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Azizieh Y, Westhaver LP, Badrudin D, Boudreau JE, Gala-Lopez BL. Changing liver utilization and discard rates in clinical transplantation in the ex-vivo machine preservation era. FRONTIERS IN MEDICAL TECHNOLOGY 2023; 5:1079003. [PMID: 36908294 PMCID: PMC9996101 DOI: 10.3389/fmedt.2023.1079003] [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: 10/24/2022] [Accepted: 01/30/2023] [Indexed: 02/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Liver transplantation is a well-established treatment for many with end-stage liver disease. Unfortunately, the increasing organ demand has surpassed the donor supply, and approximately 30% of patients die while waiting for a suitable liver. Clinicians are often forced to consider livers of inferior quality to increase organ donation rates, but ultimately, many of those organs end up being discarded. Extensive testing in experimental animals and humans has shown that ex-vivo machine preservation allows for a more objective characterization of the graft outside the body, with particular benefit for suboptimal organs. This review focuses on the history of the implementation of ex-vivo liver machine preservation and how its enactment may modify our current concept of organ acceptability. We provide a brief overview of the major drivers of organ discard (age, ischemia time, steatosis, etc.) and how this technology may ultimately revert such a trend. We also discuss future directions for this technology, including the identification of new markers of injury and repair and the opportunity for other ex-vivo regenerative therapies. Finally, we discuss the value of this technology, considering current and future donor characteristics in the North American population that may result in a significant organ discard.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yara Azizieh
- Department of Pathology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada
| | | | - David Badrudin
- Department of Surgery, Université de Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada
| | - Jeanette E Boudreau
- Department of Pathology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada.,Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada.,Beatrice Hunter Cancer Research Institute, Halifax, NS, Canada
| | - Boris L Gala-Lopez
- Department of Pathology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada.,Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada.,Beatrice Hunter Cancer Research Institute, Halifax, NS, Canada.,Department of Surgery, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada
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Combined Effect of Deceased Donor Macrovesicular and Microvesicular Steatosis on Liver Transplantation Outcomes: Analysis of SRTR Data Between 2010 and 2018. Transplant Proc 2021; 53:2971-2982. [PMID: 34740448 DOI: 10.1016/j.transproceed.2021.08.046] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2021] [Revised: 07/27/2021] [Accepted: 08/30/2021] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Because of the rising prevalence of obesity, the use of steatotic grafts in orthotopic liver transplantation is becoming increasingly obligatory. The purpose of this study was to determine the relative distribution of microvesicular steatosis (MiS) burden across categories of macrovesicular steatosis (MaS) and the effect of biopsy-sourced MaS and MiS on graft failure, recipient death, and retransplantation. METHODS We performed a retrospective analysis of 13,889 adults with deceased donor liver transplantations from the Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients between 2010 and 2018. Multivariable Cox proportional hazards models were run to examine the independent and combined effects of MaS and MiS on major transplantation outcomes. RESULTS Recipients had a mean age of 56.5 years and a body mass index (BMI) of 29.2 kg/m2; 70% were men, and 74% were non-Hispanic white. Considering the independent effect of MaS, recipients of livers with 30% to 60% MaS had 97% and 129%, 71% and 81%, 39% and 43%, and 40% and 19% increased risks of graft failure and death at 1 month, 3 months, 1 year, and 3 years post-transplantation, respectively. Considering the combined effects of MaS and MiS, 16% to 60% MaS increased the risk of graft failure and recipient death regardless of MiS burden within the first 3 months post-transplantation. These risks were also increased among recipients of livers with 5% to 15% MaS and the additional burden of 16% to 60% MiS. CONCLUSIONS Our findings suggest that risk threshold of adverse transplantation outcomes owing to steatosis appears to be lower than previously recognized and currently practiced. These risks must be weighed and mitigated against the duress of organ shortage and saving lives.
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Liu Z, Wang W, Zhuang L, Liu J, Que S, Zhu D, Dong L, Yu J, Zhou L, Zheng S. Clear mortality gap caused by graft macrosteatosis in Chinese patients after cadaveric liver transplantation. Hepatobiliary Surg Nutr 2020; 9:739-758. [PMID: 33299829 PMCID: PMC7720047 DOI: 10.21037/hbsn.2019.12.02] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2019] [Accepted: 11/21/2019] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Liver transplantation (LT) is one of the most effective surgical treatment for patients with end-stage liver disease. Steatosis is a contributor for inferior graft quality. But its impact and safety on transplantation was less assessed in Chinese patients. METHODS Graft steatosis and related information involved in recipients, donors and surgical procedures were retrospectively collected from 239 patients. RESULTS Donor macrosteatosis (MaS) caused about 2.14 and 2.80 folds of increment on patient and graft mortality. Dose-response analysis revealed prominent risk of grafts on overall patient/organ mortality when MaS content exceeded 10% (P<0.05). Noteworthy, deaths were only observed in MaS group when concurrent with extremely higher post-transplant alanine aminotransferase (ALT, 64%). However, microsteatosis (MiS) grafts didn't affect outcomes after LT. In a cohort of Chinese patients, MaS had comprehensive effects on post-transplant outcomes with relatively lower safety threshold at 10%. Mortality gap caused by MaS grafts was observed in patients with severer ischemia reperfusion injury. CONCLUSIONS Our study revealled the graft MaS affected the post-transplant outcomes in lower risk cutoff in Chinese patients. Further study is worthy to validate these results and investigate inner mechanism under the phenomenon.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhengtao Liu
- Division of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, Department of Surgery, First Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
- NHC Key Laboratory of Combined Multi-Organ Transplantation, Key Laboratory of the Diagnosis and Treatment of Organ Transplantation, CAMS, First Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
- Key Laboratory of Organ Transplantation of Zhejiang Province, First Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Wenchao Wang
- Division of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, Department of Surgery, First Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
- NHC Key Laboratory of Combined Multi-Organ Transplantation, Key Laboratory of the Diagnosis and Treatment of Organ Transplantation, CAMS, First Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Li Zhuang
- Shulan (Hangzhou) Hospital Affiliated to Zhejiang Shuren University Shulan International Medical College, Hangzhou, China
| | - Jingfeng Liu
- Shulan (Hangzhou) Hospital Affiliated to Zhejiang Shuren University Shulan International Medical College, Hangzhou, China
| | - Shuping Que
- Science for Life Laboratory, KTH - Royal Institute of Technology, SE-171 21, Stockholm, Sweden
- Dingxiang Clinics, Hangzhou, China
| | - Dan Zhu
- Shulan (Hangzhou) Hospital Affiliated to Zhejiang Shuren University Shulan International Medical College, Hangzhou, China
| | - Linfang Dong
- Shulan (Hangzhou) Hospital Affiliated to Zhejiang Shuren University Shulan International Medical College, Hangzhou, China
| | - Jian Yu
- Division of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, Department of Surgery, First Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Lin Zhou
- Division of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, Department of Surgery, First Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
- NHC Key Laboratory of Combined Multi-Organ Transplantation, Key Laboratory of the Diagnosis and Treatment of Organ Transplantation, CAMS, First Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
- Key Laboratory of Organ Transplantation of Zhejiang Province, First Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Shusen Zheng
- Division of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, Department of Surgery, First Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
- NHC Key Laboratory of Combined Multi-Organ Transplantation, Key Laboratory of the Diagnosis and Treatment of Organ Transplantation, CAMS, First Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
- Key Laboratory of Organ Transplantation of Zhejiang Province, First Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
- Shulan (Hangzhou) Hospital Affiliated to Zhejiang Shuren University Shulan International Medical College, Hangzhou, China
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Núñez K, Hamed M, Fort D, Bruce D, Thevenot P, Cohen A. Links between donor macrosteatosis, interleukin-33 and complement after liver transplantation. World J Transplant 2020; 10:117-128. [PMID: 32864357 PMCID: PMC7428792 DOI: 10.5500/wjt.v10.i5.117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/31/2019] [Revised: 04/07/2020] [Accepted: 05/05/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND As prevalence of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease increases in the population, livers with steatosis will continue to infiltrate the donor pool. Safe utilization of these extended criteria grafts is paramount given the increased risk associated with their use in transplantation. Prognostic factors that can predict liver dysfunction immediately after transplantation with macrosteatotic grafts are lacking.
AIM To understand the relationship between interleukin-33 (IL-33) and complement in recipients immediately following liver reperfusion as a marker of liver dysfunction.
METHODS Cohort consisted of patients who received a liver transplant from September 2016–September 2019 at our institution. Clinical variables were retrospectively extracted from the electronic medical record. Back-table donor biopsies were obtained with donor steatosis percentage retrospectively determined by a board-certified pathologist. Blood samples were available immediately following liver transplantation. Quantification of plasma IL-33 and complement proteins, C3a and C5a, were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. For mRNA expression, RNA was extracted from donor biopsies and used against a 780 gene panel.
RESULTS Cohort consisted of 99 donor and recipients. Donor median age was 45 years and 55% male. Recipients had a median age of 59 years with 62% male. The main etiologies were alcoholic hepatitis, nonalcoholic steatohepatitis, and hepatocellular carcinoma. Median MELD-Na at transplant was 21. Donors were grouped based on moderate macrosteatosis (≥ 30%). Recipients implanted with moderate macrosteatotic grafts had significantly higher peak alanine aminotransferase/aspartate aminotransferase (P < 0.001 and P < 0.004), and increased incidence of early allograft dysfunction (60% compared to 18%). Circulating IL-33 levels were significantly elevated in recipients of ≥ 30% macrosteatotic grafts (P < 0.05). Recipients with detectable levels of circulating IL-33 immediately following reperfusion had significantly higher alanine aminotransferase/aspartate aminotransferase (P < 0.05 and P < 0.01). Activated complement (C3a and C5a) were elevated in recipients implanted with moderate macrosteatotic grafts. RNA expression analysis of donor biopsies revealed moderate steatotic grafts upregulated genes inflammatory processes while downregulated hepatocyte-produced complement factors.
CONCLUSION Circulating IL-33 and activated complement levels immediately following liver reperfusion in recipients of moderate macrosteatotic grafts may identify which patients are at risk of early allograft dysfunction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kelley Núñez
- Institute of Translational Research, Ochsner Clinic Foundation, New Orleans, LA 70121, United States
| | - Mohammad Hamed
- Institute of Translational Research, Ochsner Clinic Foundation, New Orleans, LA 70121, United States
| | - Daniel Fort
- Center for Outcomes and Health Services Research, Research Administration, Ochsner Clinic Foundation, New Orleans, LA 70121, United States
| | - David Bruce
- Multi-Organ Transplant Program, Ochsner Clinic Foundation, New Orleans, LA 70121, United States
| | - Paul Thevenot
- Institute of Translational Research, Ochsner Clinic Foundation, New Orleans, LA 70121, United States
| | - Ari Cohen
- Multi-Organ Transplant Program, Ochsner Clinic Foundation, New Orleans, LA 70121, United States
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Salvi M, Molinaro L, Metovic J, Patrono D, Romagnoli R, Papotti M, Molinari F. Fully automated quantitative assessment of hepatic steatosis in liver transplants. Comput Biol Med 2020; 123:103836. [PMID: 32658781 DOI: 10.1016/j.compbiomed.2020.103836] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2020] [Revised: 05/25/2020] [Accepted: 05/25/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The presence of macro- and microvesicular steatosis is one of the major risk factors for liver transplantation. An accurate assessment of the steatosis percentage is crucial for determining liver graft transplantability, which is currently based on the pathologists' visual evaluations on liver histology specimens. METHOD The aim of this study was to develop and validate a fully automated algorithm, called HEPASS (HEPatic Adaptive Steatosis Segmentation), for both micro- and macro-steatosis detection in digital liver histological images. The proposed method employs a hybrid deep learning framework, combining the accuracy of an adaptive threshold with the semantic segmentation of a deep convolutional neural network. Starting from all white regions, the HEPASS algorithm was able to detect lipid droplets and classify them into micro- or macrosteatosis. RESULTS The proposed method was developed and tested on 385 hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) stained images coming from 77 liver donors. Automated results were compared with manual annotations and nine state-of-the-art techniques designed for steatosis segmentation. In the TEST set, the algorithm was characterized by 97.27% accuracy in steatosis quantification (average error 1.07%, maximum average error 5.62%) and outperformed all the compared methods. CONCLUSIONS To the best of our knowledge, the proposed algorithm is the first fully automated algorithm for the assessment of both micro- and macrosteatosis in H&E stained liver tissue images. Being very fast (average computational time 0.72 s), this algorithm paves the way for automated, quantitative and real-time liver graft assessments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Massimo Salvi
- Politobiomed Lab, Biolab, Department of Electronics and Telecommunications, Politecnico di Torino, Turin, Italy.
| | - Luca Molinaro
- Division of Pathology, AOU Città Della Salute e Della Scienza di Torino, Turin, Italy
| | - Jasna Metovic
- Division of Pathology, Department of Oncology, University of Turin, Turin, Italy
| | - Damiano Patrono
- General Surgery 2U, Liver Transplant Center, AOU Città Della Salute e Della Scienza di Torino, University of Turin, Turin, Italy
| | - Renato Romagnoli
- General Surgery 2U, Liver Transplant Center, AOU Città Della Salute e Della Scienza di Torino, University of Turin, Turin, Italy
| | - Mauro Papotti
- Division of Pathology, Department of Oncology, University of Turin, Turin, Italy
| | - Filippo Molinari
- Politobiomed Lab, Biolab, Department of Electronics and Telecommunications, Politecnico di Torino, Turin, Italy
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Key CCC, Bishop AC, Wang X, Zhao Q, Chen GY, Quinn MA, Zhu X, Zhang Q, Parks JS. Human GDPD3 overexpression promotes liver steatosis by increasing lysophosphatidic acid production and fatty acid uptake. J Lipid Res 2020; 61:1075-1086. [PMID: 32430316 DOI: 10.1194/jlr.ra120000760] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/12/2020] [Revised: 05/13/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
The glycerol phosphate pathway produces more than 90% of the liver triacylglycerol (TAG). LysoPA, an intermediate in this pathway, is produced by glycerol-3-phosphate acyltransferase. Glycerophosphodiester phosphodiesterase domain containing 3 (GDPD3), whose gene was recently cloned, contains lysophospholipase D activity, which produces LysoPA from lysophospholipids. Whether human GDPD3 plays a role in hepatic TAG homeostasis is unknown. We hypothesized that human GDPD3 increases LysoPA production and availability in the glycerol phosphate pathway, promoting TAG biosynthesis. To test our hypothesis, we infected C57BL/6J mice with adeno-associated virus encoding a hepatocyte-specific albumin promoter that drives GFP (control) or FLAG-tagged human GDPD3 overexpression and fed the mice chow or a Western diet to induce hepatosteatosis. Hepatic human GDPD3 overexpression induced LysoPA production and increased FA uptake and incorporation into TAG in mouse hepatocytes and livers, ultimately exacerbating Western diet-induced liver steatosis. Our results also showed that individuals with hepatic steatosis have increased GDPD3 mRNA levels compared with individuals without steatosis. Collectively, these findings indicate that upregulation of GDPD3 expression may play a key role in hepatic TAG accumulation and may represent a molecular target for managing hepatic steatosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chia-Chi C Key
- Section on Molecular Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC 27157. mailto:
| | - Andrew C Bishop
- Section on Molecular Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC 27157
| | - Xianfeng Wang
- Section on Molecular Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC 27157
| | - Qingxia Zhao
- Section on Molecular Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC 27157
| | - Guan-Yuan Chen
- Department of Chemistry and Center for Translational Biomedical Research, University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Greensboro, NC 27402
| | - Matthew A Quinn
- Section on Comparative Medicine, Department of Pathology, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC 27157
| | - Xuewei Zhu
- Section on Molecular Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC 27157
| | - Qibin Zhang
- Department of Chemistry and Center for Translational Biomedical Research, University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Greensboro, NC 27402
| | - John S Parks
- Section on Molecular Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC 27157; Department of Biochemistry, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC 27157
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Chandrakumaran A, Siddiqui MS. Implications of Nonalcoholic Steatohepatitis as the Cause of End-Stage Liver Disease Before and After Liver Transplant. Gastroenterol Clin North Am 2020; 49:165-178. [PMID: 32033762 PMCID: PMC7008719 DOI: 10.1016/j.gtc.2019.09.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the most common cause of chronic liver disease. Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) is the clinically aggressive variant of NAFLD and has a propensity for fibrosis progression and cirrhosis. The prevalence of NAFLD and NASH is projected to increase rapidly in the near future and dramatically add to the already substantial health care burden. Cirrhosis and end-stage liver disease resulting from NASH is now the fastest growing indication for liver transplant (LT) in the United States. Patients with NASH cirrhosis have higher prevalence of cardiometabolic diseases. Following LT, recurrence of NAFLD and NASH is common.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Mohammad Shadab Siddiqui
- Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23298-0341, USA.
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Álvarez-Mercado AI, Gulfo J, Romero Gómez M, Jiménez-Castro MB, Gracia-Sancho J, Peralta C. Use of Steatotic Grafts in Liver Transplantation: Current Status. Liver Transpl 2019; 25:771-786. [PMID: 30740859 DOI: 10.1002/lt.25430] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/19/2018] [Accepted: 02/02/2019] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
In the field of liver transplantation, the demand for adequate allografts greatly exceeds the supply. Therefore, expanding the donor pool to match the growing demand is mandatory. The present review summarizes current knowledge of the pathophysiology of ischemia/reperfusion injury in steatotic grafts, together with recent pharmacological approaches aimed at maximizing the utilization of these livers for transplantation. We also describe the preclinical models currently available to understand the molecular mechanisms controlling graft viability in this specific type of donor, critically discussing the heterogeneity in animal models, surgical methodology, and therapeutic interventions. This lack of common approaches and interventions makes it difficult to establish the pathways involved and the relevance of isolated discoveries, as well as their transferability to clinical practice. Finally, we discuss how new therapeutic strategies developed from experimental studies are promising but that further studies are warranted to translate them to the bedside.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana I Álvarez-Mercado
- Institut d'Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer (IDIBAPS), Barcelona, Spain
| | - José Gulfo
- Institut d'Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer (IDIBAPS), Barcelona, Spain
| | - Manuel Romero Gómez
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Hepáticas (CIBEREHD), Madrid, Spain.,Inter-Centre Unit of Digestive Diseases, Virgen del Rocio University Hospitals, Sevilla, Spain; Institute of Biomedicine of Seville, Seville, Spain.,Institute of Biomedicine of Seville, Seville, Spain
| | | | - Jordi Gracia-Sancho
- Institut d'Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer (IDIBAPS), Barcelona, Spain.,Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Hepáticas (CIBEREHD), Madrid, Spain.,Hepatology, Department of Biomedical Research, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Carmen Peralta
- Institut d'Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer (IDIBAPS), Barcelona, Spain.,Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Hepáticas (CIBEREHD), Madrid, Spain.,Universidad Internacional de Cataluña, Barcelona, Spain
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