Application of metagenomic next-generation sequencing in optimizing the diagnosis of ascitic infection in patients with liver cirrhosis.

Background: Metagenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS) is an emerging technique for the clinical diagnosis of infectious disease that has rarely been used for the diagnosis of ascites infection in patients with cirrhosis. This study compared mNGS detection with conventional culture methods for the on etiological diagnosis of cirrhotic ascites and evaluated the clinical effect of mNGS.

Methods: A total of 109 patients with ascites due to cirrhosis were included in the study.

Ultrasound-based Radiomics Predicts Short-term Outcomes in Hepatitis B Virus-related Acute-on-chronic Liver Failure.

Background: The prognosis in hepatitis B virus-associated acute-on-chronic liver failure (HBV-ACLF) is challenging due to heterogeneity. Radiomics may enable noninvasive outcome prediction.

Objective: This study aimed to evaluate ultrasound-based radiomics for predicting outcomes in HBV-ACLF.

Shear wave elastography-based deep learning model for prognosis of patients with acutely decompensated cirrhosis.

Purpose: This study aimed to develop and validate a deep learning model based on two-dimensional (2D) shear wave elastography (SWE) for predicting prognosis in patients with acutely decompensated cirrhosis.

Methods: We prospectively enrolled 288 acutely decompensated cirrhosis patients with a minimum 1-year follow-up, divided into a training cohort (202 patients, 1010 2D SWE images) and a test cohort (86 patients, 430 2D SWE images). Using transfer learning by Resnet-50 to analyze 2D SWE images, a SWE-based deep learning signature (DLswe) was developed for 1-year mortality prediction.

Avicularin alleviates acute liver failure by regulation of the TLR4/MyD88/NF-κB and Nrf2/HO-1/GPX4 pathways to reduce inflammation and ferroptosis.

Acute liver failure (ALF) is an inflammation-mediated hepatocyte death process associated with ferroptosis. Avicularin (AL), a Chinese herbal medicine, exerts anti-inflammatory and antioxidative effects. However, the protective effect of AL and the mechanism on ALF have not been reported.

Development and application of a novel model to predict the risk of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease among lean pre-diabetics with normal blood lipid levels.

Background: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) has been associated with type 2 diabetes, but its relationship with pre-diabetes is still unknown. This study aims to determine whether pre-diabetes is associated with NAFLD, followed by establishing a NAFLD predictive nomogram for lean Chinese pre-diabetics with normal blood lipids.

Methods: Datasets from 3 previous studies, 1 (2774 pre-diabetics with normal blood lipids for training, 925 for validation), 2 (546 for longitudinal internal validation, post-5-year follow-up), and 3 (501 from another institution for external validation), were used.

The combination of serum oligosaccharide chain (G-test), alpha-fetoprotein, and aspartate aminotransferase to alanine aminotransferase ratio provides the optimal diagnostic value for early detection of hepatocellular carcinoma.

Background: The purpose of this study was to compare the diagnostic value of serum oligosaccharide chain (G-test), alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) and aspartic aminotransferase to alanine aminotransferase ratios (AAR), both alone and in combination, for predicting hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) onset.

Methods: Between Januarys 2020-2022, 152 subjects admitted to the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University was enrolled in this study, of which 77 had HCC, 18 chronic hepatitis (CH), 37 liver cirrhosis (LC) and 20 were healthy. Data for patient characteristics were collected, and differences between groups were analyzed by either Mann-Whitney U or χ2 tests.

A model based on two-dimensional shear wave elastography for acute-on-chronic liver failure development in patients with acutely decompensated hepatitis B cirrhosis.

Background: To evaluate the accuracy of two-dimensional (2D) shear wave elastography (SWE), develop and validate a novel prognostic model in predicting acute-on-chronic liver failure (ACLF) development in patients with acutely decompensated hepatitis B cirrhosis.

Methods: This prospective cohort study enrolled 221 patients in the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University from September 2019 to January 2021, and randomly assigned them to the derivation and validation cohorts (7:3 ratio). Ultrasound, 2D SWE, clinical and laboratory data were collected, and outcome (ACLF developed) was recorded during a 90-day follow-up period.

Higher serum uric acid to HDL-cholesterol ratio is associated with onset of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease in a non-obese Chinese population with normal blood lipid levels.

Background: Recent studies have demonstrated the presence of associations between metabolic syndrome and the onset of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Metabolic syndrome, in turn, has been found to be linked to high serum uric acid to HDL-cholesterol ratios (UHR). However, the relationship between UHR values and the occurrence of NAFLD in non-obese individuals remains unknown.

The Serum Metabolomics Study of Liver Failure and Artificial Liver Therapy Intervention.

BACKGROUND This study was designed to study the serum metabolites of patients with liver failure. MATERIAL AND METHODS The study included 50 patients with liver failure, 30 patients with chronic hepatitis B treated with an artificial liver, 11 patients with an artificial liver, and 32 healthy controls. Clinical data were recorded, and blood samples were analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS).