Publications by authors named "Lucia Durban"
Ammonia is a product of amino acid metabolism that accumulates in the blood of patients with liver cirrhosis, leading to neurotoxic effects and hepatic encephalopathy (HE). HE manifestations can range from mild, subclinical disturbances in cognition, or minimal HE (mHE) to gross disorientation and coma, a condition referred to as overt HE. Many blood-based biomarkers reflecting these neurotoxic effects of ammonia and liver disease can be measured in the blood allowing the development of new biomarkers to diagnose cirrhosis patients at risk of developing HE.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPatients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) may show mild cognitive impairment (MCI). The mechanisms involved remain unclear. The plasma concentrations of several cytokines and chemokines were measured in 71 NAFLD patients (20 with and 51 without MCI) and 61 controls.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMinimal hepatic encephalopathy (MHE) is associated with changes in the immune system including an increased pro-inflammatory environment and altered differentiation of CD4+ T lymphocytes. The mechanisms remain unknown. Changes in extracellular vesicle (EV) cargo including proteins and miRNAs could play a main role as mediators of immune system changes associated with MHE.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMinimal hepatic encephalopathy (MHE) is diagnosed using PHES battery, but other tests are more sensitive, and a simple tool for early MHE detection is required. Assessment of saccadic eye movements is useful for early detection of cognitive alterations in different pathologies. We characterized the alterations in saccadic eye movements in MHE patients, its relationship with cognitive alterations and its utility for MHE diagnosis.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPatients with cirrhosis may show minimal hepatic encephalopathy (MHE), for which rifaximin is effective. Metabolic syndrome may be associated with cognitive impairment. Our aims were to evaluate the influence of metabolic syndrome features on response to rifaximin for neurological and inflammatory alterations in MHE.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFArticle Synopsis
- * Results show that NAFLD patients have impairments in various cognitive functions, with 32% presenting mild cognitive impairment (MCI), compared to 65% in cirrhotic patients.
- * A new scoring system was developed for quicker MCI detection in NAFLD, emphasizing the importance of psychometric testing to address cognitive issues effectively.
Article Synopsis
- Cirrhotic patients often face changes in their peripheral nervous system which can affect their sensory perception and lead to cognitive and motor impairments associated with minimal hepatic encephalopathy (MHE), affecting around 40% of these patients.
- A study of 58 cirrhotic patients (20 with MHE, 38 without MHE) and 39 controls revealed that those with MHE had heightened thresholds for detecting cold and heat pain, which were linked to attention deficits and longer reaction times.
- The research indicates that MHE is characterized by diminished cognitive and sensory functions early on, specifically affecting small autonomic nerve fibers and thermal sensitivity, making quantitative sensory testing a potential marker for diagnosing MHE.
Background: Minimal hepatic encephalopathy (MHE) in cirrhotic patients is associated with specific changes in parameters of the immune system reflecting a more pro-inflammatory environment than in patients without MHE. The aims of this work were to assess the effects of rifaximin treatment of cirrhotic patients with MHE on: (1) MHE; (2) intermediate (CD14CD16) pro-inflammatory monocytes; (3) expression of early activation marker CD69 in T lymphocytes; (4) autoreactive CD4CD28 T lymphocytes; (5) differentiation of CD4 T lymphocytes to Th follicular and Th22; (6) serum IgG levels; and (7) levels of some pro-inflammatory cytokines.
Methods: These parameters were measured by immunophenotyping and cytokine profile analysis in 30 controls without liver disease, 30 cirrhotic patients without MHE and 22 patients with MHE.