Active clinical trials for "End Stage Liver Disease"

The purpose of this study is to learn more about the effects of exercise on functional status and outcomes on patients with end-stage liver disease on the liver transplant waiting list and who have undergone liver transplantation.

Background: Acute-on-chronic liver failure (ACLF) is a syndrome characterized by acute deterioration in the setting of chronic liver disease associated with high short-term mortality. Currently, there is no specific treatment for patients with ACLF. Our previous results showed that Chinese herbal medicine (CHM) could reduce the mortality rate and the incidence of complications of ACLF effectively. In this study, we aim to conduct the multi-center randomized controlled trial to evaluate the effect of unified CHM formulas and provide propagable and high-level evidence for clinical practice. Methods/design: This is a prospective, multicenter, centrally randomized controlled trial. Five hundred and ten patients diagnosed with HBV-related ACLF will be allocated in a 1:1 ratio to SMT group (standard medical therapy) and CHM group (CHM and SMT). The primary outcome is the transplant-free mortality rates at week 4, 8, 12, 24 and 48. Secondary outcomes include (1) the incidence of adverse reactions, (2) influence on liver function, (3) the incidence of serious complications and (4) the level of inflammatory cytokines. Discussion: The effectiveness and safety of CHM formulas are assessed in the treatment of ACLF.

Acute-on-chronic liver failure (ACLF) is a syndrome associated with a high short- term mortality. Early identification of patients at high risk is important to determine emergency for transplantation and prioritize the need for intensive care unit. Unbalanced systemic inflammatory response is closely associated with mortality in ACLF patients. This systemic inflammatory response in ACLF increases liver and splenic stiffness stiffnes, which can be detected by transient elastography. Very few studies have been done in past evaluating liver and splenic stiffness as prognostic tool in patients of ACLF. These studies have taken only single value of liver and splenic stiffness as prognostic tool. No follow up study have yet been done assessing acute change in liver and splenic stiffness in ACLF. In this study, we hypothesize that acute change in liver and splenic stiffness at 7th & 14 th day predicts outcome in ACLF patients. With this study, we aim to evaluate whether acute changes in liver and splenic stiffness at 7th & 14th day predicts outcome at 3 months in patients of ACLF.

Liver transplantation (LT) is a current life-saving procedure performed as an open-abdominal surgery for patients with end-stage liver diseases (ESLD). However, a high risk of post-surgical complications is relevant to major intra-abdominal interventions. In managing post-LT recovery, it is important to consider the extending pre-transplant physical status of ESLD patients concerning an impaired exercise capacity, a prolonged period of deconditioning, fatigue and muscle weakness, which leads to global motor impairment and decreased functional capacity. Sarcopenia and physical deconditioning are known as the hallmark features of ESLD. The quality and the quantity of skeletal muscle mass have been closely correlated with post-transplantation mortality in individuals undergoing LT. In addition to chronic deconditioning or myopathy related to chronic liver failure, post-transplant immunosuppressive medication contributes to increased risk for age-related decline in muscular strength and physical ability. It reportedly persists impaired physical function including reduced muscle strength, which have been consistently associated with impaired quality of life after a liver transplant. Exercise interventions in solid-organ recipients provide improvements in physical function including skeletal muscle strength. The literature has defined many types of exercise-based interventions including aerobic and resistive training or physical activity counselling in improving physical performance tasks, muscle strength and physical domain of quality of life in postoperative liver transplanted adults. Although there are studies in improving muscle performance and functional status, no study conducted in the post-transplant early period and an optimal exercise regimen for post-liver recipients. In the present study, it will be provided a framework for a possible change in practice aiming to improve muscle strength and functionality in liver recipients through a strength training exercise intervention at the early post-transplant period. The purposes of this trial were: 1) to evaluate the feasibility and safety of a strength exercise training program on functional mobility and quality of life of liver transplanted individuals and 2) to initiate physiotherapy protocols in this population. A key component of this approach was that it was individualized, providing one-to-one therapy with tailored progression specific to a person's individual mobility goals.

Background: Patients undergoing liver transplantation with preexisting renal dysfunction are prone to further renal impairment with the early postoperative use of Calcineurin-inhibitors. However, there is only little scientific evidence for the safety and efficacy of de novo CNI free regimens in patients with impaired renal function undergoing liver transplantation. The objective of the study is to evaluate a de novo calcineurin-inhibitor-free immunosuppressive regimen based on induction therapy with anti-CD25 monoclonal anti- body, mycophenolate mofetil (MMF/MPA), and mTOR-inhibition to determine its safety and to investigate the preliminary efficacy in patients with impaired renal function at the time of liver transplantation. Methods/Design: Patients older than 18 years with renal impairment at the time of liver transplantation due to hepatorenal syndrome, eGFR < 50 ml/min and/or serum creatinine levels > 1.5 mg/dL will be included. Patients will receive a combination therapy with antiCD25-monoclonal antibodies, MMF, steroids and delayed sirolimus (day 10) and will be evaluated with regards to the incidence of steroid resistant acute rejection within the first 30 days after liver transplantation as the primary endpoint. The study is designed as prospective two-step trial requiring a maximum of 29 patients. In the first step 9 patients will be included. If 8 or more patients show no signs of biopsy proven steroid resistant rejection, additional 20 patients will be included. If in the second step a total of 27 or more patients reach the primary end-point the regimen is regarded to be safe and efficient. The follow up period will be one year after transplantation. The aim is to obtain safety and efficacy data for this new and innovative therapy regimen that might be the basis for a large prospective randomized multicenter trial in the future.

The purpose of this research study is to see how effective bioelectric impedance analysis (BIA) is in determining body composition (the amount of fat versus muscle in the body) and nutritional status in patients with End Stage Liver Disease (ESLD)

Background: Reactivation of hepatitis B is a well-characterized syndrome marked by the abrupt reappearance or rise of hepatitis B virus (HBV) DNA in the serum of a patient with previously inactive or resolved HBV infection. Reactivation can be spontaneous, but is most commonly triggered by cancer chemotherapy, immune suppression, or alteration in immune function. Spontaneous acute exacerbation of chronic hepatitis B infection is seen with a cumulative probability of 15±37% after 4 years of follow-up.2 Significant number of patients of spontaneous acute exacerbation of chronic hepatitis B may present with very high ALT levels, jaundice and liver failure.3 This condition should be defined as acute-on-chronic liver failure (ACLF) according to a recent Asia-Pacific consensus recommendation. The short term prognosis of patients of spontaneous acute exacerbation of chronic hepatitis B leading to ACLF like presentation is extremely poor, with a mortality of 30-70% in different series.8,9,10 Liver transplantation has been the only definitive therapy available to salvage this group of patients. However ,this is not readily available and affordable. Another therapeutic option is antiviral therapy but has limited data. The efficacy of lamivudine was evaluated and compared by historical control but was not found to be beneficial.8,9,10 However ,a study from Taiwan showed a survival benefit in a subgroup of patients who were on lamivudine and had baseline bilirubin below 342 mmol/L (20 mg/dL).11 Tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF) is a potent, rapidly acting, oral acyclic nucleotide analogue, reverse transcriptase inhibitor that has been shown to be highly effective in suppressing hepatitis B virus replication.12 Tenofovir has also shown excellent activity against HBV in both LAM- naïve and LAM-resistant patients.13,14. Its efficacy has not been evaluated in patients of reactivation of hepatitis B who present as ACLF Hypothesis: The investigators hypothesis that Tenofovir reduces the morbidity and mortality in patients with Spontaneous reactivation of hepatitis B by reducing HBV DNA.

Acute on chronic liver failure (ACLF) is a distinct entity where, because of severe acute hepatic injury, a rapid loss of liver function develops in a patient with previous chronic liver disease(4). These patients have severe hepatic dysfunction, and outcome is defined by functional hepatic reserve and extent of extra-hepatic organ failures(5). Renal failure is a frequent extra-hepatic organ failure, and its presence is an independent prognostic marker for mortality(12). The pathophysiological basis of renal dysfunction in patients with ACLF is different compared to those with decompensated cirrhosis (DC)(6). Systemic inflammation is the hallmark of ACLF, characterized by a cytokine storm wherein there is an increase in both pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines, such as interleukin (IL)-6, IL-8, IL-1β, and IL-10, leading to circulatory dysfunction and organ failure(3). These patients therefore have a higher incidence and progression of acute kidney injury (AKI). Diagnosis of HRS-AKI in ACLF currently requires 48 h of volume repletion with albumin and diuretic withdrawal. Therefore waiting for 48 hours to start treatment with terlipressin can be associated with worsening of AKI stage, worsening of ACLF stage and thereby suboptimal treatment response and high mortality despite treatment response. Therefore early initiation of terlipressin as continuous infusion after volume repletion with IV albumin in ACLF-AKI is safe and prevents AKI progression by splanchnic vasoconstriction and improved renal perfusion.

Tenofovir alafenamide (TAF) and entecavir (ETV) are the preferred agents in patients with predisposing factors for nephrotoxicity, but few studies to date have directly compared the renal safety of the two antiviral drugs in patients with acute-on-chronic liver failure (ACLF). Hence, the investigators compared the risk of kidney function decline among patients with HBV related acute-on-chronic liver failure (HBV-ACLF) treated with ETV or TAF.From April 2020 to June 2021, a total of 272 HBV-related ACLF hospitalized patients in the Xiangya Hospital of Central South University were enrolled in this prospective study. Chronic hepatitis B was diagnosed by hepatitis B surface antigen and/or hepatitis B virus deoxyribonucleic acid (HBV-DNA) positivity for ≥6 months. ACLF was diagnosed based on the criteria proposed by the APASL Working Party. All patients received antiviral therapy with TAF (25 mg QD, n=100) or ETV (0.5mg QD, n=172), and comprehensive medical treatments. Clinical and laboratory data were collected to evaluate the progression of chronic kidney disease (CKD) .

'ThRIL' aims to explore the feasibility, safety and efficacy of TR002, a regulatory cell therapy, as adjunct immunosuppressive treatment in the context of liver transplantation