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Caputo F, Penitenti F, Bergonzoni B, Lungaro L, Costanzini A, Caio G, DE Giorgio R, Ambrosio MR, Zoli G, Testino G. Alcohol use disorders and liver fibrosis: an update. Minerva Med 2024; 115:354-363. [PMID: 38727709 DOI: 10.23736/s0026-4806.24.09203-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/21/2024]
Abstract
Alcoholic liver disease (ALD) is currently, worldwide, the second most common cause of human fatalities every year. Alcohol use disorders (AUDs) lead to 80% of hepatotoxic deaths, and about 40% of cases of cirrhosis are alcohol-related. An acceptable daily intake (ADI) of ethanol is hard to establish and studies somewhat controversially recommend a variety of dosages of ADI, whilst others regard any intake as dangerous. Steatohepatitis should be viewed as "the rate limiting step": generally, it can be overcome by abstinence, although in some patients, abstinence has little effect, with the risk of fibrosis, leading in some cases to hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Chronic alcoholism can also cause hypercortisolism, specifically pseudo-Cushing Syndrome, whose diagnosis is challenging. If fibrosis is spotted early, patients may be enrolled in detoxification programs to achieve abstinence. Treatment drugs include silybin, metadoxine and adenosyl methionine. Nutrition and the proper use of micronutrients are important, albeit often overlooked in ALD treatment. Other drugs, with promising antifibrotic effects, are now being studied. This review deals with the clinical and pathogenetic aspects of alcohol-related liver fibrosis and suggests possible future strategies to prevent cirrhosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fabio Caputo
- Center for the Study and Treatment of Alcohol-Related Diseases, Department of Translational Medicine, University of Ferrara, Ferrara, Italy -
- Department of Internal Medicine, SS. Annunziata Hospital, University of Ferrara, Cento, Ferrara, Italy -
| | - Francesco Penitenti
- Section of Endocrinology, Internal Medicine and Geriatrics, Department of Medical Sciences, University of Ferrara, Ferrara, Italy
| | - Barbara Bergonzoni
- Department of Internal Medicine, SS. Annunziata Hospital, University of Ferrara, Cento, Ferrara, Italy
| | - Lisa Lungaro
- Department of Translational Medicine, University of Ferrara, Ferrara, Italy
| | - Anna Costanzini
- Department of Translational Medicine, University of Ferrara, Ferrara, Italy
| | - Giacomo Caio
- Department of Translational Medicine, University of Ferrara, Ferrara, Italy
| | - Roberto DE Giorgio
- Department of Translational Medicine, University of Ferrara, Ferrara, Italy
| | - Maria R Ambrosio
- Section of Endocrinology, Internal Medicine and Geriatrics, Department of Medical Sciences, University of Ferrara, Ferrara, Italy
| | - Giorgio Zoli
- Center for the Study and Treatment of Alcohol-Related Diseases, Department of Translational Medicine, University of Ferrara, Ferrara, Italy
- Department of Internal Medicine, SS. Annunziata Hospital, University of Ferrara, Cento, Ferrara, Italy
| | - Gianni Testino
- Unit of Addiction and Hepatology, ASL3, San Martino Polyclinic Hospital, Genoa, Italy
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2
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Zhou X, Wang J, Zhou S. Poria cocos polysaccharides improve alcoholic liver disease by interfering with ferroptosis through NRF2 regulation. Aging (Albany NY) 2024; 16:6147-6162. [PMID: 38507458 PMCID: PMC11042950 DOI: 10.18632/aging.205693] [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: 10/26/2023] [Accepted: 03/01/2024] [Indexed: 03/22/2024]
Abstract
The active ingredient in Poria cocos, a parasitic plant belonging to the family Polyporaceae, is Poria cocos polysaccharide (PCP). PCP exhibits liver protection and anti-inflammatory effects, although its effect on alcoholic liver disease (ALD) remains unstudied. This study investigated the mechanism of PCP in improving ALD by regulating the Nrf2 signaling pathway. After daily intragastric administration of high-grade liquor for 4 hours, each drug group received PCPs or the ferroptosis inhibitor ferrostatin-1. The Nrf2 inhibitor ML385 (100 mg/kg/day) group was intraperitoneally injected, after which PCP (100 mg/kg/day) was administered by gavage. Samples were collected after 6 weeks for liver function and blood lipid analysis using an automatic biochemical analyzer. In the alcoholic liver injury cell model established with 150 mM alcohol, the drug group was pretreated with PCP, Fer-1, and ML385, and subsequent results were analyzed. The results revealed that PCP intervention significantly reduced liver function and blood lipid levels in alcohol-fed rats, along with decreased lipid deposition. PCP notably enhanced Nrf2 signaling expression, regulated oxidative stress levels, inhibited NF-κβ, and its downstream inflammatory signaling pathways. Furthermore, PCP upregulated FTH1 protein expression and reduced intracellular Fe2+, suggesting an improvement in ferroptosis. In vitro studies yielded similar results, indicating that PCP can reduce intracellular ferroptosis by regulating oxidative stress and improve alcoholic liver injury by inhibiting the production of inflammatory factors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiangyu Zhou
- Guizhou University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Guiyang 550002, China
- The First Affiliated Hospital of Guizhou University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Guiyang 550001, China
| | - Jincheng Wang
- Guizhou University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Guiyang 550002, China
- The First Affiliated Hospital of Guizhou University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Guiyang 550001, China
| | - Sufang Zhou
- The First Affiliated Hospital of Guizhou University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Guiyang 550001, China
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3
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Prince DS, Nash E, Liu K. Alcohol-Associated Liver Disease: Evolving Concepts and Treatments. Drugs 2023; 83:1459-1474. [PMID: 37747685 PMCID: PMC10624727 DOI: 10.1007/s40265-023-01939-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 09/03/2023] [Indexed: 09/26/2023]
Abstract
Alcohol is a prominent cause of liver disease worldwide with higher prevalence in developed nations. The spectrum of alcohol-associated liver disease (ALD) encompasses a diverse range of clinical entities, from asymptomatic isolated steatosis to decompensated cirrhosis, and in some cases, acute or chronic liver failure. Consequently, it is important for healthcare practitioners to maintain awareness and systematically screen for ALD. The optimal evaluation and management of ALD necessitates a collaborative approach, incorporating a multidisciplinary team and accounting for concurrent medical conditions. A repertoire of therapeutic interventions exists to support patients in achieving alcohol cessation and sustaining remission, with complete abstinence being the ultimate objective. This review explores the existing therapeutic options for ALD acknowledging geographical discrepancies in accessibility. Recent innovations, including the inclusion of alcohol consumption biomarkers into clinical protocols and the expansion of liver transplantation eligibility to encompass severe alcohol-associated hepatitis, are explored.
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Affiliation(s)
- David Stephen Prince
- AW Morrow Gastroenterology and Liver Centre, Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
- Department of Gastroenterology and Liver, Liverpool Hospital, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
- Liver Injury and Cancer Program, Centenary Institute, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
- The Ingham Institute for Applied Medical Research, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
- Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
| | - Emily Nash
- AW Morrow Gastroenterology and Liver Centre, Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Sydney, NSW, Australia
- Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Ken Liu
- AW Morrow Gastroenterology and Liver Centre, Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Sydney, NSW, Australia
- Liver Injury and Cancer Program, Centenary Institute, Sydney, NSW, Australia
- Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
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4
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Yarra P, Dunn W, Younossi Z, Kuo YF, Singal AK. Association of Previous Gastric Bypass Surgery and Patient Outcomes in Alcohol-Associated Cirrhosis Hospitalizations. Dig Dis Sci 2023; 68:1026-1034. [PMID: 35788931 DOI: 10.1007/s10620-022-07591-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2022] [Accepted: 06/04/2022] [Indexed: 12/09/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND AIM Roux-En-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) is associated with risk of alcohol use disorder. The impact of RYGB among patients with alcohol-associated liver disease (ALD) remains unknown. METHODS A retrospective cohort from National Inpatient Sample (01/2006-09/2015) database on 421,156 admissions with alcohol-associated cirrhosis (AC) was stratified for non-primary discharge diagnosis of previous RYGB. Admissions with RYGB (cases) were matched 1:3 to without RYGB (controls) based on propensity score on demographics, calendar year, socioeconomic status (insurance and zip code income quartile), obesity, diabetes, anxiety, and alcohol use disorder. Primary outcome was concomitant discharge diagnosis of alcoholic hepatitis (AH) or development of acute on chronic liver failure (ACLF). RESULTS Of 10,168 admissions (mean age 49 yrs., 75% females, 79% whites), cases (N = 2542) vs. controls had higher prevalence of concomitant AH (18.8 vs. 17%, P = 0.032), hepatic encephalopathy (31 vs. 25%), infection (28 vs. 24%), and grade 3 ACLF (13 vs. 5%), P < 0.001. Conditional logistic regression models showed higher odds for AH, hepatic encephalopathy, and infection among cases. In-hospital mortality of 6.3% (43% in ACLF) was lower in cases, but similar in the sub-cohorts of AH (N = 1768) or ACLF (N = 768). Results were similar in a sensitivity analysis of matched cohort of 2016 hospitalizations (504 cases) with primary discharge diagnosis of AC. CONCLUSION Among patients with AC, previous RYGB is associated with increased likelihood of concomitant AH, hepatic encephalopathy, and infection, but similar in-hospital mortality. Prospective studies are needed to validate, determine causality, and understand mechanisms of these findings among patients with alcohol-associated cirrhosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pradeep Yarra
- Department of Medicine, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, USA
| | - Winston Dunn
- Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Department of Medicine, Kansa University Medical Center, Kansas City, KS, USA
| | - Zobair Younossi
- Center for Liver Diseases and Department of Medicine, Inova Fairfax Hospital, Falls Church, VA, USA
| | - Yong-Fang Kuo
- Department of Biostatistics and Preventive Medicine, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX, USA
| | - Ashwani K Singal
- Department of Medicine, University of South Dakota Sanford School of Medicine, Sioux Falls, SD, 57105, USA.
- Division of Transplant Hepatology, Avera Transplant Institute, Sioux Falls, SD, USA.
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5
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Meumann N, Cabanes-Creus M, Ertelt M, Navarro RG, Lucifora J, Yuan Q, Nien-Huber K, Abdelrahman A, Vu XK, Zhang L, Franke AC, Schmithals C, Piiper A, Vogt A, Gonzalez-Carmona M, Frueh JT, Ullrich E, Meuleman P, Talbot SR, Odenthal M, Ott M, Seifried E, Schoeder CT, Schwäble J, Lisowski L, Büning H. Adeno-associated virus serotype 2 capsid variants for improved liver-directed gene therapy. Hepatology 2023; 77:802-815. [PMID: 35976053 PMCID: PMC9936986 DOI: 10.1002/hep.32733] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2022] [Revised: 07/29/2022] [Accepted: 08/07/2022] [Indexed: 12/08/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND AIMS Current liver-directed gene therapies look for adeno-associated virus (AAV) vectors with improved efficacy. With this background, capsid engineering is explored. Whereas shuffled capsid library screenings have resulted in potent liver targeting variants with one first vector in human clinical trials, modifying natural serotypes by peptide insertion has so far been less successful. Here, we now report on two capsid variants, MLIV.K and MLIV.A, both derived from a high-throughput in vivo AAV peptide display selection screen in mice. APPROACH AND RESULTS The variants transduce primary murine and human hepatocytes at comparable efficiencies, a valuable feature in clinical development, and show significantly improved liver transduction efficacy, thereby allowing a dose reduction, and outperform parental AAV2 and AAV8 in targeting human hepatocytes in humanized mice. The natural heparan sulfate proteoglycan binding ability is markedly reduced, a feature that correlates with improved hepatocyte transduction. A further property that might contribute to the improved transduction efficacy is the lower capsid melting temperature. Peptide insertion also caused a moderate change in sensitivity to human sera containing anti-AAV2 neutralizing antibodies, revealing the impact of epitopes located at the basis of the AAV capsid protrusions. CONCLUSIONS In conclusion, MLIV.K and MLIV.A are AAV peptide display variants selected in immunocompetent mice with improved hepatocyte tropism and transduction efficiency. Because these features are maintained across species, MLIV variants provide remarkable potential for translation of therapeutic approaches from mice to men.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nadja Meumann
- Institute of Experimental Hematology , Hannover Medical School , Hannover , Germany.,Center for Molecular Medicine Cologne , University of Cologne , Cologne , Germany
| | - Marti Cabanes-Creus
- Translational Vectorology Research Unit , Children's Medical Research Institute , The University of Sydney , Sydney , New South Wales , Australia
| | - Moritz Ertelt
- Institute for Drug Discovery , University Leipzig Medical School , Leipzig , Germany.,Center for Scalable Data Analytics and Artificial Intelligence ScaDS.AI , Dresden/Leipzig , Germany
| | - Renina Gale Navarro
- Translational Vectorology Research Unit , Children's Medical Research Institute , The University of Sydney , Sydney , New South Wales , Australia
| | - Julie Lucifora
- Cancer Research Center of Lyon , Institut National de la Santé et la Recherche Médicale , Lyon , France
| | - Qinggong Yuan
- Department of Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Endocrinology , Hannover Medical School , Hannover , Germany.,Twincore Centre for Experimental and Clinical Infection Research , Hannover , Germany
| | - Karin Nien-Huber
- Institute for Transfusion Medicine and Immunohematology , Goethe University Hospital Medical School , German Red Cross Blood Donor Service , Frankfurt , Germany
| | - Ahmed Abdelrahman
- Institute for Transfusion Medicine and Immunohematology , Goethe University Hospital Medical School , German Red Cross Blood Donor Service , Frankfurt , Germany
| | - Xuan-Khang Vu
- Institute of Experimental Hematology , Hannover Medical School , Hannover , Germany
| | - Liang Zhang
- Center for Molecular Medicine Cologne , University of Cologne , Cologne , Germany.,Institute of Pathology , University Hospital Cologne , Cologne , Germany
| | - Ann-Christin Franke
- Institute of Experimental Hematology , Hannover Medical School , Hannover , Germany
| | - Christian Schmithals
- Department of Internal Medicine I , University Hospital Frankfurt , Frankfurt , Germany
| | - Albrecht Piiper
- Department of Internal Medicine I , University Hospital Frankfurt , Frankfurt , Germany
| | - Annabelle Vogt
- Department of Internal Medicine I , University Hospital Bonn , Bonn , Germany
| | | | - Jochen T Frueh
- Experimental Immunology , Children's University Hospital , Goethe University Frankfurt , Frankfurt am Main , Germany
| | - Evelyn Ullrich
- Experimental Immunology , Children's University Hospital , Goethe University Frankfurt , Frankfurt am Main , Germany
| | - Philip Meuleman
- Laboratory of Liver Infectious Diseases , Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences , Ghent University , Ghent , Belgium
| | - Steven R Talbot
- Institute for Laboratory Animal Science , Hannover Medical School , Hannover , Germany
| | - Margarete Odenthal
- Center for Molecular Medicine Cologne , University of Cologne , Cologne , Germany.,Institute of Pathology , University Hospital Cologne , Cologne , Germany
| | - Michael Ott
- Department of Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Endocrinology , Hannover Medical School , Hannover , Germany.,Twincore Centre for Experimental and Clinical Infection Research , Hannover , Germany
| | - Erhard Seifried
- Institute for Transfusion Medicine and Immunohematology , Goethe University Hospital Medical School , German Red Cross Blood Donor Service , Frankfurt , Germany
| | - Clara T Schoeder
- Institute for Drug Discovery , University Leipzig Medical School , Leipzig , Germany
| | - Joachim Schwäble
- Institute for Transfusion Medicine and Immunohematology , Goethe University Hospital Medical School , German Red Cross Blood Donor Service , Frankfurt , Germany
| | - Leszek Lisowski
- Translational Vectorology Research Unit , Children's Medical Research Institute , The University of Sydney , Sydney , New South Wales , Australia.,Military Institute of Medicine , Laboratory of Molecular Oncology and Innovative Therapies , Warsaw , Poland
| | - Hildegard Büning
- Institute of Experimental Hematology , Hannover Medical School , Hannover , Germany.,Center for Molecular Medicine Cologne , University of Cologne , Cologne , Germany
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Thakral N, Deutsch-Link S, Singal AK. Therapeutic Pipeline in Alcohol-Associated Liver Disease. Semin Liver Dis 2023; 43:60-76. [PMID: 36572032 DOI: 10.1055/s-0042-1759614] [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] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
Alcohol-associated liver disease is a leading cause of mortality and morbidity worldwide. Patients with alcohol-associated liver disease are often diagnosed at advanced stage and disease spectrum including alcoholic hepatitis, a severe manifestation with a high short-term mortality. Corticosteroid, recommended first-line treatment for patients with alcoholic hepatitis, is a very suboptimal treatment. Although the use of early liver transplantation has increased with consistent benefit in select patients with alcoholic hepatitis, its use remains heterogeneous worldwide due to lack of uniform selection criteria. Over the last decade, several therapeutic targets have evolved of promise with ongoing clinical trials in patients with cirrhosis and alcoholic hepatitis. Even with availability of effective medical therapies for alcohol-associated liver disease, long-term outcome depends on abstinence from alcohol use in any spectrum of alcohol-associated liver disease. However, alcohol use disorder treatment remains underutilized due to several barriers even in patients with advanced disease. There is an urgent unmet need to implement and promote integrated multidisciplinary care model with hepatologists and addiction experts to provide comprehensive management for these patients. In this review, we will discuss newer therapies targeting liver disease and therapies targeting alcohol use disorder in patients with alcohol-associated liver disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nimish Thakral
- Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky
| | - Sasha Deutsch-Link
- Department of Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, North Carolina
| | - Ashwani K Singal
- Department of Medicine, University of South Dakota Sanford School of Medicine, Sioux Falls, South Dakota
- Division of Transplant Hepatology, Avera Transplant Institute, Sioux Falls, South Dakota
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7
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Im GY. Emerging Biomarkers in Alcohol-associated Hepatitis. J Clin Exp Hepatol 2023; 13:103-115. [PMID: 36647419 PMCID: PMC9840081 DOI: 10.1016/j.jceh.2022.07.246] [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: 03/13/2022] [Revised: 07/14/2022] [Accepted: 07/17/2022] [Indexed: 01/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Alcohol-associated hepatitis (AH) is a clinical syndrome of jaundice, abdominal pain, and anorexia due to prolonged heavy alcohol intake. AH is associated with changes in gene expression, cytokines, immune response, and the gut microbiome. There are limited biomarkers to diagnose and prognosticate in AH, but several non-invasive biomarkers are emerging. In this review, clinical risk-stratifying algorithms, promising AH biomarkers like cytokeratin-18 fragments, genetic polymorphisms, and microRNAs will be reviewed.
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Key Words
- AH, Alcohol-associated hepatitis
- ALD, alcohol-associated liver disease
- ASCA, anti–Saccharomyces cerevisiae antibodies
- AUC, area under the curve
- FGF, fibroblast growth factor
- GAHS, Glasgow alcohol-associated hepatitis score
- HCC, hepatocellular carcinoma
- MELD, model for end-stage liver disease
- NASH, non-alcohol-associated steatohepatitis
- PPV, positive predictive value
- PT, prothrombin time
- VCTE, vibration-controlled transient elastography
- alcohol-associated hepatitis
- biomarkers
- cytokines
- miRNAs, MicroRNAs
- microRNA
- microbiome
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Affiliation(s)
- Gene Y. Im
- Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Division of Liver Diseases, Recanati/Miller Transplantation Institute, New York, NY, USA
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8
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Wakil A, Niazi M, Meybodi MA, Pyrsopoulos NT. Emerging Pharmacotherapies in Alcohol-Associated Hepatitis. J Clin Exp Hepatol 2023; 13:116-126. [PMID: 36647403 PMCID: PMC9840076 DOI: 10.1016/j.jceh.2022.06.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/14/2022] [Accepted: 06/25/2022] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
The incidence of alcoholic-associated hepatitis (AH) is increasing. The treatment options for severe AH (sAH) are scarce and limited to corticosteroid therapy which showed limited mortality benefit in short-term use only. Therefore, there is a dire need for developing safe and effective therapies for patients with sAH and to improve their high mortality rates.This review article focuses on the current novel therapeutics targeting various mechanisms in the pathogenesis of alcohol-related hepatitis. Anti-inflammatory agents such as IL-1 inhibitor, Pan-caspase inhibitor, Apoptosis signal-regulating kinase-1, and CCL2 inhibitors are under investigation. Other group of agents include gut-liver axis modulators, hepatic regeneration, antioxidants, and Epigenic modulators. We describe the ongoing clinical trials of some of the new agents for alcohol-related hepatitis. Conclusion A combination of therapies was investigated, possibly providing a synergistic effect of drugs with different mechanisms. Multiple clinical trials of novel therapies in AH remain ongoing. Their result could potentially make a difference in the clinical course of the disease. DUR-928 and granulocyte colony-stimulating factor had promising results and further trials are ongoing to evaluate their efficacy in the large patient sample.
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Key Words
- AH, alcohol-Associated hepatitis
- ALD, Alcohol-associated liver disease
- ASK-1, Apoptosis signal-regulating kinase-1
- AUD, alcohol use disorder
- CCL2, C–C chemokine ligand type 2
- CVC, Cenicriviroc
- ELAD, Extracorporeal liver assist device
- FMT, Fecal Microbiota Transplant
- G-CSF, Granulocyte colony-stimulating factor
- HA35, Hyaluronic Acid 35KD
- IL-1, interleukin 1
- IL-6, interleukin 6
- LCFA, saturated long-chain fatty acids
- LDL, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol
- LPS, Lipopolysaccharides
- MCP-1, monocyte chemoattractant protein −1
- MDF, Maddrey's discriminant function
- MELD, Model for end-stage disease
- NAC, N-acetylcysteine
- NLRs, nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain-like receptors
- PAMPs, Pathogen-associated molecular patterns
- RCT, Randomized controlled trial
- SAM, S-Adenosyl methionine
- SCFA, short-chain fatty acids. 5
- TLRs, Toll-like receptors
- TNF, tumor necrotic factor
- alcohol-associated hepatitis
- anti-inflammatory
- antioxidants
- liver-gut axis
- microbiome
- sAH, severe alcohol-associated hepatitis
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Affiliation(s)
- Ali Wakil
- Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, New York, New Jersey, USA
| | - Mumtaz Niazi
- Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, New York, New Jersey, USA
| | - Mohamad A. Meybodi
- Department of Internal Medicine, Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, New York, New Jersey, USA
| | - Nikolaos T. Pyrsopoulos
- Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, New York, New Jersey, USA
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9
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Han HT, Jin WL, Li X. Mesenchymal stem cells-based therapy in liver diseases. MOLECULAR BIOMEDICINE 2022; 3:23. [PMID: 35895169 PMCID: PMC9326420 DOI: 10.1186/s43556-022-00088-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2022] [Accepted: 06/20/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Multiple immune cells and their products in the liver together form a complex and unique immune microenvironment, and preclinical models have demonstrated the importance of imbalances in the hepatic immune microenvironment in liver inflammatory diseases and immunocompromised liver diseases. Various immunotherapies have been attempted to modulate the hepatic immune microenvironment for the purpose of treating liver diseases. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have a comprehensive and plastic immunomodulatory capacity. On the one hand, they have been tried for the treatment of inflammatory liver diseases because of their excellent immunosuppressive capacity; On the other hand, MSCs have immune-enhancing properties in immunocompromised settings and can be modified into cellular carriers for targeted transport of immune enhancers by genetic modification, physical and chemical loading, and thus they are also used in the treatment of immunocompromised liver diseases such as chronic viral infections and hepatocellular carcinoma. In this review, we discuss the immunological basis and recent strategies of MSCs for the treatment of the aforementioned liver diseases. Specifically, we update the immune microenvironment of the liver and summarize the distinct mechanisms of immune microenvironment imbalance in inflammatory diseases and immunocompromised liver diseases, and how MSCs can fully exploit their immunotherapeutic role in liver diseases with both immune imbalance patterns.
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10
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Bajaj JS, Nagy LE. Natural History of Alcohol-Associated Liver Disease: Understanding the Changing Landscape of Pathophysiology and Patient Care. Gastroenterology 2022; 163:840-851. [PMID: 35598629 PMCID: PMC9509416 DOI: 10.1053/j.gastro.2022.05.031] [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: 01/24/2022] [Revised: 05/12/2022] [Accepted: 05/14/2022] [Indexed: 12/02/2022]
Abstract
Alcohol use and consequent liver disease are major burdens that have worsened during the COVID-19 pandemic. There are several facets to the pathophysiology and clinical consequences of alcohol-use disorder (AUD) and progression to alcohol-associated liver disease (ALD) that require a concerted effort by clinicians and translational and basic science investigators. Several recent advances from bedside to bench and bench to bedside have been made in ALD. We focused this review on a case-based approach that provides a human context to these important advances across the spectrum of ALD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jasmohan S Bajaj
- Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia; Central Virginia Veterans Healthcare System, Richmond, Virginia.
| | - Laura E Nagy
- Center for Liver Disease Research, Departments of Inflammation and Immunity and Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, Ohio; Department of Molecular Medicine, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio
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11
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Chao X, Williams SN, Ding WX. Role of mechanistic target of rapamycin in autophagy and alcohol-associated liver disease. Am J Physiol Cell Physiol 2022; 323:C1100-C1111. [PMID: 36062877 PMCID: PMC9550572 DOI: 10.1152/ajpcell.00281.2022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2022] [Revised: 08/26/2022] [Accepted: 08/26/2022] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR) is a serine-threonine kinase and a cellular sensor for nutrient and energy status, which is critical in regulating cell metabolism and growth by governing the anabolic (protein and lipid synthesis) and catabolic process (autophagy). Alcohol-associated liver disease (ALD) is a major chronic liver disease worldwide that carries a huge financial burden. The spectrum of the pathogenesis of ALD includes steatosis, fibrosis, inflammation, ductular reaction, and eventual hepatocellular carcinoma, which is closely associated with metabolic changes that are regulated by mTOR. In this review, we summarized recent progress of alcohol consumption on the changes of mTORC1 and mTORC2 activity, the potential mechanisms and possible impact of the mTORC1 changes on autophagy in ALD. We also discussed the potential beneficial effects and limitations of targeting mTORC1 against ALD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaojuan Chao
- Department of Pharmacology, Toxicology and Therapeutics, The University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, Kansas
| | - Sha Neisha Williams
- Department of Pharmacology, Toxicology and Therapeutics, The University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, Kansas
| | - Wen-Xing Ding
- Department of Pharmacology, Toxicology and Therapeutics, The University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, Kansas
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12
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Dual Mode of Action of Talaromyces purpureogenus CFRM02 Pigment to Ameliorate Alcohol Induced Liver Toxicity in Rats. Appl Biochem Biotechnol 2022; 194:4258-4265. [PMID: 35587325 DOI: 10.1007/s12010-022-03973-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2022] [Accepted: 05/10/2022] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Talaromyces purpureogenus CFRM02 pigment exhibited antioxidant activity by scavenging free radicals. The alcohol feeding leads to free radical generation causing pathophysiological processes of alcoholic liver disease (ALD) and alcoholic hepatitis. T. purpureogenus CFRM02 pigment administered to rats ameliorated the ALD by scavenging ROS. The haematological analysis revealed the increased neutrophil circulation. The neutrophil infiltration was observed in the hepatocytes of the rats fed with pigment (600 mg/kg body weight). The increase in the number of neutrophils helps in liver regeneration caused by alcoholic hepatitis. The dual mechanism of action of pigment, antioxidant and liver regeneration through neutrophil production is attributed to alleviate the ALD. These results suggested that T. purpureogenus CFRM02 pigment represents the protective and therapeutic strategy against ALD.
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13
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Luo R, Yi Z, Wu W, Meng W. The mRNA levels of PPARα, HIF-1α, and VEGF in the liver tissues of rats with alcoholic liver disease. Am J Transl Res 2021; 13:11932-11937. [PMID: 34786124 PMCID: PMC8581900] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2021] [Accepted: 02/24/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To investigate the mRNA levels of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor α (PPARα), hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α), and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in the liver tissues of rats with alcoholic liver disease. METHODS A total of 50 Wistar rats were randomly divided into a 4-week model group (n = 10), an 8-week model group (n = 10), a 12-week model group (n = 10), a 16-week model group (n = 10), and a control group (n = 10). The control group got the same volume of distilled water, and the rats in the model groups were given ethanol to establish alcoholic liver disease model. The mRNA levels of PPARα, HIF-1α, and VEGF in the rats' liver tissues, the fatty liver degree, and the inflammation degree in each group were examined and compared. RESULTS The liver tissues in 4 model groups showed a more worsened fatty liver degree and inflammation degree than those in control group (P < 0.05). With the extension of the modeling time, the fatty liver degree and inflammation levels were significantly increased (P < 0.05). All the model groups showed lower mRNA level of PPARα, and higher levels of HIF-1α and VEGF than the control group (P < 0.05). With the extension of the modeling time, the relative mRNA level of PPARα was decreased, while the mRNA levels of HIF-1α and VEGF increased (all P < 0.05). The fatty liver degree and inflammation level were negatively correlated with the PPARα mRNA level (r = -0.899, -0.893, P < 0.05) and positively correlated with the HIF-1α and VEGF mRNA levels (r = 0.791, 0.679, 0.744, 0.597, P < 0.05). The PPARα mRNA level was negatively correlated with HIF-1α and VEGF mRNA levels (r = -0.732, -0.681, P < 0.05). CONCLUSION High PPARα mRNA levels and low HIF-1α and VEGF mRNA levels in the liver tissues of rats with alcoholic liver disease may be closely related to fatty liver and inflammation reactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ruiying Luo
- Department of General Surgery, Lanzhou University Second HospitalChengguan, Lanzhou 730030, Gansu, China
| | - Zhen Yi
- Department of Gastroenterology, Shangrao Municipal HospitalShangrao, Jiangxi, China
| | - Weihong Wu
- Department of Gastroenterology, Shangrao Municipal HospitalShangrao, Jiangxi, China
| | - Wen Meng
- Pharmacy Intravenous Admixture Services, Central Hospital Affiliated to Shandong First Medical UniversityJinan, China
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14
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Abstract
Alcoholic hepatitis (AH) is a clinical syndrome of jaundice, abdominal pain, and anorexia due to prolonged heavy alcohol intake, and is associated with alterations in gene expression, cytokines, immune response, and the gut microbiome. Currently, we have limited biomarkers to diagnose and prognosticate in AH, but there are many novel noninvasive biomarkers under development. We evaluate the currently used algorithms to risk-stratify in AH (such as the Maddrey modified discriminant function), and discuss novel biomarkers in development, such as breath biomarkers, microRNAs, cytokeratin-18 fragments, and the AshTest. We also review the characteristics of an ideal biomarker in AH.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephanie M Rutledge
- Division of Gastroenterology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, 1468 Madison Avenue, Annenberg Building Room 5-12, New York, NY 10029, USA.
| | - Gene Y Im
- Division of Liver Diseases, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Recanati/Miller Transplantation Institute, 5 East 98th Street, New York, NY 10029, USA
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15
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Abstract
The incidence of alcoholic hepatitis is increasing while the mortality rate remains high. The single current available therapy for severe alcoholic hepatitis is administration of corticosteroids for patients with severe alcoholic hepatitis, which has demonstrated limited benefits, providing a short-term mortality benefit with a marginal response rate. There is a need for developing safe and effective therapies. This article reviews novel therapies targeting various mechanisms in the pathogenesis of alcoholic hepatitis, such as the gut-liver axis, inflammatory cascade, oxidative stress, and hepatic regeneration. Current ongoing clinical trials for alcoholic hepatitis also are described.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ma Ai Thanda Han
- Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, 185 South Orange Avenue, H-526, Newark, NJ 07103, USA
| | - Nikolaos Pyrsopoulos
- Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, 185 South Orange Avenue, H-536, Newark, NJ 07103, USA.
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16
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Luo P, Zheng M, Zhang R, Zhang H, Liu Y, Li W, Sun X, Yu Q, Tipoe GL, Xiao J. S-Allylmercaptocysteine improves alcoholic liver disease partly through a direct modulation of insulin receptor signaling. Acta Pharm Sin B 2021; 11:668-679. [PMID: 33777674 PMCID: PMC7982498 DOI: 10.1016/j.apsb.2020.11.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2020] [Revised: 08/31/2020] [Accepted: 09/07/2020] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Alcoholic liver disease (ALD) causes insulin resistance, lipid metabolism dysfunction, and inflammation. We investigated the protective effects and direct regulating target of S-allylmercaptocysteine (SAMC) from aged garlic on liver cell injury. A chronic ethanol-fed ALD in vivo model (the NIAAA model) was used to test the protective functions of SAMC. It was observed that SAMC (300 mg/kg, by gavage method) effectively ameliorated ALD-induced body weight reduction, steatosis, insulin resistance, and inflammation without affecting the health status of the control mice, as demonstrated by histological, biochemical, and molecular biology assays. By using biophysical assays and molecular docking, we demonstrated that SAMC directly targeted insulin receptor (INSR) protein on the cell membrane and then restored downstream IRS-1/AKT/GSK3β signaling. Liver-specific knock-down in mice and siRNA-mediated knock-down in AML-12 cells of Insr significantly impaired SAMC (250 μmol/L in cells)-mediated protection. Restoration of the IRS-1/AKT signaling partly recovered hepatic injury and further contributed to SAMC's beneficial effects. Continuous administration of AKT agonist and recombinant IGF-1 in combination with SAMC showed hepato-protection in the mice model. Long-term (90-day) administration of SAMC had no obvious adverse effect on healthy mice. We conclude that SAMC is an effective and safe hepato-protective complimentary agent against ALD partly through the direct binding of INSR and partial regulation of the IRS-1/AKT/GSK3β pathway.
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Key Words
- ADIPOQ, adiponectin
- AKT
- ALD, alcoholic liver disease
- ALDH2, aldehyde dehydrogenase 2
- ALT, alanine aminotransferase
- AMPK, adenosine 5′-monophosphate (AMP)-activated protein kinase
- AST, aspartate aminotransferase
- ATGL, adipose triglyceride lipase
- Alcoholic liver disease
- CPT1, carnitine palmitoyltransferase I
- CYP2E1, cytochrome P450 2E1
- FDA, U.S. Food and Drug Administration
- FFA, free fatty acids
- GRB14, growth factor receptor-bound protein 14
- GSK3β
- GSK3β, glycogen synthase kinase 3 beta
- GTT, glucose tolerance test
- HSL, hormone sensitive lipase
- IGF-1, insulin-like growth factors-1
- IL, interleukin
- INSR, insulin receptor
- IRS, insulin receptor substrate
- IRS-1
- IRTK, insulin receptor tyrosine kinase
- Insulin receptor
- Insulin resistance
- LDLR, low-density lipoprotein receptor
- LRP6, low-density lipoprotein receptor related protein 6
- MTT, 3-(4,5-dimethyl-thiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl-tetrazolium bromide
- NAC, N-acetyl-cysteine
- NAFLD, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease
- NAS, NAFLD activity score
- NF-κB, nuclear factor kappa B
- NIAAA, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism
- NRF2, nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2
- ORF, open reading frame
- PA, palmitate acid
- PPARα, peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha
- RER, respiratory exchange ratio
- S-Allylmercaptocysteine
- SAMC, S-allylmercaptocysteine
- SPR, surface plasmon resonance
- SREBP-1c, sterol regulatory element-binding protein 1c
- Safety
- TC, total cholesterol
- TCF/LEF, T-cell factor/lymphoid enhancer factor
- TG, triglyceride
- TNF, tumor necrosis factor
- TSA, thermal shift assay
- WAT, white adipose tissues
- WT, wild-type
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Immunological mechanisms and therapeutic targets of fatty liver diseases. Cell Mol Immunol 2020; 18:73-91. [PMID: 33268887 PMCID: PMC7852578 DOI: 10.1038/s41423-020-00579-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 94] [Impact Index Per Article: 23.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2020] [Accepted: 10/13/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Alcoholic liver disease (ALD) and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) are the two major types of chronic liver disease worldwide. Inflammatory processes play key roles in the pathogeneses of fatty liver diseases, and continuous inflammation promotes the progression of alcoholic steatohepatitis (ASH) and nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). Although both ALD and NAFLD are closely related to inflammation, their respective developmental mechanisms differ to some extent. Here, we review the roles of multiple immunological mechanisms and therapeutic targets related to the inflammation associated with fatty liver diseases and the differences in the progression of ASH and NASH. Multiple cell types in the liver, including macrophages, neutrophils, other immune cell types and hepatocytes, are involved in fatty liver disease inflammation. In addition, microRNAs (miRNAs), extracellular vesicles (EVs), and complement also contribute to the inflammatory process, as does intertissue crosstalk between the liver and the intestine, adipose tissue, and the nervous system. We point out that inflammation also plays important roles in promoting liver repair and controlling bacterial infections. Understanding the complex regulatory process of disrupted homeostasis during the development of fatty liver diseases may lead to the development of improved targeted therapeutic intervention strategies.
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18
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Xiao J, Wang F, Wong NK, Lv Y, Liu Y, Zhong J, Chen S, Li W, Koike K, Liu X, Wang H. Epidemiological Realities of Alcoholic Liver Disease: Global Burden, Research Trends, and Therapeutic Promise. Gene Expr 2020; 20:105-118. [PMID: 32690129 PMCID: PMC7650014 DOI: 10.3727/105221620x15952664091823] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Globally, alcohol consumption contributes to more than 3 million deaths each year. While much of its ramifications is preventable, a coherent public health discourse on how to limit alcohol-related harm has been overdue. By synthesizing information from national and global databases, we show in this analysis that alcohol consumption level and alcohol-attributable burden of diseases, particularly alcoholic liver disease (ALD), are intimately linked to national income distribution, cultural norms, religion, sex, age, and health status. Prevalence and burden of ALD are positively associated with economic standing in most countries, which necessitate active governmental control via cost-effective policies, such as the best buys proposed by the World Health Organization. To date, a number of critical questions remain unanswered over the molecular mechanisms underlying ALD pathophysiology; the insights gained thereof should provide new opportunities for the advancement of novel diagnostic and management strategies. In comparison with other prevailing liver diseases (e.g., viral hepatitis and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease), governmental support to ALD investigation has been sluggish in most Western countries and China, resulting in a dearth of breakthroughs on both the basic and clinical research fronts in the past decades. Emerging foci of clinical trials for ALD therapy include empirical use of probiotics, antioxidants, growth factors, monoclonal antibodies against key inflammatory mediators, and technology-enhanced behavioral interventions. In this article, we seek to provide a comprehensive analysis on the progress and challenges in tackling ALD as a global health problem, with particular emphasis on global disease burden, socioeconomic influences, research trends, government roles, and future therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jia Xiao
- *Laboratory of Neuroendocrinology, Fujian Key Laboratory of Developmental and Neuro Biology, School of Life Sciences, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou, China
- †Clinical Medicine Research Institute, First Affiliated Hospital of Jinan University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Fei Wang
- ‡Division of Gastroenterology, Seventh Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen, China
| | - Nai-Kei Wong
- §National Clinical Research Center for Infectious Diseases, Shenzhen Third People’s Hospital, The Second Hospital Affiliated to Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, China
| | - Yi Lv
- *Laboratory of Neuroendocrinology, Fujian Key Laboratory of Developmental and Neuro Biology, School of Life Sciences, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou, China
| | - Yingxia Liu
- §National Clinical Research Center for Infectious Diseases, Shenzhen Third People’s Hospital, The Second Hospital Affiliated to Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, China
| | - Jiajun Zhong
- †Clinical Medicine Research Institute, First Affiliated Hospital of Jinan University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Shuaiyin Chen
- ¶Department Epidemiology, College of Public Health, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Wei Li
- #Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Toho University, Chiba, Japan
| | - Kazuo Koike
- #Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Toho University, Chiba, Japan
| | - Xiaowei Liu
- **Department of Gastroenterology, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, China
| | - Hua Wang
- ††Department of Oncology, the First Affiliated Hospital, Institute for Liver Diseases of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China
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19
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Zhong B, Dong J, Zhang R, He M, Zeng W, Pan J, He J, Tao A, Yang R, Fu B, French SW, Liu H. Altered regulation of LncRNA analysis of human alcoholic hepatitis with Mallory-Denk Bodies (MDBs) is revealed by RNA sequencing. Exp Mol Pathol 2020; 117:104559. [PMID: 33121977 DOI: 10.1016/j.yexmp.2020.104559] [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: 09/03/2020] [Revised: 10/09/2020] [Accepted: 10/22/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Mallory-Denk Bodies (MDBs) are prevalent in a variety of liver diseases including alcoholic hepatitis (AH) and are formed in mice livers by feeding DDC. Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are considered as emerging new gene regulators, which participates in many functional activities through diverse mechanisms. We previously reported the mechanisms involved in the formation of liver MDBs in mouse model and in AH livers where MDBs had formed. To investigate the regulation of mRNAs expression and the probable role of lncRNAs in AH livers with MDBs, RNA-Seq analyses was further conducted to determine the mRNA and lncRNA expression profiles of the AH livers compared with the normal livers. It showed that different lncRNAs have different information contribution degrees by principal component analysis, and the integrated analysis of lncRNA-mRNA co-expression networks were linked to endocytosis, cell cycle, p53 signaling pathways in the human. Based on the co-expression networks, we identify 36 mRNAs that could be as potential biomarkers of alcoholic liver disease (ALD) and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). To our knowledge, this is the first report on the regulatory network of lncRNAs associated with liver MDB formation in human, and these results might offer new insights into the molecular mechanisms of liver MDB formation and the progression of AH to HCC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bei Zhong
- The Sixth Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Qingyuan People's Hospital; School of Basic Medical Sciences, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou 510182, China
| | - Jun Dong
- The Sixth Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Qingyuan People's Hospital; School of Basic Medical Sciences, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou 510182, China
| | - Rong Zhang
- The Sixth Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Qingyuan People's Hospital; School of Basic Medical Sciences, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou 510182, China
| | - Menghua He
- The Sixth Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Qingyuan People's Hospital; School of Basic Medical Sciences, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou 510182, China
| | - Wuyi Zeng
- The Sixth Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Qingyuan People's Hospital; School of Basic Medical Sciences, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou 510182, China
| | - Jiayi Pan
- The Sixth Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Qingyuan People's Hospital; School of Basic Medical Sciences, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou 510182, China
| | - Jiashan He
- The Sixth Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Qingyuan People's Hospital; School of Basic Medical Sciences, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou 510182, China
| | - Ailin Tao
- The State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Disease, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Allergy & Clinical Immunology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou 510260, China
| | - Rirong Yang
- Department of Immunology, School of Preclinical Medicine, Center for Genomic and Personalized Medicine, Guangxi Medical University, Nanning 530021, China
| | - Bishi Fu
- The Sixth Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Qingyuan People's Hospital; School of Basic Medical Sciences, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou 510182, China
| | - Samuel W French
- University of California, Harbor UCLA Medical Center, Department of Pathology, Torrance, CA 90509, USA.
| | - Hui Liu
- The Sixth Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Qingyuan People's Hospital; School of Basic Medical Sciences, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou 510182, China; The State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Disease, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Allergy & Clinical Immunology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou 510260, China.
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20
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Non-invasive diagnosis of severe alcoholic hepatitis: Usefulness of cross-sectional imaging. Diagn Interv Imaging 2020; 102:247-254. [PMID: 33069642 DOI: 10.1016/j.diii.2020.09.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2020] [Revised: 09/15/2020] [Accepted: 09/21/2020] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE To describe the computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) features of severe acute alcoholic hepatitis (SAAH) and estimate the capabilities of CT and MRI in differentiating SAAH from alcoholic cirrhosis and non-alcoholic steato-hepatitis (NASH) cirrhosis. MATERIALS AND METHODS Fifty patients with pathologically proven SAAH (SAAH group) who underwent CT or MRI examinations up to 30 days before or 15 days after liver biopsy between January 2008 and June 2018 were retrospectively included. There were 31 men and 29 women with a mean age of 52±9 (SD) years (range: 33-67 years). Imaging features of the SAAH group were compared to those obtained in two control groups including 62 patients with alcoholic cirrhosis without acute alcoholic hepatitis (control group 1) and 19 patients with NASH cirrhosis (control group 2) by two independent radiologists blinded to the final diagnosis. Univariate analyses were performed to compare imaging characteristics between the three groups, followed by diagnostic performance analysis for the diagnosis of SAAH of the main CT features. RESULTS Heterogeneous steatosis was significantly more frequent in SAAH group than in the control groups (41/50; 82% vs. 7/62; 10% and 1/19; 5% in control groups 1 and 2, respectively for reader 1 and 34/50; 68% vs. 8/62; 13% and 1/19; 5% in control groups 1 and 2, respectively for reader 2; both P=0.01). Transient perfusion disorders were more frequent in SAAH group than in the control groups (35/50; 70% vs. 12/62; 21% and 5/19; 26% in control groups 1 and 2, respectively for reader 1 and 39/50; 78% vs. 14/62; 23% and 13/19; 6% in control groups 1 and 2, respectively for reader 2; both P=0.01). The combination of these two findings yielded 100% specificity (45/45; 95% CI: 92-100) for readers 1 and 2 for the diagnosis of SAAH vs. alcoholic cirrhosis and NASH cirrhosis. CONCLUSION The imaging features of SAAH are specific and mainly associate transient heterogeneous steatosis and liver perfusion disorders. CT/MRI may be useful to differentiate SAAH from alcoholic cirrhosis and NASH cirrhosis.
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21
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Utility of platelet indices in alcoholic hepatitis: a retrospective study. Porto Biomed J 2020; 5:e082. [PMID: 33195872 PMCID: PMC7657577 DOI: 10.1097/j.pbj.0000000000000082] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/21/2020] [Revised: 06/21/2020] [Accepted: 06/29/2020] [Indexed: 01/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Background: The commonly available platelet indices are platelet distribution width (PDW), plateletcrit (PCT), and mean platelet volume (MPV). They have been used in diagnosis and prognosis of various abdominal disorders. They have never been used to predict severity of alcoholic hepatitis. Methods: A retrospective analysis of chronic alcohol consumers presenting with jaundice and deranged liver function tests was performed. Maddrey discriminant function (MDF) and modified end-stage liver disease (MELD) scores were calculated and patients compared between severe and nonsevere alcoholic hepatitis (MDF ≥32 vs MDF <32 and MELD >20 vs MELD ≤20). Logistic regression analysis was performed to find significant predictors. Receiver operating characteristic was used to find the area under the curve. Spearman correlation was performed to discover association between platelet indices and severity scores. Results: There were 119 patients in the study. Coexisting illnesses included pancreatitis, cirrhosis, infections, and alcohol withdrawal syndrome. The mean age (years), duration of alcohol consumption (years), and ethanol (g/day) were 45.13 ± 11.53, 18.84 ± 11.40, and 65.61 ± 45.42, respectively. The average MELD and Maddrey scores were 14.13 ± 5.17 and 36.45 ± 29.63, respectively. The mean platelet counts, PDW, MPV, and PCT were 194.01 ± 178.82 × 109/L, 17.10 ± 1.21, 5.99 ± 0.96, and 0.14 ± 0.04, respectively. PDW >18 and MPV had a significant positive correlation with MELD scores. Only bilirubin and prothrombin prolongation were significant predictors of severe alcoholic hepatitis. The area under the curve was highest for PCT at 0.622 (P = .07; confidence interval = 0.500–0.743). Conclusions: Platelet indices appear to be significantly altered in alcoholic hepatitis, but they do not predict severe disease. Whether this inability to predict severe alcoholic hepatitis is due to coexisting illnesses such as pancreatitis, cirrhosis, and infection needs to be studied further.
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22
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Achufusi TGO, Sharma A, Sapkota B, Mirchia K. Rare Case of Leukemoid Reaction in a Patient With Severe Alcoholic Hepatitis. Cureus 2020; 12:e9747. [PMID: 32944462 PMCID: PMC7489871 DOI: 10.7759/cureus.9747] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Alcoholic hepatitis results from excessive alcohol consumption in patients with or without underlying chronic liver disease. Leukemoid reactions have been associated with poor outcomes in severe alcoholic hepatitis. There are only a handful of reported cases describing this relationship, and the striking similarity in these cases was a high short-term mortality rate. We believe that these patients represent a unique subgroup of patients with alcoholic hepatitis and that leukemoid reaction is a poor prognostic indicator in this condition. Here, we describe a case of 55-year-old male with severe alcoholic hepatitis with superimposed candida esophagitis who was found to have leukemoid reaction during diagnostic workup.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ted George O Achufusi
- Internal Medicine, State University of New York Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, USA
| | - Anuj Sharma
- Gastroenterology, State University of New York Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, USA
| | - Bishnu Sapkota
- Gastroenterology, State University of New York Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, USA.,Gastroenterology, Syracuse VA Medical Center, Syracuse, USA
| | - Kanish Mirchia
- Pathology, State University of New York Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, USA
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23
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Shipley LC, Singal AK. Liver transplantation for alcoholic hepatitis. Transl Gastroenterol Hepatol 2020; 5:26. [PMID: 32258530 DOI: 10.21037/tgh.2019.11.17] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2019] [Accepted: 11/05/2019] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Alcoholic hepatitis (AH) is associated with a high short-term mortality. Currently, most transplant centers require minimum six months of abstinence from alcohol use before considering liver transplant for patients with end stage liver disease. Some recent data are emerging on the benefits and safety of early liver transplantation for patients with severe AH, a population who cannot meet the minimum six months sobriety. This article reviews the current status, benefits, challenges, barriers, and future prospects on early liver transplantation in patients with severe, acute AH.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lindsey C Shipley
- Division of Internal Medicine, University of Alabama, Birmingham, AL, USA
| | - Ashwani K Singal
- Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, University of South Dakota, Avera McKennan University Health Center and Transplant Institute, Sioux Falls, SD, USA
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24
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Singal AK, Kamath PS. Acute on chronic liver failure in non-alcoholic fatty liver and alcohol associated liver disease. Transl Gastroenterol Hepatol 2019; 4:74. [PMID: 31728431 DOI: 10.21037/tgh.2019.09.11] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2019] [Accepted: 09/18/2019] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Acute on chronic liver failure (ACLF) presents acutely with multiple organ failure and is precipitated by an acute event. The syndrome has high short-term mortality with a potential of returning to baseline liver function if the precipitating event is controlled and patient/s survive the acute event. With heterogeneous definition across the globe of this syndrome, there is a clinical unmet need to homogenize this definition as basis for developing pathogenesis targets, collaboration across countries and centers, and identifying new therapeutic targets. Although, the syndrome can occur in any chronic liver disease with or without cirrhosis, the increasing prevalence of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and alcohol associated liver disease (AALD) all across the world, this review will discuss specific issues regarding ACLF among patients with chronic liver disease from NAFLD and ALD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ashwani K Singal
- Division of Transplant Hepatology, Avera Transplant Institute, University of South Dakota Sanford School of Medicine, Sioux Falls, SD, USA
| | - Patrick S Kamath
- Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Mayo Clinic and Mayo Medical School, Rochester, MN, USA
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25
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Chuncharunee L, Yamashiki N, Thakkinstian A, Sobhonslidsuk A. Alcohol relapse and its predictors after liver transplantation for alcoholic liver disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis. BMC Gastroenterol 2019; 19:150. [PMID: 31438857 PMCID: PMC6704694 DOI: 10.1186/s12876-019-1050-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2019] [Accepted: 07/17/2019] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Alcoholic liver disease (ALD) is the leading cause of liver transplantation (LT). The magnitude and risk factors of post-LT alcohol relapse are not well described. We conducted a meta-analysis to evaluate alcohol relapse rate and its predictors after LT. METHODS Searches of MEDLINE and SCOPUS identified eligible published studies of alcohol relapse after LT published up to 31 March 2018. Alcohol relapse was defined as any alcohol consumption post-LT, and heavy alcohol relapse was defined as a relapse of alcohol consumption that was associated with a significant harm. Data for the proportion of alcohol relapse was pooled using a meta-analysis for pooling proportion. An odds ratio (OR) of the predictor of alcohol relapse was extracted and pooled using meta-analysis for the pooling risk factor. Data were analyzed using a random effect model if heterogeneity was presented; otherwise, a fixed effect model was applied. The study was registered at PROSPERO (CRD42017052659). RESULTS Ninety-two studies with over 8000 cases were recruited for pooling proportion of alcohol relapse. The alcohol relapse rate and heavy alcohol relapse rate after LT during the mean follow-up time of 48.4 ± 24.7 months were 22% (95% confidence interval (CI): 19-25%) and 14% (95%CI: 12-16%). Psychiatric comorbidities (odds ratio (OR) 3.46, 95%CI: 1.87-6.39), pre-transplant abstinence of less than 6 months (OR 2.76, 95%CI: 2.10-3.61), unmarried status (OR 1.84, 95%CI: 1.39-2.43), and smoking (OR 1.72, 95%CI: 1.21-2.46) were associated with alcohol relapse after LT. However, we noticed publication bias of unpublished negative studies and high heterogeneity of results. CONCLUSIONS Post-transplant alcohol relapse occurred in about one-fifth of patients who underwent alcohol-related LT. Psychiatric comorbidities represented the strongest predictor of alcohol relapse. Psychiatric comorbidities monitoring and pre-LT alcohol abstinence for at least 6 months may decrease alcohol relapse after LT.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lancharat Chuncharunee
- Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine Ramathibodi Hospital, Mahidol University, 270 Rama 6 Road, Bangkok, 10400, Thailand
| | | | - Ammarin Thakkinstian
- Section for Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Faculty of Medicine Ramathibodi Hospital, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Abhasnee Sobhonslidsuk
- Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine Ramathibodi Hospital, Mahidol University, 270 Rama 6 Road, Bangkok, 10400, Thailand.
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Wong VWS, Singal AK. Emerging medical therapies for non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and for alcoholic hepatitis. Transl Gastroenterol Hepatol 2019; 4:53. [PMID: 31463412 PMCID: PMC6691078 DOI: 10.21037/tgh.2019.06.06] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/14/2019] [Accepted: 05/29/2019] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and alcoholic liver disease (ALD) are currently the two most common liver diseases in the world. Alcoholic hepatitis (AH), a unique clinical syndrome among ALD patients has high short-term mortality. Apart from controlling the risk factor for individual respective disease, there are no Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved medical therapies for these diseases. Over the last 5-10 years, the field has extensively grown with many new targets being studied in randomized clinical trials for these diseases, with many of these drugs being tested in both the conditions. In this chapter, we will describe the novel therapeutic agents and current status of ongoing clinical trials with these agents for the treatment of NAFLD and/or AH.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vincent Wai-Sun Wong
- Department of Medicine and Therapeutics, the Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
- State Key Laboratory of Digestive Disease, the Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Ashwani K. Singal
- Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Avera Transplant Institute, University of South Dakota Sanford School of Medicine, Sioux Falls, SD, USA
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27
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Shipley LC, Kodali S, Singal AK. Recent updates on alcoholic hepatitis. Dig Liver Dis 2019; 51:761-768. [PMID: 31010745 DOI: 10.1016/j.dld.2019.03.023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2019] [Revised: 03/17/2019] [Accepted: 03/22/2019] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Alcoholic hepatitis (AH) is a unique clinical syndrome that affects patients with chronic and active harmful alcohol consumption, and is associated with a high mortality of up to 40% at 1 month from presentation. It is important to assess disease severity and prognosis at time of presentation to identify patients at risk for high mortality and potential candidates for specific therapies. The cornerstone therapy for AH is enteral nutrition and abstinence. Steroids remain the only pharmacological option for severe AH however, adverse effects and lack of long-term benefit limit their routine use. Early liver transplantation is a potential salvage therapy for select severe AH patients. This review article comprehensively covers recent advances on the clinical unmet needs in the field including newer therapies and therapeutic targets, role of liver transplantation, and emerging biomarkers throughout the disease process from diagnosis, assessing prognosis and disease severity, and predicting responsiveness to medical therapies for severe AH.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lindsey C Shipley
- University of South Dakota Sanford School of Medicine, United States; Avera Transplant Institute, United States
| | - Sudha Kodali
- Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Methodist Hospital, Houston, TX, United States
| | - Ashwani K Singal
- Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, University of South Dakota, Avera McKennan University Health Center and Transplant Institute, Sioux Falls, SD 57105, United States.
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28
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Ma M, Falloon K, Chen PH, Saberi B, Pustavoitau A, Ozdogan E, Li Z, Philosophe B, Cameron AM, Gurakar A. The Role of Liver Transplantation in Alcoholic Hepatitis. J Intensive Care Med 2019; 34:277-291. [PMID: 29879862 DOI: 10.1177/0885066618780339] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Acute alcoholic hepatitis is a syndrome of jaundice and hepatic decompensation that occurs with excessive alcohol consumption. The diagnosis can be made with a combination of clinical characteristics and laboratory studies, though biopsy may be required in unclear cases. Acute alcoholic hepatitis can range from mild to severe disease, as determined by a Maddrey discriminant function ≥32. Mild forms can be managed with supportive care and abstinence from alcohol. While mild form has an overall good prognosis, severe alcoholic hepatitis is associated with an extremely high short-term mortality of up to 50%. Additional complications of severe alcoholic hepatitis can include hepatic encephalopathy, gastrointestinal bleeding, renal failure, and infection; these patients frequently require intensive care unit admission. Corticosteroids may have short-term benefit in this group of patients if there are no contraindications; however, a subset of patients do not respond to steroids. New emerging therapies, which target hepatic regeneration, bile acid metabolism, and extracorporeal liver support, are being investigated. Liver transplantation for alcoholic liver disease was traditionally only considered in patients who have achieved 6 months of abstinence, in part due to social and ethical concerns regarding the use of a limited resource. However, the majority of patients with severe alcoholic hepatitis who fail medical therapy will not live long enough to meet this requirement. Recent studies have demonstrated that early liver transplantation in carefully selected patients with severe alcoholic hepatitis who fail medical therapy can provide a significant survival benefit and yields survival outcomes comparable to liver transplantation for other indications, with 6-month survival rates ranging from 77% to 100%. Alcohol relapse posttransplantation remains an important challenge, and heavy consumption can contribute to graft loss and mortality. Future investigation should address the substantial post-liver transplantation recidivism rate, from improving selection criteria to increasing posttransplantation substance abuse treatment resources.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michelle Ma
- 1 Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Katie Falloon
- 2 Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Po-Hung Chen
- 1 Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Behnam Saberi
- 1 Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Aliaksei Pustavoitau
- 3 Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Elif Ozdogan
- 1 Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Zhiping Li
- 1 Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Benjamin Philosophe
- 4 Division of Transplant Surgery, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Andrew M Cameron
- 4 Division of Transplant Surgery, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Ahmet Gurakar
- 1 Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
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29
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FXR deficiency and alcoholic liver disease: Tissue is the issue. Dig Liver Dis 2019; 51:577-578. [PMID: 30826275 DOI: 10.1016/j.dld.2019.01.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2019] [Accepted: 01/27/2019] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
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30
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Epidemiology of Alcohol Consumption and Societal Burden of Alcoholism and Alcoholic Liver Disease. Clin Liver Dis 2019; 23:39-50. [PMID: 30454831 DOI: 10.1016/j.cld.2018.09.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 107] [Impact Index Per Article: 21.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/31/2023]
Abstract
Alcohol abuse is a major determinant of public health outcomes. Worldwide data from 2016 indicate that alcohol is the seventh leading risk factor in terms of disability-adjusted life years, an increase of more than 25% from 1990 to 2016. Understanding the epidemiology of alcoholic liver disease, including the regional variations in consumption and public policy, is an area of active research. In countries where the per capita consumption of alcohol decreases, there appears to be an associated decrease in disease burden. Given alcohol's health burden, an increased focus on alcohol control policies is needed.
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31
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Singal AK, Shah VH. Current trials and novel therapeutic targets for alcoholic hepatitis. J Hepatol 2019; 70:305-313. [PMID: 30658731 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhep.2018.10.026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 73] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2018] [Accepted: 10/24/2018] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Alcoholic hepatitis is a clinical syndrome in which patients present with acute-on-chronic liver failure and a high risk of short-term mortality. The current treatment of alcoholic hepatitis is suboptimal. Results recently published from the STOPAH study have improved our understanding of how best to design clinical trials for this condition. Although emerging data on liver transplantation for patients with alcoholic hepatitis are encouraging, less than 2% of these patients qualify. Clearly, there is an unmet need for novel treatments to improve the survival of these patients. Changes in the gut microbiota, inflammatory and cytokine signalling, oxidative stress and mitochondrial dysfunction, and abnormalities in the hepatic regenerative capacity alone or in combination contribute to the pathology of alcoholic hepatitis. In this chapter, we will describe the novel therapeutic agents targeting various pathways in the pathophysiology of alcoholic hepatitis. Specifically, we will describe the ongoing clinical trials in which some of these agents are being studied.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ashwani K Singal
- Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA.
| | - Vijay H Shah
- Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA
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32
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Abstract
Alcohol-associated liver disease (AALD) is the third most common preventable cause for disease burden and mortality in the US. AALD, including alcoholic hepatitis (AH), contributes to half of admissions from decompensated liver disease and 20% of all liver transplants in the US. Peripheral blood cells contribute to systemic inflammation, oxidative stress, mitochondrial dysfunction, and fibrosis in AALD and AH. Alcohol dysregulates function of lymphocytes, neutrophils, monocytes, and tissue macrophages of the innate immune system. These alterations in turn can modulate adaptive immune responses. In this review, we describe these disruptive effects of alcohol on cells of the innate and adaptive immune system and focus on cellular-based emerging biomarkers on diagnosis and prognosis of patients with AALD and AH.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ashwani K. Singal
- *Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Department of Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA
| | - Shannon M. Bailey
- †Department of Pathology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA
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33
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Testino G, Leone S, Fagoonee S, Pellicano R. Alcoholic liver fibrosis: detection and treatment. Minerva Med 2018; 109:457-471. [PMID: 30221911 DOI: 10.23736/s0026-4806.18.05844-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Alcohol consumption is one of the main risks to public health. Alcohol use disorders (AUDs) cause 80% of hepatotoxic deaths, and approximately 50% of cirrhosis is alcohol-related. The acceptable daily intake (ADI) for ethanol is 2.6 g/day, deduced from morbidity and mortality rates due to liver fibrosis. The relative risk of cirrhosis increases significantly for doses above 60 g/day for men and 20 g/day for women over a period of around 10 years. Twenty to 40% of steatosis cases will evolve into steatohepatitis/steatofibrosis, and 8 to 20% will evolve directly into liver cirrhosis. About 20 to 40% of steatohepatitis cases will evolve into cirrhosis, and 4 to 5% into hepatocellular carcinoma. This cascade of events evolves in 5 to 40 years, with the temporal variability caused by the subjects' genetic patterns and associated risk/comorbidity factors. Steatohepatitis should be considered "the rate limiting step:" usually, it can be resolved through abstinence, although for some patients, once this situation develops, it is not substantially modified by abstention and there is a risk of fibrotic evolution. Early detection of fibrosis, obtained by hepatic elastography, is a crucial step in patients with AUDs. Such strategy allows patients to be included in a detoxification program in order to achieve abstention. Drugs such as silybin, metadoxine, and adenosylmethionine can be used. Other drugs, with promising antifibrotic effects, are currently under study. In this review, we discuss clinical and pathogenetic aspects of alcohol-related liver fibrosis and present and future strategies to prevent cirrhosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gianni Testino
- Alcohological Regional Center, Ligurian Region, ASL3, San Martino Hospital, Genoa, Italy -
| | - Silvia Leone
- Alcohological Regional Center, Ligurian Region, ASL3, San Martino Hospital, Genoa, Italy
| | - Sharmila Fagoonee
- Institute for Biostructure and Bioimaging (CNR), Molecular Biotechnology Center, Turin, Italy
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34
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Singal AK, Louvet A, Shah VH, Kamath PS. Grand Rounds: Alcoholic Hepatitis. J Hepatol 2018; 69:534-543. [PMID: 29753761 PMCID: PMC6258018 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhep.2018.05.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2018] [Revised: 04/20/2018] [Accepted: 05/01/2018] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
A 33-year-old Caucasian male was admitted to hospital with recent onset of jaundice of 2-3 weeks duration. He reported heavy use of alcohol for the last 10 years with the last drink a day prior to the onset of symptoms. At admission, he was alert and oriented to time, place, and person, and was deeply jaundiced. His laboratory profile can be summarised as follows: haemoglobin 12.1 g/dl, white blood cell count 18,700 with 81% neutrophils, serum bilirubin 33 (direct 22) mg/dl, aspartate aminotransferase 147 IU/L, alanine aminotransferase 62 IU/L, alkaline phosphatase 117 IU/L, serum albumin 2.8 gm/dl, serum creatinine 0.6 mg/dl, prothrombin time 18.3 (control 14.5) seconds, and international normalized ratio 1.48. He was diagnosed with severe alcoholic hepatitis (Maddrey discriminant function score of 50) and treated with prednisolone for 28 days with symptomatic and biochemical improvement. His Lille score at seven days was 0.4, and his serum bilirubin had decreased to 3.5 mg/dl at the end of treatment. He was also seen by the addiction team during hospitalisation; he agreed to follow through on recommendations. He was dismissed after completing a three-week inpatient rehabilitation programme but relapsed to alcohol use three months later, and was readmitted with alcohol withdrawal. He was readmitted two months later (about six months from the first episode) for a second episode of severe alcoholic hepatitis. At admission, his model for end-stage liver disease score was 32 and he was treated again with corticosteroids. His Lille score at seven days was 0.6 and steroids were discontinued. The hospital course was complicated by spontaneous bacterial peritonitis and pneumonia with development of acute kidney injury. He continued to worsen, developing multiorgan failure. After a course of one month, the family's preference was for him to receive comfort measures. This scenario raises several questions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ashwani K. Singal
- Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL. USA,Corresponding author. Address 1808 7th Ave S, BDB 351, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA. Tel.: +1 205 934 5623; fax: +1 205 975 0961. (A.K. Singal)
| | - Alexandre Louvet
- Service des maladies de l’appareil digestif, Hôpital Huriez, Rue Polonowski, 59037 Lille cedex, France,Université Lille Nord de France, Lille, France
| | - Vijay H. Shah
- Division of gastroenterology and hepatology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA
| | - Patrick S. Kamath
- Division of gastroenterology and hepatology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA
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35
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Hossain MR, Pandey RK, Islam MF, Datar P, Gayam V, Puri P, Malar T. Acute Isolated Hyperbilirubinemia as a Presentation of Alcoholic Liver Disease: A Case Report and Literature Review. Case Reports Hepatol 2018; 2018:9403934. [PMID: 29623226 PMCID: PMC5829357 DOI: 10.1155/2018/9403934] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/05/2017] [Accepted: 01/17/2018] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Isolated hyperbilirubinemia as a manifestation of alcoholic liver disease without significant liver abnormalities is seen very rarely. We report such a case where a patient with chronic alcoholism presented to the ER with acute jaundice with bilirubin of 24.8 mg/dl, predominantly conjugated in nature along with mild elevation of AST (76 IU/L). There were no other abnormalities of the liver function. The patient underwent extensive laboratory and imaging tests that excluded extrahepatic cholestasis, viral and autoimmune hepatitis, ischemic hepatitis, and so forth. Liver biopsy excluded hemochromatosis, dysplasia, or malignancy and other differentials. Bilirubin gradually trended down to 7.3 mg/dl when alcohol consumption was stopped.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Praveen Datar
- Department of Medicine, Interfaith Medical Center, Brooklyn, NY, USA
| | - Vijay Gayam
- Department of Medicine, Interfaith Medical Center, Brooklyn, NY, USA
| | - Pradeep Puri
- Department of Medicine, Interfaith Medical Center, Brooklyn, NY, USA
| | - Thwin Malar
- Department of Medicine, Interfaith Medical Center, Brooklyn, NY, USA
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36
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Li J, Yang C, Zhang S, Liu S, Zhao L, Luo H, Chen Y, Huang W. Ginsenoside Rg1 inhibits inflammatory responses via modulation of the nuclear factor‑κB pathway and inhibition of inflammasome activation in alcoholic hepatitis. Int J Mol Med 2018; 41:899-907. [PMID: 29207044 PMCID: PMC5752168 DOI: 10.3892/ijmm.2017.3297] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/11/2016] [Accepted: 11/16/2017] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Ginsenoside Rg1 (G‑Rg1) is an active ingredient of Panax ginseng, which has previously been reported to attenuate alcohol‑induced hepatic damage; however, the underlying mechanisms remain largely unknown. The present study aimed to investigate the protective effects of G‑Rg1 on alcohol‑induced cell injury in vitro and on a rat model of alcoholic hepatitis in vivo. For the in vitro model, L‑O2 cells were incubated with ethanol in the presence or absence of G‑Rg1. For the in vivo model, rats were administered ethanol by intragastric injection and were treated with G‑Rg1, or dexamethasone as a control. The results indicated that serum biochemical parameters, including alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase and total bilirubin, as well as the expression of nuclear factor (NF)‑κB pathway‑associated inflammatory cytokines, including interleukin (IL)‑6, tumor necrosis factor‑α and IL‑1β, were elevated in response to alcohol; however, they were significantly decreased by G‑Rg1 treatment. Furthermore, NF‑κB pathway activation was reduced by treatment with G‑Rg1. G‑Rg1 also decreased oxidative stress by inhibiting cytochrome P450 2E1 expression and reactive oxygen species production, and promoting glutathione peroxidase expression. Furthermore, G‑Rg1 inhibited the expression levels of caspase‑3 and ‑8, which may be associated with decreased hepatocyte apoptosis. These data suggested that G‑Rg1 may protect hepatocytes against alcohol‑induced injury, through preventing excessive inflammation and hepatocellular apoptosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiajun Li
- Department of Infectious Diseases and
| | | | - Shu Zhang
- Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing 400016, P.R. China
| | - Shu Liu
- Department of Infectious Diseases and
| | | | - Huan Luo
- Department of Infectious Diseases and
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Kim A, McCullough RL, Poulsen KL, Sanz-Garcia C, Sheehan M, Stavitsky AB, Nagy LE. Hepatic Immune System: Adaptations to Alcohol. Handb Exp Pharmacol 2018; 248:347-367. [PMID: 29374837 DOI: 10.1007/164_2017_88] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
Both the innate and adaptive immune systems are critical for the maintenance of healthy liver function. Immune activity maintains the tolerogenic capacity of the liver, modulates hepatocellular response to various stresses, and orchestrates appropriate cellular repair and turnover. However, in response to heavy, chronic alcohol exposure, the finely tuned balance of pro- and anti-inflammatory functions in the liver is disrupted, leading to a state of chronic inflammation in the liver. Over time, this non-resolving inflammatory response contributes to the progression of alcoholic liver disease (ALD). Here we review the contributions of the cellular components of the immune system to the progression of ALD, as well as the pathophysiological roles for soluble and circulating mediators of immunity, including cytokines, chemokines, complement, and extracellular vesicles, in ALD. Finally, we compare the role of the innate immune response in health and disease in the liver to our growing understanding of the role of neuroimmunity in the development and maintenance of a healthy central nervous system, as well as the progression of neuroinflammation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adam Kim
- Department of Pathobiology, Center for Liver Disease Research, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH, USA
| | - Rebecca L McCullough
- Department of Pathobiology, Center for Liver Disease Research, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH, USA
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, USA
| | - Kyle L Poulsen
- Department of Pathobiology, Center for Liver Disease Research, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH, USA
| | - Carlos Sanz-Garcia
- Department of Pathobiology, Center for Liver Disease Research, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH, USA
| | - Megan Sheehan
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, USA
| | - Abram B Stavitsky
- Department of Pathobiology, Center for Liver Disease Research, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH, USA
- Department of Molecular Biology and Microbiology, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, USA
| | - Laura E Nagy
- Department of Pathobiology, Center for Liver Disease Research, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH, USA.
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, USA.
- Department of Gastroenterology, Center for Liver Disease Research, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH, USA.
- Cleveland Clinic, Lerner Research Institute, Cleveland, OH, USA.
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Predicting short-term and long-term mortality of hospitalized Portuguese patients with alcoholic hepatitis. Eur J Gastroenterol Hepatol 2017. [PMID: 28628497 DOI: 10.1097/meg.0000000000000926] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Alcohol abuse can result in a spectrum of liver injury that ranges from mild fatty infiltration to alcoholic hepatitis (AH), cirrhosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma. The present study aimed to evaluate current scoring systems in predicting short-term and long-term mortality because of AH. PATIENTS AND METHODS Records of 170 consecutive patients with AH admitted to a tertiary center between January 2005 and October 2015 were reviewed. Clinical and biochemical parameters were retrieved for the assessment of AH scores for the day of admission (D1) and for the seventh day of hospitalization (D7). Endpoints included admission to the ICU, and 30-day, 90-day, and 1-year mortality. RESULTS The Maddrey discriminant function and the Model of End-Stage Liver Disease (MELD) were modest predictors of the need for ICU admission. In-hospital, 30-day, 90-day, and 1-year mortality were 15.9, 18.2, 21.8, and 30.0%, respectively. There was a numerical, albeit nonsignificant, trend for higher accuracy using D7 scores, especially the MELD, in predicting 30-day and 1-year mortality. Overall, all scores showed high negative predictive values (30 day: 91.2-98.7% and 1 year: 78.8-93.7%), but modest positive predictive values (30 day: 30.6-70.8% and 1 year: 42.1-61.2%). Survival rates were the highest among patients showing a decrease in the MELD, Glasgow Alcoholic Hepatitis Score, and Age, serum Bilirubin, International normalized ratio, and serum Creatinine score over the first week of admission. DISCUSSION AH scores were comparable in identifying patients at low risk of mortality up to 1 year following admission. Reassessment of the MELD, Glasgow Alcoholic Hepatitis Score, and Age, serum Bilirubin, International normalized ratio, and serum Creatinine score scores after 1 week further improved mortality prediction.
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Yoshikawa K, Kawashima R, Hirose Y, Shibata K, Akasu T, Hagiwara N, Yokota T, Imai N, Iwaku A, Kobayashi G, Kobayashi H, Kinoshita A, Fushiya N, Kijima H, Koike K, Saruta M. Liver injury after aluminum potassium sulfate and tannic acid treatment of hemorrhoids. World J Gastroenterol 2017; 23:5034-5040. [PMID: 28785156 PMCID: PMC5526772 DOI: 10.3748/wjg.v23.i27.5034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2017] [Revised: 06/09/2017] [Accepted: 06/19/2017] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
We are reporting a rare case of acute liver injury that developed after an internal hemorrhoid treatment with the aluminum potassium sulfate and tannic acid (ALTA) regimen. A 41-year-old man developed a fever and liver injury after undergoing internal hemorrhoid treatment with a submucosal injection of ALTA with lidocaine. The acute liver injury was classified clinically as hepatocellular and pathologically as cholestastic. We could not classify the mechanism of injury. High eosinophil and immunoglobulin E levels characterized the injury, and a drug lymphocyte stimulation test was negative on postoperative day 25. Fluid replacement for two weeks after hospitalization improved the liver injury. ALTA therapy involves injecting chemicals into the submucosa, from the rectum to the anus, and this is the first description of a case that developed a severe liver disorder after this treatment; hence, an analysis of future cases as they accumulate is desirable.
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Heslin KC, Elixhauser A, Steiner CA. Identifying in-patient costs attributable to the clinical sequelae and comorbidities of alcoholic liver disease in a national hospital database. Addiction 2017; 112:782-791. [PMID: 27886658 DOI: 10.1111/add.13702] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2016] [Revised: 05/13/2016] [Accepted: 11/21/2016] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND AIMS The clinical sequelae and comorbidities of alcoholic liver disease (ALD) often require hospitalization. The aims of this study were to (1) compare the average costs of hospitalizations with ALD and the costs of hospitalizations with other alcohol-related diagnoses that do not involve the liver; and (2) estimate the percentage of the difference in costs between the ALD and non-ALD hospitalizations that may be attributed to ascites, protein-calorie malnutrition and other conditions. DESIGN The 2012 National Inpatient Sample is a population-based cross-sectional database representing more than 94% of all discharges from community hospitals in the United States. SETTING Community hospitals in the United States. PARTICIPANTS The sample included 72 531 hospitalizations with ALD and 287 047 hospitalizations with other alcohol-related diagnoses. MEASUREMENTS The dependent variable was total in-patient costs. We estimated the contribution of ascites, protein-calorie malnutrition and other conditions to the difference in costs between patients with ALD and patients with other diagnoses. FINDINGS Average costs for ALD patients were $3188.4 higher than those for patients with other diagnoses ($13 543 versus $10 355; P < 0.001). Among all conditions in the analysis, protein-calorie malnutrition had the largest impact on costs [$6501; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 5956, 7045; P < 0.001] accounting for 12% of the higher costs of ALD stays. CONCLUSIONS Costs of hospital care for patients with alcoholic liver disease are higher than those for patients with other alcohol-related diagnoses. These increased costs are associated with specific clinical sequelae and comorbidities, with protein-calorie malnutrition-a largely preventable condition-making a substantial contribution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kevin C Heslin
- Center for Delivery, Organization, and Markets, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Rockville, MD, USA
| | - Anne Elixhauser
- Center for Delivery, Organization, and Markets, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Rockville, MD, USA
| | - Claudia A Steiner
- Center for Delivery, Organization, and Markets, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Rockville, MD, USA
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Fung P, Pyrsopoulos N. Emerging concepts in alcoholic hepatitis. World J Hepatol 2017; 9:567-585. [PMID: 28515843 PMCID: PMC5411952 DOI: 10.4254/wjh.v9.i12.567] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2016] [Revised: 02/21/2017] [Accepted: 03/12/2017] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Severe alcoholic hepatitis is implicated as a costly, worldwide public health issue with high morbidity and mortality. The one-month survival for severe alcoholic hepatitis is low with mortality rates high as 30%-50%. Abstinence from alcohol is the recommended first-line treatment. Although corticosteroids remain as the current evidence based option for selected patients with discriminant function > 32, improvement of short-term survival rate may be the only benefit. Identification of individuals with risk factors for the development of severe alcoholic hepatitis may provide insight to the diverse clinical spectrum and prognosis of the disease. The understanding of the complex pathophysiologic processes of alcoholic hepatitis is the key to elucidating new therapeutic treatments. Newer research describes the use of gut microbiota modification, immune modulation, stimulation of liver regeneration, caspase inhibitors, farnesoid X receptors, and the extracorporeal liver assist device to aid in hepatocellular recovery. Liver transplantation can be considered as the last medical option for patients failing conventional medical interventions. Although the preliminary data is promising in patients with low risk of recividism, controversy remains due to organ scarcity. This review article comprehensively summarizes the epidemiology, pathophysiology, risk factors, and prognostic indicators of severe alcoholic hepatitis with a focus on the current and emerging therapeutics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Phoenix Fung
- Phoenix Fung, Nikolaos Pyrsopoulos, Department of Medicine, Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, Newark, NJ 07103, United States
| | - Nikolaos Pyrsopoulos
- Phoenix Fung, Nikolaos Pyrsopoulos, Department of Medicine, Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, Newark, NJ 07103, United States
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