Nutritional Assessment of Greek Liver Cirrhosis Patients: Mini Nutritional Assessment Predicts Mortality.

Malnutrition is highly prevalent in liver cirrhosis (LC). It increases as the severity of the disease progresses and it is related to poor survival. The objectives of the study were the nutritional assessment of Greek LC patients, using various nutritional assessment and screening tools, and the comparison of their predictive value for mortality.

Endoscopic management and outcome of non-variceal bleeding in patients with liver cirrhosis: A systematic review.

Background: Acute non-variceal bleeding accounts for approximately 20% of all-cause bleeding episodes in patients with liver cirrhosis. It is associated with high morbidity and mortality therefore prompt diagnosis and endoscopic management are crucial.

Aim: To evaluate available data on the efficacy of endoscopic treatment modalities used to control acute non-variceal gastrointestinal bleeding (GIB) in cirrhotic patients as well as to assess treatment outcomes.

Autophagy in liver diseases.

Autophagy is the liver cell energy recycling system regulating a variety of homeostatic mechanisms. Damaged organelles, lipids and proteins are degraded in the lysosomes and their elements are re-used by the cell. Investigations on autophagy have led to the award of two Nobel Prizes and a health of important reports.

Portal vein thrombosis in cirrhosis: diagnosis, natural history, and therapeutic challenges.

Portal vein thrombosis (PVT) is a frequent complication in cirrhosis and its prevalence increases with disease severity. Several factors are involved in the development and progression of PVT. The challenge for the management of PVT is the precise evaluation of the bleeding risk as opposed to life-threatening extension of thrombosis.

Clinical outcomes of compensated and decompensated cirrhosis: A long term study.

Aim: To study these characteristics and prognostic patterns in a Greek patient population.

Methods: We analyzed a large cohort of cirrhotic patients referred to the department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology and the outpatient clinics of this tertiary hospital, between 1991 and 2008. We included patients with established cirrhosis, either compensated or decompensated, and further decompensation episodes were registered.