The Effect of Good Bacteria on Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease in Diabetics
Fatty LiverHepatic Steatosis2 moreThe purpose of this study is to determine whether probiotics, bacteria that may improve liver health, can effectively treat a chronic condition in diabetics that increases fat in the liver.
A Study of ALN-AAT02 in Healthy Participants and Participants With ZZ Type Alpha-1 Antitrypsin Deficiency...
ZZ Type Alpha-1 Antitrypsin Deficiency Liver DiseaseThe purpose of this study is to evaluate the safety and tolerability of single or multiple doses of ALN-AAT02. The study will be conducted in 2 sequential phases in which Part A will be a single-ascending dose (SAD) phase in healthy participants, and Part B will be a multiple-ascending dose (MAD) phase in participants with ZZ type alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency (PiZZ) and biopsy-proven alpha-1 antitrypsin (AAT) deficiency-associated liver disease.
Telehealth Intervention in Cirrhotics
CirrhosisLiver1 moreThis study is a randomized controlled trial comparing a simple telehealth intervention implemented after hospital discharge to standard of care, specifically looking at the number of hospital readmissions throughout the course of the study. All cirrhotic patients admitted to the Hepatology service at The Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania will be approached and consenting patients will be randomized to one of the two arms as outlined below. Patients will be followed for 90 days with daily texts and weekly phone calls. The rates of 30 and 90 day readmission as well as the days to readmission will be compared between the two study groups.
Hepatic Impairment Study for Lorlatinib in Cancer Patients
Advanced CancersThis is a phase 1 study in advanced cancer patients with varied hepatic fucntions to evaluate the potential effect of hepatic impairment on pharmacokinetics and safety of lorlatinib and provide dose recommendation for patients with hepatic impairment if possible.
Effect of Probiotics in Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease and Steatohepatitis
Fatty Liver DiseaseFibrosis5 moreThis study will evaluate the effect of probiotics, a beneficial intestinal bacteria supplement, if it will cause improvement of the non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and or non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH- an inflammation with concurrent fatty accumulation of the liver) as measured by transient elastography - an ultrasound of the liver that assess the elastic properties (density) and stiffness of the liver tissue. This study will enroll patients 18 years and older with diagnosis of NAFLD and or NASH.
Levothyroxine for Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD)
Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver DiseaseDiabetes Mellitus1 moreBackground: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a spectrum of disorders characterized by lipid accumulation in hepatocytes. Evidence shows that thyroid hormone might be beneficial for this condition. Objective: To determine whether low dose levothyroxine (LT4) therapy may be a potential treatment for diabetic patients with NAFLD in a single arm study. Primary: To ascertain whether administration of LT4 for 16 weeks by titrating the serum thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) to 0.34 mIU/L - 1.7 mIU /L reduces liver fat content by at least 3% among patients with type II diabetes as measured by functional MRI. Secondary: To ascertain whether administration of LT4 for 16 weeks by titrating the serum TSH to 0.34 mIU/L - 1.7 mIU /L can improve glycemic control as measured by reduction in glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c), improve serum lipid profile in Type II diabetic patients with NAFLD as measured by total serum cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein (HDL), low-density lipoprotein (LDL) and total triglycerides (TG) and reduce the proportion of liver fat over body fat, which is reflected by fat in abdominal subcutaneous and visceral tissues, as measured by functional MRI on abdomen. Subjects and Centres: A total of 50 eligible adult diabetic men with NAFLD will be recruited from 6 centres in Singapore - Changi General Hospital (CGH), Singapore General Hospital (SGH), Tan Tock Seng Hospital (TTSH), National University Health System (NUHS), Khoo Teck Puat Hospital (KTPH), Jurong Health (JH) Eligible patients: Males between 21 to 60 years of age diagnosed with stable Type II diabetes mellitus (DM) with a baseline alanine aminotransferase (ALT) < 3 times upper limit of normal as per the institution's specified reference range, with a liver ultrasound (US) showing presence of fatty liver and baseline Thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) levels between 1 - 10 mIU/L. Treatment: Low dose levothyroxine (LT4) for 16 weeks, not including the 12 weeks of pre-study titration of LT4 in order to attain target TSH level of 0.34-1.70 mIU/L. Statistical Analysis: The absolute change in liver fat content from baseline (primary endpoint) will be analyzed using one-sample two-sided t-test at a 5% significance level. The same test will be applied to secondary endpoints. Mean, standard deviation and 95% confidence interval will be calculated for primary endpoint and secondary endpoints.
Healthcare Transition of Adolescents With Chronic Health Conditions
TransitionDiabetes6 moreAt least 12% of children have a chronic disease that requires regular medical follow-up after patients reach legal maturity. This international study aims to provide prospective evidence for improving health and wellbeing outcomes in this population. The primary hypothesis is that transition readiness will be more strongly associated with adherence to follow-up, fewer emergency visits and continued education than disease severity or chronological age. The secondary hypothesis is that positive experiences of care will be associated with lower levels of anxiety. Positive care experiences and low anxiety will predict better health-related quality of life during the transition period. A cohort of 504 young patients will be followed for three years. Patients have been recruited from pediatric hospitals 0-12 months prior to the transfer of care and follow-up will be completed after the patients have been followed for two years in adult healthcare.
Osmotic Fragility in Red Blood Cells of Pediatric Patients With Cholestatic Liver Disease
CholestasisRed Cell Membrane and Enzyme AbnormalitiesObjective: The investigators propose to perform ektacytometry on 20 pediatric patients over age one with cholestatic liver diseases and a direct bilirubin level of greater than 2 gm/dl. The most common diagnoses will be extrahepatic biliary atresia, progressive familial intrahepatic cholestasis, Alagille syndrome, autoimmune hepatitis, primary sclerosing cholangitis, and parenteral nutrition-associated cholestasis. The investigators will correlate the osmotic fragility and deformability with direct bilirubin levels, serum cholesterol levels, serum bile acid levels, and vitamin E levels. Design/Methods: This pilot study will be a single center, prospective cross-sectional investigation of red blood cell ektacytometry in pediatric patients with extrahepatic cholestasis who are followed at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center. The study will include all participants with cholestasis regardless of the etiology in order to maximize the number of participants. While the population will be heterogeneous, the investigators will stratify participants according to diagnosis, recognizing that only a few participants may fall into each diagnostic category. Ektacytometry will be the method utilized to measure osmotic fragility and deformability of the RBC membrane. The ektacytometry of red cells from cholestatic patients will be compared to that of red cells obtained from contemporaneous age-matched controls recruited among patients without liver disease or red cell membrane defects undergoing blood sampling for evaluation of other entities including but not confined to functional abdominal pain.
Guangzhou Nutrition and Health Study (GNHS)
Cardiovascular DiseasesOsteoporosis11 morePurpose: The Guangzhou Nutrition and Health Study (GNHS) project aims to assess the determinants of metabolic disease in nutritional aspects, as well as other environmental and genetic factors, and explore possible mechanisms with multi-omics integration. Study design: GNHS is a community-based prospective cohort study. Participants: In this cohort, the original GNHS and another cohort study (the controls of a case-control study of hip fractures, CCFH) have been integrated into the one GNHS project. After completing the baseline examination, a total of 5118 participants were recruited during 2008-2015 in the GNHS project. Visits and Data Collection: Participants were/will be visited every three years by invited to the School of Public Health, Sun Yat-sen University. At each visit, face-to-face interviews, specimen collection, anthropometric measurements, dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA) scanning, ultrasonography evaluation, vascular endothelial function evaluation, cardiopulmonary exercise testing, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), 14-d real-time continuous glucose monitoring tests, laboratory tests, and multi-omics data were/will be conducted. Up to December 2022, 3442 and 2895 subjects completed the 2nd and 3rd visits. Key variables: Questionnaire interviews. Physical examinations: Anthropometric measurements, blood pressure tests, handgrip strength, muscle function and bracelet motion monitoring. DXA scanning: To determine bone density, bone mineral content, bone geometry information, fat mass, and muscle mass. Ultrasonography evaluations: To determine carotid artery intima-media thickness and plaque, and fatty liver. Vascular endothelial function evaluation. Cardiopulmonary exercise testing: Lung function. MRI: Brain and upper-abdomen MRI. 14-d Real-time continuous glucose monitoring tests. Specimen collections: Overnight fasting blood, early morning first-void urine, faces, and saliva samples. Laboratory tests: Metabolic syndrome-related indices; Diabetes-related indices; Uric acid; Nutritional indices; Inflammatory cytokines; Index of oxidative stress; Adipocytes; Sexual hormones; Liver and renal function-related markers; Routine blood test. Multi-omics data: Genotyping data; Gut microbiota; Untargeted serum and fecal proteomics; Targeted serum and fecal metabolomics. Morbidity and mortality: Relevant data were/will be also retrieved via local multiple health information systems.
Administration of Rifaximin to Improve Liver Regeneration and Outcome Following Major Liver Resection...
Malignant Liver DiseaseMajor Liver ResectionSurgery is in almost all cases the only potentially curative treatment option for patients with primary or secondary malignancies of the liver. However, in most cases oncological resections ("R0-resections") can only be achieved by performing major liver resections (4 or more liver segments), which is related to considerable postoperative complications such as systemic infections and postoperative liver insufficiency (postresectional liver failure (PRLF)). Despite optimized preoperative and postoperative strategies of care presently, up to 32-55% of patients display severs postoperative complications (Clavien score ≥ 3a) and 5% even suffer from a severe PRLF. Recent observations in murine disease models as well as human patients suggested that postoperative alterations of hemodynamics within the portal vein tract as well as postoperative modulations of the immune response facilitates the translocation of gut bacteria in the blood, leading to systemic infections and sepsis. Moreover it became apparent that inflammatory mediators, released by the gut microbiota might negatively affect postoperative liver regeneration. Rifaximin (Xifaxan®) is a novel and potent, semisynthetic antibiotic that efficiently acts against most enteric bacteria and significantly reduced liver inflammation and liver fibrosis in animal studies. Moreover, Rifaximin is very well tolerated, even in patients with liver insufficiency.