Mildly Elevated Liver Transaminase Levels: Causes and Evaluation.

Approximately 10% to 20% of the general population has elevated liver chemistry levels, including aspartate and alanine transaminases. Elevated transaminase levels may be associated with significant underlying liver disease and increased risk of liver-related and all-cause mortality. The most common causes of mildly elevated transaminase levels (two to five times the upper limit of normal) are metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) and alcoholic liver disease.

The Clinical Relevance of Prior Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery in Alcohol-Related Liver Disease in a Nationwide Belgian Liver Transplant Population.

Background And Aims: Patients with a history of metabolic and bariatric surgery (MBS) are susceptible to developing alcohol use disorder. Outcome after transplantation for alcohol-related liver disease (ALD) has not been studied in-depth.

Methods: We included adult patients who underwent a liver transplantation (LT) in Belgium between 1 January 2013 and 31 December 2022 for ALD.

Usefulness of pemafibrate for non-alcoholic fatty liver disease with hypertriglyceridemia.

Aim Of The Study: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a pathological condition associated with inflammation owing to fat deposition in the liver. Managing hypertriglyceridemia is essential for patients with NAFLD, including treatment with pemafibrate. However, whether pemafibrate affects fat deposition in the liver and whether hypertriglyceridemia is the primary treatment target remain unclear.

Postoperative Outcomes of Laparoscopic Hepatic Resection Combined With Radiofrequency Ablation for Two or Three Hepatocellular Carcinomas: A Case Series of Nine Patients.

Introduction: Hepatic resection (HR) and radiofrequency ablation (RFA) are curative treatments for three or fewer hepatocellular carcinomas in Japan. The laparoscopic approach in both has been used in recent years; however, its treatment outcome in combination with HR with RFA is unclear. We aimed to gain insights into this combined treatment.

Standardized evaluation of diabetic retinopathy using artificial intelligence and its association with metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease in Japan: A cross-sectional study.

Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) is common in patients with obesity and diabetes and can lead to serious complications. This study aimed to evaluate fundus photographs using artificial intelligence to explore the relationships between diabetic retinopathy (DR), MASLD, and related factors. In this cross-sectional study, we included 1,736 patients with a history of diabetes treatment or glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) levels of ≥6.

Hepatocellular Carcinoma Surveillance Strategies: Major Guidelines and Screening Advances.

Background/objectives: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a leading cause of cancer-related deaths globally, with prognosis and treatment outcomes that are significantly influenced by the stage at diagnosis. Early detection through regular surveillance is crucial for improving patient outcomes, especially in high-risk groups such as those with cirrhosis or chronic hepatitis B. Geographic variations in HCC risk factors, including viral hepatitis and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), have led to the development of different international surveillance guidelines.

Durable Response to Combined Nivolumab, Lenvatinib, and Radiation Therapy Against Oligometastatic Hepatocellular Carcinoma.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most common type of liver cancer and is associated with major risk factors such as hepatitis B virus (HBV), hepatitis C virus (HCV), alcoholic fatty liver disease, and metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver diseases. Despite the recent progress in systemic treatment regimens involving immunotherapies and targeted therapeutics, advanced HCC remains difficult to control. Moreover, with several treatment modalities currently available for HCC such as radiation therapy, transarterial chemoembolization (TACE), checkpoint immunotherapies, and multi-tyrosine kinase inhibitors, it is unclear what combination yields the greatest treatment efficacy and durability.

Alcohol-related liver disease (ALD): current perspectives on pathogenesis, therapeutic strategies, and animal models.

Alcohol-related liver disease (ALD) is a major cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. It encompasses conditions such as fatty liver, alcoholic hepatitis, chronic hepatitis with liver fibrosis or cirrhosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma. Numerous recent studies have demonstrated the critical role of oxidative stress, abnormal lipid metabolism, endoplasmic reticulum stress, various forms of cell death (including apoptosis, necroptosis, and ferroptosis), intestinal microbiota dysbiosis, liver immune response, cell autophagy, and epigenetic abnormalities in the pathogenesis of ALD.

Rifaximin treatment in patients with severe alcoholic hepatitis: A multicenter, randomized controlled, open-label, pilot trial.

Introduction And Objectives: The short-term mortality of severe alcoholic hepatitis (SAH) is high, but there are no effective treatments to improve short-term mortality other than corticosteroids. This study investigated the effects of adding rifaximin to standard treatment in patients with SAH.

Material And Methods: In this randomized controlled open-label trial, patients with SAH (Maddrey's discriminant function≥32) were randomized to the rifaximin or control group.

Exploring Gonadal Functions in Patients With Alcoholic Liver Disease: A Correlative Analysis With Disease Severity.

Background and objective Alcoholic liver disease (ALD) encompasses a spectrum of liver conditions caused by excessive alcohol consumption, including fatty liver, alcoholic hepatitis, and cirrhosis. Both phenotypical and biochemical changes in gonadal hormones are observed across these stages. This study aimed to evaluate the clinical, biochemical, and hormonal abnormalities in patients with varying degrees of ALD and to assess their correlation with disease severity.

ADRB2 serves as a novel biomarker and attenuates alcoholic hepatitis via the SIRT1/PGC-1α/PPARα pathway: integration of WGCNA, machine learning and experimental validation.

Background: Alcoholic hepatitis is a severe inflammatory liver disease. In recent years, the incidence of AH has been on the rise, leading to an increasingly severe disease burden. Currently, there is a lack of specific biomarkers for the diagnosis and prognosis of AH in clinical practice.

Disrupted balance between pro-inflammatory lipid mediators and anti-inflammatory specialized pro-resolving mediators is linked to hyperinflammation in patients with alcoholic hepatitis.

Background: Alcoholic hepatitis (AH) is characterized by intense systemic and liver inflammation, posing significant risks of health complications and mortality. While inflammation is a crucial defense mechanism against injury and infection, its timely resolution is essential to prevent tissue damage and restore tissue homeostasis. The resolution of inflammation is primarily governed by specialized pro-resolving mediators (SPMs), lipid metabolites derived from w-6 and w-3 poly-unsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs).

Correlation Between Transient Elastography and Non-invasive Biomarker Scores for the Detection of Liver Fibrosis.

Background and aim The study aimed to address the need for reliable and non-invasive biomarkers (NIBM) for detecting fibrosis among patients with chronic liver disease (CLD). Material and methods This was a diagnostic validation study executed at the Department of Gastroenterology, Jinnah Hospital, Lahore. The study was carried out from July 2023 to June 2024, enrolling a total of 88 patients using non-probability consecutive sampling.

Research Progress of Chinese Medicine in Treating Chronic Liver Disease by Regulating Autophagy.

In recent years, rising living standards and an accelerated lifestyle have led to an increase in the incidence of chronic liver disease. Modern medicine has yet to fully develop effective methods for preventing and treating these conditions due to their complex pathogenesis. Autophagy, a cellular process that maintains homeostasis by removing abnormal proteins, has emerged as a promising therapeutic target for chronic liver diseases.

Proanthocyanidins alleviate acute alcohol liver injury by inhibiting pyroptosis via inhibiting the ROS-MLKL-CTSB-NLRP3 pathway.

Background: Alcoholic Liver Disease (ALD) is a hepatic disorder resulting from prolonged or excessive alcohol intake. The predominant manifestation of ALD is fatty liver, which progresses to alcoholic hepatitis as the disease worsens. Pyroptosis is a novel type of programmed cell death that is intricately linked to the inflammatory cascade, presenting a promising avenue for therapeutic intervention in the management of ALD.

[Occult thyroid dysfunction in outpatients with liver cirrhosis].

Background: Several alterations in thyroid function have been identified in patients with liver cirrhosis (LC).

Objective: To carry out a thyroid disease screening in adult patients with LC.

Material And Methods: A cross-sectional study.

Plasma Exchange as a Viable Therapeutic Option in a Patient With Alcohol-Related Acute-on-Chronic Liver Failure: A Case Report.

Acute-on-chronic liver failure (ACLF) is a severe form of chronic liver disease associated with multi-system organ dysfunction and high short-term mortality. High-volume plasma exchange (PLEX) is one of the therapeutic measures that improves prognosis. We present the case of a 32-year-old man with alcohol-related liver disease who was admitted with acute decompensation, including coagulopathy, hepatic encephalopathy, and acute kidney injury precipitated by alcoholic hepatitis.