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Gabriel-Medina P, Ferrer-Costa R, Ciudin A, Augustin S, Rivera-Esteban J, Pericàs JM, Selva DM, Rodriguez-Frias F. Accuracy of a sequential algorithm based on FIB-4 and ELF to identify high-risk advanced liver fibrosis at the primary care level. Intern Emerg Med 2024; 19:745-756. [PMID: 37952070 PMCID: PMC11039533 DOI: 10.1007/s11739-023-03441-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/02/2022] [Accepted: 06/21/2023] [Indexed: 11/14/2023]
Abstract
Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the leading cause of chronic liver disease, and liver fibrosis is the strongest predictor of morbimortality. We aimed to assess the performance of a sequential algorithm encompassing the Fibrosis 4 (FIB-4) and Enhanced Liver Fibrosis (ELF) scores for identifying patients at risk of advanced fibrosis. This cross-sectional study included one hospital-based cohort with biopsy-proven NAFLD (n = 140) and two primary care cohorts from different clinical settings: Type 2 Diabetes (T2D) follow-up (n = 141) and chronic liver disease (CLD) initial study (n = 138). Logistic regression analysis was performed to assess liver fibrosis diagnosis models based on FIB-4 and ELF biomarkers. The sequential algorithm retrieved the following accuracy parameters in predicting stages F3-4 in the biopsy-confirmed cohort: sensitivity (85%), specificity (73%), negative predictive value (79%) and positive predictive value (81%). In both T2D and CLD cohorts, a total of 28% of patients were classified as stages F3-4. Furthermore, of all F3-4 classified patients in the T2D cohort, 80% had a diagnosis of liver disease and 44% were referred to secondary care. Likewise, of all F3-4 classified patients in the CLD cohort, 71% had a diagnosis of liver disease and 44% were referred to secondary care. These results suggest the potential utility of this algorithm as a liver fibrosis stratifying tool in primary care, where updating referral protocols to detect high-risk F3-4 is needed. FIB-4 and ELF sequential measurement is an efficient strategy to prioritize patients with high risk of F3-4 in populations with metabolic risk factors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pablo Gabriel-Medina
- Clinical Biochemistry Department, Vall d'Hebron University Hospital, 08035, Barcelona, Spain.
- Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Department, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), 08193, Barcelona, Spain.
- Clinical Biochemistry Research Team, Vall d'Hebron Institut de Recerca (VHIR), 08035, Barcelona, Spain.
| | - Roser Ferrer-Costa
- Clinical Biochemistry Department, Vall d'Hebron University Hospital, 08035, Barcelona, Spain.
- Clinical Biochemistry Research Team, Vall d'Hebron Institut de Recerca (VHIR), 08035, Barcelona, Spain.
| | - Andreea Ciudin
- Endocrinology and Nutrition Department, Vall d'Hebron University Hospital, 08035, Barcelona, Spain
- Diabetes and Metabolism Department, Vall d'Hebron Institut de Recerca (VHIR), Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), 08035, Barcelona, Spain
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Diabetes y Enfermedades Metabólicas Asociadas (CIBERDEM), 28029, Madrid, Spain
| | - Salvador Augustin
- Liver Unit, Internal Medicine Department, Vall d'Hebron Institut de Recerca (VHIR), Vall d'Hebron University Hospital, 08035, Barcelona, Spain
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Hepáticas y Digestivas (CIBEREHD), 28029, Madrid, Spain
| | - Jesus Rivera-Esteban
- Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Department, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), 08193, Barcelona, Spain
- Liver Unit, Internal Medicine Department, Vall d'Hebron Institut de Recerca (VHIR), Vall d'Hebron University Hospital, 08035, Barcelona, Spain
| | - J M Pericàs
- Liver Unit, Internal Medicine Department, Vall d'Hebron Institut de Recerca (VHIR), Vall d'Hebron University Hospital, 08035, Barcelona, Spain
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Hepáticas y Digestivas (CIBEREHD), 28029, Madrid, Spain
| | - D M Selva
- Diabetes and Metabolism Department, Vall d'Hebron Institut de Recerca (VHIR), Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), 08035, Barcelona, Spain
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Diabetes y Enfermedades Metabólicas Asociadas (CIBERDEM), 28029, Madrid, Spain
| | - Francisco Rodriguez-Frias
- Clinical Biochemistry Department, Vall d'Hebron University Hospital, 08035, Barcelona, Spain
- Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Department, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), 08193, Barcelona, Spain
- Clinical Biochemistry Research Team, Vall d'Hebron Institut de Recerca (VHIR), 08035, Barcelona, Spain
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Hepáticas y Digestivas (CIBEREHD), 28029, Madrid, Spain
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Makridis G, Reese T, Zádori ZS, Suling AI, Stark M, Horling K, Brüning R, Schneider MA, Beumer M, Oldhafer KJ. Is an intraoperative liver function assessment possible? Application of the 13C-methacetin-breath-test during major liver resections - a pilot study. HPB (Oxford) 2024; 26:91-101. [PMID: 37806830 DOI: 10.1016/j.hpb.2023.09.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2023] [Revised: 07/24/2023] [Accepted: 09/04/2023] [Indexed: 10/10/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND As prevention of posthepatectomy-liver-failure is crucial, there is need of dynamic assessment of liver function, even intraoperatively. 13C-methacetin-breath-test estimates the organ's microsomal functional capacity. This is its first intraoperative evaluation in major liver surgery. METHODS 30 patients planed for resection of ≥3 liver segments, between March-November 2019, were prospectively enrolled in this "single-center", pilot study. Using the 13C-methacetin-breath-test, liver function was assessed four times: preoperatively, intraoperatively before and after resection and postoperatively. The resulted maximum-liver-function-capacity (LiMAx)-values and delta-over-baseline (DOB)-curves were compared, further analyzed and correlated to respective liver volumes. RESULTS The intraoperative LiMAx-values before resection were mostly lower than the preoperative ones (-11.3% ± 28%). The intraoperative measurements after resection resulted to mostly higher values than the postoperative ones (42.35% ± 46.19%). Pharmacokinetically, an interference between the two intraoperative tests was observed. There was no strong correlation between residual liver volume and function with a percentual residual-LiMAx mostly lower than the percentual residual volume (-17.7% ± 4.1%). CONCLUSIONS Intraoperative application of the 13C-methacetin-breath-test during major liver resections seems to deliver lower values than the standard preoperative test. As multiple intraoperative tests interfere significantly to each other, a single intraoperative measurement is suggested. Multicentric standardized measurements could define the "normal" range for intraoperative measurements and control their predictive value.
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Affiliation(s)
- Georgios Makridis
- Department of Surgery, Division of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, Asklepios Hospital Barmbek, Hamburg, Germany; Department of General and Visceral Surgery, St. Josef's-Hospital Wiesbaden, Wiesbaden, Germany; Semmelweis University, Asklepios Campus Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Tim Reese
- Department of Surgery, Division of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, Asklepios Hospital Barmbek, Hamburg, Germany; Semmelweis University, Asklepios Campus Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Zoltán S Zádori
- Department of Pharmacology and Pharmacotherapy, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Anna I Suling
- Institute of Medical Biometry and Epidemiology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Maria Stark
- Institute of Medical Biometry and Epidemiology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Katja Horling
- Institute for Hematopathology Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Roland Brüning
- Semmelweis University, Asklepios Campus Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany; Department of Radiology and Neuroradiology, Asklepios Hospital Barmbek, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Martin A Schneider
- Semmelweis University, Asklepios Campus Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany; Department of Radiology and Neuroradiology, Asklepios Hospital Barmbek, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Michael Beumer
- Department of Anaesthesiology and Surgical Intensive Care, Asklepios Hospital Barmbek, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Karl J Oldhafer
- Department of Surgery, Division of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, Asklepios Hospital Barmbek, Hamburg, Germany; Semmelweis University, Asklepios Campus Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany.
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Senk K, Rio Bartulos C, Wilcke J, Einspieler I, Luerken L, Baeumler W, Stroszczynski C, Wiggermann P. Peri-interventional LiMAx test for liver ablation - A feasibility study. Clin Hemorheol Microcirc 2024; 86:213-224. [PMID: 37638427 DOI: 10.3233/ch-238107] [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] [Indexed: 08/29/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Local ablation is an important treatment for liver cancer in cases of cirrhosis. Liver failure may occur after ablation, especially in advanced liver diseases. Currently, there is no standardization for peri-interventional risk assessment. The liver maximum capacity test (LiMAx) is used to assess functional liver capacity, but there is a lack of exploration of its use in this context. OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to retrospectively evaluate the usefulness of peri-interventional LiMAx measurements in patients with primary or secondary liver cancer who underwent ablation treatment. METHODS A LiMAx test was performed at 24 hours pre- and postablation in 49 patients. Blood parameters were collected to determine liver function using MELD and ALBI scores. The results of the LiMAx test were related with these scores and to critical postintervention LiMAx values. RESULTS LiMAx values correlated strongly with MELD and ALBI scores before the intervention and reflected the change in liver function, as shown by an increase in scores after the intervention. Notably, LiMAx values decreased during the intervention. AUC analysis for patients at risk of reaching a critical liver level after the intervention showed a cutoff value of 186μg/kg/h. CONCLUSIONS The LiMAx test may be a valuable tool in liver ablation for both peri-interventional monitoring of liver function and preintervention risk assessment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karin Senk
- Institut für Röntgendiagnostik, Universitätsklinikum Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Carolina Rio Bartulos
- Institut für Röntgendiagnostik und Nuklearmedizin, Städtisches Klinikum Braunschweig gGmbH, Braunschweig, Germany
| | - Juliane Wilcke
- Institut für Psychologie, Universität Kassel, Kassel, Germany
- Medizinische Fakultät, Institut für Medizinische Informationsverarbeitung, Biometrie und Epidemiologie (IBE), LMU München, München, Germany
| | - Ingo Einspieler
- Institut für Röntgendiagnostik, Universitätsklinikum Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Lukas Luerken
- Institut für Röntgendiagnostik, Universitätsklinikum Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Wolf Baeumler
- Institut für Röntgendiagnostik, Universitätsklinikum Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
| | | | - Philipp Wiggermann
- Institut für Röntgendiagnostik und Nuklearmedizin, Städtisches Klinikum Braunschweig gGmbH, Braunschweig, Germany
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Shahryari M, Keller S, Meierhofer D, Wallach I, Safraou Y, Guo J, Marticorena Garcia SR, Braun J, Makowski MR, Sack I, Berndt N. On the relationship between metabolic capacities and in vivo viscoelastic properties of the liver. Front Bioeng Biotechnol 2023; 10:1042711. [PMID: 36698634 PMCID: PMC9868178 DOI: 10.3389/fbioe.2022.1042711] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2022] [Accepted: 12/21/2022] [Indexed: 01/11/2023] Open
Abstract
The liver is the central metabolic organ. It constantly adapts its metabolic capacity to current physiological requirements. However, the relationship between tissue structure and hepatic function is incompletely understood; this results in a lack of diagnostic markers in medical imaging that can provide information about the liver's metabolic capacity. Therefore, using normal rabbit livers, we combined magnetic resonance elastography (MRE) with proteomics-based kinetic modeling of central liver metabolism to investigate the potential role of MRE for predicting the liver's metabolic function in vivo. Nineteen New Zealand white rabbits were investigated by multifrequency MRE and positron emission tomography (PET). This yielded maps of shear wave speed (SWS), penetration rate (PR) and standardized uptake value (SUV). Proteomic analysis was performed after the scans. Hepatic metabolic functions were assessed on the basis of the HEPATOKIN1 model in combination with a model of hepatic lipid-droplet metabolism using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. Our results showed marked differences between individual livers in both metabolic functions and stiffness properties, though not in SUV. When livers were divided into 'stiff' and 'soft' subgroups (cutoff SWS = 1.6 m/s), stiff livers showed a lower capacity for triacylglycerol storage, while at the same time showing an increased capacity for gluconeogenesis and cholesterol synthesis. Furthermore, SWS was correlated with gluconeogenesis and PR with urea production and glutamine exchange. In conclusion, our study indicates a close relationship between the viscoelastic properties of the liver and metabolic function. This could be used in future studies to predict non-invasively the functional reserve capacity of the liver in patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mehrgan Shahryari
- Department of Radiology, Charité—Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Sarah Keller
- Department of Radiology, Charité—Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - David Meierhofer
- Mass Spectrometry Facility, Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics, Berlin, Germany
| | - Iwona Wallach
- Institute of Computer-Assisted Cardiovascular Medicine, Charité—Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Yasmine Safraou
- Department of Radiology, Charité—Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Jing Guo
- Department of Radiology, Charité—Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Stephan R. Marticorena Garcia
- Department of Radiology, Charité—Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Jürgen Braun
- Institute of Medical Informatics, Charité—Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Marcus R. Makowski
- Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, Technical University of Munich, Faculty of Medicine, Munich, Germany
| | - Ingolf Sack
- Department of Radiology, Charité—Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Nikolaus Berndt
- Institute of Computer-Assisted Cardiovascular Medicine, Charité—Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany,*Correspondence: Nikolaus Berndt,
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Di Ciaula A, Shanmugam H, Ribeiro R, Pina A, Andrade R, Bonfrate L, Raposo JF, Macedo MP, Portincasa P. Liver fat accumulation more than fibrosis causes early liver dynamic dysfunction in patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. Eur J Intern Med 2023; 107:52-59. [PMID: 36344354 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejim.2022.10.024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/19/2022] [Revised: 10/25/2022] [Accepted: 10/28/2022] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION In Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD), events driving early hepatic dysfunction with respect to specific metabolic pathways are still poorly known. METHODS We enrolled 84 subjects with obesity and/or type 2 diabetes (T2D). FibroScan® served to assess NAFLD by controlled attenuation parameter (CAP), and fibrosis by liver stiffness (LS). Patients with LS above 7 kPa were excluded. APRI and FIB-4 were used as additional serum biomarkers of fibrosis. The stable-isotope dynamic breath test was used to assess the hepatic efficiency of portal extraction (as DOB15) and microsomal metabolization (as cPDR30) of orally-administered (13C)-methacetin. RESULTS NAFLD occurred in 45%, 65.9%, and 91.3% of normal weight, overweight, and obese subjects, respectively. Biomarkers of liver fibrosis were comparable across subgroups, and LS was higher in obese, than in normal weight subjects. DOB15 was 23.2 ± 1.5‰ in normal weight subjects, tended to decrease in overweight (19.9 ± 1.0‰) and decreased significantly in obese subjects (16.9 ± 1.3, P = 0.008 vs. normal weight). Subjects with NAFLD had lower DOB15 (18.7 ± 0.9 vs. 22.1 ± 1.2, P = 0.03) but higher LS (4.7 ± 0.1 vs. 4.0 ± 0.2 kPa, P = 0.0003) than subjects without NAFLD, irrespective of fibrosis. DOB15 (but not cPDR30) decreased with increasing degree of NAFLD (R = -0.26; P = 0.01) and LS (R = -0.23, P = 0.03). Patients with T2D showed increased rate of NAFLD than those without T2D but similar LS, DOB15 and cPDR30. CONCLUSIONS Overweight, obesity and liver fat accumulation manifest with deranged portal extraction efficiency of methacetin into the steatotic hepatocyte. This functional alteration occurs early, and irrespective of significant fibrosis and presence of T2D.
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Affiliation(s)
- Agostino Di Ciaula
- Clinica Medica "A. Murri", Department of Biomedical Sciences and Human Oncology, University of Bari Aldo Moro, Medical School, Piazza Giulio Cesare 11, Bari 70124, Italy
| | - Harshitha Shanmugam
- Clinica Medica "A. Murri", Department of Biomedical Sciences and Human Oncology, University of Bari Aldo Moro, Medical School, Piazza Giulio Cesare 11, Bari 70124, Italy
| | - Rogério Ribeiro
- Portuguese Diabetes Association-Education and Research Center (APDP-ERC), Lisbon 1150-082, Portugal
| | - Ana Pina
- iNOVA4Health, NOVA Medical School|Faculdade de Ciências Médicas, NMS|FCM, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Lisboa 1169-056, Portugal
| | - Rita Andrade
- Portuguese Diabetes Association-Education and Research Center (APDP-ERC), Lisbon 1150-082, Portugal
| | - Leonilde Bonfrate
- Clinica Medica "A. Murri", Department of Biomedical Sciences and Human Oncology, University of Bari Aldo Moro, Medical School, Piazza Giulio Cesare 11, Bari 70124, Italy.
| | - João F Raposo
- iNOVA4Health, NOVA Medical School|Faculdade de Ciências Médicas, NMS|FCM, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Lisboa 1169-056, Portugal; Portuguese Diabetes Association-Education and Research Center (APDP-ERC), Lisbon 1150-082, Portugal
| | - M Paula Macedo
- iNOVA4Health, NOVA Medical School|Faculdade de Ciências Médicas, NMS|FCM, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Lisboa 1169-056, Portugal; Portuguese Diabetes Association-Education and Research Center (APDP-ERC), Lisbon 1150-082, Portugal
| | - Piero Portincasa
- Clinica Medica "A. Murri", Department of Biomedical Sciences and Human Oncology, University of Bari Aldo Moro, Medical School, Piazza Giulio Cesare 11, Bari 70124, Italy.
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Baumann-Durchschein F, Fürst S, Hammer HF. Practical application of breath tests in disorders of gut–brain interaction. Curr Opin Pharmacol 2022; 65:102244. [DOI: 10.1016/j.coph.2022.102244] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2021] [Revised: 04/13/2022] [Accepted: 04/25/2022] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
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Río Bártulos C, Senk K, Schumacher M, Plath J, Kaiser N, Bade R, Woetzel J, Wiggermann P. Assessment of Liver Function With MRI: Where Do We Stand? Front Med (Lausanne) 2022; 9:839919. [PMID: 35463008 PMCID: PMC9018984 DOI: 10.3389/fmed.2022.839919] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2022] [Accepted: 02/25/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Liver disease and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) have become a global health burden. For this reason, the determination of liver function plays a central role in the monitoring of patients with chronic liver disease or HCC. Furthermore, assessment of liver function is important, e.g., before surgery to prevent liver failure after hepatectomy or to monitor the course of treatment. Liver function and disease severity are usually assessed clinically based on clinical symptoms, biopsy, and blood parameters. These are rather static tests that reflect the current state of the liver without considering changes in liver function. With the development of liver-specific contrast agents for MRI, noninvasive dynamic determination of liver function based on signal intensity or using T1 relaxometry has become possible. The advantage of this imaging modality is that it provides additional information about the vascular structure, anatomy, and heterogeneous distribution of liver function. In this review, we summarized and discussed the results published in recent years on this technique. Indeed, recent data show that the T1 reduction rate seems to be the most appropriate value for determining liver function by MRI. Furthermore, attention has been paid to the development of automated tools for image analysis in order to uncover the steps necessary to obtain a complete process flow from image segmentation to image registration to image analysis. In conclusion, the published data show that liver function values obtained from contrast-enhanced MRI images correlate significantly with the global liver function parameters, making it possible to obtain both functional and anatomic information with a single modality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carolina Río Bártulos
- Institut für Röntgendiagnostik und Nuklearmedizin, Städtisches Klinikum Braunschweig gGmbH, Braunschweig, Germany
| | - Karin Senk
- Institut für Röntgendiagnostik, Universtitätsklinikum Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
| | | | - Jan Plath
- MeVis Medical Solutions AG, Bremen, Germany
| | | | | | | | - Philipp Wiggermann
- Institut für Röntgendiagnostik und Nuklearmedizin, Städtisches Klinikum Braunschweig gGmbH, Braunschweig, Germany
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Haworth JJ, Pitcher CK, Ferrandino G, Hobson AR, Pappan KL, Lawson JLD. Breathing new life into clinical testing and diagnostics: perspectives on volatile biomarkers from breath. Crit Rev Clin Lab Sci 2022; 59:353-372. [PMID: 35188863 DOI: 10.1080/10408363.2022.2038075] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Human breath offers several benefits for diagnostic applications, including simple, noninvasive collection. Breath is a rich source of clinically-relevant biological information; this includes a volatile fraction, where greater than 1,000 volatile organic compounds (VOCs) have been described so far, and breath aerosols that carry nucleic acids, proteins, signaling molecules, and pathogens. Many of these factors, especially VOCs, are delivered to the lung by the systemic circulation, and diffusion of candidate biomarkers from blood into breath allows systematic profiling of organismal health. Biomarkers on breath offer the capability to advance early detection and precision medicine in areas of global clinical need. Breath tests are noninvasive and can be performed at home or in a primary care setting, which makes them well-suited for the kind of public screening program that could dramatically improve the early detection of conditions such as lung cancer. Since measurements of VOCs on breath largely report on metabolic changes, this too aids in the early detection of a broader range of illnesses and can be used to detect metabolic shifts that could be targeted through precision medicine. Furthermore, the ability to perform frequent sampling has envisioned applications in monitoring treatment responses. Breath has been investigated in respiratory, liver, gut, and neurological diseases and in contexts as diverse as infectious diseases and cancer. Preclinical research studies using breath have been ongoing for some time, yet only a few breath-based diagnostics tests are currently available and in widespread clinical use. Most recently, tests assessing the gut microbiome using hydrogen and methane on breath, in addition to tests using urea to detect Helicobacter pylori infections have been released, yet there are many more applications of breath tests still to be realized. Here, we discuss the strengths of breath as a clinical sampling matrix and the technical challenges to be addressed in developing it for clinical use. Historically, a lack of standardized methodologies has delayed the discovery and validation of biomarker candidates, resulting in a proliferation of early-stage pilot studies. We will explore how advancements in breath collection and analysis are in the process of driving renewed progress in the field, particularly in the context of gastrointestinal and chronic liver disease. Finally, we will provide a forward-looking outlook for developing the next generation of clinically relevant breath tests and how they may emerge into clinical practice.
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Abstract
Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a challenging disease caused by multiple factors, which may partly explain why it still remains an orphan of adequate therapies. This review highlights the interaction between oxidative stress (OS) and disturbed lipid metabolism. Several reactive oxygen species generators, including those produced in the gastrointestinal tract, contribute to the lipotoxic hepatic (and extrahepatic) damage by fatty acids and a great variety of their biologically active metabolites in a “multiple parallel-hit model”. This leads to inflammation and fibrogenesis and contributes to NAFLD progression. The alterations of the oxidant/antioxidant balance affect also metabolism-related organelles, leading to lipid peroxidation, mitochondrial dysfunction, and endoplasmic reticulum stress. This OS-induced damage is at least partially counteracted by the physiological antioxidant response. Therefore, modulation of this defense system emerges as an interesting target to prevent NAFLD development and progression. For instance, probiotics, prebiotics, diet, and fecal microbiota transplantation represent new therapeutic approaches targeting the gut microbiota dysbiosis. The OS and its counter-regulation are under the influence of individual genetic and epigenetic factors as well. In the near future, precision medicine taking into consideration genetic or environmental epigenetic risk factors, coupled with new OS biomarkers, will likely assist in noninvasive diagnosis and monitoring of NAFLD progression and in further personalizing treatments.
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Köller A, Grzegorzewski J, Tautenhahn HM, König M. Prediction of Survival After Partial Hepatectomy Using a Physiologically Based Pharmacokinetic Model of Indocyanine Green Liver Function Tests. Front Physiol 2021; 12:730418. [PMID: 34880771 PMCID: PMC8646028 DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2021.730418] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2021] [Accepted: 10/18/2021] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The evaluation of hepatic function and functional capacity of the liver are essential tasks in hepatology as well as in hepatobiliary surgery. Indocyanine green (ICG) is a widely applied test compound that is used in clinical routine to evaluate hepatic function. Important questions for the functional evaluation with ICG in the context of hepatectomy are how liver disease such as cirrhosis alters ICG elimination, and if postoperative survival can be predicted from preoperative ICG measurements. Within this work a physiologically based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) model of ICG was developed and applied to the prediction of the effects of a liver resection under various degrees of cirrhosis. For the parametrization of the computational model and validation of model predictions a database of ICG pharmacokinetic data was established. The model was applied (i) to study the effect of liver cirrhosis and liver resection on ICG pharmacokinetics; and (ii) to evaluate the model-based prediction of postoperative ICG-R15 (retention ratio 15 min after administration) as a measure for postoperative outcome. Key results are the accurate prediction of changes in ICG pharmacokinetics caused by liver cirrhosis and postoperative changes of ICG-elimination after liver resection, as validated with a wide range of data sets. Based on the PBPK model, individual survival after liver resection could be classified, demonstrating its potential value as a clinical tool.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adrian Köller
- Institute for Theoretical Biology, Institute of Biology, Humboldt University, Berlin, Germany
| | - Jan Grzegorzewski
- Institute for Theoretical Biology, Institute of Biology, Humboldt University, Berlin, Germany
| | - Hans-Michael Tautenhahn
- Experimental Transplantation Surgery, Department of General, Visceral and Vascular Surgery, Jena University Hospital, Jena, Germany
| | - Matthias König
- Institute for Theoretical Biology, Institute of Biology, Humboldt University, Berlin, Germany
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Kwong GA, Ghosh S, Gamboa L, Patriotis C, Srivastava S, Bhatia SN. Synthetic biomarkers: a twenty-first century path to early cancer detection. Nat Rev Cancer 2021; 21:655-668. [PMID: 34489588 PMCID: PMC8791024 DOI: 10.1038/s41568-021-00389-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 67] [Impact Index Per Article: 22.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 07/14/2021] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
Detection of cancer at an early stage when it is still localized improves patient response to medical interventions for most cancer types. The success of screening tools such as cervical cytology to reduce mortality has spurred significant interest in new methods for early detection (for example, using non-invasive blood-based or biofluid-based biomarkers). Yet biomarkers shed from early lesions are limited by fundamental biological and mass transport barriers - such as short circulation times and blood dilution - that limit early detection. To address this issue, synthetic biomarkers are being developed. These represent an emerging class of diagnostics that deploy bioengineered sensors inside the body to query early-stage tumours and amplify disease signals to levels that could potentially exceed those of shed biomarkers. These strategies leverage design principles and advances from chemistry, synthetic biology and cell engineering. In this Review, we discuss the rationale for development of biofluid-based synthetic biomarkers. We examine how these strategies harness dysregulated features of tumours to amplify detection signals, use tumour-selective activation to increase specificity and leverage natural processing of bodily fluids (for example, blood, urine and proximal fluids) for easy detection. Finally, we highlight the challenges that exist for preclinical development and clinical translation of synthetic biomarker diagnostics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gabriel A Kwong
- Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA.
- Parker H. Petit Institute of Bioengineering and Bioscience, Atlanta, GA, USA.
- Institute for Electronics and Nanotechnology, Georgia Tech, Atlanta, GA, USA.
- The Georgia Immunoengineering Consortium, Emory University and Georgia Tech, Atlanta, GA, USA.
- Winship Cancer Institute, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA.
| | - Sharmistha Ghosh
- Division of Cancer Prevention, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA.
| | - Lena Gamboa
- Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Christos Patriotis
- Division of Cancer Prevention, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Sudhir Srivastava
- Division of Cancer Prevention, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA.
| | - Sangeeta N Bhatia
- Institute for Medical Engineering and Science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA.
- Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA.
- Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA.
- Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Chevy Chase, MD, USA.
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Rivera‐Esteban J, Armandi A, Augustin S, Bugianesi E. Outcomes and potential surrogate markers for future clinical trials of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis cirrhosis. Liver Int 2021; 41:1999-2008. [PMID: 34242466 PMCID: PMC8457215 DOI: 10.1111/liv.15013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2021] [Revised: 06/18/2021] [Accepted: 07/05/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Non-alcoholic steatohepatitis has emerged as a major public health problem, and the burden of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis cirrhosis is projected to increase by 64%-156% by 2030. The threat is aggravated by the fact that are currently no approved drugs for the treatment of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis. In this paper, we review the main challenges to drug development in patients with non-alcoholic steatohepatitis cirrhosis, and describe the opportunities brought by the advances in the understanding of the clinical and pathophysiological nuances of cirrhosis. The design of therapeutic regimens for non-alcoholic steatohepatitis cirrhosis will vary according to the specific cirrhosis substage (compensated vs decompensated), and the specific mechanistic basis of therapy, targeted either at improving aetiology-specific pathways and/or at more general aetiology-agnostic processes. The understanding of the probabilistic expectations for the whole range of potential outcomes, rooted at different mechanistic drivers at each specific substage, will be essential in order to choose adequate estimands and therapeutic strategies for clinical trials and individual patients with non-alcoholic steatohepatitis cirrhosis. Finally, we provide a summary of the main pitfalls and uncertainties in the design of clinical trials for non-alcoholic steatohepatitis cirrhosis and discuss potential biomarkers for use in trials and practice for these patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jesús Rivera‐Esteban
- Liver UnitDepartment of Internal MedicineVall d’Hebron Hospital UniversitariVall d’Hebron Institut de Recerca (VHIR), Vall d’Hebron Barcelona Hospital CampusBarcelonaSpain,Universitat Autònoma de BarcelonaBellaterraSpain
| | - Angelo Armandi
- Department of Medical SciencesDivision of Gastroenterology and HepatologyA.O. Città della Salute e della Scienza di TorinoUniversity of TurinTurinItaly
| | - Salvador Augustin
- Liver UnitDepartment of Internal MedicineVall d’Hebron Hospital UniversitariVall d’Hebron Institut de Recerca (VHIR), Vall d’Hebron Barcelona Hospital CampusBarcelonaSpain,Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Hepáticas y Digestivas (CIBERehd)Instituto de Salud Carlos IIIMadridSpain
| | - Elisabetta Bugianesi
- Department of Medical SciencesDivision of Gastroenterology and HepatologyA.O. Città della Salute e della Scienza di TorinoUniversity of TurinTurinItaly
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Di Ciaula A, Calamita G, Shanmugam H, Khalil M, Bonfrate L, Wang DQH, Baffy G, Portincasa P. Mitochondria Matter: Systemic Aspects of Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD) and Diagnostic Assessment of Liver Function by Stable Isotope Dynamic Breath Tests. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:7702. [PMID: 34299321 PMCID: PMC8305940 DOI: 10.3390/ijms22147702] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/10/2021] [Revised: 07/08/2021] [Accepted: 07/14/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
The liver plays a key role in systemic metabolic processes, which include detoxification, synthesis, storage, and export of carbohydrates, lipids, and proteins. The raising trends of obesity and metabolic disorders worldwide is often associated with the nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), which has become the most frequent type of chronic liver disorder with risk of progression to cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. Liver mitochondria play a key role in degrading the pathways of carbohydrates, proteins, lipids, and xenobiotics, and to provide energy for the body cells. The morphological and functional integrity of mitochondria guarantee the proper functioning of β-oxidation of free fatty acids and of the tricarboxylic acid cycle. Evaluation of the liver in clinical medicine needs to be accurate in NAFLD patients and includes history, physical exam, imaging, and laboratory assays. Evaluation of mitochondrial function in chronic liver disease and NAFLD is now possible by novel diagnostic tools. "Dynamic" liver function tests include the breath test (BT) based on the use of substrates marked with the non-radioactive, naturally occurring stable isotope 13C. Hepatocellular metabolization of the substrate will generate 13CO2, which is excreted in breath and measured by mass spectrometry or infrared spectroscopy. Breath levels of 13CO2 are biomarkers of specific metabolic processes occurring in the hepatocyte cytosol, microsomes, and mitochondria. 13C-BTs explore distinct chronic liver diseases including simple liver steatosis, non-alcoholic steatohepatitis, liver fibrosis, cirrhosis, hepatocellular carcinoma, drug, and alcohol effects. In NAFLD, 13C-BT use substrates such as α-ketoisocaproic acid, methionine, and octanoic acid to assess mitochondrial oxidation capacity which can be impaired at an early stage of disease. 13C-BTs represent an indirect, cost-effective, and easy method to evaluate dynamic liver function. Further applications are expected in clinical medicine. In this review, we discuss the involvement of liver mitochondria in the progression of NAFLD, together with the role of 13C-BT in assessing mitochondrial function and its potential use in the prevention and management of NAFLD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Agostino Di Ciaula
- Clinica Medica “A. Murri”, Department of Biomedical Sciences & Human Oncology, University of Bari Medical School, 70124 Bari, Italy; (A.D.C.); (H.S.); (M.K.); (L.B.)
| | - Giuseppe Calamita
- Department of Biosciences, Biotechnologies and Biopharmaceutics, University of Bari “Aldo Moro”, 70100 Bari, Italy;
| | - Harshitha Shanmugam
- Clinica Medica “A. Murri”, Department of Biomedical Sciences & Human Oncology, University of Bari Medical School, 70124 Bari, Italy; (A.D.C.); (H.S.); (M.K.); (L.B.)
| | - Mohamad Khalil
- Clinica Medica “A. Murri”, Department of Biomedical Sciences & Human Oncology, University of Bari Medical School, 70124 Bari, Italy; (A.D.C.); (H.S.); (M.K.); (L.B.)
| | - Leonilde Bonfrate
- Clinica Medica “A. Murri”, Department of Biomedical Sciences & Human Oncology, University of Bari Medical School, 70124 Bari, Italy; (A.D.C.); (H.S.); (M.K.); (L.B.)
| | - David Q.-H. Wang
- Marion Bessin Liver Research Center, Einstein-Mount Sinai Diabetes Research Center, Department of Medicine and Genetics, Division of Gastroenterology and Liver Diseases, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY 10461, USA;
| | - Gyorgy Baffy
- Department of Medicine, VA Boston Healthcare System and Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02130, USA;
| | - Piero Portincasa
- Clinica Medica “A. Murri”, Department of Biomedical Sciences & Human Oncology, University of Bari Medical School, 70124 Bari, Italy; (A.D.C.); (H.S.); (M.K.); (L.B.)
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Di Ciaula A, Carbone F, Shanmugham H, Molina-Molina E, Bonfrate L, Ministrini S, Montecucco F, Portincasa P. Adiponectin involved in portal flow hepatic extraction of 13C-methacetin in obesity and non-alcoholic fatty liver. Eur J Intern Med 2021; 89:56-64. [PMID: 33867228 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejim.2021.03.036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2020] [Revised: 02/23/2021] [Accepted: 03/25/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Obesity and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) are high prevalence, inter-related conditions at increased risk for advanced liver diseases and related mortality. Adiponectin and leptin have divergent roles in the pathogenesis of fat accumulation and NAFLD. However, the relationships between body and liver fat accumulation, early modification of liver function and unbalanced adipokine levels are still scarcely explored. We studied by (13C)-methacetin breath test ((13C)-MBT) 67 adults stratified according to body mass index, and to presence/absence of ultrasonographic nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (uNAFLD). uNAFLD was detected in 20%, 73% and 96% of normal weight, overweight and obese subjects, respectively. The delta over baseline after 15 min (DOB15), a marker of hepatic extraction efficiency from portal blood flow, was lower in obese than in normal weight subjects, and in subjects with-, as compared to those without uNAFLD. The cumulative percent dose recovery after 30 min (cPDR30), a marker of liver microsomal function, was lower in uNAFLD patients. DOB15 was positively correlated with adiponectin levels in obese and in uNAFLD patients. uNAFLD patients also showed a positive correlation between cPDR30 values and adiponectin. Our data indicate the existence of early alterations of liver function in obese and in patients with uNAFLD. These dysfunctions are linked to altered leptin/adiponectin balance and can be identified noninvasively by (13C)-MBT.
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Affiliation(s)
- Agostino Di Ciaula
- Clinica Medica "A. Murri", Department of Biomedical Sciences and Human Oncology, University of Bari Aldo Moro, Bari 70124, Italy.
| | - Federico Carbone
- First Clinic of internal Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Genoa, 6 viale Benedetto XV, 16132 Genoa, Italy; IRCCS Ospedale Policlinico San Martino, Genoa - Italian Cardiovascular Network, 10 Largo Benzi, 16132 Genoa, Italy..
| | - Harshitha Shanmugham
- Clinica Medica "A. Murri", Department of Biomedical Sciences and Human Oncology, University of Bari Aldo Moro, Bari 70124, Italy
| | - Emilio Molina-Molina
- Clinica Medica "A. Murri", Department of Biomedical Sciences and Human Oncology, University of Bari Aldo Moro, Bari 70124, Italy
| | - Leonilde Bonfrate
- Clinica Medica "A. Murri", Department of Biomedical Sciences and Human Oncology, University of Bari Aldo Moro, Bari 70124, Italy.
| | - Stefano Ministrini
- Internal Medicine, Department of Medicine, Università degli Studi di Perugia, 1 piazzale Gambuli, 06129, Perugia, Italy
| | - Fabrizio Montecucco
- First Clinic of internal Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Genoa, 6 viale Benedetto XV, 16132 Genoa, Italy; IRCCS Ospedale Policlinico San Martino, Genoa - Italian Cardiovascular Network, 10 Largo Benzi, 16132 Genoa, Italy..
| | - Piero Portincasa
- Clinica Medica "A. Murri", Department of Biomedical Sciences and Human Oncology, University of Bari Aldo Moro, Bari 70124, Italy.
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Rosso N, Stephenson AM, Giraudi PJ, Tiribelli C. Diagnostic management of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease: a transformational period in the development of diagnostic and predictive tools-a narrative review. ANNALS OF TRANSLATIONAL MEDICINE 2021; 9:727. [PMID: 33987425 PMCID: PMC8106012 DOI: 10.21037/atm-20-4723] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
NAFLD is an emerging healthcare epidemic that is causing predictable adverse consequences for healthcare systems, societies and individuals. Whilst NAFLD is recognized as a multi-system disease with compound pathways that are both benign and pernicious in their unfolding; NASH is generally understood as a deleterious follow-on condition with path-specific tendencies that progress to cirrhosis, HCC and liver transplantation. Recent evidence is beginning to challenge this interpretation demanding more attention to the personalized nature of the disease and its pathogenesis across multiple different cohorts. This means that we need better diagnostic and prognostic tools not only to capture those 'at risk' disease phenotypes; but for better stratification and monitoring of patients according to their treatment strategies. With the advent of pipeline therapies for NASH underway, the medical profession looks to adopt more accurate non-invasive diagnostic tools that can help to delineate and eliminate NASH histology. This review looks at the search for the killer application revealing this particular moment in time as a transformational period; one that is pushing the boundaries of technology to integrate diverse panels of species through sensitive profiling and multi-omics approaches that cast wide, yet powerful diagnostic nets that have the potential to elucidate pathway specific biomarkers that are personalized and predictable.
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Affiliation(s)
- Natalia Rosso
- Fondazione Italiana Fegato, ONLUS Area Science Park Basovizza, Trieste, Italy
| | - Adam M Stephenson
- Helena Biosciences, Queensway South, Team Valley Trading Estate, Gateshead, UK
| | - Pablo J Giraudi
- Fondazione Italiana Fegato, ONLUS Area Science Park Basovizza, Trieste, Italy
| | - Claudio Tiribelli
- Fondazione Italiana Fegato, ONLUS Area Science Park Basovizza, Trieste, Italy
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16
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Abdelmalek MF, Charles ED, Sanyal AJ, Harrison SA, Neuschwander-Tetri BA, Goodman Z, Ehman RA, Karsdal M, Nakajima A, Du S, Tirucherai GS, Klinger GH, Mora J, Yamaguchi M, Shevell DE, Loomba R. The FALCON program: Two phase 2b randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled studies to assess the efficacy and safety of pegbelfermin in the treatment of patients with nonalcoholic steatohepatitis and bridging fibrosis or compensated cirrhosis. Contemp Clin Trials 2021; 104:106335. [PMID: 33657443 DOI: 10.1016/j.cct.2021.106335] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2020] [Revised: 02/23/2021] [Accepted: 02/24/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) is the progressive form of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD); no approved therapies for NASH currently exist. Pegbelfermin (PGBF), a human fibroblast growth factor 21 analog, has metabolic effects that may provide benefit for patients with NASH. DESIGN The FALCON 1 and 2 studies are phase 2b, multicenter, double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized trials to assess safety and efficacy of PGBF treatment in patients who have histologically-confirmed NASH with stage 3 liver fibrosis (FALCON 1; NCT03486899) or compensated cirrhosis (FALCON 2; NCT03486912). In both studies, randomized patients receive once weekly subcutaneous injections of PGBF (10, 20, or 40 mg) or placebo during a 48-week treatment period and are then followed for an additional 4 weeks. ENDPOINTS The primary efficacy endpoint for FALCON 1 is the proportion of patients who achieve ≥1 stage improvement in fibrosis (by NASH CRN fibrosis score) without NASH worsening or NASH improvement (≥2 point decrease in NAFLD Activity Score) without fibrosis worsening at Week 24. For FALCON 2, the primary efficacy endpoint is ≥1 stage improvement in fibrosis without NASH worsening at Week 48. Key safety endpoints for both studies include incidence and frequency of adverse events, bone mineral density and immunogenicity. SUMMARY Previous clinical trial data show that PGBF can reduce hepatic fat and improve metabolic factors and biomarkers of hepatic injury and fibrosis. The FALCON studies aim to evaluate PGBF treatment specifically in patients with NASH and advanced fibrosis, who are at greatest risk of poor clinical outcomes over time.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manal F Abdelmalek
- Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, United States of America
| | - Edgar D Charles
- Bristol Myers Squibb, Princeton, NJ, United States of America.
| | - Arun J Sanyal
- Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, United States of America
| | | | | | - Zachary Goodman
- Inova Fairfax Hospital, Falls Church, VA, United States of America
| | - Richard A Ehman
- Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, Rochester, MN, United States of America
| | | | | | - Shuyan Du
- Bristol Myers Squibb, Princeton, NJ, United States of America
| | | | | | - Johanna Mora
- Bristol Myers Squibb, Princeton, NJ, United States of America
| | | | - Diane E Shevell
- Bristol Myers Squibb, Princeton, NJ, United States of America
| | - Rohit Loomba
- University of California at San Diego, San Diego, CA, United States of America
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Abstract
Volatolomics allows us to elucidate cell metabolic processes in real time. In particular, a volatile organic compound (VOC) excreted from our bodies may be specific for a certain disease, such that measuring this VOC may afford a simple, fast, accessible and safe diagnostic approach. Yet, finding the optimal endogenous volatile marker specific to a pathology is non-trivial because of interlaboratory disparities in sample preparation and analysis, as well as high interindividual variability. These limit the sensitivity and specificity of volatolomics and its applications in biological and clinical fields but have motivated the development of induced volatolomics. This approach aims to overcome issues by measuring VOCs that result not from an endogenous metabolite but, rather, from the pathogen-specific or metabolic-specific enzymatic metabolism of an exogenous biological or chemical probe. In this Review, we introduce volatile-compound-based probes and discuss how they can be exploited to detect and discriminate pathogenic infections, to assess organ function and to diagnose and monitor cancers in real time. We focus on cases in which labelled probes have informed us about metabolic processes and consider the potential and drawbacks of the probes for clinical trials. Beyond diagnostics, VOC-based probes may also be effective tools to explore biological processes more generally.
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Molina-Molina E, Shanmugam H, Di Ciaula A, Grattagliano I, Di Palo DM, Palmieri VO, Portincasa P. ( 13C)-Methacetin breath test provides evidence of subclinical liver dysfunction linked to fat storage but not lifestyle. JHEP Rep 2021; 3:100203. [PMID: 33490935 PMCID: PMC7806794 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhepr.2020.100203] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2020] [Revised: 09/24/2020] [Accepted: 10/18/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND & AIMS Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is characterised by the presence of hepatic steatosis in the absence of other causes of secondary hepatic fat accumulation, and is usually associated with visceral, metabolically active obesity. However, the subclinical effects of body and liver fat accumulation on liver function are still unclear. METHODS We used orally administered (13C)-methacetin and breath test to quantify the efficiency of hepatic extraction from portal blood flow and liver microsomal function in 81 participants, in relation to presence/absence of ultrasonographic NAFLD, extent of body fat accumulation, insulin resistance, dietary models, and lifestyle. RESULTS NAFLD was present in 23% of participants with normal weight, and prevalence increased with body fat and insulin resistance. Fat accumulation, NAFLD, and insulin resistance were associated with decreased hepatic extraction efficiency, and liver microsomal function was impaired in moderate-to-severe NAFLD. Caloric intake, dietary models, and lifestyles had a minor role in promoting functional changes. CONCLUSIONS The interplay between body fat accumulation, insulin resistance, and NAFLD is linked with altered hepatic extraction efficiency from blood flow and deranged microsomal function. Non-invasive diagnosis of subclinical alterations of liver function is relevant for primary and secondary prevention measures. Furthermore, the occurrence of NAFLD in lean individuals and the evidence that caloric intake, dietary models, and lifestyle played a minor role require further studies exploring the role of environmental factors in the natural history of these diseases. LAY SUMMARY Obesity is progressively increasing worldwide and is paralleled by fat accumulation in the liver (non-alcoholic fatty liver disease [NAFLD]), the most common chronic liver disease worldwide. NAFLD can alter liver structure and function, with a variety of consequences ranging from asymptomatic and subclinical alterations to cirrhosis and cancer. (13C)-Methacetin breath test, a non-invasive diagnostic tool, can reveal early subclinical alterations of liver dynamic function in individuals with obesity and in patients with NAFLD.
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Key Words
- (13C), carbon-13
- ALT, alanine aminotransferase
- ARFI, acoustic radiation force impulse
- AST, aspartate aminotransferase
- BT, breath test
- Body mass index
- DOB, delta over baseline
- FLI, fatty liver index
- GGT, gamma-glutamyl transferase
- HOMA, Homeostatic Model Assessment for Insulin Resistance
- HRQoL, health-related quality of life
- IDF, International Diabetes Federation
- KICA, ketoisocaproic acid
- Liver function
- MBT, methacetin breath test
- MD, Mediterranean diet
- MET, metabolic equivalent task
- Microsomal function
- NAFL, non-alcoholic fatty liver
- NAFLD, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease
- NASH, non-alcoholic steatohepatitis
- Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease
- OR, odds ratio
- Portal blood flow
- R-ATPIII, Revised National Cholesterol Education Programme-Adult Treatment Panel III
- SF-36, 36-Item Short Form Health Survey Questionnaire
- US, ultrasonography
- cPDR, cumulative per cent dose recovery
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Affiliation(s)
- Emilio Molina-Molina
- Clinica Medica ‘A. Murri’, Department of Biomedical Sciences and Human Oncology, University of Bari Aldo Moro, Bari, Italy
| | - Harshitha Shanmugam
- Clinica Medica ‘A. Murri’, Department of Biomedical Sciences and Human Oncology, University of Bari Aldo Moro, Bari, Italy
| | - Agostino Di Ciaula
- Clinica Medica ‘A. Murri’, Department of Biomedical Sciences and Human Oncology, University of Bari Aldo Moro, Bari, Italy
| | | | - Domenica Maria Di Palo
- Clinica Medica ‘A. Murri’, Department of Biomedical Sciences and Human Oncology, University of Bari Aldo Moro, Bari, Italy
| | - Vincenzo O. Palmieri
- Clinica Medica ‘A. Murri’, Department of Biomedical Sciences and Human Oncology, University of Bari Aldo Moro, Bari, Italy
| | - Piero Portincasa
- Clinica Medica ‘A. Murri’, Department of Biomedical Sciences and Human Oncology, University of Bari Aldo Moro, Bari, Italy
- Corresponding author. Address: Clinica Medica ‘Augusto Murri’, Department of Biomedical Sciences and Human Oncology, University of Bari Medical School, Piazza Giulio Cesare 11, 70124 Bari, Italy. Tel.: +39 80 5478 227; fax: +39 80 5478 232.
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Exploring Liver Mitochondrial Function by 13C-Stable Isotope Breath Tests: Implications in Clinical Biochemistry. Methods Mol Biol 2021; 2310:179-199. [PMID: 34096004 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-1433-4_11] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
The liver is at the crossroad of key metabolic processes, which include detoxification, glycolipidic storage and export, and protein synthesis. The gut-liver axis, moreover, provides hepatocytes with a series of bacterial products and metabolites, which contribute to maintain liver function in health and disease. Breath tests (BTs) are developed as diagnostic tools for indirect, rapid, noninvasive assessment of several metabolic processes in the liver. BTs monitor the appearance of CO2 in breath as a marker of a specific substrate metabolized in the liver, typically within microsomes, cytosol, or mitochondria. The noninvasiveness of BTs originates from the use of the, nonradioactive, naturally occurring stable isotope 13C marking a specific substrate which is metabolized in the liver, leading to the appearance of 13CO2 in expired air. Some substrates (ketoisocaproic acid, methionine, and octanoic acid) provide information about dynamic liver mitochondrial function in health and disease. In humans, the application of 13C-breath tests ranges from nonalcoholic and alcoholic liver diseases to liver cirrhosis, hepatocarcinoma, preoperative and postoperative assessment of liver function, and drug-induced liver damage. 13C-BTs are an indirect, cost-effective, and easy method to evaluate dynamic liver function and gastric kinetics in health and disease, with ongoing studies focusing on further applications in clinical medicine.
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Tynio Y, Morozova GV, Biryukova Y, Sivokhin DA, Pozdniakova NV, Zylkova MV, Bogdanova ES, Smirnova MS, Shevelev AB. Synthesis of 13С- and 14С-labeled linoleic acids for use in diagnostic breath tests for hepatobiliary system disorders. BULLETIN OF RUSSIAN STATE MEDICAL UNIVERSITY 2020. [DOI: 10.24075/brsmu.2020.022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
At present, there is a need for a simple, noninvasive, highly specific and sensitive diagnostic test for hepatobiliary system disorders. Compounds labeled with carbon isotopes are widely used in various diagnostic breath tests; they are safe and can reliably detect a metabolic disorder or enzyme deficiency. The aim of this study was to synthesize 13С- and 14С-labeled linoleic acids suitable for use in hepatobiliary breath tests in terms of purity. In the synthesis of 13С-labeled linoleic acid, the chemical yield for 1-bromo-8,11-heptadecadien was 86.4% and the chemical yield for barium carbonate-13С, 96.0%. In the synthesis of 14С-labeled linoleic acid, the chemical yield for 1-bromo-8,11-heptadecadien was 87.39%; for barium carbonate-14С it was 97.1%. The specific radioactivity of 14С-labeled linoleic acids was 45.36 ± 0.02 mCi/g. The radiochemical yield of the reaction was 96.0%. The proposed method is suitable for batch production.
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Affiliation(s)
- YaYa Tynio
- Russian State University of Physical Education, Sport, Youth and Tourism, Moscow, Russia
| | - GV Morozova
- Skryabin Moscow State Academy of Veterinary Medicine and Biotechnology, Moscow, Russia
| | - YuK Biryukova
- Vavilov Institute of General Genetics, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia
| | - DA Sivokhin
- I. M. Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University, Moscow, Russia
| | - NV Pozdniakova
- Blokhin National Medical Research Center of Oncology, Moscow, Russia
| | - MV Zylkova
- Vavilov Institute of General Genetics, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia
| | - ES Bogdanova
- Vavilov Institute of General Genetics, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia
| | - MS Smirnova
- Vavilov Institute of General Genetics, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia
| | - AB Shevelev
- Vavilov Institute of General Genetics, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia; Plekhanov Russian University of Economics, Moscow, Russia
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Holzhütter HG, Wuensch T, Gajowski R, Berndt N, Bulik S, Meierhofer D, Stockmann M. A novel variant of the 13C-methacetin liver function breath test that eliminates the confounding effect of individual differences in systemic CO 2 kinetics. Arch Toxicol 2020; 94:401-415. [PMID: 32020249 DOI: 10.1007/s00204-020-02654-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/18/2019] [Accepted: 01/27/2020] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
The principle of dynamic liver function breath tests is founded on the administration of a 13C-labeled drug and subsequent monitoring of 13CO2 in the breath, quantified as time series delta over natural baseline 13CO2 (DOB) liberated from the drug during hepatic CYP-dependent detoxification. One confounding factor limiting the diagnostic value of such tests is that only a fraction of the liberated 13CO2 is immediately exhaled, while another fraction is taken up by body compartments from which it returns with delay to the plasma. The aims of this study were to establish a novel variant of the methacetin-based breath test LiMAx that allows to estimate and to eliminate the confounding effect of systemic 13CO2 distribution on the DOB curve and thus enables a more reliable assessment of the hepatic detoxification capacity compared with the conventional LiMAx test. We designed a new test variant (named "2DOB") consisting of two consecutive phases. Phase 1 is initiated by the intravenous administration of 13C-bicarbonate. Phase 2 starts about 30 min later with the intravenous administration of the 13C-labelled test drug. Using compartment modelling, the resulting 2-phasic DOB curve yields the rate constants for the irreversible elimination and the reversible exchange of plasma 13CO2 with body compartments (phase 1) and for the detoxification and exchange of the drug with body compartments (phase 2). We carried out the 2DOB test with the test drug 13C-methacetin in 16 subjects with chronic liver pathologies and 22 normal subjects, who also underwent the conventional LiMAx test. Individual differences in the systemic CO2 kinetics can lead to deviations up to a factor of 2 in the maximum of DOB curves (coefficient of variation CV ≈ 0.2) which, in particular, may hamper the discrimination between subjects with normal or mildly impaired detoxification capacities. The novel test revealed that a significant portion of the drug is not immediately metabolized, but transiently taken up into a storage compartment. Intriguingly, not only the hepatic detoxification rate but also the storage capacity of the drug, turned out to be indicative for a normal liver function. We thus used both parameters to define a scoring function which yielded an excellent disease classification (AUC = 0.95) and a high correlation with the MELD score (RSpearman = 0.92). The novel test variant 2DOB promises a significant improvement in the assessment of impaired hepatic detoxification capacity. The suitability of the test for the reliable characterization of the natural history of chronic liver diseases (fatty liver-fibrosis-cirrhosis) has to be assessed in further studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hermann-Georg Holzhütter
- Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, Institute of Biochemistry, Computational Systems Biochemistry Group, Charitéplatz 1, 10117, Berlin, Germany.
| | - Tilo Wuensch
- Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, Department of Surgery, Augustenburger Platz 1, 13353, Berlin, Germany
| | - Robert Gajowski
- Max Planck Institute of Molecular Genetics, Mass Spectroscopy Facility, Ihnestraße 63-73, 14195, Berlin, Germany
- Department of Biology, Chemistry, and Pharmacy, Free University Berlin, Takustraße 3, 14195, Berlin, Germany
| | - Nikolaus Berndt
- Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, Institute of Biochemistry, Computational Systems Biochemistry Group, Charitéplatz 1, 10117, Berlin, Germany
- Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, Institute for Computational and Imaging Science in Cardiovascular Medicine, Augustenburger Platz 1, 13353, Berlin, Germany
| | - Sascha Bulik
- Federal Institute of Risk Assessment, Diedersdorfer Weg 1, 12277, Berlin, Germany
| | - David Meierhofer
- Max Planck Institute of Molecular Genetics, Mass Spectroscopy Facility, Ihnestraße 63-73, 14195, Berlin, Germany
| | - Martin Stockmann
- Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, Department of Surgery, Augustenburger Platz 1, 13353, Berlin, Germany
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Porcine model for the study of liver regeneration enhanced by non-invasive 13C-methacetin breath test (LiMAx test) and permanent portal venous access. PLoS One 2019; 14:e0217488. [PMID: 31150446 PMCID: PMC6544243 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0217488] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2018] [Accepted: 05/13/2019] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction Despite advances in perioperative management and surgical technique, postoperative liver failure remains a feared complication after hepatic resection. Various supportive treatment options are under current discussion, but lack of structured evaluation. We therefore established a porcine model of major liver resection to study regeneration after partial hepatectomy in a reliable and well-defined pre-clinical setting. Methods Major hepatectomy was performed on seven minipigs with the intention to set up a non-lethal but relevant transient impairment of liver function. For steady postoperative vascular access (e.g. for blood withdrawal, measurement of venous pressure), permanent catheters were implanted into the internal jugular and portal veins, respectively. Animals were followed up for 30 days; clinical and laboratory results were recorded in detail. Monitoring was enhanced by non-invasive determination of the maximum liver function capacity (LiMAx test). Results and conclusions The established porcine model appeared suitable for evaluation of postoperative liver regeneration. Clinical characteristics and progression of liver function impairment as well as subsequent recovery were comparable to courses known from surgery in humans. Laboratory parameters (e.g. liver enzymes, bilirubin, INR, coagulation factor II) showed relevant derangements during postoperative days (POD) 0 to 3 followed by normalization until POD 7. Application of the LiMAx test was feasible in minipigs, again showing values comparable to humans and kinetics in line with obtained laboratory parameters. The exteriorized portal vein catheters enabled intra- and postoperative monitoring of portal venous pressures as well as easy access for blood withdrawal without relevant risk of postoperative complications.
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Górowska-Kowolik K, Chobot A, Kwiecień J. Breath test using 13C methacetin does not seem to be useful in the assessment of liver function in girls with anorexia nervosa: a case control study. BMC Gastroenterol 2018; 18:126. [PMID: 30103687 PMCID: PMC6090712 DOI: 10.1186/s12876-018-0856-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2017] [Accepted: 08/01/2018] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Anorexia nervosa (AN) concerns approximately up to 1.8% of the pediatric female population. One of the complications that can occur in the course of this disease is acute liver failure. This study's objective was to assess the usefulness of the 13C labeled Methacetin Breath Test (MBT) in the diagnostics of the liver function in girls with eating disorders. METHODS For the study 81 girls aged 12 to 17 years were recruited, including 41 patients with confirmed diagnosis of AN (mean age 14.7 ± 1.48 years) and 40 age-matched controls. The diagnosis was based on the present Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) criteria. Weight and height were measured in all study participants and the Body Mass Index (BMI) was calculated. In the study and control group laboratory tests assessing the liver function and the MBT were performed. RESULTS In all controls the anthropometric as well as laboratory liver function parameters were normal. In the study group 25 patients (61%) had BMI below the lower limit for age. The total percentage of 13CO2 recovery in the 120th minute of the test did not exceed the lower limit in patients and controls. A result of the 13CO2 cumulative recovery above the upper normal range was found in 18 girls with AN (44% of the study group) and 2 controls (5%). Patients with AN were characterized by significantly higher 13CO2 cumulative dose recovery after ingestion of the substrate in comparison to the control group in all time points of the test. CONCLUSIONS The obtained results confirm a significant stimulation of the liver metabolism of 13C labeled methacetin in female patients with AN. The increased cumulative dose recovery of the substrate in girls with AN impacts the credibility of this measurement and implies a risk of false negative results.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katarzyna Górowska-Kowolik
- Department of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Clinical Hospital No 1 in Zabrze of the Medical University of Silesia in Katowice, Katowice, Poland
| | - Agata Chobot
- Department of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Clinical Hospital No 1 in Zabrze of the Medical University of Silesia in Katowice, Katowice, Poland
| | - Jarosław Kwiecień
- Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine with the Division of Dentistry in Zabrze, Medical University of Silesia, Katowice, Poland
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