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

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease is the most common cause of chronic liver disease worldwide. It is defined as the accumulation of fat (>5%) in the liver cells in the absence of excessive alcohol intake or other causes of liver disease including viral, drug-induced, or autoimmune. Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease is a hepatic manifestation of metabolic syndrome.

The aim of this study is to test a non-invasive imaging technique to reliably diagnose NAFLD in children and adolescents with obesity and assess the degree of fibrosis.

HITACH developed a new combi-elastography imaging technology combines shear wave imaging and strain imaging technology. In the study, not only the F index which is related to the stage of liver fibrosis can be obtained, but also the A index which is related to the stage of hepatitis can be obtained, which can not be obtained by other ultrasound devices.

Telomerase, through its regulatory function on telomere length may play an important role in immune function, cellular replicative life span, and carcinogenesis. Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is considered a benign condition, but in some cases, it may progress to cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. The risk factors for that evolution are not fully understood. Our group showed in a previous study, that hTERT mRNA expression is lower in peripheral lymphocytes of patients with fatty liver, compared to healthy controls. This finding could explain the telomere shortening found previously in these patients by our group [20] and others [21]. Furthermore, we found higher rates of TC in these patients, probably due to an attempt to counteract the shortening of the telomeres and to stabilize them. This is through a different mechanism that is not telomerase-mediated. Telomere capture is considered an alternative way to maintain telomere length and chromosomal stability [3]. It is a more common mechanism for chromosome stabilization and repair, in contrast to the telomerase-mediated process of chromosome healing and elongation This study aimed to evaluate mechanisms of telomere homeostasis like telomere shortening, telomerase activity, telomere capture and aneuploidy in patients with NAFLD in order to explain previous findings of telomere shortening in these patients.