Active clinical trials for "Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease"

One-third of the US population has non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) due to obesity and ~8 million of these individuals have a progressive form of the disease, non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). Currently, there are no noninvasive ways to determine which individuals with NAFLD will develop NASH. This is of medical importance since NASH can be a prelude to the development of end-stage liver disease. The study of NAFLD has been limited by several factors, including the difficulties associated with studying liver metabolism in vivo in humans. Our group has pioneered new methods that use nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) to measure intermediary hepatic metabolism in humans with a goal of directly studying the pathophysiology of bland steatosis and NASH. In this study, these noninvasive methods will be used to characterize and compare the metabolic alterations that accompany bland steatosis and NASH and test the hypothesis that detects if hepatic mitochondrial metabolism contribute to both disorders. Such characterization is fundamental to establishing a rational approach to the prevention and treatment of NAFLD and may provide simple, non-invasive methods to differentiate benign and progressive forms of NAFLD. This proposal will be addressed via separate isotopic studies occurring at different time points during a prolonged fast. In subjects with NAFLD, these studies will be carried out before and after treatment with Vitamin E or placebo. Healthy subjects will participate in initial baseline studies only without Vitamin E or placebo intervention. The study is designed to harness the physiologic changes that occur with short- and long-term fasting to provide a rapid and cost-effective method to accomplish the aims of the application.

L-carnitine is an amino acid that is naturally produced in the liver and kidneys, it is involved in transporting fatty acids across the mitochondrial membrane, it could be an important component in treating a fatty liver disease. The investigators conduct a study to evaluate the efficacy of the combination of L-Carnitine and Magnesium as a treatment for fatty liver.

The goal of this study is to determine effective treatment and identify diagnostic biomarkers for Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). Individuals that take part in the study will be participating in either a weight loss surgery (WLS) group or a comprehensive lifestyle intervention (CLI) group. People in the WLS group will receive vertical sleeve gastrectomy (VSG). The CLI group will receive dietary, activity and behavioral interventions provided by trained study staff.

Primary purpose: Compare the changes in liver triglycerides concentration in the Aramchol versus the placebo arm following three month treatment. Secondary purpose: Comparing liver enzymes, markers of endothelial dysfunction, insulin resistance, SCD1 activity and cholesterol synthesis and lipid levels, between the Aramchol and the placebo arms.

This is a randomized, controlled trial to determine whether Losartan is effective at slowing down, halting or reversing liver fibrosis in patients with non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). Liver fibrosis is the accumulation of tough, fibrous scar tissue in the liver which occurs in patients with NASH. NASH resembles alcoholic liver disease, but occurs in people who drink little or no alcohol. The major feature in NASH is fat in the liver, along with inflammation and damage, which may lead to cirrhosis, in which the liver is permanently damaged and scarred and no longer able to function properly. Primary hypothesis: That losartan is superior to placebo in reversing, slowing down or halting fibrosis in patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, after 24 months of treatment. Secondary hypothesis: That the safety profile of the angiotensin receptor blocker (losartan) in this patient population is acceptable That losartan can prevent clinical deterioration in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease That serum, radiological and histological markers of fibrosis correlate in these patients over a 24 month period

Silymarin, also known as milk thistle, is an alternative medicine commonly found in health food and vitamin stores. People with liver disease sometimes use silymarin because it is thought to have liver protecting effects; however, this benefit has not been proven. The purpose of this research study is to determine the effectiveness of silymarin and assess the safety of different silymarin doses in patients with varying severity of liver disease compared to a placebo (lactose pill). Following a screening visit, patients with histologically confirmed NASH will be randomized to either placebo or one of two active treatment groups of silymarin (Legalon®). One active treatment group will receive 420 mg, each dose given three times daily, the other active treatment group will receive 700 mg, each dose given three times daily. Patients will be treated for 48-50 weeks. Participation in this research study requires the patient to travel to the clinic for at least 11 visits so recruitment will be limited to a geographically restricted area around participating clinical centers. Liver biopsy must be performed up to 12 months prior to, and immediately after, the treatment phase.

No proven treatment exists for nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in children and adolescents. We aim to determine the efficacy of lifestyle intervention with or without antioxidant therapy in pediatric NAFLD.

This study is intended to find out whether treatment with rosiglitazone improves the state of the liver and related blood markers in patients with nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH).

Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (or NASH) is known to be caused by deposition of fat in the liver and development of scarring. This condition occurs more frequently in overweight and obese persons. It is often associated with resistance to the actions of insulin hormone. Fat cells secrete a hormone called leptin. Recently, we have learned that obese or overweight persons make too much leptin, which may contribute to insulin resistance. Paradoxically, patients who do not have any fat cells, also have insulin resistance. In these patients, insulin resistance is caused by the absence of leptin and leptin replacement significantly improves insulin resistance and fat deposition in the liver. In an earlier study, we determined the leptin levels in patients with NASH and how these levels are related to body fat levels as well as responsiveness to insulin. We saw that a subgroup of patients with NASH have relatively low levels of leptin in contrast to the amount of body fat they had. We now would like to see if restoring leptin levels to normal will improve the disease process in these patients. Our study patients will be male patients, aged between 18 and 65 (inclusive), who do not have any other cause for their liver disease. We have put some restrictions in body size such that a spectrum of patients from normal weight to obese range would be included. They will also demonstrate low leptin levels (levels similar to only 25% of normal population). We will use a genetically engineered form of leptin manufactured by Amylin Inc. given via injections under the skin. We plan to continue therapy for a period of one year and evaluate the change in liver disease by a liver biopsy. We will also follow the metabolic parameters and body composition characteristics that we examined in our earlier study. We expect that patients with low blood leptin levels will show improvement in their liver disease and insulin resistance when their blood leptin levels are restored to normal.

The purpose of this study is to find out whether lowering the amount of iron in the body will result in less resistance to insulin and improved liver function in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. This may result in better diabetes control and/or a decrease in the amount of liver fat.