Nocturnal nutritional supplementation improves total body protein status of patients with liver cirrhosis: a randomized 12-month trial.

Unlabelled: Patients with liver cirrhosis exhibit early onset of gluconeogenesis after short-term fasting. This accelerated metabolic reaction to starvation may underlie their increased protein requirements and muscle depletion. A randomized controlled trial was conducted to test the hypothesis that provision of a late-evening nutritional supplement over a 12-month period would improve body protein stores in patients with cirrhosis.

Dietary protein intakes in patients with hepatic encephalopathy and cirrhosis: current practice in NSW and ACT.

Objective: To ascertain whether current practice in teaching hospitals in New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory delivers adequate dietary protein in the management of malnutrition in adults with cirrhosis, in accordance with European Society for Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism (ESPEN) guidelines for nutrition in liver disease.

Study Design: Cross-sectional study of dietitians using a self-administered, mail-back survey.

Setting: Teaching hospitals in NSW and the ACT treating patients with cirrhosis.

Regulation of the growth hormone receptor/binding protein, insulin-like growth factor ternary complex system in human cirrhosis.

Background/aims: The liver is the central organ of the endocrine growth hormone/insulin-like growth factor I (GH/IGF-I) axis and cirrhosis effects a state of acquired GH resistance. Low IGF-I levels are associated with adverse clinical outcomes in cirrhotic patients and may be pathogenic to the complications of cirrhosis. We examined the impact of cirrhosis on hepatic mRNA and serum protein levels for the GH receptor (GHR)/binding protein (GHBP), IGF-I, IGF binding protein (IGFBP)-3 and the acid-labile subunit (ALS).