Standard Liver Research Articles

Evaluation of a Whole-Liver Dixon-Based MRI Approach for Quantification of Liver Fat in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Treated with Two Isocaloric Different Diets.

Dixon-based methods for the detection of fatty liver have the advantage of being non-invasive, easy to perform and analyze, and to provide a whole-liver coverage during the acquisition. The aim of the study was to assess the feasibility of a whole-liver Dixon-based approach for liver fat quantification in type 2 diabetes (T2D) patients who underwent two different isocaloric dietary treatments: a diet rich in monosaturated fatty acids (MUFA) and a multifactorial diet. Thirty-nine T2D patients were randomly assigned to MUFA diet (n = 21) and multifactorial diet (n = 18). The mean values of the proton density fat fraction (PDFF) over the whole liver and over the ROI corresponding to that chosen for MRS were compared to MRS-PDFF using Spearman’s correlation (ρ). Before–after changes in percentage of liver volume corresponding to MRI-PDFF above thresholds associated with hepatic steatosis (LV%TH, with TH = 5.56%, 7.97% and 8.8%) were considered to assess the proposed approach and compared between diets using Wilcoxon rank-sum test. Statistical significance set at p < 0.05. A strong linear relationship was found between MRS-PDFF and MRI-PDFFs (ρ = 0.85, p < 0.0001). Changes in LV%TH% were significantly higher (p < 0.05) in the multifactorial diet than in MUFA diet (25% vs. 9%, 35% vs. 12%, and 38% vs. 13% decrease, respectively, for TH = 5.56%, 7.97%, and 8.8%) and this was reproducible compared to results obtained using the standard liver fat analysis. A volumetric approach based on Dixon method could be an effective, non-invasive technique that could be used for the quantitative analysis of hepatic steatosis in T2D patients.

Meta-Analysis of Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease and Electromechanical Reconstruction of Myocardium.

In developed countries, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), which results from obesity, has become endemic and kills many adults annually. Health research centers in most countries are looking to examine the relationship between metabolic syndrome (MetS) and metabolic biomarkers. A bleeding-prone standard liver biopsy or costly magnetic resonance imaging scan is used to diagnose NAFLD. The present study aimed to analyze medical databases using various scientific articles; moreover, this experiment analyzed medical databases using published scientific articles related to NAFLD, endovascular treatment, cardiac arrhythmias and conduction disorders, changes in the geometry of atria and ventricles, changes in myocardial mass volume as well as diastolic flow left and right ventricular systolic functions, coronary blood flow, analysis of the dependence of epicardial fat tissue (EFT) thickness, and the presence of chronic heart failure (CHF). It is demonstrated that the index of EFT in NAFLD positively correlated with the criteria of cardiovascular health, values of the carotid intima-media thickness, and calcification of the coronary arteries on the coronary artery calcium scale (P<0.0001). The index of per EFT significantly correlated with the factor of the age of the NAFLD patients (P=0.04), hemoglobin A1C level (P<0.001), systemic inflammatory index (P=0.02), the index of impaired glucose tolerance (P=0.03), and especially, the patient's diabetes factor (P<0.001). In addition, adiponectin levels were significantly lower in individuals with NAFLD (P=0.001) and patients with MetS (P=0.02). NAFLD in association with an increase in epicardial adipose tissue (EAT) is an independent risk factor for atherosclerosis, coronary heart disease, CHF, as well as structural and electrophysiological myocardial remodeling. The study of pathogenetic mechanisms in the context of the role of EAT and clinical monitoring of its condition are urgent problems of modern medicine.

The impact of preformed donor-specific antibodies in living donor liver transplantation according to graft volume.

IntroductionThe roles of preformed anti‐HLA donor‐specific antibodies (DSAs) in liver transplantation remain controversial. We evaluated the impact of preformed DSAs in living donor liver transplantation.MethodsAdults who underwent living donor liver transplantation (n = 175) in our institute were included in this study. Lymphocyte cytotoxicity test (LCT), flow cytometric crossmatch (FCXM), and single‐antigen bead assays were performed.ResultsAmong adult living donor liver transplantation recipients, 27 (16.5%) and 14 (8.5%) had pretransplant FCXM‐positive findings and LCT‐positive findings, respectively. FCXM‐positive patients displayed a significantly worse 5‐year graft survival rate (77.3%; vs. DSA‐negative, 91.6%). Six of 14 LCT‐positive patients exhibited graft loss shortly after transplantation (5‐year survival rate: 57.1%). All LCT‐positive patients with graft loss underwent left lobe living donor liver transplantation. Significantly lower ratio of graft volume relative to standard liver volume (32.9 ± 5.7%) and smaller graft size (365.3 ± 57.9 g) were observed in patients with graft loss (p < .03, vs. surviving grafts). Significantly higher DSA‐mean fluorescence intensity (MFI) values were present in patients with graft loss (p = .0012, vs. surviving grafts).ConclusionsPatients with preformed DSAs exhibited worse graft outcomes in living donor liver transplantation. Higher DSA‐MFI values and smaller graft size were associated with worse outcomes in LCT‐positive patients. High‐risk patients with preformed DSAs should be considered for appropriate graft selection and application of a desensitization protocol.

Impact of Monosegment Graft Use for Infants in Pediatric Living Donor Liver Transplantation

Left lateral segment grafts are generally used for very young pediatric patients undergoing living donor liver transplantation (LDLT). Recently, graft reduction techniques were developed for LDLT. Monosegment grafting has been used in newborns. The aim of this study was to determine the usefulness of monosegment grafting for infants. Recipients <2 years of age who underwent LDLT with a monosegment graft between 2010 and 2020 were gathered. Parents comprised all LDLT donors. A segment 2 monosegment graft was resected as a graft from the donor. Standard liver volume (SLV) was estimated using Urata's equation. Graft type, graft weight (GW), and native liver weight were assessed. Eight patients were included in the study. Original diseases consisted of biliary atresia (n=6) and fulminant hepatitis (n=2). Final graft type included monosegment (n=5) and reduced monosegment (n=3). Median final GW/body weight after reduction was 3% (range, 2%-3.4%). Median native liver weight/SLV was 134% except in patients with fulminant hepatitis. Median pre-reduction graft volume (GV)/estimated GV was 113% (range, 60%-208%). Median pre-reduction GV/SLV of monosegment grafts that required reduction (n=3) was 109% (range, 106%-121%). Median final reduced graft GV/SLV was 80% (range, 74%-91%). Complications due to large-for-size grafts were not observed. One case of bile leakage due to graft reduction occurred as a complication. Grafts were functioning well with the exception of one graft loss due to antibody-mediated rejection. Estimated GV in infants varies widely. Monosegment grafting can be useful for infants as well as newborns.

Perfusion-Diffusion Ratio: A New IVIM Approach in Differentiating Solid Benign and Malignant Primary Lesions of the Liver.

Introduction In order to improve the efficacy of intravoxel incoherent motion (IVIM) parameters in characterising specific tissues, a new concept is introduced: the perfusion–diffusion ratio (PDR), which expresses the relationship between the signal S(b) decline rate as a result of IVIM and the rate of signal S(b) decline due to diffusion. The aim of this study was to investigate this novel approach in the differentiation of solid primary liver lesions. Material and Methods. Eighty-three patients referred for liver MRI between August 2017 and January 2020 with a suspected liver tumour were prospectively examined with the standard liver MRI protocol extended by DWI-IVIM sequence. Patients with no liver lesions, haemangiomas, or metastases were excluded. The final study population consisted of 34 patients with primary solid liver masses, 9 with FNH, 4 with regenerative nodules, 10 with HCC, and 11 with CCC. The PDR coefficient was introduced, defined as the ratio of the rate of signal S(b) decrease due to the IVIM effect to the rate of signal S(b) decrease due to the diffusion process, for b = 0. Results No significant differences were found between benign and malignant lesions in the case of IVIM parameters (f, D, or D∗) and ADC. Significant differences were observed only for PDR, with lower values for malignant lesions (p = 0.03). The ROC analysis yielded an AUC value for PDR equal to 0.74, with a cut-off value of 5.06, sensitivity of 81%, specificity of 77%, and accuracy of 79%. Conclusion PDR proved to be more effective than IVIM parameters and ADC in the differentiation of solid benign and malignant primary liver lesions.

Молекулярно-генетические маркеры и метаболические расстройства при неалкогольной жировой болезни печени

Aim: to assess the probability of unfavorable outcomes of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) based on clinical, biochemical, and molecular genetic parameters. Patients and Methods: 440 individuals were examined. Among them, 115 patients (84 men and 31 women) aged 23–69 (mean 49.3±1.1 years) were diagnosed with NAFLD and 325 healthy volunteers (172 men and 153 women) aged 25–67 (mean age 47.9±0.6 years) were controls. Molecular genetic testing for TCF7L2 (ТС, СС, and ТТ genotypes) was performed in all participants. The rates of Glu342Lys (PIZ) and Glu264Val (PIS) mutations of α1-antitrypsin gene (SERPINA1) and 282Y and 63D alleles of hemochromatosis (HFE) gene were evaluated. Standard liver function tests (ASAT, ALAT, bilirubin), lipid metabolism (total cholesterol, triglycerides, HDL, LDL), excretory porphyrin metabolism (porphyrin precursors [δ-aminolaevulinic acid and porphobilinogen] and fractions [uroporphyrin and coproporphyrin]), and cytokine profile (interleukins 1β, 6, 8, 10, and 1Ra, tumor necrosis factor/TNF α) were assessed. Results: the rates of TCF7L2 genotype, 282Y and 63D HFE gene alleles were similar in NAFLD patients and healthy controls. Meanwhile, Glu342Lys (PIZ) and Glu264Val (PIS) SERPINA1 gene polymorphisms were significantly more common in NAFLD patients vs. general population. The odds ratio (OR) has demonstrated that Glu342Lys (PIZ) genotype occurrence is 3.9 times greater in the NAFLD group than in healthy controls (NZ + ZZ vs. NN: OR=3.90, 95% CI 1.5–10.5, p=0.007), while Glu264Vol (PIS) genotype occurrence is 6.6 times greater in the NAFLD group than in healthy controls (NS vs. NN: OR=6.6, 95 CI 2.4–18.3, p&lt;0.001). Abnormalities of porphyrin metabolism and cytokine profile were detected in most participants (71.3% and 82.6%, respectively). Unfavorable NAFLD outcomes were reported in 30 patients (26.1%). Conclusions: molecular genetic testing and specific blood biochemistry allows for predicting NAFLD outcome. Describing metabolic disorders allows for assessing the risk of unfavorable outcome. KEYWORDS: non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, molecular genetic testing, TCF7L2 gene, α1-antitrypsin gene (SERPINA1), hemochromatosis gene (HFE), lipid metabolism, porphyrin metabolism, cytokine profile, unfavorable outcome. FOR CITATION: Krivosheev A.B., Maksimov V.N., Boyko K.Yu. et al. Molecular genetic markers and metabolic disorders in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. Russian Medical Inquiry. 2022;6(5):206–212 (in Russ.). DOI: 10.32364/2587-6821-2022-6-5-206-212.

What is the Risk Factor of Graft Mortality in Patients who Underwent Simultaneous Splenectomy during Living Donor Liver Transplantation?

Introduction: Splenectomy is performed in living donor liver transplantation (LDLT) for portal flow modulation. The aim of this study was to identify the risk factor of 6-month graft mortality in patients who underwent splenectomy in LDLT. Methods: Data from 441 adult patients who underwent simultaneous splenectomy during primary LDLT were collected retrospectively. Risk factors of 6-month graft mortality were investigated. Results: Mean recipient age was 55 years. Mean donor age was 38.7 years. Two hundred and five patients (46.5%) received left lobe graft. Mean graft weight (GW)-standard liver weight ratio was 41.5% and GW-recipient weight ratio was 0.79%. Six-month graft survival rate after LDLT in 441 patients was 93.8%, which was significantly better compared to patients without simultaneous splenectomy or splenic artery ligation (83.9%, p<0.0001). Univariate analysis revealed the following risk factors for 6-month graft mortality in patients with splenectomy: neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio > 4, acute liver failure, hospitalized before LDLT, donor > 60 years of age, MELD score > 22, pre-LDLT platelet < 40, 000/mm3, portal vein pressure when LDLT finished (PVP) > 20 mmHg. Multivariate analysis identified that donor > 60 years of age (Hazard ratio=4.50, p=0.049), pre-LDLT platelet < 40, 000/mm3 (Hazard ratio=2.58, p=0.03), and PVP > 20 mmHg (Hazard ratio=7.46, p<0.001) were the independent risk factors of 6-month graft mortality after LDLT. Conclusion: Splenectomy improves graft survival rate after LDLT. Careful attention is needed for patients with platelet < 40, 000/mm3, PVP > 20 mmHg, and received graft from donor > 60 years of age.

Domino Liver Transplants: after a Quarter of a Century are We Still Wasting Too Many Usable Grafts?

Introduction: Domino liver transplantation (DLT) has emerged as a rational approach to help organ shortage concerns. but remains restricted to a small number of centers. The purpose of this study was to assess the national profile of DLT in the United States and evaluate current donor and recipient outcomes. Methods: National data from 1987 - 2020 was extracted from the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) database. Analyses included all pediatric and adult donors and recipients of DLT during this study period. Results: A total of 181,976 liver transplants were performed in the US between 1987 and 2020 of which 185 were DLTs (0.1%) performed in 42 centers. The median (IQR) donor and recipient wait-times for transplantation were 180 (85 –413) and 213 (81 –525) days, respectively. Since 1996, amyloidosis accounted for 210 of all LTs and 103 (49%) of DLTs. Of the 227 patients receiving LT for maple syrup urine disease (MSUD), 50 (22%) were used for DLT. Thirty-two patients with homozygous familial hypercholesterolemia received a standard LT and 4 (14%) were DLT allografts. Recipient DLT graft survival was 91%, 79% and 73% at 1-, 3- and 5-years with an overall survival of 93%, 83% and 76%. Conclusion: Accounting for only 0.1% of all liver transplants to date, DLT has yet to be fully embraced by US programs. A small proportion of explants with amyloidosis and MSUD may be wrongly discarded. Despite this caveat, domino recipients showed excellent survival outcomes postoperatively that appear comparable to standard liver transplantation approaches.

Limited Excised Functional Liver Tissue in Hepatectomy for Large Hepatic Tumors Proved by a Three-Dimensional Reconstruction Technique

Three-dimensional (3D) reconstruction techniques have been widely used in the preoperative evaluation of hepatectomy. Here we used a 3D reconstruction technique to estimate the remnant liver volume and clarify a clinical speculation that limited functional liver tissue would be excised in hepatectomy for large hepatic tumors. Hepatectomy simulation by IQQA-Liver software was applied to 108 patients of hemihepatectomy divided into two groups (tumor diameter ≥ 10 cm vs.<10 cm). Liver volume (LV), standard liver volume (SLV), tumor volume (TV), functional liver volume (FLV), excised liver volume (ELV), excised functional liver volume (EFLV) and residual liver volume (RLV) were measured. Then we compared the rate of total liver resection (ELV/LV), the rate of functional liver resection (EFLV/FLV), and the relative rate of future liver remnant (RLV/FLV and RLV/SLV) between the two groups. The ELV calculated by the 3D reconstruction procedure were highly consistent with the actual liver excised volume (r=0.994, p<0.001), showing the accuracy of the simulation. Significantly smaller EFLV/FLV was seen in patients with a tumor diameter ≥ 10 cm than in patients with a tumor diameter<10 cm (p<0.01), in both the right and left hemihepatectomy subgroup. In contrast, significantly larger RLV/FLV was seen (p<0.01), and there was no difference of the RLV/SLV (p>0.05). Twenty-five patients had RLV/LV<30%, a recognized ratio of future liver remnant for safe hepatectomy. However, only one patient had RLV/SLV<30%. 97.2% of the patients had RLV/FLV>40%, and 98.1% had RLV/SLV>40%, accounting for the overwhelming majority of all patients. There was no hepatic failure or death within 30 days of surgery. In summary, it is better to use a 3D reconstruction method for preoperative safety assessment of liver resection for large hepatic tumors, through the hepatectomy simulation and volume calculation. In the same range of anatomical hepatectomy, a larger tumor mass meant less excised functional liver volume and more remnant liver volume. Our results indicated that neither ELV nor RLV/LV, but RLV/SLV was the better determinant of safety of hepatectomy.

A new formula for estimation of standard liver volume using liver height and thoracic width.

PurposePrecise estimation of the standard liver volume (SLV) is crucial in decision making regarding major hepatectomy and living donor liver transplantation. This study aimed to propose an accurate and efficient formula for estimating the SLV in the Korean population.MethodsWe created a regression model for SLV estimation using a data set of 230 Korean patients with healthy livers. The proposed model was cross validated using a different data set of 37 patients with healthy livers. The total liver volume (TLV), except for the volume of liver blood vessels, was measured through computed tomography volumetry as the dependent variable. Various anthropometric variables, liver height (LH), thoracic width (TW), age, and sex (0, female and 1, male) were considered as candidates for independent variables. We conducted stepwise regression analysis to identify variables to be included in the proposed model.ResultsA new formula was established; SLV = −1,275 + 9.85 × body weight (BW, kg) + 19.95 × TW (cm) + 7.401 × LH (mm). The proposed formula showed the best performance among existing formulas over the cross-validation data set.ConclusionThe proposed formula derived using BW, TW, and LH estimated the TLV in the cross-validation data set more accurately than existing formulas.

Hemostatic effects of traditional Inula viscosa and Capsella bursa-pastoris plant mixture extract on rat liver parenchymal bleeding model.

Failure to achieve effective bleeding control and problems related to transfusion in liver surgery are the most common causes of post-operative mortality and morbidity. Various methods/drugs including topical hemostatic agents have been em-ployed for bleeding control in liver surgery. This study was aimed to investigate the hemostatic properties of the herb mixture extract of Inula viscosa and Capsella bursa-pastoris (IvCbp) in rat liver laceration model, which have been traditionally used as antiseptic and hemostatic agents public in Hatay/Tukey. Thirty rats were divided into three groups equally and blood samples were taken from all rats for preoperative hemoglobin (Hb) measurements. Then, the standard liver resection model was applied to all rats. Sponge for the first rat group, Ankaferd Blood Stopper® Trend-Tech for the second rat group and IvCbp plant extract mixture for the third group were applied to resection areas for 3 minutes. Liver samples of all rats were evaluated in terms of inflammation and necrosis intensity on the 5th post-operative day. Post-operative Hb values were found as 11.0±1.1 g/dL in the sponge group, 11.9±2.0 g/dL in the Ankaferd group, and 14.1±1.2 g/dL in the IvCbp herb mixture group (p<0.001). In the histopathological examination, less necrosis was observed in the herb mixture group compared to the sponge and Ankaferd groups (p=0.001). In addition, no statistically significant necrosis difference was observed between sponge and Ankaferd groups. While less inflammation was observed in the herb mixture group compared to the other groups, Ankaferd group had the highest inflammation score (p<0.001). IvCbp herb mixture extract group provide effective hemostatic control, caused less Hb decrease and resulted in less inflammation and necrosis compared to Ankaferd and sponge groups in a rat liver resection model.

Neonatal Cholestasis: Updates on Diagnostics, Therapeutics, and Prevention.

Cholestatic jaundice is a common presenting feature of hepatobiliary and/or metabolic dysfunction in the newborn and young infant. Timely detection of cholestasis, followed by rapid step-wise evaluation to determine the etiology, is crucial to identify those causes that are amenable to medical or surgical intervention and to optimize outcomes for all infants. In the past 2 decades, genetic etiologies have been elucidated for many cholestatic diseases, and next-generation sequencing, whole-exome sequencing, and whole-genome sequencing now allow for relatively rapid and cost-effective diagnosis of conditions not previously identifiable via standard blood tests and/or liver biopsy. Advances have also been made in our understanding of risk factors for parenteral nutrition-associated cholestasis/liver disease. New lipid emulsion formulations, coupled with preventive measures to decrease central line-associated bloodstream infections, have resulted in lower rates of cholestasis and liver disease in infants and children receiving long-term parental nutrition. Unfortunately, little progress has been made in determining the exact cause of biliary atresia. The median age at the time of the hepatoportoenterostomy procedure is still greater than 60 days; consequently, biliary atresia remains the primary indication for pediatric liver transplantation. Several emerging therapies may reduce the bile acid load to the liver and improve outcomes in some neonatal cholestatic disorders. The goal of this article is to review the etiologies, diagnostic algorithms, and current and future management strategies for infants with cholestasis.

INVESTIGATION OF GCMS AND IN SILICO MOLECULAR DOCKING STUDY OF BROWN SEAWEED (TURBINARIA ORNATA) COLLECTED FROM GULF OF MANNAR, TAMILNADU, INDIA

Turbinaria ornata is a species of marine brown seaweed and in the family sargassaceae. They were freshly collected from Mandapam Coastal Area, Rameswaram Tamilnadu, India and rinsed in seawater and packed in sterile bags for further proceedings to laboratory. Seaweeds are possible renewable resources in the marine environment. It has been used as antioxidant and antimutagen. Ethanol extract was prepared for further analysis. GCMS analysis of ethanol extract of Turbinaria ornata was performed using a Shimadzu 2010 plus comprising an AOC-20i auto sampler and gas chromatograph interfaced to a mass spectrometer. The GCMS analysis reveals that many bioactive compounds such as 6- octadecenoic acid, 9,12-octadecadienoic acid, Bis (2-ethylhexyl) phthalate, oleic acid presents in the extract of Turbinaria ornata. The above bioactive compounds were taken for molecular docking studies to improve the reliability, accuracy of biological test and show the possible interactions between molecules and their target receptors. So, in this present study in silico molecules docking was carried out to analyze the binding properties of 6-octadecenoic acid, 9,12-octadecadienoic acid, Bis (2-ethylhexyl) phthalate, oleic acid against standard liver cancer drug such as Doxorubicin to target protein β- catenin (1JPW). The results show the better binding interactions and suppression activity of bioactive compounds.

Triphase contrast-enhanced CT to evaluate indications for autologous liver transplantation\xa0in patients with end-stage hepatic alveolar echinococcosis

Autologous liver transplantation (ALT) to cure end-stage hepatic alveolar echinococcosis (HAE) requires that hepatobiliary surgeons understand the invasion of intrahepatic structure and adjacent tissues or organs. Triphase contrast-enhanced CT of the liver has been widely used for diagnosis and preoperative evaluation of HAE. Three-dimensional (3D) reconstruction allows for accurate measurement of remnant liver volume (RLV). The objective of the study was to evaluate value of triphase contrast-enhanced CT together with 3D reconstruction in preoperative evaluation of indications for ALT in patients with end-stage HAE. This cohort include twenty-one consecutive patients with end-stage HAE, who preoperatively underwent triphase enhanced CT together with 3D reconstruction for ALT. To depict the indications, the 2D image data were reviewed statistically focusing on porta hepatis invasion, retrohepatic vena cava (RHVC) involvement and degrees of intrahepatic vessel invasion, and the 3D reconstruction was performed to obtain ratio of RLV to standard liver volume (SLV). The results showed that 95.24% patients (20/21) had porta hepatis invasion. When lesions located in right liver lobe, porta hepatis invasion occurred most commonly in the second and third porta hepatis (7/10), whereas the first, second and third porta hepatis were most commonly invaded by lesions in the right and caudate / left medial liver lobes (7/11) (P < 0.05). The mean value of longitudinal invasion of RHVC was 8.0 cm, and 95.2% (20/21) of patients had RHVC invasion with ≥ 180° circumferential invasion. As for the important vascular events, moderate and severe invasion occurred most commonly in the right hepatic vein, right branch of portal vein and RHVC each in 95.2% (20/21) patients (P < 0.05). We also found that preoperative CT had a good agreement with intraoperative findings in assessing intrahepatic vascular involvement by HAE (kappa index = 0.77). The estimated average ratio of RLV to SLV was 0.95 (range, 0.43–1.62). In conclusion, the 2D contrast-enhanced CT could well depict anatomic location and size of HAE, and invasion of porta hepatis and vascular by this disease, and involvement of other adjacent organs and tissues. Above all, 3D reconstruction could accurately measure RLV in patients with end-stage HAE for ALT.

Breath-Taking Perspectives and Preliminary Data toward Early Detection of Chronic Liver Diseases.

The gold standard method for chronic liver diseases diagnosis and staging remains liver biopsy, despite the spread of less invasive surrogate modalities based on imaging and blood biomarkers. Still, more than 50% of chronic liver disease cases are detected at later stages when patients exhibit episodes of liver decompensation. Breath analysis represents an attractive means for the development of non-invasive tests for several pathologies, including chronic liver diseases. In this perspective review, we summarize the main findings of studies that compared the breath of patients with chronic liver diseases against that of control subjects and found candidate biomarkers for a potential breath test. Interestingly, identified compounds with best classification performance are of exogenous origin and used as flavoring agents in food. Therefore, random dietary exposure of the general population to these compounds prevents the establishment of threshold levels for the identification of disease subjects. To overcome this limitation, we propose the exogenous volatile organic compounds (EVOCs) probe approach, where one or multiple of these flavoring agent(s) are administered at a standard dose and liver dysfunction associated with chronic liver diseases is evaluated as a washout of ingested compound(s). We report preliminary results in healthy subjects in support of the potential of the EVOC Probe approach.

Standard liver weight model in adult deceased donors with fatty liver: A prospective cohort study.

BACKGROUNDStandard liver weight (SLW) is frequently used in deceased donor liver transplantation to avoid size mismatches with the recipient. However, some deceased donors (DDs) have fatty liver (FL). A few studies have reported that FL could impact liver size. To the best of our knowledge, there are no relevant SLW models for predicting liver size.AIMTo demonstrate the relationship between FL and total liver weight (TLW) in detail and present a related SLW formula.METHODSWe prospectively enrolled 212 adult DDs from West China Hospital of Sichuan University from June 2019 to February 2021, recorded their basic information, such as sex, age, body height (BH) and body weight (BW), and performed abdominal ultrasound (US) and pathological biopsy (PB). The chi-square test and kappa consistency score were used to assess the consistency in terms of FL diagnosed by US relative to PB. Simple linear regression analysis was used to explore the variables related to TLW. Multiple linear regression analysis was used to formulate SLW models, and the root mean standard error and interclass correlation coefficient were used to test the fitting efficiency and accuracy of the model, respectively. Furthermore, the optimal formula was compared with previous formulas.RESULTSApproximately 28.8% of DDs had FL. US had a high diagnostic ability (sensitivity and specificity were 86.2% and 92.9%, respectively; kappa value was 0.70, P < 0.001) for livers with more than a 5% fatty change. Simple linear regression analysis showed that sex (R2, 0.226; P < 0.001), BH (R2, 0.241; P < 0.001), BW (R2, 0.441; P < 0.001), BMI (R2, 0.224; P < 0.001), BSA (R2, 0.454; P < 0.001) and FL (R2, 0.130; P < 0.001) significantly impacted TLW. In addition, multiple linear regression analysis showed that there was no significant difference in liver weight between the DDs with no steatosis and those with steatosis within 5%. Furthermore, in the context of hepatic steatosis, TLW increased positively (non-linear); compared with the TLW of the non-FL group, the TLW of the groups with hepatic steatosis within 5%, between 5% and 20% and more than 20% increased by 0 g, 90 g, and 340 g, respectively. A novel formula, namely, -348.6 + (110.7 x Sex [0 = Female, 1 = Male]) + 958.0 x BSA + (179.8 x FLUS [0 = No, 1 = Yes]), where FL was diagnosed by US, was more convenient and accurate than any other formula for predicting SLW.CONCLUSIONFL is positively correlated with TLW. The novel formula deduced using sex, BSA and FLUS is the optimal formula for predicting SLW in adult DDs.

Comparison of different detection methods for Ascaris suum infection on Austrian swine farms

BackgroundAscaris suum, the large roundworm of pigs, is one of the economically most important pig parasites worldwide. In Austria it is commonly diagnosed by monitoring livers for milk spots at the slaughterhouse and intravital diagnosis (flotation for detection of fecal egg shedding). Recently, serological diagnosis based on the detection of specific antibodies with an ELISA (SERASCA®) with high sensitivity has been developed. To introduce and evaluate serology for A. suum screening in Austrian pigs, blood (for serology) (n = 177) and feces (for copromicroscopy) (n = 177) were taken from randomly selected slaughter pig batches from 18 farms at a slaughterhouse in Lower Austria. In addition, livers presented at slaughter (n = 844; max. 70/farm) were evaluated for milk spots.ResultsOverall, 19% of the livers were milk spot-positive (22% of those with complete diagnostic evaluations). Thirteen percent of the fecal samples contained A. suum eggs, while 69% of the blood samples were serologically positive. Despite we did not determine the sensitivity of the ELISA specifically, results ouf our study confirmed the high sensitivity of the ELISA, which was claimed by the manufacturer prior to our work (sensitivity: liver assessment: 23.5–27.0%; copromicroscopy: 8.5–9.0%; ELISA: 99.5%), and a high percentage of A. suum infections that remained undetected by standard liver assessment.ConclusionsThis suggests that the current method of roundworm diagnostics is insufficient and antibody detection at the end of the fattening period should be established as the standard procedure.

Selective HIF stabilization alleviates hepatocellular steatosis and ballooning in a rodent model of 70% liver resection.

Small-for-size syndrome (SFSS) looms over patients needing liver resection or living-donor transplantation. Hypoxia has been shown to be crucial for the successful outcome of liver resection in the very early postoperative phase. While poorly acceptable as such in real-world clinical practice, hypoxia responses can still be simulated by pharmacologically raising levels of its transducers, the hypoxia-inducible factors (HIFs). We aimed to assess the potential role of a selective inhibitor of HIF degradation in 70% hepatectomy (70%Hx). In a pilot study, we tested the required dose of roxadustat to stabilize liver HIF1α. We then performed 70%Hx in 8-week-old male Lewis rats and administered 25 mg/kg of roxadustat (RXD25) at the end of the procedure. Regeneration was assessed: ki67 and 5-ethynyl-2'-deoxyuridine (EdU) immunofluorescent labeling, and histological parameters. We also assessed liver function via a blood panel and functional gadoxetate-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), up to 47 h after the procedure. Metabolic results were analyzed by means of RNA sequencing (RNAseq). Roxadustat effectively increased early HIF1α transactivity. Liver function did not appear to be improved nor liver regeneration to be accelerated by the experimental compound. However, treated livers showed a mitigation in hepatocellular steatosis and ballooning, known markers of cellular stress after liver resection. RNAseq confirmed that roxadustat unexpectedly increases lipid breakdown and cellular respiration. Selective HIF stabilization did not result in an enhanced liver function after standard liver resection, but it induced interesting metabolic changes that are worth studying for their possible role in extended liver resections and fatty liver diseases.

Comparison of skeletal muscle index-based formula and body surface area-based formula for calculating standard liver volume

Comparison of skeletal muscle index-based formula and body surface area-based formula for calculating standard liver volume

Comparison between manual and automated CT liver volumetry in assessment of the liver volume in living donor liver transplantation

Abstract Aim of the work To evaluate the effectiveness and advantages of automated CT volumetry in the assessment of liver volume in living donor liver transplantation and to compare this technique and its results with those calculated from manual volumetry. Materials and Methods This comparative study was conducted on dynamic contrast enhanced hepatic CT scans of 21 potential living liver donors. All potential donors underwent 1st step laboratory investigations to enter the 2nd step investigations for living donor liver transplantation operation. Automated liver volumetry was developed using the Myrian® XP-Liver software. To establish reference standard liver volumes, a radiologist manually traced the contour of the liver on each CT slice. We compared the results obtained with automated with those obtained with the reference standard for this study, manual volumetry. Results The study showed that automated CT liver volumetry achieved excellent agreement with manual volumetry without statistical significance. The average processing times for automated volumetry was 3.09 ± 0.44 min/case, whereas those for manual volumetry were 16.23 ± 0.81 min/case, the difference was statistically significant (p &amp;lt; 0.05). Conclusion Automated CT liver volumetry performed using the Myrian® XP-Liver software can accurately predict the preoperative liver volume and provide acceptable measurements comparable to the gold standard manual volumetry.