1
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Socha P, Shumbayawonda E, Roy A, Langford C, Aljabar P, Wozniak M, Chełstowska S, Jurkiewicz E, Banerjee R, Fleming K, Pronicki M, Janowski K, Grajkowska W. Quantitative digital pathology enables automated and quantitative assessment of inflammatory activity in patients with autoimmune hepatitis. J Pathol Inform 2024; 15:100372. [PMID: 38524918 PMCID: PMC10959696 DOI: 10.1016/j.jpi.2024.100372] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2023] [Revised: 11/23/2023] [Accepted: 03/06/2024] [Indexed: 03/26/2024] Open
Abstract
Background Chronic liver disease diagnoses depend on liver biopsy histopathological assessment. However, due to the limitations associated with biopsy, there is growing interest in the use of quantitative digital pathology to support pathologists. We evaluated the performance of computational algorithms in the assessment of hepatic inflammation in an autoimmune hepatitis in which inflammation is a major component. Methods Whole-slide digital image analysis was used to quantitatively characterize the area of tissue covered by inflammation [Inflammation Density (ID)] and number of inflammatory foci per unit area [Focal Density (FD)] on tissue obtained from 50 patients with autoimmune hepatitis undergoing routine liver biopsy. Correlations between digital pathology outputs and traditional categorical histology scores, biochemical, and imaging markers were assessed. The ability of ID and FD to stratify between low-moderate (both portal and lobular inflammation ≤1) and moderate-severe disease activity was estimated using the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC). Results ID and FD scores increased significantly and linearly with both portal and lobular inflammation grading. Both ID and FD correlated moderately-to-strongly and significantly with histology (portal and lobular inflammation; 0.36≤R≤0.69) and biochemical markers (ALT, AST, GGT, IgG, and gamma globulins; 0.43≤R≤0.57). ID (AUC: 0.85) and FD (AUC: 0.79) had good performance for stratifying between low-moderate and moderate-severe inflammation. Conclusion Quantitative assessment of liver biopsy using quantitative digital pathology metrics correlates well with traditional pathology scores and key biochemical markers. Whole-slide quantification of disease can support stratification and identification of patients with more advanced inflammatory disease activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Piotr Socha
- Department of Gastroenterology, Hepatology, Nutritional Disorders and Pediatrics, The Children's Memorial Health Institute, Warsaw, Poland
| | | | | | | | | | - Malgorzata Wozniak
- Department of Gastroenterology, Hepatology, Nutritional Disorders and Pediatrics, The Children's Memorial Health Institute, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Sylwia Chełstowska
- Department of Diagnostic Imaging, The Children's Memorial Health Institute, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Elzbieta Jurkiewicz
- Department of Diagnostic Imaging, The Children's Memorial Health Institute, Warsaw, Poland
| | | | | | - Maciej Pronicki
- Department of Pathology, The Children's Memorial Health Institute, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Kamil Janowski
- Department of Gastroenterology, Hepatology, Nutritional Disorders and Pediatrics, The Children's Memorial Health Institute, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Wieslawa Grajkowska
- Department of Pathology, The Children's Memorial Health Institute, Warsaw, Poland
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2
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Ratziu V, Francque S, Behling CA, Cejvanovic V, Cortez-Pinto H, Iyer JS, Krarup N, Le Q, Sejling AS, Tiniakos D, Harrison SA. Artificial intelligence scoring of liver biopsies in a phase II trial of semaglutide in nonalcoholic steatohepatitis. Hepatology 2024; 80:173-185. [PMID: 38112484 PMCID: PMC11185915 DOI: 10.1097/hep.0000000000000723] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2023] [Accepted: 12/03/2023] [Indexed: 12/21/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND AIMS Artificial intelligence-powered digital pathology offers the potential to quantify histological findings in a reproducible way. This analysis compares the evaluation of histological features of NASH between pathologists and a machine-learning (ML) pathology model. APPROACH AND RESULTS This post hoc analysis included data from a subset of patients (n=251) with biopsy-confirmed NASH and fibrosis stage F1-F3 from a 72-week randomized placebo-controlled trial of once-daily subcutaneous semaglutide 0.1, 0.2, or 0.4 mg (NCT02970942). Biopsies at baseline and week 72 were read by 2 pathologists. Digitized biopsy slides were evaluated by PathAI's NASH ML models to quantify changes in fibrosis, steatosis, inflammation, and hepatocyte ballooning using categorical assessments and continuous scores. Pathologist and ML-derived categorical assessments detected a significantly greater percentage of patients achieving the primary endpoint of NASH resolution without worsening of fibrosis with semaglutide 0.4 mg versus placebo (pathologist 58.5% vs. 22.0%, p < 0.0001; ML 36.9% vs. 11.9%; p =0.0015). Both methods detected a higher but nonsignificant percentage of patients on semaglutide 0.4 mg versus placebo achieving the secondary endpoint of liver fibrosis improvement without NASH worsening. ML continuous scores detected significant treatment-induced responses in histological features, including a quantitative reduction in fibrosis with semaglutide 0.4 mg versus placebo ( p =0.0099) that could not be detected using pathologist or ML categorical assessment. CONCLUSIONS ML categorical assessments reproduced pathologists' results of histological improvement with semaglutide for steatosis and disease activity. ML-based continuous scores demonstrated an antifibrotic effect not measured by conventional histopathology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vlad Ratziu
- Sorbonne Université, Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris, Hôpital Pitié Salpêtrière, Institute of Cardiometabolism and Nutrition (ICAN), Paris, France
| | - Sven Francque
- Antwerp University Hospital, Antwerp, Belgium
- InflaMed Centre of Excellence, Laboratory for Experimental Medicine and Paediatrics, Translational Sciences in Inflammation and Immunology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Antwerp, Wilrijk, Belgium
- European Reference Network on Hepatological Diseases (ERN RARE-LIVER), Antwerp, Belgium
| | | | | | - Helena Cortez-Pinto
- Clínica Universitária de Gastrenterologia, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal
| | | | | | - Quang Le
- PathAI Inc., Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | | | - Dina Tiniakos
- Translational and Clinical Research Institute, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
- Department of Pathology, Aretaieion Hospital, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece
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3
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Zhang C, Shu Z, Chen S, Peng J, Zhao Y, Dai X, Li J, Zou X, Hu J, Huang H. A machine learning-based model analysis for serum markers of liver fibrosis in chronic hepatitis B patients. Sci Rep 2024; 14:12081. [PMID: 38802526 PMCID: PMC11130122 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-63095-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2023] [Accepted: 05/24/2024] [Indexed: 05/29/2024] Open
Abstract
Early assessment and accurate staging of liver fibrosis may be of great help for clinical diagnosis and treatment in patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB). We aimed to identify serum markers and construct a machine learning (ML) model to reliably predict the stage of fibrosis in CHB patients. The clinical data of 618 CHB patients between February 2017 and September 2021 from Zhejiang Provincial People's Hospital were retrospectively analyzed, and these data as a training cohort to build the model. Six ML models were constructed based on logistic regression, support vector machine, Bayes, K-nearest neighbor, decision tree (DT) and random forest by using the maximum relevance minimum redundancy (mRMR) and gradient boosting decision tree (GBDT) dimensionality reduction selected features on the training cohort. Then, the resampling method was used to select the optimal ML model. In addition, a total of 571 patients from another hospital were used as an external validation cohort to verify the performance of the model. The DT model constructed based on five serological biomarkers included HBV-DNA, platelet, thrombin time, international normalized ratio and albumin, with the area under curve (AUC) values of the DT model for assessment of liver fibrosis stages (F0-1, F2, F3 and F4) in the training cohort were 0.898, 0.891, 0.907 and 0.944, respectively. The AUC values of the DT model for assessment of liver fibrosis stages (F0-1, F2, F3 and F4) in the external validation cohort were 0.906, 0.876, 0.931 and 0.933, respectively. The simulated risk classification based on the cutoff value showed that the classification performance of the DT model in distinguishing hepatic fibrosis stages can be accurately matched with pathological diagnosis results. ML model of five serum markers allows for accurate diagnosis of hepatic fibrosis stages, and beneficial for the clinical monitoring and treatment of CHB patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Congjie Zhang
- Center for Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery, Department of Dermatology, Zhejiang Provincial People's Hospital (Affiliated People's Hospital, Hangzhou Medical College), Hangzhou, 310014, Zhejiang, China
| | - Zhenyu Shu
- Center for Rehabilitation Medicine, Department of Radiology, Zhejiang Provincial People's Hospital (Affiliated People's Hospital, Hangzhou Medical College), Hangzhou, 310014, Zhejiang, China
| | - Shanshan Chen
- Emergency and Critical Care Center, Department of Emergency Medicine, Zhejiang Provincial People's Hospital (Affiliated People's Hospital, Hangzhou Medical College), Hangzhou, 310014, Zhejiang, China
| | - Jiaxuan Peng
- Jinzhou Medical University, Jinzhou, Liaoning Province, China
| | - Yueyue Zhao
- Center for General Practice Medicine, Department of Infectious Diseases, Zhejiang Provincial People's Hospital, People's Hospital of Hangzhou Medical College, 158 Shangtang Road, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Xuan Dai
- Center for General Practice Medicine, Department of Infectious Diseases, Zhejiang Provincial People's Hospital, People's Hospital of Hangzhou Medical College, 158 Shangtang Road, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Jie Li
- Center for General Practice Medicine, Department of Infectious Diseases, Zhejiang Provincial People's Hospital, People's Hospital of Hangzhou Medical College, 158 Shangtang Road, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Xuehan Zou
- Center for General Practice Medicine, Department of Infectious Diseases, Zhejiang Provincial People's Hospital, People's Hospital of Hangzhou Medical College, 158 Shangtang Road, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Jianhua Hu
- Department of Infectious Diseases, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Haijun Huang
- Center for General Practice Medicine, Department of Infectious Diseases, Zhejiang Provincial People's Hospital, People's Hospital of Hangzhou Medical College, 158 Shangtang Road, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China.
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4
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Tincopa MA, Anstee QM, Loomba R. New and emerging treatments for metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis. Cell Metab 2024; 36:912-926. [PMID: 38608696 DOI: 10.1016/j.cmet.2024.03.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2023] [Revised: 02/01/2024] [Accepted: 03/18/2024] [Indexed: 04/14/2024]
Abstract
Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH) is a leading etiology of chronic liver disease worldwide, with increasing incidence and prevalence in the setting of the obesity epidemic. MASH is also a leading indication for liver transplantation, given its associated risk of progression to end-stage liver disease. A key challenge in managing MASH is the lack of approved pharmacotherapy. In its absence, lifestyle interventions with a focus on healthy nutrition and regular physical activity have been the cornerstone of therapy. Real-world efficacy and sustainability of lifestyle interventions are low, however. Pharmacotherapy development for MASH is emerging with promising data from several agents with different mechanisms of action (MOAs) in phase 3 clinical trials. In this review, we highlight ongoing challenges and potential solutions in drug development for MASH and provide an overview of available data from emerging therapies across multiple MOAs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Monica A Tincopa
- MASLD Research Center, Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92103, USA
| | - Quentin M Anstee
- Translational & Clinical Research Institute, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK; Newcastle NIHR Biomedical Research Center, Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Trust, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
| | - Rohit Loomba
- MASLD Research Center, Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92103, USA; School of Public Health, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92103, USA.
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5
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Meroueh C, Warasnhe K, Tizhoosh HR, Shah VH, Ibrahim SH. Digital pathology and spatial omics in steatohepatitis: Clinical applications and discovery potentials. Hepatology 2024:01515467-990000000-00815. [PMID: 38517078 DOI: 10.1097/hep.0000000000000866] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2024] [Accepted: 02/26/2024] [Indexed: 03/23/2024]
Abstract
Steatohepatitis with diverse etiologies is the most common histological manifestation in patients with liver disease. However, there are currently no specific histopathological features pathognomonic for metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease, alcohol-associated liver disease, or metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease with increased alcohol intake. Digitizing traditional pathology slides has created an emerging field of digital pathology, allowing for easier access, storage, sharing, and analysis of whole-slide images. Artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms have been developed for whole-slide images to enhance the accuracy and speed of the histological interpretation of steatohepatitis and are currently employed in biomarker development. Spatial biology is a novel field that enables investigators to map gene and protein expression within a specific region of interest on liver histological sections, examine disease heterogeneity within tissues, and understand the relationship between molecular changes and distinct tissue morphology. Here, we review the utility of digital pathology (using linear and nonlinear microscopy) augmented with AI analysis to improve the accuracy of histological interpretation. We will also discuss the spatial omics landscape with special emphasis on the strengths and limitations of established spatial transcriptomics and proteomics technologies and their application in steatohepatitis. We then highlight the power of multimodal integration of digital pathology augmented by machine learning (ML)algorithms with spatial biology. The review concludes with a discussion of the current gaps in knowledge, the limitations and premises of these tools and technologies, and the areas of future research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chady Meroueh
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota, USA
| | - Khaled Warasnhe
- Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota, USA
| | - Hamid R Tizhoosh
- Department of Artificial Intelligence and Informatics, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota, USA
| | - Vijay H Shah
- Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota, USA
| | - Samar H Ibrahim
- Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota, USA
- Division of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota, USA
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6
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Tsai HW, Chiou CY, Yang WJ, Hsieh TA, Chen CY, Hsu CW, Lin YJ, Hsieh ME, Yeh MM, Chen CC, Shen MR, Chung PC. Lymphocyte-Infiltrated Periportal Region Detection With Structurally-Refined Deep Portal Segmentation and Heterogeneous Infiltration Features. IEEE OPEN JOURNAL OF ENGINEERING IN MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY 2024; 5:261-270. [PMID: 38766544 PMCID: PMC11100940 DOI: 10.1109/ojemb.2024.3379479] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/20/2023] [Revised: 10/18/2023] [Accepted: 03/12/2024] [Indexed: 05/22/2024] Open
Abstract
Goal: The early diagnosis and treatment of hepatitis is essential to reduce hepatitis-related liver function deterioration and mortality. One component of the widely-used Ishak grading system for the grading of periportal interface hepatitis is based on the percentage of portal borders infiltrated by lymphocytes. Thus, the accurate detection of lymphocyte-infiltrated periportal regions is critical in the diagnosis of hepatitis. However, the infiltrating lymphocytes usually result in the formation of ambiguous and highly-irregular portal boundaries, and thus identifying the infiltrated portal boundary regions precisely using automated methods is challenging. This study aims to develop a deep-learning-based automatic detection framework to assist diagnosis. Methods: The present study proposes a framework consisting of a Structurally-REfined Deep Portal Segmentation module and an Infiltrated Periportal Region Detection module based on heterogeneous infiltration features to accurately identify the infiltrated periportal regions in liver Whole Slide Images. Results: The proposed method achieves 0.725 in F1-score of lymphocyte-infiltrated periportal region detection. Moreover, the statistics of the ratio of the detected infiltrated portal boundary have high correlation to the Ishak grade (Spearman's correlations more than 0.87 with p-values less than 0.001) and medium correlation to the liver function index aspartate aminotransferase and alanine aminotransferase (Spearman's correlations more than 0.63 and 0.57 with p-values less than 0.001). Conclusions: The study shows the statistics of the ratio of infiltrated portal boundary have correlation to the Ishak grade and liver function index. The proposed framework provides pathologists with a useful and reliable tool for hepatitis diagnosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hung-Wen Tsai
- Department of Pathology, National Cheng Kung University Hospital, College of MedicineNational Cheng Kung UniversityTainan701Taiwan
| | - Chien-Yu Chiou
- Department of Electrical EngineeringNational Cheng Kung UniversityTainan701Taiwan
| | - Wei-Jong Yang
- Department of Artificial Intelligence and Computer EngineeringNational Chin-Yi University of TechnologyTaichung411030Taiwan
| | - Tsan-An Hsieh
- Institute of Computer and Communication EngineeringNational Cheng Kung UniversityTainan701Taiwan
| | - Cheng-Yi Chen
- Department of Cell Biology and AnatomyCollege of MedicineNational Cheng Kung UniversityTainan701Taiwan
| | - Che-Wei Hsu
- Department of Pathology, National Cheng Kung University Hospital, College of MedicineNational Cheng Kung UniversityTainan701Taiwan
| | - Yih-Jyh Lin
- Department of Surgery, National Cheng Kung University Hospital, College of MedicineNational Cheng Kung UniversityTainan701Taiwan
| | - Min-En Hsieh
- Department of Electrical EngineeringNational Cheng Kung UniversityTainan701Taiwan
| | - Matthew M. Yeh
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and PathologyUniversity of Washington School of MedicineSeattleWA98195USA
| | - Chin-Chun Chen
- Department of StatisticsNational Cheng Kung UniversityTainan701Taiwan
| | - Meng-Ru Shen
- Department of Pharmacology, National Cheng Kung University Hospital, College of MedicineNational Cheng Kung UniversityTainan701Taiwan
| | - Pau-Choo Chung
- Department of Electrical EngineeringNational Cheng Kung UniversityTainan701Taiwan
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7
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Jimenez Ramos M, Kendall TJ, Drozdov I, Fallowfield JA. A data-driven approach to decode metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease. Ann Hepatol 2024; 29:101278. [PMID: 38135251 PMCID: PMC10907333 DOI: 10.1016/j.aohep.2023.101278] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2023] [Accepted: 12/04/2023] [Indexed: 12/24/2023]
Abstract
Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD), defined by the presence of liver steatosis together with at least one out of five cardiometabolic factors, is the most common cause of chronic liver disease worldwide, affecting around one in three people. Yet the clinical presentation of MASLD and the risk of progression to cirrhosis and adverse clinical outcomes is highly variable. It, therefore, represents both a global public health threat and a precision medicine challenge. Artificial intelligence (AI) is being investigated in MASLD to develop reproducible, quantitative, and automated methods to enhance patient stratification and to discover new biomarkers and therapeutic targets in MASLD. This review details the different applications of AI and machine learning algorithms in MASLD, particularly in analyzing electronic health record, digital pathology, and imaging data. Additionally, it also describes how specific MASLD consortia are leveraging multimodal data sources to spark research breakthroughs in the field. Using a new national-level 'data commons' (SteatoSITE) as an exemplar, the opportunities, as well as the technical challenges of large-scale databases in MASLD research, are highlighted.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Jimenez Ramos
- Centre for Inflammation Research, Institute for Regeneration and Repair, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh BioQuarter, 4-5 Little France Drive, Edinburgh EH16 4UU, UK
| | - Timothy J Kendall
- Centre for Inflammation Research, Institute for Regeneration and Repair, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh BioQuarter, 4-5 Little France Drive, Edinburgh EH16 4UU, UK; Edinburgh Pathology, University of Edinburgh, 51 Little France Crescent, Old Dalkeith Rd, Edinburgh EH16 4SA, UK
| | - Ignat Drozdov
- Bering Limited, 54 Portland Place, London, W1B 1DY, UK
| | - Jonathan A Fallowfield
- Centre for Inflammation Research, Institute for Regeneration and Repair, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh BioQuarter, 4-5 Little France Drive, Edinburgh EH16 4UU, UK.
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8
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Zheng TL, Sha JC, Deng Q, Geng S, Xiao SY, Yang WJ, Byrne CD, Targher G, Li YY, Wang XX, Wu D, Zheng MH. Object detection: A novel AI technology for the diagnosis of hepatocyte ballooning. Liver Int 2024; 44:330-343. [PMID: 38014574 DOI: 10.1111/liv.15799] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2023] [Revised: 11/02/2023] [Accepted: 11/12/2023] [Indexed: 11/29/2023]
Abstract
Metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD) has reached epidemic proportions worldwide and is the most frequent cause of chronic liver disease in developed countries. Within the spectrum of liver disease in MAFLD, steatohepatitis is a progressive form of liver disease and hepatocyte ballooning (HB) is a cardinal pathological feature of steatohepatitis. The accurate and reproducible diagnosis of HB is therefore critical for the early detection and treatment of steatohepatitis. Currently, a diagnosis of HB relies on pathological examination by expert pathologists, which may be a time-consuming and subjective process. Hence, there has been interest in developing automated methods for diagnosing HB. This narrative review briefly discusses the development of artificial intelligence (AI) technology for diagnosing fatty liver disease pathology over the last 30 years and provides an overview of the current research status of AI algorithms for the identification of HB, including published articles on traditional machine learning algorithms and deep learning algorithms. This narrative review also provides a summary of object detection algorithms, including the principles, historical developments, and applications in the medical image analysis. The potential benefits of object detection algorithms for HB diagnosis (specifically those combined with a transformer architecture) are discussed, along with the future directions of object detection algorithms in HB diagnosis and the potential applications of generative AI on transformer architecture in this field. In conclusion, object detection algorithms have huge potential for the identification of HB and could make the diagnosis of MAFLD more accurate and efficient in the near future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tian-Lei Zheng
- School of Information and Control Engineering, China University of Mining and Technology, Xuzhou, China
- Artificial Intelligence Unit, Department of Medical Equipment Management, Affiliated Hospital of Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, China
| | - Jun-Cheng Sha
- Department of Interventional Radiology, Affiliated Hospital of Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, China
| | - Qian Deng
- Department of Histopathology, Ningbo Clinical Pathology Diagnosis Center, Ningbo, China
| | - Shi Geng
- Artificial Intelligence Unit, Department of Medical Equipment Management, Affiliated Hospital of Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, China
| | - Shu-Yuan Xiao
- Department of Pathology, University of Chicago Medicine, Chicago, Illinois, USA
| | - Wen-Jun Yang
- Department of Pathology, the Affiliated Hospital of Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Christopher D Byrne
- Southampton National Institute for Health and Care Research Biomedical Research Centre, University Hospital Southampton, Southampton General Hospital, and University of Southampton, Southampton, UK
| | - Giovanni Targher
- Department of Medicine, University of Verona, Verona, Italy
- IRCSS Sacro Cuore - Don Calabria Hospital, Negrar di Valpolicella, Italy
| | - Yang-Yang Li
- Department of Pathology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, China
| | - Xiang-Xue Wang
- Institute for AI in Medicine, School of Artificial Intelligence, Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology, Nanjing, China
| | - Di Wu
- Department of Pathology, Xuzhou Central Hospital, Xuzhou, China
| | - Ming-Hua Zheng
- MAFLD Research Center, Department of Hepatology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, China
- Institute of Hepatology, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, China
- Key Laboratory of Diagnosis and Treatment for the Development of Chronic Liver Disease in Zhejiang Province, Wenzhou, China
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9
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Ratziu V, Hompesch M, Petitjean M, Serdjebi C, Iyer JS, Parwani AV, Tai D, Bugianesi E, Cusi K, Friedman SL, Lawitz E, Romero-Gómez M, Schuppan D, Loomba R, Paradis V, Behling C, Sanyal AJ. Artificial intelligence-assisted digital pathology for non-alcoholic steatohepatitis: current status and future directions. J Hepatol 2024; 80:335-351. [PMID: 37879461 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhep.2023.10.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2023] [Revised: 08/28/2023] [Accepted: 10/09/2023] [Indexed: 10/27/2023]
Abstract
The worldwide prevalence of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) is increasing, causing a significant medical burden, but no approved therapeutics are currently available. NASH drug development requires histological analysis of liver biopsies by expert pathologists for trial enrolment and efficacy assessment, which can be hindered by multiple issues including sample heterogeneity, inter-reader and intra-reader variability, and ordinal scoring systems. Consequently, there is a high unmet need for accurate, reproducible, quantitative, and automated methods to assist pathologists with histological analysis to improve the precision around treatment and efficacy assessment. Digital pathology (DP) workflows in combination with artificial intelligence (AI) have been established in other areas of medicine and are being actively investigated in NASH to assist pathologists in the evaluation and scoring of NASH histology. DP/AI models can be used to automatically detect, localise, quantify, and score histological parameters and have the potential to reduce the impact of scoring variability in NASH clinical trials. This narrative review provides an overview of DP/AI tools in development for NASH, highlights key regulatory considerations, and discusses how these advances may impact the future of NASH clinical management and drug development. This should be a high priority in the NASH field, particularly to improve the development of safe and effective therapeutics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vlad Ratziu
- Sorbonne Université, ICAN Institute for Cardiometabolism and Nutrition, Hospital Pitié-Salpêtrière, INSERM UMRS 1138 CRC, Paris, France.
| | | | | | | | | | - Anil V Parwani
- Department of Pathology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
| | | | | | - Kenneth Cusi
- Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
| | - Scott L Friedman
- Division of Liver Diseases, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Eric Lawitz
- Texas Liver Institute, University of Texas Health San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, USA
| | - Manuel Romero-Gómez
- Hospital Universitario Virgen del Rocío, CiberEHD, Insituto de Biomedicina de Sevilla (HUVR/CSIC/US), Universidad de Sevilla, Seville, Spain
| | - Detlef Schuppan
- Institute of Translational Immunology and Department of Medicine, University Medical Center, Mainz, Germany; Department of Hepatology and Gastroenterology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Rohit Loomba
- NAFLD Research Center, University of California at San Diego, San Diego, CA, USA
| | - Valérie Paradis
- Université Paris Cité, Service d'Anatomie Pathologique, Hôpital Beaujon, Paris, France
| | | | - Arun J Sanyal
- Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, USA
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10
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Watson A, Petitjean L, Petitjean M, Pavlides M. Liver fibrosis phenotyping and severity scoring by quantitative image analysis of biopsy slides. Liver Int 2024; 44:399-410. [PMID: 38010988 DOI: 10.1111/liv.15768] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2023] [Revised: 09/21/2023] [Accepted: 10/08/2023] [Indexed: 11/29/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND & AIMS Digital pathology image analysis can phenotype liver fibrosis using histological traits that reflect collagen content, morphometry and architecture. Here, we aimed to calculate fibrosis severity scores to quantify these traits. METHODS Liver biopsy slides were categorised by Ishak stage and aetiology. We used a digital pathology technique to calculate four fibrosis severity scores: Architecture Composite Score (ACS), Collagen Composite Score (CCS), Morphometric Composite Score (MCS) and Phenotypic Fibrosis Composite Score (PH-FCS). We compared how these scores varied according to disease stage and aetiology. RESULTS We included 80 patients (40% female, mean age 59.0 years, mean collagen proportionate area 17.1%) with mild (F0-2, n = 28), moderate (F3-4, n = 17) or severe (F5-6, n = 35) fibrosis. All four aetiology independent scores corelated with collagen proportionate area (ACS: rp = .512, CCS: rp = .727, MCS: rp = .777, PFCS: r = .772, p < .01 for all) with significant differences between moderate and severe fibrosis (p < .05). ACS increased primarily between moderate and severe fibrosis (by 95% to 226% depending on underlying aetiology), whereas MCS and CCS accumulation was more varied. We used 28 qFTs that distinguished between autoimmune- and alcohol-related liver disease to generate an MCS that significantly differed between mild and severe fibrosis for these aetiologies (p < .05). CONCLUSIONS We describe four aetiology-dependent and -independent severity scores that quantify fibrosis architecture, collagen content and fibre morphometry. This approach provides additional insight into how progression of architectural changes and accumulation of collagen may differ depending on underlying disease aetiology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adam Watson
- Medical Sciences Division, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | | | | | - Michael Pavlides
- Translational Gastroenterology Unit, Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
- Oxford NIHR Biomedical Research Centre, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
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11
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Harrison SA, Ratziu V, Anstee QM, Noureddin M, Sanyal AJ, Schattenberg JM, Bedossa P, Bashir MR, Schneider D, Taub R, Bansal M, Kowdley KV, Younossi ZM, Loomba R. Design of the phase 3 MAESTRO clinical program to evaluate resmetirom for the treatment of nonalcoholic steatohepatitis. Aliment Pharmacol Ther 2024; 59:51-63. [PMID: 37786277 DOI: 10.1111/apt.17734] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/15/2023] [Revised: 08/20/2023] [Accepted: 09/18/2023] [Indexed: 10/04/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) is a progressive form of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) associated with steatosis, hepatocellular injury, inflammation and fibrosis. In a Phase 2 trial in adults with NASH (NCT02912260), resmetirom, an orally administered, liver-targeted thyroid hormone receptor-β selective agonist, significantly reduced hepatic fat (via imaging) and resolved NASH without worsening fibrosis (via liver biopsy) in a significant number of patients compared with placebo. AIMS To present the design of the Phase 3 MAESTRO clinical programme evaluating resmetirom for treatment of NASH (MAESTRO-NAFLD-1 [NCT04197479], MAESTRO-NAFLD-OLE [NCT04951219], MAESTRO-NASH [NCT03900429], MAESTRO-NASH-OUTCOMES [NCT05500222]). METHODS MAESTRO-NASH is a pivotal serial biopsy trial in up to 2000 adults with biopsy-confirmed at-risk NASH. Patients are randomised to a once-daily oral placebo, 80 mg resmetirom, or 100 mg resmetirom. Liver biopsies are conducted at screening, week 52 and month 54. MAESTRO-NAFLD-1 is a 52-week safety trial in ~1400 adults with NAFLD/presumed NASH (based on non-invasive testing); ~700 patients from MAESTRO-NAFLD-1 are enrolled in MAESTRO-NAFLD-OLE, a 52-week active treatment extension to further evaluate safety. MAESTRO-NASH-OUTCOMES is enrolling 700 adults with well-compensated NASH cirrhosis to evaluate the potential for resmetirom to slow progression to hepatic decompensation events. Non-invasive tests (biomarkers, imaging) are assessed longitudinally throughout, in addition to validated patient-reported outcomes. CONCLUSION The MAESTRO clinical programme was designed in conjunction with regulatory authorities to support approval of resmetirom for treatment of NASH. The surrogate endpoints, based on week 52 liver biopsy, serum biomarkers and imaging, are confirmed by long-term clinical liver-related outcomes in MAESTRO-NASH (month 54) and MAESTRO-NASH-OUTCOMES (time to event).
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephen A Harrison
- Pinnacle Clinical Research Center, San Antonio, Texas, USA
- Radcliffe Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | | | - Quentin M Anstee
- Translational & Clinical Research Institute, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Newcastle University, Newcastle-Upon-Tyne, UK
| | - Mazen Noureddin
- Houston Research Institute, Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Arun J Sanyal
- Department of Internal Medicine, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia, USA
| | - Jörn M Schattenberg
- Metabolic Liver Research Program, I. Department of Medicine, University Medical Centre, Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz, Germany
| | | | | | | | - Rebecca Taub
- Madrigal Pharmaceuticals, Conshohocken, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Meena Bansal
- Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, USA
| | | | | | - Rohit Loomba
- University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California, USA
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12
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Sanyal AJ, Jha P, Kleiner DE. Digital pathology for nonalcoholic steatohepatitis assessment. Nat Rev Gastroenterol Hepatol 2024; 21:57-69. [PMID: 37789057 DOI: 10.1038/s41575-023-00843-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 08/23/2023] [Indexed: 10/05/2023]
Abstract
Histological assessment of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) has anchored knowledge development about the phenotypes of the condition, their natural history and their clinical course. This fact has led to the use of histological assessment as a reference standard for the evaluation of efficacy of drug interventions for nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) - the more histologically active form of NAFLD. However, certain limitations of conventional histological assessment systems pose challenges in drug development. These limitations have spurred intense scientific and commercial development of machine learning and digital approaches towards the assessment of liver histology in patients with NAFLD. This research field remains an area in rapid evolution. In this Perspective article, we summarize the current conventional assessment of NASH and its limitations, the use of specific digital approaches for histological assessment, and their application to the study of NASH and its response to therapy. Although this is not a comprehensive review, the leading tools currently used to assess therapeutic efficacy in drug development are specifically discussed. The potential translation of these approaches to support routine clinical assessment of NAFLD and an agenda for future research are also discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arun J Sanyal
- Stravitz-Sanyal Institute for Liver Disease and Metabolic Health, Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine, Richmond, VA, USA.
| | - Prakash Jha
- Food and Drug Administration, Silver Spring, MD, USA
| | - David E Kleiner
- Post-Mortem Section Laboratory of Pathology Center for Cancer Research National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
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13
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McGenity C, Randell R, Bellamy C, Burt A, Cratchley A, Goldin R, Hubscher SG, Neil DAH, Quaglia A, Tiniakos D, Wyatt J, Treanor D. Survey of liver pathologists to assess attitudes towards digital pathology and artificial intelligence. J Clin Pathol 2023; 77:27-33. [PMID: 36599660 PMCID: PMC10804041 DOI: 10.1136/jcp-2022-208614] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2022] [Accepted: 11/24/2022] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
AIMS A survey of members of the UK Liver Pathology Group (UKLPG) was conducted, comprising consultant histopathologists from across the UK who report liver specimens and participate in the UK National Liver Pathology External Quality Assurance scheme. The aim of this study was to understand attitudes and priorities of liver pathologists towards digital pathology and artificial intelligence (AI). METHODS The survey was distributed to all full consultant members of the UKLPG via email. This comprised 50 questions, with 48 multiple choice questions and 2 free-text questions at the end, covering a range of topics and concepts pertaining to the use of digital pathology and AI in liver disease. RESULTS Forty-two consultant histopathologists completed the survey, representing 36% of fully registered members of the UKLPG (42/116). Questions examining digital pathology showed respondents agreed with the utility of digital pathology for primary diagnosis 83% (34/41), second opinions 90% (37/41), research 85% (35/41) and training and education 95% (39/41). Fatty liver diseases were an area of demand for AI tools with 80% in agreement (33/41), followed by neoplastic liver diseases with 59% in agreement (24/41). Participants were concerned about AI development without pathologist involvement 73% (30/41), however, 63% (26/41) disagreed when asked whether AI would replace pathologists. CONCLUSIONS This study outlines current interest, priorities for research and concerns around digital pathology and AI for liver pathologists. The majority of UK liver pathologists are in favour of the application of digital pathology and AI in clinical practice, research and education.
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Affiliation(s)
- Clare McGenity
- Pathology and Data Analytics, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK
- Department of Histopathology, Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, Leeds, UK
| | - Rebecca Randell
- Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Bradford, Bradford, UK
- Wolfson Centre for Applied Health Research, Bradford, UK
| | | | - Alastair Burt
- Translational and Clinical Research Institute, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
| | - Alyn Cratchley
- Department of Histopathology, Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, Leeds, UK
| | - Robert Goldin
- Division of Digestive Diseases, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Stefan G Hubscher
- Institute of Immunology and Immunotherapy, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
| | - Desley A H Neil
- Institute of Immunology and Immunotherapy, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
- Department of Cellular Pathology, Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
| | - Alberto Quaglia
- Department of Cellular Pathology, Royal Free Hospital, London, UK
| | - Dina Tiniakos
- Translational and Clinical Research Institute, Newcastle University, Newcastle, UK
- Department of Pathology, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece
| | - Judy Wyatt
- Department of Histopathology, Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, Leeds, UK
| | - Darren Treanor
- Pathology and Data Analytics, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK
- Department of Histopathology, Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, Leeds, UK
- Department of Clinical Pathology and Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden
- Centre for Medical Image Science and Visualization (CMIV), Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden
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14
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Coyne ES, Nie Y, Abdurrachim D, Ong CZL, Zhou Y, Ali AAB, Meyers S, Grein J, Blumenschein W, Gongol B, Liu Y, Hugelshofer C, Carballo-Jane E, Talukdar S. Leukotriene B4 receptor 1 (BLT1) does not mediate disease progression in a mouse model of liver fibrosis. Biochem J 2023; 481:BCJ20230422. [PMID: 38014500 PMCID: PMC10903445 DOI: 10.1042/bcj20230422] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/03/2023] [Revised: 11/21/2023] [Accepted: 11/27/2023] [Indexed: 11/29/2023]
Abstract
MASH is a prevalent liver disease that can progress to fibrosis, cirrhosis, hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), and ultimately death, but there are no approved therapies. Leukotriene B4 (LTB4) is a potent pro-inflammatory chemoattractant that drives macrophage and neutrophil chemotaxis, and genetic loss or inhibition of its high affinity receptor, leukotriene B4 receptor 1 (BLT1), results in improved insulin sensitivity and decreased hepatic steatosis. To validate the therapeutic efficacy of BLT1 inhibition in an inflammatory and pro-fibrotic mouse model of MASH and fibrosis, mice were challenged with a choline-deficient, L-amino acid defined high fat diet and treated with a BLT1 antagonist at 30 or 90 mg/kg for 8 weeks. Liver function, histology, and gene expression were evaluated at the end of the study. Treatment with the BLT1 antagonist significantly reduced plasma lipids and liver steatosis but had no impact on liver injury biomarkers or histological endpoints such as inflammation, ballooning, or fibrosis compared to control. Artificial intelligence-powered digital pathology analysis revealed a significant reduction in steatosis co-localized fibrosis in livers treated with the BLT1 antagonist. Liver RNA-seq and pathway analyses revealed significant changes in fatty acid, arachidonic acid, and eicosanoid metabolic pathways with BLT1 antagonist treatment, however, these changes were not sufficient to impact inflammation and fibrosis endpoints. Targeting this LTB4-BLT1 axis with a small molecule inhibitor in animal models of chronic liver disease should be considered with caution, and additional studies are warranted to understand the mechanistic nuances of BLT1 inhibition in the context of MASH and liver fibrosis.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Yilin Nie
- Merck & Co., Inc., South San Francisco, CA, U.S.A
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Jeff Grein
- Merck & Co., Inc., South San Francisco, CA, U.S.A
| | | | | | - Yang Liu
- Merck & Co., Inc., South San Francisco, CA, U.S.A
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15
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Alkhouri N, Lazas D, Loomba R, Frias JP, Feng S, Tseng L, Balic K, Agollah GD, Kwan T, Iyer JS, Morrow L, Mansbach H, Margalit M, Harrison SA. Clinical trial: Effects of pegozafermin on the liver and on metabolic comorbidities in subjects with biopsy-confirmed nonalcoholic steatohepatitis. Aliment Pharmacol Ther 2023; 58:1005-1015. [PMID: 37718721 DOI: 10.1111/apt.17709] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2023] [Revised: 07/19/2023] [Accepted: 08/31/2023] [Indexed: 09/19/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND An approved therapy for nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) and fibrosis remains a major unmet medical need. AIM To investigate the histological and metabolic benefits of pegozafermin, a glycoPEGylated FGF21 analogue, in subjects with biopsy-confirmed NASH. METHODS This proof-of-concept, open-label, single-cohort study, part 2 of a phase 1b/2a clinical trial, was conducted at 16 centres in the United States. Adults (age 21-75 years) with NASH (stage 2 or 3 fibrosis, NAS≥4) and magnetic resonance imaging proton density fat fraction (MRI-PDFF) ≥8% received subcutaneous pegozafermin 27 mg once weekly for 20 weeks. Primary outcomes were improvements in liver histology, and safety and tolerability. RESULTS Of 20 enrolled subjects, 19 completed the study. Twelve subjects (63%) met the primary endpoint of ≥2-point improvement in NAFLD activity score with ≥1-point improvement in ballooning or lobular inflammation and no worsening of fibrosis. Improvement of fibrosis without worsening of NASH was observed in 26% of subjects, and NASH resolution without worsening of fibrosis in 32%. Least-squares mean relative change from baseline in MRI-PDFF was -64.7% (95% CI: -71.7, -57.7; p < 0.0001). Significant improvements from baseline were also seen in serum aminotransferases, noninvasive fibrosis tests, serum lipids, glycaemic control and body weight. Adverse events (AEs) were reported in 18 subjects (90%). The most frequently reported AEs were mild/moderate nausea and diarrhoea. There were no serious AEs, discontinuations due to AEs, or deaths. CONCLUSIONS Pegozafermin treatment for 20 weeks had beneficial effects on hepatic and metabolic parameters and was well tolerated in subjects with NASH. CLINICALTRIALS gov: NCT04048135.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Donald Lazas
- ObjectiveHealth/Digestive Health Research, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
| | - Rohit Loomba
- University of California San Diego, San Diego, California, USA
| | - Juan P Frias
- Velocity Clinical Research, Los Angeles, California, USA
| | | | - Leo Tseng
- 89bio Inc., San Francisco, California, USA
| | | | | | - Tinna Kwan
- 89bio Inc., San Francisco, California, USA
| | | | | | | | | | - Stephen A Harrison
- Radcliffe Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
- Pinnacle Clinical Research, San Antonio, Texas, USA
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16
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Anstee QM, Lucas KJ, Francque S, Abdelmalek MF, Sanyal AJ, Ratziu V, Gadano AC, Rinella M, Charlton M, Loomba R, Mena E, Schattenberg JM, Noureddin M, Lazas D, Goh GB, Sarin SK, Yilmaz Y, Martic M, Stringer R, Kochuparampil J, Chen L, Rodriguez-Araujo G, Chng E, Naoumov NV, Brass C, Pedrosa MC. Tropifexor plus cenicriviroc combination versus monotherapy in nonalcoholic steatohepatitis: Results from the phase 2b TANDEM study. Hepatology 2023; 78:1223-1239. [PMID: 37162151 PMCID: PMC10521801 DOI: 10.1097/hep.0000000000000439] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/23/2023] [Revised: 04/18/2023] [Accepted: 04/19/2023] [Indexed: 05/11/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND AIMS With distinct mechanisms of action, the combination of tropifexor (TXR) and cenicriviroc (CVC) may provide an effective treatment for NASH. This randomized, multicenter, double-blind, phase 2b study assessed the safety and efficacy of TXR and CVC combination, compared with respective monotherapies. APPROACH AND RESULTS Patients (N = 193) were randomized 1:1:1:1 to once-daily TXR 140 μg (TXR 140 ), CVC 150 mg (CVC), TXR 140 μg + CVC 150 mg (TXR 140 + CVC), or TXR 90 μg + CVC 150 mg (TXR 90 + CVC) for 48 weeks. The primary and secondary end points were safety and histological improvement, respectively. Rates of adverse events (AEs) were similar across treatment groups. Pruritus was the most frequently experienced AE, with highest incidence in the TXR 140 group (40.0%). In TXR and combination groups, alanine aminotransferase (ALT) decreased from baseline to 48 weeks (geometric mean change: -21%, TXR 140 ; -16%, TXR 140 + CVC; -13%, TXR 90 + CVC; and +17%, CVC). Reductions in body weight observed at week 24 (mean changes from baseline: TXR 140 , -2.5 kg; TXR 140 + CVC, -1.7 kg; TXR 90 + CVC, -1.0 kg; and CVC, -0.1 kg) were sustained to week 48. At least 1-point improvement in fibrosis stage/steatohepatitis resolution without worsening of fibrosis was observed in 32.3%/25.8%, 31.6%/15.8%, 29.7%/13.5%, and 32.5%/22.5% of patients in the TXR 140 , CVC, TXR 140 + CVC, and TXR 90 + CVC groups, respectively. CONCLUSIONS The safety profile of TXR + CVC combination was similar to respective monotherapies, with no new signals. TXR monotherapy showed sustained ALT and body weight decreases. No substantial incremental efficacy was observed with TXR + CVC combination on ALT, body weight, or in histological end points compared with monotherapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Quentin M. Anstee
- Translational & Clinical Research Institute, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
| | - Kathryn J. Lucas
- Diabetes and Endocrinology Consultants, Morehead City, North Carolina, USA
| | - Sven Francque
- Department of Gastroenterology Hepatology, Antwerp University Hospital, Antwerp, Belgium
- InflaMed Centre of Excellence, Laboratory for Experimental Medicine and Paediatrics, Translational Sciences in Inflammation and Immunology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
- European Reference Network on Hepatological Diseases (ERN RARE-LIVER)
| | | | - Arun J. Sanyal
- Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia, USA
| | - Vlad Ratziu
- Sorbonne Université, Hôpital Pitié Salpêtrière, ICAN Paris, France
| | | | - Mary Rinella
- University of Chicago, Pritzker School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois, USA
| | | | - Rohit Loomba
- University of California at San Diego, La Jolla, California, USA
| | - Edward Mena
- California Liver Research Institute, Pasadena, California, USA
| | - Jörn M. Schattenberg
- Metabolic Liver Research Program, I. Department of Medicine, University Medical Center Mainz, Germany
| | | | - Donald Lazas
- Digestive Health Research and ObjectiveHealth, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
| | - George B.B. Goh
- Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Singapore General Hospital, Singapore
| | - Shiv K. Sarin
- Department of Hepatology, Institute of Liver and Biliary Sciences, New Delhi, India
| | - Yusuf Yilmaz
- Department of Gastroenterology, School of Medicine, Marmara University, Istanbul, Turkey
- Department of Gastroenterology, School of Medicine, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan University, Rize, Turkey
| | | | | | | | - Li Chen
- Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation, East Hanover, New Jersey, USA
| | | | | | | | - Clifford Brass
- Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation, East Hanover, New Jersey, USA
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17
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Zhan H, Chen S, Gao F, Wang G, Chen SD, Xi G, Yuan HY, Li X, Liu WY, Byrne CD, Targher G, Chen MY, Yang YF, Chen J, Fan Z, Sun X, Cai G, Zheng MH, Zhuo S. AutoFibroNet: A deep learning and multi-photon microscopy-derived automated network for liver fibrosis quantification in MAFLD. Aliment Pharmacol Ther 2023; 58:573-584. [PMID: 37403450 DOI: 10.1111/apt.17635] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/14/2023] [Revised: 05/05/2023] [Accepted: 06/23/2023] [Indexed: 07/06/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Liver fibrosis is the strongest histological risk factor for liver-related complications and mortality in metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD). Second harmonic generation/two-photon excitation fluorescence (SHG/TPEF) is a powerful tool for label-free two-dimensional and three-dimensional tissue visualisation that shows promise in liver fibrosis assessment. AIM To investigate combining multi-photon microscopy (MPM) and deep learning techniques to develop and validate a new automated quantitative histological classification tool, named AutoFibroNet (Automated Liver Fibrosis Grading Network), for accurately staging liver fibrosis in MAFLD. METHODS AutoFibroNet was developed in a training cohort that consisted of 203 Chinese adults with biopsy-confirmed MAFLD. Three deep learning models (VGG16, ResNet34, and MobileNet V3) were used to train pre-processed images and test data sets. Multi-layer perceptrons were used to fuse data (deep learning features, clinical features, and manual features) to build a joint model. This model was then validated in two further independent cohorts. RESULTS AutoFibroNet showed good discrimination in the training set. For F0, F1, F2 and F3-4 fibrosis stages, the area under the receiver operating characteristic curves (AUROC) of AutoFibroNet were 1.00, 0.99, 0.98 and 0.98. The AUROCs of F0, F1, F2 and F3-4 fibrosis stages for AutoFibroNet in the two validation cohorts were 0.99, 0.83, 0.80 and 0.90 and 1.00, 0.83, 0.80 and 0.94, respectively, showing a good discriminatory ability in different cohorts. CONCLUSION AutoFibroNet is an automated quantitative tool that accurately identifies histological stages of liver fibrosis in Chinese individuals with MAFLD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Huiling Zhan
- School of Science, Jimei University, Xiamen, China
| | - Siyu Chen
- College of Computer Engineering, Jimei University, Xiamen, China
| | - Feng Gao
- Department of Gastroenterology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, China
| | | | - Sui-Dan Chen
- Department of Pathology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, China
| | - Gangqin Xi
- School of Science, Jimei University, Xiamen, China
| | - Hai-Yang Yuan
- MAFLD Research Center, Department of Hepatology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, China
| | - Xiaolu Li
- School of Science, Jimei University, Xiamen, China
| | - Wen-Yue Liu
- Department of Endocrinology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, China
| | - Christopher D Byrne
- Southampton National Institute for Health and Care Research, Biomedical Research Centre, University Hospital Southampton and University of Southampton, Southampton General Hospital, Southampton, UK
| | - Giovanni Targher
- Section of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism, Department of Medicine, University of Verona, Verona, Italy
| | - Miao-Yang Chen
- Department of Liver Diseases, The Second Hospital of Nanjing, Affiliated to Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, China
| | - Yong-Feng Yang
- Department of Liver Diseases, The Second Hospital of Nanjing, Affiliated to Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, China
| | - Jun Chen
- Department of Pathology, The Affiliated Drum Tower Hospital of Nanjing University, Medical School, Nanjing, China
| | - Zhiwen Fan
- Department of Pathology, The Affiliated Drum Tower Hospital of Nanjing University, Medical School, Nanjing, China
| | - Xitai Sun
- Department of Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery, The Affiliated Drum Tower Hospital of Nanjing University, Medical School, Nanjing, China
| | - Guorong Cai
- College of Computer Engineering, Jimei University, Xiamen, China
| | - Ming-Hua Zheng
- MAFLD Research Center, Department of Hepatology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, China
- Institute of Hepatology, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, China
- Key Laboratory of Diagnosis and Treatment for the Development of Chronic Liver Disease in Zhejiang Province, Wenzhou, China
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18
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Jeffrey AW, Adams LA. Recent advances in fibrosis assessment for metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease. Aliment Pharmacol Ther 2023; 58:636-637. [PMID: 37632279 DOI: 10.1111/apt.17651] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/27/2023]
Abstract
LINKED CONTENTThis article is linked to Zhan et al papers. To view these articles, visit https://doi.org/10.1111/apt.17635 and https://doi.org/10.1111/apt.17660
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Affiliation(s)
- Angus W Jeffrey
- Department of Hepatology, Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital, Nedlands, Western Australia, Australia
| | - Leon A Adams
- Department of Hepatology, Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital, Nedlands, Western Australia, Australia
- Medical School, University of Western Australia, Nedlands, Western Australia, Australia
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19
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Song Z, Wang Y, Lin P, Yang K, Jiang X, Dong J, Xie S, Rao R, Cui L, Liu F, Huang X. Identification of key modules and driving genes in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease by weighted gene co-expression network analysis. BMC Genomics 2023; 24:414. [PMID: 37488473 PMCID: PMC10364401 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-023-09458-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2022] [Accepted: 06/16/2023] [Indexed: 07/26/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is characterized by excessive liver fat deposition, and progresses to liver cirrhosis, and even hepatocellular carcinoma. However, the invasive diagnosis of NAFLD with histopathological evaluation remains risky. This study investigated potential genes correlated with NAFLD, which may serve as diagnostic biomarkers and even potential treatment targets. METHODS The weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) was constructed based on dataset E-MEXP-3291. Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analyses were performed to evaluate the function of genes. RESULTS Blue module was positively correlated, and turquoise module negatively correlated with the severity of NAFLD. Furthermore, 8 driving genes (ANXA9, FBXO2, ORAI3, NAGS, C/EBPα, CRYAA, GOLM1, TRIM14) were identified from the overlap of genes in blue module and GSE89632. And another 8 driving genes were identified from the overlap of turquoise module and GSE89632. Among these driving genes, C/EBPα (CCAAT/enhancer binding protein α) was the most notable. By validating the expression of C/EBPα in the liver of NAFLD mice using immunohistochemistry, we discovered a significant upregulation of C/EBPα protein in NAFLD. CONCLUSION we identified two modules and 16 driving genes associated with the progression of NAFLD, and confirmed the protein expression of C/EBPα, which had been paid little attention to in the context of NAFLD, in the present study. Our study will advance the understanding of NAFLD. Moreover, these driving genes may serve as biomarkers and therapeutic targets of NAFLD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhengmao Song
- The Fifth Hospital of Xiamen & Xiamen University, Xiamen, China
| | - Yun Wang
- The Fifth Hospital of Xiamen & Xiamen University, Xiamen, China
| | - Pingli Lin
- The Fifth Hospital of Xiamen & Xiamen University, Xiamen, China
| | - Kaichun Yang
- The Fifth Hospital of Xiamen & Xiamen University, Xiamen, China
| | - Xilin Jiang
- Zhongshan Hospital, Xiamen University, Xiamen, China
- School of Medicine, Xiamen University, Xiamen, China
| | - Junchen Dong
- School of Medicine, Xiamen University, Xiamen, China
| | - Shangjin Xie
- Xiang'an Hospital, Xiamen University, Xiamen, China
| | - Rong Rao
- The Fifth Hospital of Xiamen & Xiamen University, Xiamen, China.
| | - Lishan Cui
- The Fifth Hospital of Xiamen & Xiamen University, Xiamen, China.
| | - Feng Liu
- The Fifth Hospital of Xiamen & Xiamen University, Xiamen, China.
- Xiang'an Hospital, Xiamen University, Xiamen, China.
| | - Xuefeng Huang
- Zhongshan Hospital, Xiamen University, Xiamen, China.
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20
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Wang XX, Jin R, Li XH, Yang Q, Teng X, Liu FF, Wu N, Rao HY, Liu F. Collagen co-localized with macrovesicular steatosis better differentiates fibrosis progression in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease mouse models. Front Med (Lausanne) 2023; 10:1172058. [PMID: 37332758 PMCID: PMC10272541 DOI: 10.3389/fmed.2023.1172058] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2023] [Accepted: 05/15/2023] [Indexed: 06/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a global commonly occurring liver disease. However, its exact pathogenesis is not fully understood. The purpose of this study was to quantitatively evaluate the progression of steatosis and fibrosis by examining their distribution, morphology, and co-localization in NAFLD animal models. Methods Six mouse NAFLD groups were established: (1) western diet (WD) group; (2) WD with fructose in drinking water (WDF) group; (3) WDF + carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) group, WDF plus intraperitoneal injection of CCl4; (4) high-fat diet (HFD) group, (5) HFD with fructose (HFDF) group; and (6) HFDF + CCl4 group, HFDF plus intraperitoneal injection of CCl4. Liver tissue specimens from NAFLD model mice were collected at different time points. All the tissues were serially sectioned for histological staining and second-harmonic generation (SHG)/two-photon excitation fluorescence imaging (TPEF) imaging. The progression of steatosis and fibrosis was analyzed using SHG/TPEF quantitative parameters with respect to the non-alcoholic steatohepatitis Clinical Research Network scoring system. Results qSteatosis showed a good correlation with steatosis grade (R: 0.823-0.953, p < 0.05) and demonstrated high performance (area under the curve [AUC]: 0.617-1) in six mouse models. Based on their high correlation with histological scoring, qFibrosis containing four shared parameters (#LongStrPS, #ThinStrPS, #ThinStrPSAgg, and #LongStrPSDis) were selected to create a linear model that could accurately identify differences among fibrosis stages (AUC: 0.725-1). qFibrosis co-localized with macrosteatosis generally correlated better with histological scoring and had a higher AUC in six animal models (AUC: 0.846-1). Conclusion Quantitative assessment using SHG/TPEF technology can be used to monitor different types of steatosis and fibrosis progression in NAFLD models. The collagen co-localized with macrosteatosis could better differentiate fibrosis progression and might aid in developing a more reliable and translatable fibrosis evaluation tool for animal models of NAFLD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiao-Xiao Wang
- Peking University People’s Hospital, Peking University Hepatology Institute, Beijing Key Laboratory of Hepatitis C and Immunotherapy for Liver Diseases, Beijing International Cooperation Base for Science and Technology on NAFLD Diagnosis, Beijing, China
| | - Rui Jin
- Peking University People’s Hospital, Peking University Hepatology Institute, Beijing Key Laboratory of Hepatitis C and Immunotherapy for Liver Diseases, Beijing International Cooperation Base for Science and Technology on NAFLD Diagnosis, Beijing, China
| | - Xiao-He Li
- Peking University People’s Hospital, Peking University Hepatology Institute, Beijing Key Laboratory of Hepatitis C and Immunotherapy for Liver Diseases, Beijing International Cooperation Base for Science and Technology on NAFLD Diagnosis, Beijing, China
| | - Qiang Yang
- Hangzhou Choutu Technology Co., Ltd., Hangzhou, China
| | - Xiao Teng
- HistoIndex Pte Ltd, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Fang-Fang Liu
- Department of Pathology, Peking University People's Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Nan Wu
- Peking University People’s Hospital, Peking University Hepatology Institute, Beijing Key Laboratory of Hepatitis C and Immunotherapy for Liver Diseases, Beijing International Cooperation Base for Science and Technology on NAFLD Diagnosis, Beijing, China
| | - Hui-Ying Rao
- Peking University People’s Hospital, Peking University Hepatology Institute, Beijing Key Laboratory of Hepatitis C and Immunotherapy for Liver Diseases, Beijing International Cooperation Base for Science and Technology on NAFLD Diagnosis, Beijing, China
| | - Feng Liu
- Peking University People’s Hospital, Peking University Hepatology Institute, Beijing Key Laboratory of Hepatitis C and Immunotherapy for Liver Diseases, Beijing International Cooperation Base for Science and Technology on NAFLD Diagnosis, Beijing, China
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21
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Esparza J, Shrestha U, Kleiner DE, Crawford JM, Vanatta J, Satapathy S, Tipirneni-Sajja A. Automated Segmentation and Morphological Characterization of Hepatic Steatosis and Correlation with Histopathology. J Clin Exp Hepatol 2023; 13:468-478. [PMID: 37250872 PMCID: PMC10213977 DOI: 10.1016/j.jceh.2022.12.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2022] [Accepted: 12/02/2022] [Indexed: 05/31/2023] Open
Abstract
Background/objectives Prevalence of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) has increased to 25% of the world population. Hepatic steatosis is a hallmark feature of NAFLD and is assessed histologically using visual and ordinal fat grading criteria (0-3) from the Nonalcoholic Steatohepatitis (NASH) Clinical Research Network (CRN) scoring system. The purpose of this study is to automatically segment and extract morphological characteristics and distributions of fat droplets (FDs) on liver histology images and find associations with severity of steatosis. Methods A previously published human cohort of 68 NASH candidates was graded for steatosis by an experienced pathologist using the Fat CRN grading system. The automated segmentation algorithm quantified fat fraction (FF) and fat-affected hepatocyte ratio (FHR), extracted fat morphology by calculating radius and circularity of FDs, and examined FDs distribution and heterogeneity using nearest neighbor distance and regional isotropy. Results Regression analysis and Spearman correlation (ρ) yielded high correlations for radius (R2 = 0.86, ρ = 0.72), nearest neighbor distance (R2 = 0.82, ρ = -0.82), regional isotropy (R2 = 0.84, ρ = 0.74), and FHR (R2 = 0.90, ρ = 0.85), and low correlation for circularity (R2 = 0.48, ρ = -0.32) with FF and pathologist grades, respectively. FHR showed a better distinction between pathologist Fat CRN grades compared to conventional FF measurements, making it a potential surrogate measure for Fat CRN scores. Our results showed variation in distribution of morphological features and steatosis heterogeneity within the same patient's biopsy sample as well as between patients of similar FF. Conclusions The fat percentage measurements, specific morphological characteristics, and patterns of distribution quantified with the automated segmentation algorithm showed associations with steatosis severity; however, future studies are warranted to evaluate the clinical significance of these steatosis features in progression of NAFLD and NASH.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juan Esparza
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, The University of Memphis, Memphis, TN, USA
| | - Utsav Shrestha
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, The University of Memphis, Memphis, TN, USA
| | - David E. Kleiner
- Laboratory of Pathology, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, National Institute to Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - James M. Crawford
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell, Hempstead, NY, USA
| | - Jason Vanatta
- Department of Surgery, University of Tennessee Health and Science Center, Memphis, TN, USA
| | - Sanjaya Satapathy
- Liver Transplantation, North Shore University Hospital/Northwell Health, Manhasset, NY, USA
| | - Aaryani Tipirneni-Sajja
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, The University of Memphis, Memphis, TN, USA
- Department of Diagnostic Imaging, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, USA
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22
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Rinella ME, Neuschwander-Tetri BA, Siddiqui MS, Abdelmalek MF, Caldwell S, Barb D, Kleiner DE, Loomba R. AASLD Practice Guidance on the clinical assessment and management of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. Hepatology 2023; 77:1797-1835. [PMID: 36727674 PMCID: PMC10735173 DOI: 10.1097/hep.0000000000000323] [Citation(s) in RCA: 470] [Impact Index Per Article: 470.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2023] [Accepted: 01/18/2023] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Mary E. Rinella
- University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois, USA
| | | | | | | | - Stephen Caldwell
- School of Medicine, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia, USA
| | - Diana Barb
- University of Florida College of Medicine, Gainesville, Florida, USA
| | | | - Rohit Loomba
- University of California, San Diego, San Diego, California, USA
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23
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Noureddin M, Goodman Z, Tai D, Chng ELK, Ren Y, Boudes P, Shlevin H, Garcia-Tsao G, Harrison SA, Chalasani NP. Machine learning liver histology scores correlate with portal hypertension assessments in nonalcoholic steatohepatitis cirrhosis. Aliment Pharmacol Ther 2023; 57:409-417. [PMID: 36647687 PMCID: PMC10107331 DOI: 10.1111/apt.17363] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2022] [Revised: 08/07/2022] [Accepted: 12/07/2022] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND AIMS In cirrhotic nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) clinical trials, primary efficacy endpoints have been hepatic venous pressure gradient (HVPG), liver histology and clinical liver outcomes. Important histologic features, such as septa thickness, nodules features and fibrosis area have not been included in the histologic assessment and may have important clinical relevance. We assessed these features with a machine learning (ML) model. METHODS NASH patients with compensated cirrhosis and HVPG ≥6 mm Hg (n = 143) from the Belapectin phase 2b trial were studied. Liver biopsies, HVPG measurements and upper endoscopies were performed at baseline and at end of treatment (EOT). A second harmonic generation/two-photon excitation fluorescence provided an automated quantitative assessment of septa, nodules and fibrosis (SNOF). We created ML scores and tested their association with HVPG, clinically significant HVPG (≥10 mm Hg) and the presence of varices (SNOF-V). RESULTS We derived 448 histologic variables (243 related to septa, 21 related to nodules and 184 related to fibrosis). The SNOF score (≥11.78) reliably distinguished CSPH at baseline and in the validation cohort (baseline + EOT) [AUC = 0.85 and 0.74, respectively]. The SNOF-V score (≥0.57) distinguished the presence of varices at baseline and in the same validation cohort [AUC = 0.86 and 0.73, respectively]. Finally, the SNOF-C score differentiated those who had >20% change in HVPG against those who did not, with an AUROC of 0.89. CONCLUSION The ML algorithm accurately predicted HVPG, CSPH, the development of varices and HVPG changes in patients with NASH cirrhosis. The use of ML histology model in NASH cirrhosis trials may improve the assessment of key outcome changes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mazen Noureddin
- Houston Methodist Hospital and Houston Research Institute, Houston, Texas, USA
| | | | - Dean Tai
- HistoIndex Pte. Ltd., Singapore, Singapore
| | | | - Yayun Ren
- HistoIndex Pte. Ltd., Singapore, Singapore
| | - Pol Boudes
- Galectin Therapeutics Inc., Norcross, USA
| | | | - Guadalupe Garcia-Tsao
- Section of Digestive Diseases, Yale University and CT-VA Healthcare System, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
| | | | - Naga P Chalasani
- Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Department of Medicine, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, Indiana, USA
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24
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Nogami A, Yoneda M, Iwaki M, Kobayashi T, Honda Y, Ogawa Y, Imajo K, Saito S, Nakajima A. Non-invasive imaging biomarkers for liver steatosis in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease: present and future. Clin Mol Hepatol 2023; 29:S123-S135. [PMID: 36503207 PMCID: PMC10029939 DOI: 10.3350/cmh.2022.0357] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2022] [Accepted: 12/05/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease is currently the most common chronic liver disease, affecting up to 25% of the global population. Simple fatty liver, in which fat is deposited in the liver without fibrosis, has been regarded as a benign disease in the past, but it is now known to be prognostic. In the future, more emphasis should be placed on the quantification of liver fat. Traditionally, fatty liver has been assessed by histological evaluation, which requires an invasive examination; however, technological innovations have made it possible to evaluate fatty liver by non-invasive imaging methods, such as ultrasonography, computed tomography, and magnetic resonance imaging. In addition, quantitative as well as qualitative measurements for the detection of fatty liver have become available. In this review, we summarize the currently used qualitative evaluations of fatty liver and discuss quantitative evaluations that are expected to further develop in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Asako Nogami
- Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Yokohama City University School of Medicine Graduate school of Medicine, Yokohama, Japan
| | - Masato Yoneda
- Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Yokohama City University School of Medicine Graduate school of Medicine, Yokohama, Japan
| | - Michihiro Iwaki
- Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Yokohama City University School of Medicine Graduate school of Medicine, Yokohama, Japan
| | - Takashi Kobayashi
- Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Yokohama City University School of Medicine Graduate school of Medicine, Yokohama, Japan
| | - Yasushi Honda
- Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Yokohama City University School of Medicine Graduate school of Medicine, Yokohama, Japan
| | - Yuji Ogawa
- Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Yokohama City University School of Medicine Graduate school of Medicine, Yokohama, Japan
- Department of Gastroenterology, National Hospital Organization Yokohama Medical Center, Yokohama, Japan
| | - Kento Imajo
- Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Yokohama City University School of Medicine Graduate school of Medicine, Yokohama, Japan
- Department of Gastroenterology and Endoscopy, Shinyurigaoka General Hospital, Kawasaki, Japan
| | - Satoru Saito
- Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Yokohama City University School of Medicine Graduate school of Medicine, Yokohama, Japan
| | - Atsushi Nakajima
- Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Yokohama City University School of Medicine Graduate school of Medicine, Yokohama, Japan
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25
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Leow WQ, Chan AWH, Mendoza PGL, Lo R, Yap K, Kim H. Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease: the pathologist's perspective. Clin Mol Hepatol 2023; 29:S302-S318. [PMID: 36384146 PMCID: PMC10029955 DOI: 10.3350/cmh.2022.0329] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/21/2022] [Accepted: 11/10/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a spectrum of diseases characterized by fatty accumulation in hepatocytes, ranging from steatosis, non-alcoholic steatohepatitis, to cirrhosis. While histopathological evaluation of liver biopsies plays a central role in the diagnosis of NAFLD, limitations such as the problem of interobserver variability still exist and active research is underway to improve the diagnostic utility of liver biopsies. In this article, we provide a comprehensive overview of the histopathological features of NAFLD, the current grading and staging systems, and discuss the present and future roles of liver biopsies in the diagnosis and prognostication of NAFLD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wei-Qiang Leow
- Department of Anatomical Pathology, Singapore General Hospital, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Anthony Wing-Hung Chan
- Department of Anatomical and Cellular Pathology, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong, China
| | | | - Regina Lo
- Department of Pathology and State Key Laboratory of Liver Research (HKU), The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Kihan Yap
- Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Haeryoung Kim
- Department of Pathology, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
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26
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Sanyal AJ, Lopez P, Lawitz EJ, Lucas KJ, Loeffler J, Kim W, Goh GBB, Huang JF, Serra C, Andreone P, Chen YC, Hsia SH, Ratziu V, Aizenberg D, Tobita H, Sheikh AM, Vierling JM, Kim YJ, Hyogo H, Tai D, Goodman Z, Schaefer F, Carbarns IRI, Lamle S, Martic M, Naoumov NV, Brass CA. Tropifexor for nonalcoholic steatohepatitis: an adaptive, randomized, placebo-controlled phase 2a/b trial. Nat Med 2023; 29:392-400. [PMID: 36797481 PMCID: PMC9941046 DOI: 10.1038/s41591-022-02200-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 47.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2022] [Accepted: 12/29/2022] [Indexed: 02/18/2023]
Abstract
The multimodal activities of farnesoid X receptor (FXR) agonists make this class an attractive option to treat nonalcoholic steatohepatitis. The safety and efficacy of tropifexor, an FXR agonist, in a randomized, multicenter, double-blind, three-part adaptive design, phase 2 study, in patients with nonalcoholic steatohepatitis were therefore assessed. In Parts A + B, 198 patients were randomized to receive tropifexor (10-90 μg) or placebo for 12 weeks. In Part C, 152 patients were randomized to receive tropifexor 140 µg, tropifexor 200 µg or placebo (1:1:1) for 48 weeks. The primary endpoints were safety and tolerability to end-of-study, and dose response on alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and hepatic fat fraction (HFF) at week 12. Pruritus was the most common adverse event in all groups, with a higher frequency in the 140- and 200-µg tropifexor groups. Decreases from baseline in ALT and HFF were greater with tropifexor versus placebo at week 12, with a relative decrease in least squares mean from baseline observed with all tropifexor doses for ALT (tropifexor 10-90-μg dose groups ranged from -10.7 to -16.5 U l-1 versus placebo (-7.8 U l-1) and tropifexor 140- and 200-μg groups were -18.0 U l-1 and -23.0 U l-1, respectively, versus placebo (-8.3 U l-1)) and % HFF (tropifexor 10-90-μg dose groups ranged from -7.48% to -15.04% versus placebo (-6.19%) and tropifexor 140- and 200-μg groups were -19.07% and -39.41%, respectively, versus placebo (-10.77%)). Decreases in ALT and HFF were sustained up to week 48; however, similar trends in AST with tropifexor at week 12 were not observed. As with other FXR agonists, dose-related pruritus was frequently observed. Clinicaltrials.gov registration: NCT02855164.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arun J Sanyal
- Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine, Richmond, VA, USA.
| | | | - Eric J Lawitz
- Texas Liver Institute, University of Texas Health, San Antonio, TX, USA
| | - Kathryn J Lucas
- Diabetes and Endocrinology Consultants, Morehead City, NC, USA
| | | | - Won Kim
- Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Department of Internal Medicine, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul Metropolitan Government Boramae Medical Center, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - George B B Goh
- Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Singapore General Hospital, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Jee-Fu Huang
- Hepatitis Centre and Hepatobiliary Division, Department of Internal Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital, Kaohsiung City, Taiwan
| | - Carla Serra
- Diagnostic and Therapeutic Interventional Ultrasound Unit, IRCCS, Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria, Bologna, Italy
| | - Pietro Andreone
- University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Modena, Italy
- Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria di Modena, Modena, Italy
| | - Yi-Cheng Chen
- Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Chang Gung University College of Medicine, Taoyuan, Taiwan
| | | | - Vlad Ratziu
- Sorbonne Université, Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris, Hôpital Pitié Salpêtrière, Institute of Cardiometabolism and Nutrition (ICAN), Paris, France
| | | | | | - Aasim M Sheikh
- Gastrointestinal Specialists of Georgia, Marietta, GA, USA
| | - John M Vierling
- Advanced Liver Therapies, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Yoon Jun Kim
- Seoul National University College of Medicine and Liver Research Institute, Seoul, Korea
| | - Hideyuki Hyogo
- JA Hiroshima General Hospital, Hiroshima, Japan
- Life Care Clinic Hiroshima, Hiroshima, Japan
| | - Dean Tai
- HistoIndex Pte. Ltd, Singapore, Singapore
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27
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Shi YW, Fan JG. Surveillance of the progression and assessment of treatment endpoints for nonalcoholic steatohepatitis. Clin Mol Hepatol 2023; 29:S228-S243. [PMID: 36521452 PMCID: PMC10029951 DOI: 10.3350/cmh.2022.0401] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2022] [Accepted: 12/10/2022] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) is an aggressive form of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) characterized by steatosis-associated inflammation and liver injury. Without effective treatment or management, NASH can have life-threatening outcomes. Evaluation and identification of NASH patients at risk for adverse outcomes are therefore important. Key issues in screening NASH patients are the assessment of advanced fibrosis, differentiation of NASH from simple steatosis, and monitoring of dynamic changes during follow-up and treatment. Currently, NASH staging and evaluation of the effectiveness for drugs still rely on pathological diagnosis, despite sample error issues and the subjectivity associated with liver biopsy. Optimizing the pathological assessment of liver biopsy samples and developing noninvasive surrogate methods for accessible, accurate, and safe evaluation are therefore critical. Although noninvasive methods including elastography, serum soluble biomarkers, and combined models have been implemented in the last decade, noninvasive diagnostic measurements are not widely applied in clinical practice. More work remains to be done in establishing cost-effective strategies both for screening for at-risk NASH patients and identifying changes in disease severity. In this review, we summarize the current state of noninvasive methods for detecting steatosis, steatohepatitis, and fibrosis in patients with NASH, and discuss noninvasive assessments for screening at-risk patients with a focus on the characteristics that should be monitored at follow-up.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yi-Wen Shi
- Center for Fatty Liver, Department of Gastroenterology, Xinhua Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai Key Lab of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition, Shanghai, China
| | - Jian-Gao Fan
- Center for Fatty Liver, Department of Gastroenterology, Xinhua Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai Key Lab of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition, Shanghai, China
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28
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Yip TCF, Lyu F, Lin H, Li G, Yuen PC, Wong VWS, Wong GLH. Non-invasive biomarkers for liver inflammation in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease: present and future. Clin Mol Hepatol 2023; 29:S171-S183. [PMID: 36503204 PMCID: PMC10029958 DOI: 10.3350/cmh.2022.0426] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2022] [Accepted: 12/06/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Inflammation is the key driver of liver fibrosis progression in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Unfortunately, it is often challenging to assess inflammation in NAFLD due to its dynamic nature and poor correlation with liver biochemical markers. Liver histology keeps its role as the standard tool, yet it is well-known for substantial sampling, intraobserver, and interobserver variability. Serum proinflammatory cytokines and apoptotic markers, namely cytokeratin-18, are well-studied with reasonable accuracy, whereas serum metabolomics and lipidomics have been adopted in some commercially available diagnostic models. Ultrasound and computed tomography imaging techniques are attractive due to their wide availability; yet their accuracies may not be comparable with magnetic resonance imaging-based tools. Machine learning and deep learning models, be they supervised or unsupervised learning, are promising tools to identify various subtypes of NAFLD, including those with dominating liver inflammation, contributing to sustainable care pathways for NAFLD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Terry Cheuk-Fung Yip
- Medical Data Analytic Centre, Prince of Wales Hospital and the University is The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
- Department of Medicine and Therapeutics, Prince of Wales Hospital and the University is The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
- Institute of Digestive Disease, Prince of Wales Hospital and the University is The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Fei Lyu
- Department of Computer Science, Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong, China
| | - Huapeng Lin
- Medical Data Analytic Centre, Prince of Wales Hospital and the University is The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
- Department of Medicine and Therapeutics, Prince of Wales Hospital and the University is The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
- Institute of Digestive Disease, Prince of Wales Hospital and the University is The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Guanlin Li
- Medical Data Analytic Centre, Prince of Wales Hospital and the University is The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
- Department of Medicine and Therapeutics, Prince of Wales Hospital and the University is The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
- Institute of Digestive Disease, Prince of Wales Hospital and the University is The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Pong-Chi Yuen
- Department of Computer Science, Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong, China
| | - Vincent Wai-Sun Wong
- Medical Data Analytic Centre, Prince of Wales Hospital and the University is The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
- Department of Medicine and Therapeutics, Prince of Wales Hospital and the University is The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
- Institute of Digestive Disease, Prince of Wales Hospital and the University is The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Grace Lai-Hung Wong
- Medical Data Analytic Centre, Prince of Wales Hospital and the University is The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
- Department of Medicine and Therapeutics, Prince of Wales Hospital and the University is The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
- Institute of Digestive Disease, Prince of Wales Hospital and the University is The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
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Zonated quantification of immunohistochemistry in normal and steatotic livers. Virchows Arch 2023:10.1007/s00428-023-03496-8. [PMID: 36702937 DOI: 10.1007/s00428-023-03496-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2022] [Revised: 12/21/2022] [Accepted: 01/13/2023] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
Abstract
Immunohistochemical stains (IHC) reveal differences between liver lobule zones in health and disease, including nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). However, such differences are difficult to accurately quantify. In NAFLD, the presence of lipid vacuoles from macrovesicular steatosis further hampers interpretation by pathologists. To resolve this, we applied a zonal image analysis method to measure the distribution of hypoxia markers in the liver lobule of steatotic livers.The hypoxia marker pimonidazole was assessed with IHC in the livers of male C57BL/6 J mice on standard diet or choline-deficient L-amino acid-defined high-fat diet mimicking NAFLD. Another hypoxia marker, carbonic anhydrase IX, was evaluated by IHC in human liver tissue. Liver lobules were reconstructed in whole slide images, and staining positivity was quantified in different zones in hundreds of liver lobules. This method was able to quantify the physiological oxygen gradient along hepatic sinusoids in normal livers and panlobular spread of the hypoxia in NAFLD and to overcome the pronounced impact of macrovesicular steatosis on IHC. In a proof-of-concept study with an assessment of the parenchyma between centrilobular veins in human liver biopsies, carbonic anhydrase IX could be quantified correctly as well.The method of zonated quantification of IHC objectively quantifies the difference in zonal distribution of hypoxia markers (used as an example) between normal and NAFLD livers both in whole liver as well as in liver biopsy specimens. It constitutes a tool for liver pathologists to support visual interpretation and estimate the impact of steatosis on IHC results.
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Jia H, Liu J, Fang T, Zhou Z, Li R, Yin W, Qian Y, Wang Q, Zhou W, Liu C, Sun D, Chen X, Ouyang Z, Dong J, Wang Y, Yue S. The role of altered lipid composition and distribution in liver fibrosis revealed by multimodal nonlinear optical microscopy. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2023; 9:eabq2937. [PMID: 36638165 PMCID: PMC9839333 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abq2937] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2022] [Accepted: 12/12/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Intracellular lipid accumulation is commonly seen in fibrotic livers, but its exact role in liver fibrosis remains elusive. Here, we established a multimodal nonlinear optical microscopy to quantitatively map distribution of biomolecules in fibrotic livers. Our data revealed that unsaturated triglycerides were predominantly accumulated in central vein area during liver fibrosis but not in portal vein area. Moreover, the lipid homeostasis was remarkably dysregulated in the late-stage compared to the early-stage fibrosis, including increased unsaturated triglycerides with decreased lipid unsaturation degree and decreased membrane fluidity. Such alterations were likely due to up-regulated lipogenesis, desaturation, and peroxidation, which consequently led to endoplasmic reticulum stress and cell death. Inspiringly, injured hepatocyte could be rescued by remodeling lipid homeostasis via either supply of unsaturated fatty acids or enhancement of membrane fluidity. Collectively, our study improves current understanding of the role of lipid homeostasis in fibrosis and open opportunities for treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hao Jia
- Key Laboratory of Biomechanics and Mechanobiology (Beihang University), Ministry of Education, Institute of Medical Photonics, Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Biomedical Engineering, School of Biological Science and Medical Engineering, Beihang University, Beijing 100191, China
| | - Juan Liu
- Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary Center, Beijing Tsinghua Changgung Hospital, Tsinghua University, Beijing 102218, China
- Research Unit of Precision Hepatobiliary Surgery Paradigm, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Beijing, 102218, China
| | - Tinghe Fang
- Key Laboratory of Biomechanics and Mechanobiology (Beihang University), Ministry of Education, Institute of Medical Photonics, Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Biomedical Engineering, School of Biological Science and Medical Engineering, Beihang University, Beijing 100191, China
| | - Zhen Zhou
- Key Laboratory of Biomechanics and Mechanobiology (Beihang University), Ministry of Education, Institute of Medical Photonics, Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Biomedical Engineering, School of Biological Science and Medical Engineering, Beihang University, Beijing 100191, China
| | - Ruihong Li
- Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary Center, Beijing Tsinghua Changgung Hospital, Tsinghua University, Beijing 102218, China
- Research Unit of Precision Hepatobiliary Surgery Paradigm, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Beijing, 102218, China
| | - Wenzhen Yin
- Clinical Translational Science Center, Beijing Tsinghua Changgung Hospital, Tsinghua University, Beijing 102218, China
| | - Yao Qian
- State Key Laboratory of Precision Measurement Technology and Instruments, Department of Precision Instruments, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
| | - Qi Wang
- Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary Center, Beijing Tsinghua Changgung Hospital, Tsinghua University, Beijing 102218, China
- Research Unit of Precision Hepatobiliary Surgery Paradigm, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Beijing, 102218, China
| | - Wanhui Zhou
- Key Laboratory of Biomechanics and Mechanobiology (Beihang University), Ministry of Education, Institute of Medical Photonics, Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Biomedical Engineering, School of Biological Science and Medical Engineering, Beihang University, Beijing 100191, China
| | - Chang Liu
- Key Laboratory of Biomechanics and Mechanobiology (Beihang University), Ministry of Education, Institute of Medical Photonics, Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Biomedical Engineering, School of Biological Science and Medical Engineering, Beihang University, Beijing 100191, China
| | - Dingcheng Sun
- Key Laboratory of Biomechanics and Mechanobiology (Beihang University), Ministry of Education, Institute of Medical Photonics, Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Biomedical Engineering, School of Biological Science and Medical Engineering, Beihang University, Beijing 100191, China
| | - Xun Chen
- Key Laboratory of Biomechanics and Mechanobiology (Beihang University), Ministry of Education, Institute of Medical Photonics, Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Biomedical Engineering, School of Biological Science and Medical Engineering, Beihang University, Beijing 100191, China
| | - Zheng Ouyang
- State Key Laboratory of Precision Measurement Technology and Instruments, Department of Precision Instruments, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
| | - Jiahong Dong
- Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary Center, Beijing Tsinghua Changgung Hospital, Tsinghua University, Beijing 102218, China
- Research Unit of Precision Hepatobiliary Surgery Paradigm, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Beijing, 102218, China
| | - Yunfang Wang
- Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary Center, Beijing Tsinghua Changgung Hospital, Tsinghua University, Beijing 102218, China
- Research Unit of Precision Hepatobiliary Surgery Paradigm, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Beijing, 102218, China
- Clinical Translational Science Center, Beijing Tsinghua Changgung Hospital, Tsinghua University, Beijing 102218, China
| | - Shuhua Yue
- Key Laboratory of Biomechanics and Mechanobiology (Beihang University), Ministry of Education, Institute of Medical Photonics, Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Biomedical Engineering, School of Biological Science and Medical Engineering, Beihang University, Beijing 100191, China
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Ng N, Tai D, Ren Y, Chng E, Seneshaw M, Mirshahi F, Idowu M, Asgharpour A, Sanyal AJ. Second-Harmonic Generated Quantifiable Fibrosis Parameters Provide Signatures for Disease Progression and Regression in Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease. CLINICAL PATHOLOGY 2023; 16:2632010X231162317. [PMID: 37008387 PMCID: PMC10052491 DOI: 10.1177/2632010x231162317] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2022] [Accepted: 02/21/2023] [Indexed: 03/29/2023]
Abstract
Introduction: The current ordinal fibrosis staging system for nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) has a limited dynamic range. The goal of this study was to determine if second-harmonic generated (SHG) quantifiable collagen fibrillar properties (qFP) and their derived qFibrosis score capture changes in disease progression and regression in a murine model of NASH, in which disease progression can be induced by a high fat sugar water (HFSW) diet and regression by reversal to chow diet (CD). Methods: DIAMOND mice were fed a CD or HFSW diet for 40 to 52 weeks. Regression related changes were studied in mice with diet reversal for 4 weeks after 48 to 60 weeks of a HFSW diet. Results: As expected, mice on HFSW developed steatohepatitis with stage 2 to 3 fibrosis between weeks 40 and 44. Both the collagen proportionate area and the qFibrosis score based on 15 SHG-quantified collagen fibrillar properties in humans were significantly higher in mice on HFSW for 40 to 44 weeks compared to CD fed mice. These changes were greatest in the sinusoids (Zone 2) with further increase in septal and portal fibrosis related scores between weeks 44 and 48. Diet reversal led to decrease in qFibrosis, septal thickness, and cellularity with greatest changes in Zone 2. Specific qFPs associated with progression only, regression only, or both processes were identified and categorized based on direction of fibrosis change. Conclusion: Complementing recent human studies, these findings support the concept that changes of disease progression and regression can be assessed using SHG-based image quantification of fibrosis related parameters.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicole Ng
- Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine, Richmond, VA, USA
| | | | | | | | - Mulugeta Seneshaw
- Stravitz-Sanyal Institute of Liver Disease and Metabolic Health, Department of Internal Medicine, Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine, Richmond, VA, USA
| | - Faridoddin Mirshahi
- Stravitz-Sanyal Institute of Liver Disease and Metabolic Health, Department of Internal Medicine, Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine, Richmond, VA, USA
| | - Michael Idowu
- Department of Pathology, Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine, Richmond, VA, USA
| | - Amon Asgharpour
- Stravitz-Sanyal Institute of Liver Disease and Metabolic Health, Department of Internal Medicine, Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine, Richmond, VA, USA
| | - Arun J Sanyal
- Stravitz-Sanyal Institute of Liver Disease and Metabolic Health, Department of Internal Medicine, Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine, Richmond, VA, USA
- Arun J Sanyal, Stravitz-Sanyal Institute of Liver Disease and Metabolic Health, Department of Internal Medicine, Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine, MCV Box 980341, Richmond, VA 23298-0341, USA.
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Artificial Intelligence in NAFLD: Will Liver Biopsy Still Be Necessary in the Future? Healthcare (Basel) 2022; 11:healthcare11010117. [PMID: 36611577 PMCID: PMC9818843 DOI: 10.3390/healthcare11010117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/24/2022] [Revised: 12/03/2022] [Accepted: 12/26/2022] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
As the advanced form of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) will significantly increase the risks of liver fibrosis, cirrhosis, and HCC. However, there is no non-invasive method to distinguish NASH from NAFLD so far. Additionally, liver biopsy remains the gold standard to diagnose NASH, which is not appropriate for routine screening. Recently, artificial intelligence (AI) is under rapid development in many aspects of medicine. Additionally, the application of AI in clinical information may have the potential to diagnose NASH non-invasively. This review summarizes the latest research using AI, specifically machine learning, to facilitate the diagnosis, prognosis, and monitoring of NAFLD. Additionally, according to our prior results, this work proposes future development in this area.
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Gallage S, Avila JEB, Ramadori P, Focaccia E, Rahbari M, Ali A, Malek NP, Anstee QM, Heikenwalder M. A researcher's guide to preclinical mouse NASH models. Nat Metab 2022; 4:1632-1649. [PMID: 36539621 DOI: 10.1038/s42255-022-00700-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 55] [Impact Index Per Article: 27.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2022] [Accepted: 10/26/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and its inflammatory form, non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), have quickly risen to become the most prevalent chronic liver disease in the Western world and are risk factors for the development of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). HCC is not only one of the most common cancers but is also highly lethal. Nevertheless, there are currently no clinically approved drugs for NAFLD, and NASH-induced HCC poses a unique metabolic microenvironment that may influence responsiveness to certain treatments. Therefore, there is an urgent need to better understand the pathogenesis of this rampant disease to devise new therapies. In this line, preclinical mouse models are crucial tools to investigate mechanisms as well as novel treatment modalities during the pathogenesis of NASH and subsequent HCC in preparation for human clinical trials. Although, there are numerous genetically induced, diet-induced and toxin-induced models of NASH, not all of these models faithfully phenocopy and mirror the human pathology very well. In this Perspective, we shed some light onto the most widely used mouse models of NASH and highlight some of the key advantages and disadvantages of the various models with an emphasis on 'Western diets', which are increasingly recognized as some of the best models in recapitulating the human NASH pathology and comorbidities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Suchira Gallage
- Division of Chronic Inflammation and Cancer, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany.
- The M3 Research Institute, Eberhard Karls University Tübingen, Tuebingen, Germany.
| | - Jose Efren Barragan Avila
- Division of Chronic Inflammation and Cancer, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Pierluigi Ramadori
- Division of Chronic Inflammation and Cancer, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Enrico Focaccia
- Division of Chronic Inflammation and Cancer, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Mohammad Rahbari
- Division of Chronic Inflammation and Cancer, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Adnan Ali
- Division of Chronic Inflammation and Cancer, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Nisar P Malek
- The M3 Research Institute, Eberhard Karls University Tübingen, Tuebingen, Germany
- Department Internal Medicine I, Eberhard-Karls University, Tuebingen, Germany
- Cluster of Excellence iFIT (EXC 2180) "Image-Guided and Functionally Instructed Tumor Therapies", University of Tuebingen, Tuebingen, Germany
| | - Quentin M Anstee
- Newcastle NIHR Biomedical Research Centre, Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals, NHS Foundation Trust, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
- Translational and Clinical Research Institute, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
| | - Mathias Heikenwalder
- Division of Chronic Inflammation and Cancer, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany.
- The M3 Research Institute, Eberhard Karls University Tübingen, Tuebingen, Germany.
- Cluster of Excellence iFIT (EXC 2180) "Image-Guided and Functionally Instructed Tumor Therapies", University of Tuebingen, Tuebingen, Germany.
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Naoumov NV, Brees D, Loeffler J, Chng E, Ren Y, Lopez P, Tai D, Lamle S, Sanyal AJ. Digital pathology with artificial intelligence analyses provides greater insights into treatment-induced fibrosis regression in NASH. J Hepatol 2022; 77:1399-1409. [PMID: 35779659 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhep.2022.06.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/24/2021] [Revised: 05/21/2022] [Accepted: 06/10/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND & AIMS Liver fibrosis is a key prognostic determinant for clinical outcomes in non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). Current scoring systems have limitations, especially in assessing fibrosis regression. Second harmonic generation/two-photon excitation fluorescence (SHG/TPEF) microscopy with artificial intelligence analyses provides standardized evaluation of NASH features, especially liver fibrosis and collagen fiber quantitation on a continuous scale. This approach was applied to gain in-depth understanding of fibrosis dynamics after treatment with tropifexor (TXR), a non-bile acid farnesoid X receptor agonist in patients participating in the FLIGHT-FXR study (NCT02855164). METHOD Unstained sections from 198 liver biopsies (paired: baseline and end-of-treatment) from 99 patients with NASH (fibrosis stage F2 or F3) who received placebo (n = 34), TXR 140 μg (n = 37), or TXR 200 μg (n = 28) for 48 weeks were examined. Liver fibrosis (qFibrosis®), hepatic fat (qSteatosis®), and ballooned hepatocytes (qBallooning®) were quantitated using SHG/TPEF microscopy. Changes in septa morphology, collagen fiber parameters, and zonal distribution within liver lobules were also quantitatively assessed. RESULTS Digital analyses revealed treatment-associated reductions in overall liver fibrosis (qFibrosis®), unlike conventional microscopy, as well as marked regression in perisinusoidal fibrosis in patients who had either F2 or F3 fibrosis at baseline. Concomitant zonal quantitation of fibrosis and steatosis revealed that patients with greater qSteatosis reduction also have the greatest reduction in perisinusoidal fibrosis. Regressive changes in septa morphology and reduction in septa parameters were observed almost exclusively in F3 patients, who were adjudged as 'unchanged' with conventional scoring. CONCLUSION Fibrosis regression following hepatic fat reduction occurs initially in the perisinusoidal regions, around areas of steatosis reduction. Digital pathology provides new insights into treatment-induced fibrosis regression in NASH, which are not captured by current staging systems. LAY SUMMARY The degree of liver fibrosis (tissue scarring) in non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) is the main predictor of negative clinical outcomes. Accurate assessment of the quantity and architecture of liver fibrosis is fundamental for patient enrolment in NASH clinical trials and for determining treatment efficacy. Using digital microscopy with artificial intelligence analyses, the present study demonstrates that this novel approach has greater sensitivity in demonstrating treatment-induced reversal of fibrosis in the liver than current systems. Furthermore, additional details are obtained regarding the pathogenesis of NASH disease and the effects of therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Arun J Sanyal
- Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine, Richmond, United States
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Efficacy and Safety of a Botanical Formula Fuzheng Huayu for Hepatic Fibrosis in Patients with CHC: Results of a Phase 2 Clinical Trial. EVIDENCE-BASED COMPLEMENTARY AND ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE 2022; 2022:4494099. [PMID: 35873630 PMCID: PMC9307334 DOI: 10.1155/2022/4494099] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2021] [Accepted: 06/15/2022] [Indexed: 12/09/2022]
Abstract
Background. Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a common cause of progressive hepatic fibrosis, cirrhosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma worldwide. Despite the availability of effective direct-acting antivirals, patients often have significant hepatic fibrosis at the time of diagnosis due to delay in diagnosis and comorbidities which promote fibrogenesis. Thus, antifibrotic agents represent an attractive adjunctive therapy. Fuzheng Huayu (FZHY), a traditional Chinese medicine botanical formulation, has been used as an antifibrotic agent in chronic HBV infection. Our aim was to assess FZHY in patients with HCV infection and active viremia. Method. We randomized 118 patients with active viremia from 8 liver centers in the U.S. to receive oral FZHY (n = 59) or placebo (n = 59) for 48 weeks. Efficacy was assessed by histopathologic changes at the end of therapy. A subset of biopsies was further analyzed using qFibrosis to detect subtle changes in fibrosis in different zones of the hepatic lobules. Results. FZHY was well tolerated and safe. Patients with baseline Ishak fibrosis stages F3 and F4 had better response rates to FZHY than patients with baseline F0–F2 (
). qFibrosis zonal analysis showed significant improvement in fibrosis in all zones in patients with regression of the fibrosis stage. Conclusions. FZHY produced antifibrotic effects in patients with baseline Ishak F3 and F4 fibrosis stages. Reduction in fibrosis severity was zonal and correlated with the severity of inflammation. Based on its tolerability, safety, and efficacy, FZHY should be further investigated as a therapy in chronic liver diseases because of its dual anti-inflammatory and antiibrotic properties. Lay Summary. This is the first US-based, multicenter and placebo-controlled clinical trial that shows statistically significant reduction in fibrosis in patients with active HCV using an antifibrotic botanical formula. This has important implications as there is an immediate need for effective antifibrotic agents in treating many chronic diseases including NASH that lead to scarring of the liver. With artificial intelligence-based methodology, qFibrosis, we may provide a more reliable way to assess the FZHY as a therapy in chronic liver diseases because of its dual anti-inflammatory and antifibrotic properties.
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Liu F, Wei L, Leow WQ, Liu SH, Ren YY, Wang XX, Li XH, Rao HY, Huang R, Wu N, Wee A, Zhao JM. Developing a New qFIBS Model Assessing Histological Features in Pediatric Patients With Non-alcoholic Steatohepatitis. Front Med (Lausanne) 2022; 9:925357. [PMID: 35833109 PMCID: PMC9271828 DOI: 10.3389/fmed.2022.925357] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2022] [Accepted: 06/06/2022] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Background The evolution of pediatric non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) to non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) is associated with unique histological features. Pathological evaluation of liver specimen is often hindered by observer variability and diagnostic consensus is not always attainable. We investigated whether the qFIBS technique derived from adult NASH could be applied to pediatric NASH. Materials and Methods 102 pediatric patients (<18 years old) with liver biopsy-proven NASH were included. The liver biopsies were serially sectioned for hematoxylin-eosin and Masson trichrome staining for histological scoring, and for second harmonic generation (SHG) imaging. qFIBS-automated measure of fibrosis, inflammation, hepatocyte ballooning, and steatosis was estabilshed by using the NASH CRN scoring system as the reference standard. Results qFIBS showed the best correlation with steatosis (r = 0.84, P < 0.001); with ability to distinguish different grades of steatosis (AUROCs 0.90 and 0.98, sensitivity 0.71 and 0.93, and specificity 0.90 and 0.90). qFIBS correlation with fibrosis (r = 0.72, P < 0.001) was good with high AUROC values [qFibrosis (AUC) > 0.85 (0.85–0.95)] and ability to distinguish different stages of fibrosis. qFIBS showed weak correlation with ballooning (r = 0.38, P = 0.028) and inflammation (r = 0.46, P = 0.005); however, it could distinguish different grades of ballooning (AUROCs 0.73, sensitivity 0.36, and specificity 0.92) and inflammation (AUROCs 0.77, sensitivity 0.83, and specificity 0.53). Conclusion It was demonstrated that when qFIBS derived from adult NASH was performed on pediatric NASH, it could best distinguish the various histological grades of steatosis and fibrosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Feng Liu
- Peking University People's Hospital, Peking University Hepatology Institute, Beijing Key Laboratory of Hepatitis C and Immunotherapy for Liver Diseases, Beijing International Cooperation Base for Science and Technology on NAFLD Diagnosis, Beijing, China
| | - Lai Wei
- Hepatopancreatobiliary Center, Beijing Tsinghua Changgung Hospital, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
| | - Wei Qiang Leow
- Department of Anatomical Pathology, Singapore General Hospital, Singapore, Singapore
- Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Shu-Hong Liu
- Department of Pathology and Hepatology, The Fifth Medical Center of PLA General Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Ya-Yun Ren
- HistoIndex Pte Ltd., Singapore, Singapore
| | - Xiao-Xiao Wang
- Peking University People's Hospital, Peking University Hepatology Institute, Beijing Key Laboratory of Hepatitis C and Immunotherapy for Liver Diseases, Beijing International Cooperation Base for Science and Technology on NAFLD Diagnosis, Beijing, China
| | - Xiao-He Li
- Peking University People's Hospital, Peking University Hepatology Institute, Beijing Key Laboratory of Hepatitis C and Immunotherapy for Liver Diseases, Beijing International Cooperation Base for Science and Technology on NAFLD Diagnosis, Beijing, China
| | - Hui-Ying Rao
- Peking University People's Hospital, Peking University Hepatology Institute, Beijing Key Laboratory of Hepatitis C and Immunotherapy for Liver Diseases, Beijing International Cooperation Base for Science and Technology on NAFLD Diagnosis, Beijing, China
| | - Rui Huang
- Peking University People's Hospital, Peking University Hepatology Institute, Beijing Key Laboratory of Hepatitis C and Immunotherapy for Liver Diseases, Beijing International Cooperation Base for Science and Technology on NAFLD Diagnosis, Beijing, China
| | - Nan Wu
- Peking University People's Hospital, Peking University Hepatology Institute, Beijing Key Laboratory of Hepatitis C and Immunotherapy for Liver Diseases, Beijing International Cooperation Base for Science and Technology on NAFLD Diagnosis, Beijing, China
| | - Aileen Wee
- Department of Pathology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, National University Hospital, Singapore, Singapore
- *Correspondence: Aileen Wee
| | - Jing-Min Zhao
- Department of Pathology and Hepatology, The Fifth Medical Center of PLA General Hospital, Beijing, China
- Jing-Min Zhao
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Abstract
Initially a condition that received limited recognition and whose clinical impact was controversial, non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) has become a leading cause of chronic liver disease. Although there are no approved therapies, major breakthroughs, which will be reviewed here, have paved the way for future therapeutic successes. The unmet medical need in NASH is no longer disputed, and progress in the understanding of its pathogenesis has resulted in the identification of many pharmacological targets. Key surrogate outcomes for therapeutic trials are now accepted by regulatory agencies, thus creating a path for drug registration. A set of non-invasive measurements enabled early-stage trials to be conducted expeditiously, thus providing early indications on the biological and possibly clinical actions of therapeutic candidates. This generated efficacy results for a number of highly promising compounds that are now in late-stage development. Intense research aimed at further improving the assessment of histological endpoints and in developing non-invasive predictive biomarkers is underway. This will help improve the design and feasibility of successful trials, ultimately providing patients with therapeutic options that can change the course of the disease.
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Leung HHW, Puspanathan P, Chan AWH, Nik Mustapha NR, Wong VWS, Chan WK. Reliability of the nonalcoholic steatohepatitis clinical research network and steatosis activity fibrosis histological scoring systems. J Gastroenterol Hepatol 2022; 37:1131-1138. [PMID: 35362158 DOI: 10.1111/jgh.15843] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2021] [Revised: 01/29/2022] [Accepted: 03/20/2022] [Indexed: 01/16/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND AIM We aimed to determine whether lobular inflammation and ballooning grades in the Non-alcoholic Steatohepatitis Clinical Research Network (NASH CRN) scoring system can be directly translated into the same for the Steatosis Activity Fibrosis scoring system (SAF) and to look at intra-observer and inter-observer agreement for each individual histological component and for diagnosis of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) using the two scoring systems. METHODS Four pathologists from two Asian centers scored 20 digitalized slides, twice using the NASH CRN, twice using the SAF. Intra-observer and inter-observer agreement was analyzed using Fleiss' kappa, weighted kappa, or Cohen kappa, where appropriate. RESULTS The intra-observer discrepancy rate when using the NASH CRN compared with the SAF was higher than when using the individual scoring system for lobular inflammation (15% comparing both scoring systems vs 10% and 1.8% for the NASH CRN and the SAF, respectively) and hepatocyte ballooning (33.8% vs 12.5% and 5%, respectively), but not for diagnosis of NASH (6.3% vs 6.3% and 0%, respectively). Intra-observer and inter-observer agreement was substantial to almost perfect, except for inter-observer agreement for lobular inflammation and diagnosis of NASH, which was only fair to moderate in most instances. CONCLUSION These findings do not support the direct inter-translation between the NASH CRN and the SAF. However, the diagnosis of NASH during examinations using the NASH CRN may be comparable with diagnosis of NASH using the SAF, vice versa. The inter-observer agreement for lobular inflammation and NASH diagnosis needs to be improved.
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Affiliation(s)
- Howard Ho-Wai Leung
- Department of Anatomical and Cellular Pathology, Prince of Wales Hospital, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | | | - Anthony Wing-Hung Chan
- Department of Anatomical and Cellular Pathology, Prince of Wales Hospital, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | | | - Vincent Wai-Sun Wong
- Department of Medicine and Therapeutics, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Wah-Kheong Chan
- Gastroenterology and Hepatology Unit, Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
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Current status and challenges in the drug treatment for fibrotic nonalcoholic steatohepatitis. Acta Pharmacol Sin 2022; 43:1191-1199. [PMID: 34907360 PMCID: PMC9061812 DOI: 10.1038/s41401-021-00822-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2021] [Accepted: 11/10/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Currently, nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) is one of the most common forms of chronic hepatitis, increasing the burden of health care worldwide. In patients with NASH, the fibrosis stage is the most predictive factor of long-term events. However, there are still no drugs approved by the Food and Drug Administration of the United States for treating biopsy-proven NASH with fibrosis or cirrhosis. Although some novel drugs have shown promise in preclinical studies and led to improvement in terms of hepatic fat content and steatohepatitis, a considerable proportion of them have failed to achieve histological endpoints of fibrosis improvement. Due to the large number of NASH patients and adverse clinical outcomes, the search for novel drugs is necessary. In this review, we discuss current definitions for the evaluation of treatment efficacy in fibrosis improvement for NASH patients, and we summarize novel agents in the pipeline from different mechanisms and phases of trial. We also critically review the challenges we face in the development of novel agents for fibrotic NASH and NASH cirrhosis.
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Histological assessment based on liver biopsy: the value and challenges in NASH drug development. Acta Pharmacol Sin 2022; 43:1200-1209. [PMID: 35165400 PMCID: PMC9061806 DOI: 10.1038/s41401-022-00874-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2021] [Accepted: 01/18/2022] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) is increasingly recognized as a serious disease that can lead to cirrhosis, hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), and death. However, there is no effective drug to thwart the progression of the disease. Development of new drugs for NASH is an urgent clinical need. Liver biopsy plays a key role in the development of new NASH drugs. Histological findings based on liver biopsy are currently used as the main inclusion criteria and the primary therapeutic endpoint in NASH clinical trials. However, there are inherent challenges in the use of liver biopsy in clinical trials, such as evaluation reliability, sampling error, and invasive nature of the procedure. In this article, we review the advantages and value of liver histopathology based on liver biopsy in clinical trials of new NASH drugs. We also discuss the challenges and limitations of liver biopsy and identify future drug development directions.
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Updates on novel pharmacotherapeutics for the treatment of nonalcoholic steatohepatitis. Acta Pharmacol Sin 2022; 43:1180-1190. [PMID: 35190696 PMCID: PMC9061746 DOI: 10.1038/s41401-022-00860-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/02/2021] [Accepted: 01/03/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) is a progressive form of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), characterized with hepatocellular steatosis, ballooning, lobular inflammation, fibrotic progression, and insulin resistance. NASH may progress to cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), which are the major indications for liver transplantation and the causes for mortality. Thus far, there are no approved pharmacotherapeutics for the treatment of NASH. Given the complexity of NASH pathogenesis at multifaceted aspects, such as lipotoxicity, inflammation, insulin resistance, mitochondrial dysfunction and fibrotic progression, pharmacotherapeutics under investigation target different key pathogenic pathways to gain either the resolution of steatohepatitis or regression of fibrosis, ideally both. Varieties of pharmacologic candidates have been tested in clinical trials and have generated some positive results. On the other hand, recent failure or termination of a few phase II and III trials is disappointing in this field. In face to growing challenges in pharmaceutical development, this review intends to summarize the latest data of new medications which have completed phase II or III trials, and discuss the rationale and preliminary results of several combinatory options. It is anticipated that with improved understanding of NASH pathogenesis and critical endpoints, efficient pharmacotherapeutics will be available for the treatment of NASH with an acceptable safety profile.
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Brunt EM, Clouston AD, Goodman Z, Guy C, Kleiner DE, Lackner C, Tiniakos DG, Wee A, Yeh M, Leow WQ, Chng E, Ren Y, Boon Bee GG, Powell EE, Rinella M, Sanyal AJ, Neuschwander-Tetri B, Younossi Z, Charlton M, Ratziu V, Harrison SA, Tai D, Anstee QM. Complexity of ballooned hepatocyte feature recognition: Defining a training atlas for artificial intelligence-based imaging in NAFLD. J Hepatol 2022; 76:1030-1041. [PMID: 35090960 PMCID: PMC10544770 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhep.2022.01.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 67] [Impact Index Per Article: 33.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2021] [Revised: 12/21/2021] [Accepted: 01/07/2022] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND & AIMS Histologically assessed hepatocyte ballooning is a key feature discriminating non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) from steatosis (NAFL). Reliable identification underpins patient inclusion in clinical trials and serves as a key regulatory-approved surrogate endpoint for drug efficacy. High inter/intra-observer variation in ballooning measured using the NASH CRN semi-quantitative score has been reported yet no actionable solutions have been proposed. METHODS A focused evaluation of hepatocyte ballooning recognition was conducted. Digitized slides were evaluated by 9 internationally recognized expert liver pathologists on 2 separate occasions: each pathologist independently marked every ballooned hepatocyte and later provided an overall non-NASH NAFL/NASH assessment. Interobserver variation was assessed and a 'concordance atlas' of ballooned hepatocytes generated to train second harmonic generation/two-photon excitation fluorescence imaging-based artificial intelligence (AI). RESULTS The Fleiss kappa statistic for overall interobserver agreement for presence/absence of ballooning was 0.197 (95% CI 0.094-0.300), rising to 0.362 (0.258-0.465) with a ≥5-cell threshold. However, the intraclass correlation coefficient for consistency was higher (0.718 [0.511-0.900]), indicating 'moderate' agreement on ballooning burden. 133 ballooned cells were identified using a ≥5/9 majority to train AI ballooning detection (AI-pathologist pairwise concordance 19-42%, comparable to inter-pathologist pairwise concordance of between 8-75%). AI quantified change in ballooned cell burden in response to therapy in a separate slide set. CONCLUSIONS The substantial divergence in hepatocyte ballooning identified amongst expert hepatopathologists suggests that ballooning is a spectrum, too subjective for its presence or complete absence to be unequivocally determined as a trial endpoint. A concordance atlas may be used to train AI assistive technologies to reproducibly quantify ballooned hepatocytes that standardize assessment of therapeutic efficacy. This atlas serves as a reference standard for ongoing work to refine how ballooning is classified by both pathologists and AI. LAY SUMMARY For the first time, we show that, even amongst expert hepatopathologists, there is poor agreement regarding the number of ballooned hepatocytes seen on the same digitized histology images. This has important implications as the presence of ballooning is needed to establish the diagnosis of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), and its unequivocal absence is one of the key requirements to show 'NASH resolution' to support drug efficacy in clinical trials. Artificial intelligence-based approaches may provide a more reliable way to assess the range of injury recorded as "hepatocyte ballooning".
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Affiliation(s)
- Elizabeth M Brunt
- Department of Pathology and Immunology, Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, Missouri, USA.
| | - Andrew D Clouston
- Molecular and Cellular Pathology, University of Queensland and Envoi Specialist Pathologists, Brisbane, Australia
| | - Zachary Goodman
- Pathology Department, and Center for Liver Diseases, Inova Fairfax Hospital, Falls Church, Virginia, USA
| | - Cynthia Guy
- Division of Pathology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA
| | - David E Kleiner
- Laboratory of Pathology; Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Carolin Lackner
- Institute of Pathology, Medical University of Graz, Graz, Austria
| | - Dina G Tiniakos
- Translational and Clinical Research Institute, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK; Dept of Pathology, Aretaieion Hospital, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Greece
| | - Aileen Wee
- Department of Pathology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, National University Hospital, Singapore
| | - Matthew Yeh
- Department of Pathology, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA
| | - Wei Qiang Leow
- Department of Anatomical Pathology, Singapore General Hospital, Singapore & Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore
| | | | | | - George Goh Boon Bee
- Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Singapore General Hospital, Singapore
| | - Elizabeth E Powell
- Centre for Liver Disease Research, Faculty of Medicine, University of Queensland, Translational Research Institute, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia; Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Princess Alexandra Hospital, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | - Mary Rinella
- Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, USA
| | - Arun J Sanyal
- Department of Internal Medicine, School of Medicine, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia, USA
| | | | - Zobair Younossi
- Betty and Guy Beatty Center for Integrated Research, Inova Health System, Falls Church, Virginia, USA
| | - Michael Charlton
- Center for Liver Diseases, and Transplantation Institute, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA
| | - Vlad Ratziu
- Department of Hepatology, Sorbonne University and Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital, Paris, France
| | - Stephen A Harrison
- Pinnacle Clinical Research, San Antonio, USA; Hepatology, Radcliffe Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Dean Tai
- Department of Anatomical Pathology, Singapore General Hospital, Singapore & Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore.
| | - Quentin M Anstee
- Translational and Clinical Research Institute, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK; Newcastle NIHR Biomedical Research Centre, Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK.
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Rowe IA, Parker R. The Placebo Response in Randomized Trials in Nonalcoholic Steatohepatitis Simply Explained. Clin Gastroenterol Hepatol 2022; 20:e564-e572. [PMID: 34091047 DOI: 10.1016/j.cgh.2021.05.059] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2021] [Revised: 05/13/2021] [Accepted: 05/31/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND & AIMS Liver histology is the primary endpoint in phase III trials in nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). There is an appreciable response to placebo that confounds endpoint assessment. The aim of this study was to quantify contributors to the placebo response and its impact on liver fibrosis improvement. METHODS Estimates of fibrosis improvement in placebo-treated participants were made using probabilistic simulation. Each simulated trial included 120 participants. Parameters considered in the model included sampling and observer variability, regression to the mean, and net fibrosis progression calibrated to reported trial outcomes. RESULTS In large phase IIb and III trials, 22% of placebo-treated participants with fibrosis stage 2 or 3 NASH at baseline improved by at least 1 fibrosis stage with minimal net disease progression. Estimates of sampling and observer variability in simultaneous biopsy studies highlighted an imbalance where apparent fibrosis improvement was more likely than worsening. Using these estimates and known trial outcomes, net fibrosis progression was estimated at 0.05 stages per year. Simulations of the placebo response rate showed a rate of 22% with 80% of trials falling between 15 and 30%, in keeping with trials reported to date. Additional increases in observer variability further increased the placebo response. CONCLUSIONS The analyses presented simply define the placebo response in liver fibrosis in trials in NASH in terms of sampling and observer variability, regression to the mean, and fibrosis progression. Factors relating to liver biopsy are largely unmodifiable, and the variation in placebo response rates, both simulated and observed, challenges the role of biopsy in trial endpoint assessment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ian A Rowe
- Leeds Institute for Medical Research, University of Leeds, Leeds, United Kingdom; Leeds Liver Unit, St James's University Hospital, Leeds, United Kingdom.
| | - Richard Parker
- Leeds Liver Unit, St James's University Hospital, Leeds, United Kingdom
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Decharatanachart P, Chaiteerakij R, Tiyarattanachai T, Treeprasertsuk S. Application of artificial intelligence in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and liver fibrosis: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Therap Adv Gastroenterol 2021; 14:17562848211062807. [PMID: 34987607 PMCID: PMC8721422 DOI: 10.1177/17562848211062807] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2021] [Accepted: 11/02/2021] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The global prevalence of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) continues to rise. Non-invasive diagnostic modalities including ultrasonography and clinical scoring systems have been proposed as alternatives to liver biopsy but with limited performance. Artificial intelligence (AI) is currently being integrated with conventional diagnostic methods in the hopes of performance improvements. We aimed to estimate the performance of AI-assisted systems for diagnosing NAFLD, non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), and liver fibrosis. METHODS A systematic review was performed to identify studies integrating AI in the diagnosis of NAFLD, NASH, and liver fibrosis. Pooled sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), negative predictive value (NPV), and summary receiver operating characteristic curves were calculated. RESULTS Twenty-five studies were included in the systematic review. Meta-analysis of 13 studies showed that AI significantly improved the diagnosis of NAFLD, NASH and liver fibrosis. AI-assisted ultrasonography had excellent performance for diagnosing NAFLD, with a sensitivity, specificity, PPV, NPV of 0.97 (95% confidence interval (CI): 0.91-0.99), 0.98 (95% CI: 0.89-1.00), 0.98 (95% CI: 0.93-1.00), and 0.95 (95% CI: 0.88-0.98), respectively. The performance of AI-assisted ultrasonography was better than AI-assisted clinical data sets for the identification of NAFLD, which provided a sensitivity, specificity, PPV, NPV of 0.75 (95% CI: 0.66-0.82), 0.82 (95% CI: 0.74-0.88), 0.75 (95% CI: 0.60-0.86), and 0.82 (0.74-0.87), respectively. The area under the curves were 0.98 and 0.85 for AI-assisted ultrasonography and AI-assisted clinical data sets, respectively. AI-integrated clinical data sets had a pooled sensitivity, specificity of 0.80 (95%CI: 0.75-0.85), 0.69 (95%CI: 0.53-0.82) for identifying NASH, as well as 0.99-1.00 and 0.76-1.00 for diagnosing liver fibrosis stage F1-F4, respectively. CONCLUSION AI-supported systems provide promising performance improvements for diagnosing NAFLD, NASH, and identifying liver fibrosis among NAFLD patients. Prospective trials with direct comparisons between AI-assisted modalities and conventional methods are warranted before real-world implementation. PROTOCOL REGISTRATION PROSPERO (CRD42021230391).
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Sombat Treeprasertsuk
- Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University and King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital, Thai Red Cross Society, Bangkok, Thailand
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Vernuccio F, Cannella R, Bartolotta TV, Galia M, Tang A, Brancatelli G. Advances in liver US, CT, and MRI: moving toward the future. Eur Radiol Exp 2021; 5:52. [PMID: 34873633 PMCID: PMC8648935 DOI: 10.1186/s41747-021-00250-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/17/2021] [Accepted: 10/18/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Over the past two decades, the epidemiology of chronic liver disease has changed with an increase in the prevalence of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease in parallel to the advent of curative treatments for hepatitis C. Recent developments provided new tools for diagnosis and monitoring of liver diseases based on ultrasound (US), computed tomography (CT), and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), as applied for assessing steatosis, fibrosis, and focal lesions. This narrative review aims to discuss the emerging approaches for qualitative and quantitative liver imaging, focusing on those expected to become adopted in clinical practice in the next 5 to 10 years. While radiomics is an emerging tool for many of these applications, dedicated techniques have been investigated for US (controlled attenuation parameter, backscatter coefficient, elastography methods such as point shear wave elastography [pSWE] and transient elastography [TE], novel Doppler techniques, and three-dimensional contrast-enhanced ultrasound [3D-CEUS]), CT (dual-energy, spectral photon counting, extracellular volume fraction, perfusion, and surface nodularity), and MRI (proton density fat fraction [PDFF], elastography [MRE], contrast enhancement index, relative enhancement, T1 mapping on the hepatobiliary phase, perfusion). Concurrently, the advent of abbreviated MRI protocols will help fulfill an increasing number of examination requests in an era of healthcare resource constraints.
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Affiliation(s)
- Federica Vernuccio
- Section of Radiology- Department of Biomedicine, Neurosciences and Advanced Diagnostics (BiND), University Hospital "Paolo Giaccone", Via del Vespro 129, 90127, Palermo, Italy.
| | - Roberto Cannella
- Section of Radiology- Department of Biomedicine, Neurosciences and Advanced Diagnostics (BiND), University Hospital "Paolo Giaccone", Via del Vespro 129, 90127, Palermo, Italy.,Department of Health Promotion, Mother and Child Care, Internal Medicine and Medical Specialties (PROMISE), University Hospital of Palermo, Via del Vespro 129, 90127, Palermo, Italy.,Service de radiologie, Hôpital Beaujon, APHP.Nord, Clichy, France
| | - Tommaso Vincenzo Bartolotta
- Section of Radiology- Department of Biomedicine, Neurosciences and Advanced Diagnostics (BiND), University Hospital "Paolo Giaccone", Via del Vespro 129, 90127, Palermo, Italy.,Department of Radiology, Fondazione Istituto Giuseppe Giglio Ct.da Pietrapollastra, Via Pisciotto, 90015, Cefalù (Palermo), Italy
| | - Massimo Galia
- Section of Radiology- Department of Biomedicine, Neurosciences and Advanced Diagnostics (BiND), University Hospital "Paolo Giaccone", Via del Vespro 129, 90127, Palermo, Italy
| | - An Tang
- Department of Radiology, Centre Hospitalier de l'Université de Montréal (CHUM), Montréal, Quebec, Canada.,Centre de Recherche du Centre hospitalier de l'Université de Montréal (CRCHUM), Montréal, Quebec, Canada.,Department of Radiology, Radiation Oncology and Nuclear Medicine, Université de Montréal, Montréal, Canada
| | - Giuseppe Brancatelli
- Section of Radiology- Department of Biomedicine, Neurosciences and Advanced Diagnostics (BiND), University Hospital "Paolo Giaccone", Via del Vespro 129, 90127, Palermo, Italy
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Bosch J, Chung C, Carrasco-Zevallos OM, Harrison SA, Abdelmalek MF, Shiffman ML, Rockey DC, Shanis Z, Juyal D, Pokkalla H, Le QH, Resnick M, Montalto M, Beck AH, Wapinski I, Han L, Jia C, Goodman Z, Afdhal N, Myers RP, Sanyal AJ. A Machine Learning Approach to Liver Histological Evaluation Predicts Clinically Significant Portal Hypertension in NASH Cirrhosis. Hepatology 2021; 74:3146-3160. [PMID: 34333790 DOI: 10.1002/hep.32087] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/19/2021] [Revised: 06/23/2021] [Accepted: 06/28/2021] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND AIMS The hepatic venous pressure gradient (HVPG) is the standard for estimating portal pressure but requires expertise for interpretation. We hypothesized that HVPG could be extrapolated from liver histology using a machine learning (ML) algorithm. APPROACH AND RESULTS Patients with NASH with compensated cirrhosis from a phase 2b trial were included. HVPG and biopsies from baseline and weeks 48 and 96 were reviewed centrally, and biopsies evaluated with a convolutional neural network (PathAI, Boston, MA). Using trichrome-stained biopsies in the training set (n = 130), an ML model was developed to recognize fibrosis patterns associated with HVPG, and the resultant ML HVPG score was validated in a held-out test set (n = 88). Associations between the ML HVPG score with measured HVPG and liver-related events, and performance of the ML HVPG score for clinically significant portal hypertension (CSPH) (HVPG ≥ 10 mm Hg), were determined. The ML-HVPG score was more strongly correlated with HVPG than hepatic collagen by morphometry (ρ = 0.47 vs. ρ = 0.28; P < 0.001). The ML HVPG score differentiated patients with normal (0-5 mm Hg) and elevated (5.5-9.5 mm Hg) HVPG and CSPH (median: 1.51 vs. 1.93 vs. 2.60; all P < 0.05). The areas under receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROCs) (95% CI) of the ML-HVPG score for CSPH were 0.85 (0.80, 0.90) and 0.76 (0.68, 0.85) in the training and test sets, respectively. Discrimination of the ML-HVPG score for CSPH improved with the addition of a ML parameter for nodularity, Enhanced Liver Fibrosis, platelets, aspartate aminotransferase (AST), and bilirubin (AUROC in test set: 0.85; 95% CI: 0.78, 0.92). Although baseline ML-HVPG score was not prognostic, changes were predictive of clinical events (HR: 2.13; 95% CI: 1.26, 3.59) and associated with hemodynamic response and fibrosis improvement. CONCLUSIONS An ML model based on trichrome-stained liver biopsy slides can predict CSPH in patients with NASH with cirrhosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jaime Bosch
- Department of Biomedical Research, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
- University of Barcelona-IDIBAPS and CIBERehd, Barcelona, Spain
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Don C Rockey
- Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Ling Han
- Gilead Sciences, Inc, Foster City, CA
| | | | | | - Nezam Afdhal
- Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
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Predict Early Recurrence of Resectable Hepatocellular Carcinoma Using Multi-Dimensional Artificial Intelligence Analysis of Liver Fibrosis. Cancers (Basel) 2021; 13:cancers13215323. [PMID: 34771487 PMCID: PMC8582529 DOI: 10.3390/cancers13215323] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2021] [Revised: 10/20/2021] [Accepted: 10/21/2021] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Simple Summary Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the third most commonly diagnosed cancer in the world, and surgical resection is the commonly used curative management of early-stage disease. However, the recurrence rate is high after resection, and liver fibrosis has been thought to increase the risk of recurrence. Conventional histological staging of fibrosis is highly subjective to observer variations. To overcome this limitation, we used a fully quantitative fibrosis assessment tool, qFibrosis (utilizing second harmonic generation and two-photon excitation fluorescence microscopy), with multi-dimensional artificial intelligence analysis to establish a fully-quantitative, accurate fibrotic score called a “combined index”, which can predict early recurrence of HCC after curative intent resection. Therefore, we can pay more attention on the patients with high risk of early recurrence. Abstract Background: Liver fibrosis is thought to be associated with early recurrence of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) after resection. To recognize HCC patients with higher risk of early recurrence, we used a second harmonic generation and two-photon excitation fluorescence (SHG/TPEF) microscopy to create a fully quantitative fibrosis score which is able to predict early recurrence. Methods: The study included 81 HCC patients receiving curative intent hepatectomy. Detailed fibrotic features of resected hepatic tissues were obtained by SHG/TPEF microscopy, and we used multi-dimensional artificial intelligence analysis to create a recurrence prediction model “combined index” according to the morphological collagen features of each patient’s non-tumor hepatic tissues. Results: Our results showed that the “combined index” can better predict early recurrence (area under the curve = 0.917, sensitivity = 81.8%, specificity = 90.5%), compared to alpha fetoprotein level (area under the curve = 0.595, sensitivity = 68.2%, specificity = 47.6%). Using a Cox proportional hazards analysis, a higher “combined index” is also a poor prognostic factor of disease-free survival and overall survival. Conclusions: By integrating multi-dimensional artificial intelligence and SHG/TPEF microscopy, we may locate patients with a higher risk of recurrence, follow these patients more carefully, and conduct further management if needed.
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Dinani AM, Kowdley KV, Noureddin M. Application of Artificial Intelligence for Diagnosis and Risk Stratification in NAFLD and NASH: The State of the Art. Hepatology 2021; 74:2233-2240. [PMID: 33928671 DOI: 10.1002/hep.31869] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2020] [Revised: 03/24/2021] [Accepted: 04/23/2021] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
The diagnosis of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease and associated fibrosis is challenging given the lack of signs, symptoms and nonexistent diagnostic test. Furthermore, follow up and treatment decisions become complicated with a lack of a simple reproducible method to follow these patients longitudinally. Liver biopsy is the current standard to detect, risk stratify and monitor individuals with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. However, this method is an unrealistic option in a population that affects about one in three to four individuals worldwide. There is an urgency to develop innovative methods to facilitate management at key points in an individual's journey with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease fibrosis. Artificial intelligence is an exciting field that has the potential to achieve this. In this review, we highlight applications of artificial intelligence by leveraging our current knowledge of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease to diagnose and risk stratify NASH phenotypes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amreen M Dinani
- Division of Liver Diseases, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY
| | - Kris V Kowdley
- Liver Institute Northwest, Seattle, WA; Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine, Washington State University, WA
| | - Mazen Noureddin
- Division of Digestive and Liver Diseases, Cedar Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA
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Yang W, Qin C, Han J, Han S, Bai W, Du Y, Xu T. What Mediates Fibrosis in the Tumor Microenvironment of Clear Renal Cell Carcinoma. Front Genet 2021; 12:725252. [PMID: 34539753 PMCID: PMC8446447 DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2021.725252] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2021] [Accepted: 08/13/2021] [Indexed: 01/31/2023] Open
Abstract
Previous studies have demonstrated that direct targeting of interstitial cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAF) and tumor fibrosis alone seemed to be an unpromising treatment option for malignant tumors. Therefore, it is necessary to further explore the mechanism of the influence of collagen and tumor fibrosis on the biological behavior of malignant tumors. The current study aimed to explore the effect of intratumor fibrosis on the prognosis of renal clear cell carcinoma (ccRCC) and its mechanism. With the bioinformatic analysis of The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database (n = 537), the study showed that high Collagen type I α 1 (COL1A1) mRNA expression indicated the poor prognosis of ccRCC patients compared with low expression ones. We further used the Two-photon-excited fluorescence (TPEF)/second harmonic generation (SHG) microscopy to determine the intratumor fibrosis of 68 patients with surgical resection of ccRCC and confirmed that a high fibrosis level in the tumor was associated with a poor prognosis compared with patients with low expression (Progression-Free Survival: p = 0.030). We further measured the protein chips of 640 cytokines in ccRCC specimens and found that several cytokines, including prolactin (PRL), were associated with the degree of fibrosis in the tumor, as confirmed by the prolactin receptor (PRLR) immunohistochemical method. In addition, the study showed that PRLR expression decreased significantly in the ccRCC compared with adjacent normal tissue (p < 0.05). Our research shows that low expression of PRLR predicted the poor survival of the patient. We used the Cell Counting Kit-8 experiment, the transwell and the plate clone formation assay to evaluate the role of PRL in the 7860 and the ACHN cell lines. We found that PRL promoted ccRCC cell proliferation and migration. JAK-STAT3 activation was found in the high prolactin expression group by mass spectrum analysis. This study delineated the fibrosis-based tumor microenvironment characteristics of ccRCC. PRL/PRLR may be involved in the fibrosis process and are essential prognostic risk factors for ccRCC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenbo Yang
- Department of Urology, Peking University People's Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Caipeng Qin
- Department of Urology, Peking University People's Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Jingli Han
- Department of Urology, Peking University People's Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Songchen Han
- Department of Urology, Peking University People's Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Wenjun Bai
- Department of Urology, Peking University People's Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Yiqing Du
- Department of Urology, Peking University People's Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Tao Xu
- Department of Urology, Peking University People's Hospital, Beijing, China
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Arjmand A, Christou V, Tsoulos IG, Tsipouras MG, Tzallas AT, Gogos C, Glavas E, Giannakeas N. An evolutionary algorithm-based optimization method for the classification and quantification of steatosis prevalence in liver biopsy images. ARRAY 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.array.2021.100078] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
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