myocardial fibrosis, and collateral vessel formation in patients with complex congenital heart disease and Fontan circulation.

The immune system is thought to play a key role in the development of liver inflammation and subsequent liver fibrosis or cirrhosis. In the case of viral hepatitis and autoimmune hepatitis, for example, numerous studies have focused on the acquired antigen-specific immunity. However, the liver is the site of increased occurrence of the components of the innate immune response (NK and NKT cells) and, in contrast to T cells, these T cells, these do not require antigen presentation. Therefore, the present study was designed to determine which cellular components of the (NK, NKT, dendritic cells, macrophages) or the acquired immune response (CD4, CD8) or which network of immune cells is involved in the immunopathogenesis of progressive liver inflammation or the development of liver fibrosis. The aim is to identify lymphocyte populations that exhibit either prognostically favorable or unfavorable characteristics. This should allow conclusions to be drawn for a more targeted and individualized therapy of the respective chronic liver diseases.

Patients with established liver cirrhosis, or end-stage liver disease (ESLD), are at high risk of developing liver cancer (hepatic carcinoma; HCC), portal hypertension, and sarcopenia, all which lead to significant morbidity and mortality. In this patient group the annual incidence of HCC is c. 2-8% and these patients are therefore included in ultrasound HCC screening programs every 6 months. In this study, the investigators are aiming to assess sarcopenia, clinically significant portal hypertension (CSPH), and HCC with a single short magnetic resonance (MR) examination. A neck-to-knee MRI-examination will be acquired to derive body composition profile (BCP) measurements including visceral and abdominal subcutaneous adipose tissue (VAT and ASAT), thigh fat free muscle volume (FFMV) and muscle fat infiltration (MFI), as well as liver fat (PDFF), spleen volume, and liver stiffness. Images will be further processed by AMRA Medical AB. AMRA's solution includes FFMV in the context of virtual control groups (VCG; using AMRA's vast database) and MFI. Furthermore, the spleen volume will be used to monitor the development of portal hypertension and explored together with other BCP variables in relation to hepatic decompensation events. HCC screening will be performed using so-called abbreviated MRI (AMRI), which consists of time series of contrast-enhanced T1-weighted images. The AMRI images will be read by an experienced radiologist. In the literature the sensitivity of AMRI to detect HCC is above 80%, with a specificity of c. 95%, compared to ultrasound sensitivity of 60%. In treating ESLD there is a desire of physicians to be able to predict future decompensation events in order to initiate treatment to prolong survival. Moreover, the ability to assess processes of sarcopenia in the patient would be highly valuable for clinical practice due its severe clinical impact. Finally, ultrasound-based HCC screening has poor diagnostic performance and a MR-based screening approach would significantly improve treatment outcome as more treatable and earlier HCC may be identified.

This is an observational study exploring the performance of a novel point-of-care diagnostic testing platform designed to quantitate the presence of liver function biomarkers such as bilirubin. Blood samples will be collected from participants to further development and validation of the testing platform to support FDA review. The diagnostic device is intended to provide rapid in-office test results using a finger stick of blood, a reaction test device, and a smartphone app.

Hepatic steatosis may cause inflammation and fibrosis within the liver potentially leading to end-stage liver disease cirrhosis, liver failure and death. The condition is associated with several other chronic liver diseases like autoimmune hepatitis, primary biliary cholangitis, primary sclerosing cholangitis, hereditary hemochromatosis and alpha-1-antitrypsin deficiency and may also develop secondary to other diseases like inflammatory bowel disease and chronic pancreatitis. Diagnosing chronic liver diseases can be challenging and treatment may be limited. In-depth phenotyping at a tissue level may generate insight into the underlying pathophysiology of diseases and furthermore identify common as well as specific diagnostic biomarkers and future treatment targets of the diseases. We therefore undertake a study that evaluates patients with chronic liver diseases associated with hepatic steatosis.

The goal of this observational study is to investigate the associations between a novel inflammatory marker, high sensitivity C-reactiveprotein to albumin ratio (hsCAR), and steatosis and fibrosis of metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD). The main question[s] it aims to answer are: [question 1] Can hsCAR serve as a clinical indicator to determine whether a patient has MAFD? [question 2] Can hsCAR determine whether MAFLD patients are complicated with liver fibrosis?

Hepatopulmonary syndrome (HPS) has unknown pathogenesis, limited treatment and poor prognosis. The onset of HPS is insidious and easy to be ignored. Many liver diseases such as "cirrhosis and related complications" are the core characteristics of Beijing You 'an Hospital, but the clinical characteristics of HPS patients in the center are still unclear. The investigators plan to make the diagnosis of HPS among chronic liver disease patients in the hospital according to the diagnostic criteria of HPS proposed in the Practice Guidelines of the International Society of Liver Transplantation in 2016, collect clinical data of HPS participants, evaluate the severity, analyze and summarize clinical characteristics, and conduct management and follow-up. At the same time, The investigators collect blood samples for proteomics tests. In order to improve the diagnosis and treatment level of HPS.

The global rise in the prevalence of obesity paved the way for the increased prevalence of yet another obesity-related complication significant enough to be considered within the roster of major public health threats: non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). In this follow-up study, the investigators will attempt to decipher the natural history of hepatic steatosis among patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) using state-of-the-art methods in a well-characterized Saudi cohort. The investigators aim also to validate existing biomarkers of disease severity and explore the pathogenesis of progressive disease using metabolic profiling technologies. A total of 1000 adult Saudi patients (males and females) with T2DM will be recruited. Those with co-morbidities, including hepatic decompensation, will be excluded. Participants will be followed three times for a total of 10 years/patient (Year 2, Year 5, and Year 10), and measures such as dietary evaluations, anthropometrics, and urine, stool, and blood examinations will be performed. Patients who develop NAFLD will be noted, and patterns/changes in the metabolic profile will be examined. For this specific grant (the first 2 years of the whole project), the investigators will be able to recruit the study cohort, do the baseline anthropometric, imaging, and biochemical measurements, and report the prevalence of NAFLD among patients with T2DM. This information will be the basis of subsequent follow-up and allow for validating potential diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers. This project will be of high importance at the national level since it will create awareness in the local medical community of the current severity status of NAFLD in the kingdom and will be used as a tool to promote public health awareness in the community.

This observational study evaluates the concentration of immune protein S100A8/A9 in different liver failure syndromes, its interaction with the immune system and validity as an immunotherapeutic target to improve survival in patients with advanced cirrhosis and/or acute on chronic liver failure.