Active clinical trials for "Liver Cirrhosis"

This study aims to investigate the effects of 12 weeks of resistance or endurance exercise on patients with cirrhosis. Cirrhotic patients are prone to muscle loss (sarcopenia) and ammonia build up due to liver dysfunction. The liver which in healthy patients is able to process ammonia through ureagenesis is unable to do so in cirrhosis and ammonia is taken up either by the brain causing confusion or the skeletal muscle causing muscle loss or sarcopenia. Primary sarcopenia occurs in older individuals and can be mitigated by exercise. Secondary sarcopenia occurs in response to disease such as cancer, chronic kidney disease, multiple sclerosis, and cirrhosis of all etiologies. Resistance exercise is an excellent stimulator for muscle protein synthesis and is widely used to build muscle mass and strength but has little benefit to cardiovascular function. Endurance exercise has shown to be safe in cirrhosis however there is no set prescription for cirrhosis as there is for other disease. Endurance exercise is known to promote improved cardiovascular health, improve fatigue, and generates less ammonia build up than resistance exercise. In patients with low muscle mass it is possible that endurance exercise alone will be enough to improve muscle mass. There have been few studies on exercise and cirrhosis, those that exist have shown benefits with endurance exercise. However there are even more limited studies on resistance exercise and few to no studies on the molecular mechanisms behind exercise in cirrhosis. Study visits are described fully in the protocol and consent form. After passing a screening visit patients will undergo a maximal exercise/fitness test (pre-baseline test) and other body composition measurements. After the screening and pre-baseline visit randomization will occur (2:2:1 endurance, resistance, or SOC) arrangements will be made to have the appropriate exercise equipment given to patients. Once the exercise equipment has arrived a baseline study visit will occur. After the baseline visit the endurance exercise group will cycle 3 days per week for 60 minutes under the supervision of the study team. The resistance exercise group will perform a whole body resistance workout 2 days per week for approximately 60 minutes under the supervision of a study team member. Patients in all groups will have the fitness test repeated at weeks 4, 8 and 12. After the 12 weeks of exercise the baseline visits will be repeated and after 2 weeks patients will complete one final fitness test to examine the effects of de-training.

Patients with end stage of liver disease or cirrhosis can develop confusion due to high ammonia and inflammation. This confusion is brought upon by changes in the bacteria in the bowels and may not respond to current standard of care treatments. Repeated episodes of confusion can make it difficult for patients to function and may result in multiple admissions to the hospital and burden on the family. The investigators have studied using a healthy person's stool to replace the bowel bacteria, called fecal microbial transplant, in small studies with good results. In this trial the investigators propose to perform these procedures using an upper and lower route in Veterans who suffer from this condition and follow them for safety and hospitalizations over 6 months. The investigators will compare this to placebo treatments and hope that this intervention can improve the health and daily functioning of affected patients.

Protein-energy malnutrition (PEM) occurs in 65-90% of patients with liver cirrhosis. Severity of malnutrition correlates with progression of liver disease and leads to sarcopenia in 30-70% of cirrhotic patients. Malnutrition and sarcopenia are associated with an increased risk of complications and mortality. In cirrhosis the gut microbiome is altered leading to increased gut permeability, bacterial translocation and inflammation. Since the microbiome is involved in nutrient uptake and metabolism, it is hypothesized that microbiome alterations contribute to sarcopenia. A prospective controlled cohort study to investigate the interrelation of microbiome changes and sarcopenia in cirrhosis will be conducted. Furthermore the effect of nutritional interventions on the microbiome in cirrhosis will be studied. From this study information on how the gut microbiome composition and sarcopenia are associated in cirrhosis and if modulation of the gut microbiome by nutritional interventions is feasible will be collected.

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the most common chronic liver disease worldwide. Affecting approximately one-third of the United States (U.S.) population, the prevalence of NAFLD increases to 90% in patients with obesity. In 25% of patients, NAFLD progresses to a more severe form-non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH)-which further increases the risks of cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. In 2017, the lifetime costs of caring for NASH patients in the U.S. were estimated at $222.6 billion, with the cost of caring for the advanced NASH (fibrosis stage ≥ 3) being $95.4 billion. It is projected that the number of NASH cases will increase by 63% from 2015 to 2030. Given the weight loss efficacy of Endoscopic Bariatric and Metabolic Therapies (EBMTs), it has been suggested that EBMTs may serve as a novel treatment category for NASH. Previously, the PI and Co-Is studied the effect of Intragastric balloons (IGB)-the oldest EBMT device-on NASH. EUS liver biopsy performed at the time of IGB removal revealed resolution of all NASH histologic features including fibrosis. A follow-up study by a different group showed similar findings. Furthermore, studies have showed the benefits of S-ESG and Aspiration Therapy (AT) on non-histologic features of NASH. Given the greater weight loss experienced after P-ESG compared to IGB (20% vs 10% TWL) and the more reproducible technique and shorter learning curve of the current P-ESG compared to S-ESG, we aim to assess the effect of P-ESG on NASH.

The objective of this protocol is to test the effectiveness of a Jumpstart intervention on patient-centered outcomes for patients with chronic illness by ensuring that they receive care that is concordant with their goals over time, and across settings and providers. This study is particularly interested in understanding the effect of the intervention to improve quality of palliative care for patients with Alzheimer's disease and related dementias (ADRD) but will also include other common chronic, life-limiting illnesses. The specific aims are: To evaluate the efficacy of the Survey-based Patient/Clinician Jumpstart compared to the EHR based clinician Jumpstart and usual care for improving quality of care; the primary outcome is EHR documentation of a goals-of-care discussion from randomization through hospitalization or 30 days. Secondary outcomes include: a) intensity of care outcomes (e.g., ICU use, ICU and hospital length of stay, costs of care during the hospitalization, 7 and 30 day readmission); and b) patient- and family-reported outcomes assessed by surveys at 3 days and 4 weeks after randomization, including occurrence and quality of goals-of-care discussions in the hospital, goal-concordant care, psychological symptoms, and quality of life. To conduct a mixed-methods evaluation of the implementation of the intervention, guided by the RE-AIM framework for implementation science, incorporating quantitative evaluation of the intervention's reach and adoption, as well as qualitative analyses of interviews with participants, to explore barriers and facilitators to future implementation and dissemination.

The objective of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of AccuVein AV400 to facilitate placement of peripheral intravenous catheters in cirrhotic adults by comparing the success rate of the first attempt to install a peripheral venous catheter with or without AccuVein AV400®.

This project aims to test a behavioral intervention in patients with liver cirrhosis and chronic pain and teach self pain-management skills.

This study evaluates the effect of a web-based mobile health application for patients with liver cirrhosis (ReLiver-N App) developed for enhancing patients' activation on the level of patient activation, self-efficacy, and quality of life. To manage liver cirrhosis after discharge, patients must continue to do some interventions at home like weight measurement, edema evaluation, and taking medications. To achieve this, the patient's activation level should be enhanced and that can contribute to hepatic rehabilitation. It would be beneficial to develop a web-based mobile health application for patients with liver cirrhosis that can enhance patient activation levels. The investigators developed the ReLiver-N App based ADDIE which is instructional design framework and created its contents of it. Our content includes about us, patient education information about liver cirrhosis, patient activity skills and measuring tools. Ten experts evaluated the quality of the content and the investigators conducted a feasibility test with three patients to assess the usability of the ReLiver-N App. A single-blind randomized controlled trial design will be applied. Patients with liver cirrhosis will be pretested and randomized (intervention (ReLiver-N App): 26, active control: 26) to the ReLiver-N App group and active control group. Both the ReLiver-N App group and active control group will use the ReLiver-N App for three months. While participants in the ReLiver-N group can reach all content of the ReLiver-N App. Participants in the active control group will have access to "about us", "patient activity skills", and "measuring tools" in the ReLiver-N App. Patient education information about liver cirrhosis will be encrypted.

A proof-of-concept placebo-controlled trial to explore the acute and 14-day effects of empagliflozin on natriuresis and total body water in patients with cirrhosis and ascites. We will additionally investigate its effect on neurohumoral activation, and renal hemodynamics.

The purpose of this study is to evaluate how a human body processes ALE.F02 (pharmacokinetics profile) in patients with impaired liver function.