Possible Alterations in Appetite-related Molecules After the Elimination of Hepatitis C Virus.

Background/aim: Recent advances in antiviral treatment have achieved a sustained viral response (SVR) in over 95% of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infections. HCV elimination is suggested to improve several lifestyle-related factors; however, few studies have focused on dietary habit-/appetite-related factors.

Patients And Methods: HCV-infected patients who received Daclatasvir/Asnaprevir (DCV/ASV) therapy were enrolled, and the changes in appetite-related molecules after antiviral therapy were assessed with a multiple cytokine-measuring system.

Calf Circumference as a Useful Predictor of Sarcopenia in Patients With Liver Diseases.

Background/aim: To elucidate the influence of calf circumference (CC) on sarcopenia in patients with chronic liver damages (CLDs, n=525, 255 men).

Patients And Methods: Anthropometry parameters including arm circumference, arm muscle circumference, CC, arm muscle area, triceps skinfold thickness, waist circumference and body mass index were measured. Patients with both grip strength (GS) decline and skeletal muscle index (SMI) decline were diagnosed as sarcopenic.

Sarcopenia and Frailty in Chronic Liver Damage: Common and Different Points.

Aim: To elucidate the common and different points between sarcopenia and frailty in chronic liver damage (CLD).

Patients And Methods: Patients with both grip strength decline and skeletal muscle index decline were regarded as sarcopenia. Frailty was defined as a syndrome in which 3 or more of the following criteria were met: i) exhaustion, ii) body weight loss, iii) slow walking speed, iv) muscle weakness, and v) low physical activity.

Close Correlation between Frailty and Depressive State in Chronic Liver Diseases.

Background And Objectives: Few data with regard to the relevance between depression and frailty in chronic liver disease (CLD) patients are currently available. We aimed to elucidate the relationship between frailty and depression as evaluated by the Beck Depression Inventory-2nd edition (BDI-II) in CLD patients ( = 340, median age = 65.0 years).

Health-Related Quality of Life and Frailty in Chronic Liver Diseases.

We sought to examine the relationship between frailty and health-related quality of life as evaluated using the 36-item Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36) questionnaire in Japanese chronic liver disease (CLD) patients ( = 341, 122 liver cirrhosis cases, median age = 66 years). Frailty was defined as a clinical syndrome in which three or more of the following criteria were met (frailty score 3, 4, or 5): unintentional body weight loss, self-reported exhaustion, muscle weakness (grip strength: <26 kg in men and <18 kg in women), slow walking speed (<1.0 m/s), and low physical activity.

Serum Zinc Level Is Associated with Frailty in Chronic Liver Diseases.

We sought to examine the serum zinc (Zn) level and frailty in patients with chronic liver diseases (CLDs, = 285, 107 liver cirrhosis cases, median age = 66 years). Frailty was defined as a clinical syndrome in which three or more of the following criteria were met (frailty score 3, 4, or 5): unintentional body weight loss, self-reported exhaustion, muscle weakness (grip strength: <26 kg in men and <18 kg in women), slow walking speed (<1.0 m/s), and low physical activity.

Association of an Overhydrated State With the Liver Fibrosis and Prognosis of Cirrhotic Patients.

Background/aim: A bioimpedance analysis (BIA) can indicate an overhydrated state as the extracellular water/total body water (ECW/TBW) value. This study aimed to assess the clinical significance of this value in patients with chronic liver diseases (CLDs).

Patients And Methods: A total of 552 CLD patients who received a liver biopsy and underwent anthropometric assessment and BIA-based body composition analysis were enrolled.

Arm Skeletal Muscle Mass Is Associated With the Prognosis of Patients With Cirrhosis.

Background/aim: This study aimed to assess the clinical significance of measuring the arm skeletal muscle mass in patients with cirrhosis.

Patients And Methods: Using body composition data measured with the bioimpedance analysis (BIA) method, the skeletal muscle mass index (SMI) values of the arm (arm skeletal muscle mass/height) and leg (leg skeletal mass muscle/height) were calculated for 353 patients with cirrhosis, and the relationships of these indices to their prognosis were assessed. In addition, overhydration of the upper and lower limbs was compared.

Possible Relevance of PNPLA3 and TLL1 Gene Polymorphisms to the Efficacy of PEG-IFN Therapy for HBV-Infected Patients.

Lifestyle changes have led to an increase in the number of patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). However, the effects of NAFLD-associated single-nucleotide gene polymorphisms (SNPs) in HBV-infected patients have not been adequately investigated. Methods: We investigated the association of the NAFLD-related SNPs patatin-like phospholipase domain-containing protein 3 (PNPLA3; rs738409), transmembrane 6 superfamily member 2 (TM6SF2; rs58542926), 17-beta hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase 13 (HSD17B13; rs72613567, rs6834314 and rs62305723), membrane-bound O-acyltransferase domain containing 7 (MBOAT7; rs641738) and glucokinase regulatory protein (GCKR; rs1260326) with the presence of histologically proven hepatic steatosis (HS) in HBV-infected patients ( = 224).

Serum Zinc Level Grading System: A Useful Model for Composite Hepatic Events in Hepatitis C Virus-Associated Liver Cirrhosis.

We aimed to clarify the impact of the serum zinc (Zn) level grading system proposed by the Japanese society of clinical nutrition (JSCN: 80 μg/dL < serum Zn level <130 μg/dL (type A), 60 μg/dL < serum Zn level <80 μg/dL (type B), and serum Zn level <60 μg/dL (type C)) in patients with hepatitis C virus (HCV)-related liver cirrhosis (LC) on the incidence of composite hepatic events (Com-HEs) compared with Child-Pugh (C-P) classification or albumin-bilirubin (ALBI) grade. (n = 275, median age = 67 years). The Akaike information criterion (AIC) was compared among three prognostic models.

Serum Zinc Level and non-Protein Respiratory Quotient in Patients with Chronic Liver Diseases.

We sought to clarify the correlation between non-protein respiratory quotient (npRQ) in indirect calorimetry and serum zinc (Zn) level in chronic liver diseases (CLDs, = 586, 309 liver cirrhosis (LC) patients, median age = 63 years). Clinical parameters potentially linked to npRQ <0.85 (best cutoff point for the prognosis in LC patients) were also examined in receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) analyses.

Prognostic significance of nonprotein respiratory quotient in patients with liver cirrhosis.

The aim of this study was to examine the effect of nonprotein respiratory quotient (npRQ), as assessed using indirect calorimetry, on clinical outcomes in patients with liver cirrhosis (LC). A total of 244 LC patients were evaluated in this study. For the univariate analysis, for each continuous variable, the optimal cutoff value that maximized the sum of sensitivity and specificity was selected using receiver operating curve (ROC) analysis for survival.

Effect of L-Carnitine in Patients With Liver Cirrhosis on Energy Metabolism Using Indirect Calorimetry: A Pilot Study.

Background: L-carnitine supplementation has been suggested to show several favorable effects on patients with liver cirrhosis (LC). However, there have been no reports regarding the effect of L-carnitine on energy metabolism in patients with LC using indirect calorimetry which is a well-established method for assessing the degree of liver malnutrition. We examined the effect of L-carnitine in patients with LC on energy metabolism using indirect calorimetry.

A proposed predictive model for advanced fibrosis in patients with chronic hepatitis B and its validation.

We created a predictive model using serum-based biomarkers for advanced fibrosis (F3 or more) in patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB) and to confirm the accuracy in an independent cohort.A total of 249 CHB patients were analyzed. To achieve our study aim, a training group (n = 125) and a validation group (n = 124) were formed.

Serum hyaluronic acid predicts protein-energy malnutrition in chronic hepatitis C.

Serum hyaluronic acid (HA) is a well-established marker of fibrosis in patients with chronic liver disease (CLD). However, the relationship between serum HA level and protein-energy malnutrition (PEM) in patients with CLD is an unknown. We aimed to examine the relationship between serum HA level and PEM in patients with chronic hepatitis C (CHC) compared with the relationships of other serum markers of fibrosis.

Prediction of development of hepatocellular carcinoma using a new scoring system involving virtual touch quantification in patients with chronic liver diseases.

Background: This study aimed to establish a new scoring system that combined several risk factors, including virtual touch quantification (VTQ) values and fasting plasma glucose (FPG) levels, for predicting the development of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in patients with chronic liver disease.

Methods: A total of 1808 chronic liver disease patients who underwent VTQ measurement were analyzed. Risk factors for developing HCC were selected by multivariate Cox proportional hazards models.

Proposal of a predictive model for advanced fibrosis containing Wisteria floribunda agglutinin-positive Mac-2-binding protein in chronic hepatitis C.

Aim: We aimed to construct a predictive model for advanced fibrosis containing Wisteria floribunda agglutinin-positive Mac-2-binding protein (WFA -M2BP) level in patients with chronic hepatitis C (CHC) and to validate its accuracy in an independent cohort.

Methods: A total of 386 patients with CHC were retrospectively analyzed. For the purpose of this study, we formed a training set (n = 210) and a validation set (n = 176).

B-Cell Activating Factor Belonging to the Tumor Necrosis Factor Family and Interferon-γ-Inducible Protein-10 in Autoimmune Hepatitis.

The aims of the present study were to examine the relationship between serum B-cell activating factor belonging to the tumor necrosis factor family (BAFF) levels and serum interferon-γ-inducible protein-10 (IP-10) levels in patients with autoimmune hepatitis (AIH).A total of 80 corticosteroid therapy naive AIH patients were analyzed in this analysis. First, we examined the relationship between pretreatment serum BAFF and IP-10 levels and liver histological findings.

Clinical implications of serum Wisteria floribunda agglutinin-positive Mac-2-binding protein in treatment-naïve chronic hepatitis B.

Aim: To examine the relationship between serum Wisteria floribunda agglutinin-positive Mac-2-binding protein (WFA -M2BP) levels and liver histological findings for patients with treatment naïve chronic hepatitis B (CHB).

Methods: A total of 189 treatment naïve-CHB patients were analyzed. We examined the effect of pretreatment serum WFA -M2BP levels on histological findings compared with other laboratory markers, including aspartate aminotransferase (AST) to platelet ratio index, Fibrosis-4 index, platelet count, AST to alanine aminotransferase (ALT) ratio, and hyaluronic acid as liver fibrosis markers, and AST value, ALT value, and serum interferon-γ-inducible protein-10 level as liver inflammation markers.

Comparison of sleep disorders in chronic hepatitis C patients treated with interferon-based therapy and direct acting antivirals using actigraphy.

Unlabelled: This study aimed to compare the severity of sleep problems between chronic hepatitis C (CHC) patients treated with interferon (IFN)-based triple therapy (pegylated [Peg]-IFN plus ribavirin [RBV] plus simeprevir [SMV]) and those who received IFN-free direct-acting antiviral (DAA) therapy.

Methods: Our study included 31 patients in group A (Peg-IFN/RBV/SMV combination therapy) and 41 patients in the group B (IFN-free DAA therapy). We prospectively compared the effect of each antiviral treatment regimen on sleep conditions between the two groups adding actigraphy data.

Clinical significance of serum Wisteria floribunda agglutinin positive Mac-2-binding protein level in non-alcoholic steatohepatitis.

Aim: To examine the relationship between the Wisteria floribunda agglutinin positive Mac-2-binding protein (WFA -M2BP) level and histological findings for patients with non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH).

Methods: A total of 134 NASH patients (mean age, 51.7 years) were analyzed.

Clinical implication of serum Wisteria floribunda agglutinin positive Mac-2-binding protein level on hepatitis B e-antigen loss or seroconversion in hepatitis B e-antigen positive patients.

Aim: To examine the impact of pretreatment Wisteria floribunda agglutinin positive Mac-2-binding protein (WFA -M2BP) level on hepatitis B e-antigen (HBeAg) loss or HBeAg seroconversion (SC) for patients with nucleoside/nucleotide analog (NUC) therapy naive HBeAg positive chronic hepatitis B (CHB).

Methods: A total of 57 patients were analyzed. All subjects were initially treated with NUC.

Factors Associated With Protein-energy Malnutrition in Chronic Liver Disease: Analysis Using Indirect Calorimetry.

We aimed to elucidate the incidence of protein-energy malnutrition (PEM) in patients with chronic liver disease and to identify factors linked to the presence of PEM.A total of 432 patients with chronic liver disease were analyzed in the current analysis. We defined patients with serum albumin level of ≤3.