Covert Hepatic Encephalopathy: Who Should Be Tested and Treated?

A highly selective and sensitive spectrofluorimetric method for the assessment of 3-nitrotyrosine in serum using (Eu(TTA)3Phen) photo probe

A simple, accurate and fast method was developed for the assessment of 3-nitrotyrosine as a biomarker for the early diagnosis of liver cirrhosis with minimal hepatic encephalopathy (MHE) using a (Eu(TTA)₃Phen) photo probe. 3-Nitrotyrosine can remarkably quench the luminescence intensity of the (Eu(TTA)₃Phen) complex in DMSO at pH = 9 and λ_em = 617 nm. The quenching of the luminescence intensity of (Eu(TTA)₃Phen) complex particularly the electrical emission band at λ_em = 617 nm is used for the assessment of 3-nitrotyrosine in different serum samples of patients with liver cirrhosis.

A simple, accurate and fast method was developed for the assessment of 3-nitrotyrosine as a biomarker for the early diagnosis of liver cirrhosis with minimal hepatic encephalopathy (MHE) using a (Eu(TTA)₃Phen) photo probe.

Prediction of minimal encephalopathy in patients with HCV-related cirrhosis using albumin-bilirubin, platelets-albumin-bilirubin score, albumin-bilirubin-platelets grade and ammonia level

Background

Minimal hepatic encephalopathy (MHE) is a complication of liver cirrhosis causing low quality of life, driving skills and higher traffic violation. The neuro-psychometric tests are the gold standard but difficult clinically and time-consuming. The aim was to assess albumin-bilirubin (ALBI), platelets-albumin-bilirubin (PALBI) score, albumin-bilirubin-platelets (ALBI-PLT) grade and ammonia level as MHE predictors. All the patients (n = 257) underwent critical flicker frequency number connection, serial dotting and digit symbol test for MHE diagnosis (n = 166, 64.6%). Liver function, INR, CBC and arterial ammonia were measured.

Results

There was statistically significant difference (p < 0.05) between MHE patients and those without as regards ammonia (86.59 ± 23.25 vs. 63.56 ± 24.2 μmol/L), ALBI score (−2.13 ± 0.53 vs. −2.49 ± 0.38), PALBI score (−2.33 ± 0.39 vs. −2.55 ± 0.26) and ALBI-PLT (3.98 ± 0.49 vs. 3.70 ± 0.56). Patients with MHE were mainly Child-Pugh B and C and also ALBI grade 2 and 3. For MHE discrimination, ALBI, PALBI, ALBI-PLT and ammonia had the following cutoffs >−2.36 (57.23% sensitivity, 77.78% specificity), >−2.5 (60.84% sensitivity, 67.9% specificity), > 3 (87.35% sensitivity, 27.16% specificity) and > 76.5 (69% sensitivity, 72.5% specificity) respectively (p = 0.001). On comparison of the area under the curve, ALBI is comparable to PALBI (p = 0.245) and ammonia (p = 0.603). The ALBI-PLT is inferior to ALBI (p = 0.018) and ammonia (p = 0.021) but comparable to PALBI (p = 0.281). ALBI (odds = 5.64), PALBI (odds = 7.86), ALBI-PLT (odds = 2.86), ammonia (odds = 1.05), Child-Pugh score (odds = 2.13), MELD (odds = 1.26) are independent predictors of MHE.

Conclusion

ALBI, PALBI and ammonia are clinical useful model for MHE prediction.

Resveratrol in Patients with Minimal Hepatic Encephalopathy

BACKGROUND

Minimal Hepatic Encephalopathy (MHE) is characterized by an impairment of social interaction, emotional behavior, sleep disorders, physical and mental symptoms, and diminished Quality of Life (QoL). The aim of our study is evaluating the potential liver health promoting a perspective of Resveratrol (RV) activities and evaluate whether RV treatment may improve health related quality of life (HRQL) and reduce depression and anxiety in patients with MHE.

METHODS

We evaluated depression using the Beck Depression Inventory test, anxiety with State-trait anxiety inventory test, quality of life through SF-36 test, and ammonia serum levels in 70 MHE patients that were randomized into two groups.

RESULTS

In the comparison between RV group and placebo group we observed a decrease in Back Depression Inventory (BDI) (p < 0.001), in State-trait anxiety inventory (STAI) (p < 0.001), and improve in physical function (p < 0.001), in role physical (p < 0.05), in body pain (p < 0.05), in general health (p < 0.001), in vitality (p < 0.05), and in social function (p < 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

Resveratrol showed efficacy in the treatment of depression, anxiety, and ammonia serum levels, and improved the quality of life Of MHE patients.

Recent advances in hepatic encephalopathy

Hepatic encephalopathy describes the array of neurological alterations that occur during acute liver failure or chronic liver injury. While key players in the pathogenesis of hepatic encephalopathy, such as increases in brain ammonia, alterations in neurosteroid levels, and neuroinflammation, have been identified, there is still a paucity in our knowledge of the precise pathogenic mechanism. This review gives a brief overview of our understanding of the pathogenesis of hepatic encephalopathy and then summarizes the significant recent advances made in clinical and basic research contributing to our understanding, diagnosis, and possible treatment of hepatic encephalopathy. A literature search using the PubMed database was conducted in May 2017 using "hepatic encephalopathy" as a keyword, and selected manuscripts were limited to those research articles published since May 2014. While the authors acknowledge that many significant advances have been made in the understanding of hepatic encephalopathy prior to May 2014, we have limited the scope of this review to the previous three years only.

Diagnosis of minimal hepatic encephalopathy in a tertiary care center from eastern Romania: validation of the psychometric hepatic encephalopathy score (PHES)

The psychometric hepatic encephalopathy score (PHES) is frequently used as a "gold standard" for the diagnosis of minimal hepatic encephalopathy (MHE). In Romania, there are currently no widely available tests for the detection of MHE. In this study we aimed to standardize the PHES in a healthy Romanian population and to estimate the prevalence of MHE in a group of Romanian patients with liver cirrhosis. A total of 260 healthy volunteers and 106 patients with liver cirrhosis were included in the study. The five neuropsychological tests comprising the PHES were administered to all enroled subjects. Blood samples for routine tests and serum ammonia were collected. In the healthy volunteer group age and education years were found to be predictors of all tests and gender only in two tests: digit symbol test and serial dotting test. The PHES of the healthy volunteer group was 0,43 ± 1,37 and the cut-off between normal and pathological values was set at -3 points. In the liver cirrhosis group the mean PHES was -2,44 ± 3,41, significantly lower than in the control group (p = 0,001). The estimated prevalence of MHE was 34,7 % (37 patients). In patients with cirrhosis there was a significant correlation between PHES and the severity of the liver disease according to Child-Pugh classification (r = 0,529, p = 0,001) and MELD score (r = -0,525, p = 0,001). According to our results, accurate Romanian PHES norms for the diagnosis of MHE have been developed. MHE was diagnosed in a significant proportion of Romanian patients with liver cirrhosis.