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Faccioli J, Nardelli S, Gioia S, Riggio O, Ridola L. Primary Prophylaxis of Overt Hepatic Encephalopathy: Is It Time to Consider It? J Clin Med 2023; 12:3903. [PMID: 37373598 DOI: 10.3390/jcm12123903] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/22/2023] [Accepted: 05/29/2023] [Indexed: 06/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Hepatic encephalopathy (HE) represents one of the most frequent complications of liver cirrhosis and one of the most debilitating clinical manifestations of liver disease due to the accumulation of toxic substances in the blood and central nervous system [...].
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Affiliation(s)
- Jessica Faccioli
- Department of Translational and Precision Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Rome, Italy
| | - Silvia Nardelli
- Department of Translational and Precision Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Rome, Italy
| | - Stefania Gioia
- Department of Translational and Precision Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Rome, Italy
| | - Oliviero Riggio
- Department of Translational and Precision Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Rome, Italy
| | - Lorenzo Ridola
- Department of Translational and Precision Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Rome, Italy
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Patel AA, Tapper EB, Kanwal F, Woodrell CD, Hansen L, Lai JC, Rogal S, McDermott C, Rakoski M, Ufere NN. Targets and study design for symptom-focused trials aimed at patients with cirrhosis: An expert consensus. Hepatol Commun 2023; 7:e0135. [PMID: 37267219 PMCID: PMC10241502 DOI: 10.1097/hc9.0000000000000135] [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: 02/19/2023] [Accepted: 03/07/2023] [Indexed: 06/04/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Symptom-focused trials are critically needed for patients with cirrhosis. However, this work would benefit from standard processes and validated measures. METHODS A writing group was formed among hepatologists, nurses, palliative care providers, pharmacists, and clinical trial experts focused on symptom management in patients with cirrhosis to define the key (1) components of trial design, (2) symptom targets, (3) measurement, and (4) outcomes for each target. From July 2022 to January 2023, panelists participated in an iterative process of developing and arriving at a consensus for each component. The goal was to provide consensus definitions that can be operationalized in future clinical trials, including for patients with cirrhosis. RESULTS The panel reached a consensus on key reporting features for clinical trials, along with considerations for study design. Nine key symptom targets (muscle cramps, pruritus, pain, fatigue, sexual dysfunction, sleep disorders, depression and anxiety, nausea/vomiting, and dyspnea/breathlessness) were identified. The panel selected instruments that can be considered for clinical trials based on psychometric validation and previous experience. The panel identified ongoing needs, including instrument validation, safety data, evidence about non-pharmacologic interventions, and comparative effectiveness studies. CONCLUSION This expert panel identified key design, reporting, and measurement elements to standardize processes and measures in future symptom-focused clinical trials in the context of cirrhosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arpan A. Patel
- Tamar and Vatche Manoukian Division of Digestive Diseases, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, USA
- VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System, Los Angeles, California, USA
| | - Elliot B. Tapper
- Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
| | - Fasiha Kanwal
- Baylor College of Medicine and Michael E DeBakey VA Medical Center, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Christopher D. Woodrell
- Brookdale Department of Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, USA
- Geriatric Research, Education and Clinical Center, James J. Peters VA Medical Center, Bronx, New York, USA
| | - Lissi Hansen
- Oregon Health & Science University, School of Nursing, Portland, Oregon, USA
| | - Jennifer C. Lai
- Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, University of California, San Francisco, California, USA
| | - Shari Rogal
- Center for Health Equity Research and Promotion, VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
- Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Cara McDermott
- Division of Geriatrics, Department of Medicine, Duke University, Durham, New Carolina, USA
- Geriatric Research, Education and Clinical Center, Durham VA Medical Center, Durham, New Carolina, USA
| | - Mina Rakoski
- Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Loma Linda University Health, Loma Linda, California, USA
| | - Nneka N. Ufere
- Gastrointestinal Unit, Department of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachussetts, USA
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Sepehrinezhad A, Stolze Larsen F, Ashayeri Ahmadabad R, Shahbazi A, Sahab Negah S. The Glymphatic System May Play a Vital Role in the Pathogenesis of Hepatic Encephalopathy: A Narrative Review. Cells 2023; 12:cells12070979. [PMID: 37048052 PMCID: PMC10093707 DOI: 10.3390/cells12070979] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2022] [Revised: 02/20/2023] [Accepted: 03/21/2023] [Indexed: 04/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Hepatic encephalopathy (HE) is a neurological complication of liver disease resulting in cognitive, psychiatric, and motor symptoms. Although hyperammonemia is a key factor in the pathogenesis of HE, several other factors have recently been discovered. Among these, the impairment of a highly organized perivascular network known as the glymphatic pathway seems to be involved in the progression of some neurological complications due to the accumulation of misfolded proteins and waste substances in the brain interstitial fluids (ISF). The glymphatic system plays an important role in the clearance of brain metabolic derivatives and prevents aggregation of neurotoxic agents in the brain ISF. Impairment of it will result in aggravated accumulation of neurotoxic agents in the brain ISF. This could also be the case in patients with liver failure complicated by HE. Indeed, accumulation of some metabolic by-products and agents such as ammonia, glutamine, glutamate, and aromatic amino acids has been reported in the human brain ISF using microdialysis technique is attributed to worsening of HE and correlates with brain edema. Furthermore, it has been reported that the glymphatic system is impaired in the olfactory bulb, prefrontal cortex, and hippocampus in an experimental model of HE. In this review, we discuss different factors that may affect the function of the glymphatic pathways and how these changes may be involved in HE.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ali Sepehrinezhad
- Department of Neuroscience, Faculty of Advanced Technologies in Medicine, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran 1449614535, Iran
- Neuroscience Research Center, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad 9919191778, Iran
| | - Fin Stolze Larsen
- Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen University Hospital, 999017 Copenhagen, Denmark
| | | | - Ali Shahbazi
- Department of Neuroscience, Faculty of Advanced Technologies in Medicine, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran 1449614535, Iran
- Cellular and Molecular Research Center, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran 1449614535, Iran
| | - Sajad Sahab Negah
- Neuroscience Research Center, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad 9919191778, Iran
- Shefa Neuroscience Research Center, Khatam Alanbia Hospital, Tehran 1449614535, Iran
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Heart rate variability is associated with encephalopathy and outcomes in pediatric acute liver failure. Pediatr Res 2022; 93:1348-1353. [PMID: 35927573 DOI: 10.1038/s41390-022-02225-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2022] [Revised: 07/11/2022] [Accepted: 07/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND More than half of children with pediatric acute liver failure (PALF) experience hepatic encephalopathy (HE), which is related to poor outcomes; however, HE is difficult to diagnose in children. The objective of this study was to evaluate if heart rate variability (HRV), a continuous measure of autonomic nervous system function, was related to the presence and severity of HE as well as clinical outcomes in children with PALF. METHODS We conducted a retrospective observational cohort study of 38 critically ill children with PALF to examine the association between HRV and HE severity and clinical outcome. HRV was estimated using the integer HRV (HRVi). Categorical variables were compared using the Fisher Exact test and continuous variables were compared using Kruskal-Wallis tests. Associations between grades of HE and minimum and median HRVi were evaluated with Pearson's correlation, with p values <0.05 considered significant. RESULTS A more negative median and minimum HRVi, indicating poorer autonomic nervous system function, was significantly associated with abnormal EEG findings, presence of HE, and poor outcomes (death or listing for transplant). CONCLUSIONS Heart rate variability may hold promise to predict outcomes in children with PALF, but these findings should be replicated in a larger sample. IMPACT The findings of our study suggest that heart rate variability is associated with clinical outcomes in children with acute liver failure, a cohort for which prognostics are challenging, especially in young children and infants. Use of heart rate variability in the clinical setting may facilitate earlier detection of children with pediatric acute liver failure (PALF) at high risk for severe hepatic encephalopathy and poor outcomes. Identification of children with PALF at high risk of decompensation may assist clinicians in making decisions about liver transplantation, an important, but resource-limited, treatment of PALF.
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Hansen MKG, Kjærgaard K, Eriksen LL, Grønkjær LL, Mikkelsen ACD, Sandahl TD, Vilstrup H, Thomsen KL, Lauridsen MME. Psychometric methods for diagnosing and monitoring minimal hepatic encephalopathy -current validation level and practical use. Metab Brain Dis 2022; 37:589-605. [PMID: 35102491 DOI: 10.1007/s11011-022-00913-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2021] [Accepted: 01/14/2022] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Hepatic encephalopathy (HE) is cerebral dysfunction caused by liver failure and inflicts 30-40% of patients with liver cirrhosis during their disease course. Clinically manifest HE is often preceded by minimal HE (MHE) - a clinically undetectable cognitive disturbance closely associated with loss of quality of life. Accordingly, detecting and treating MHE improve the patients' daily functioning and prevent HE-related hospital admissions. The scope of this review article is to create an overview of the validation level and usage of psychometric tests used to detect MHE: Portosystemic hepatic encephalopathy test, continuous reaction time test, Stroop EncephalApp, animal naming test, critical flicker frequency test, and inhibitory control test. Our work is aimed at the clinician or scientist who is about to decide on which psychometric test would fit best in their clinic, cohort, or study. First, we outline psychometric test validation obstacles and requirements. Then, we systematically approach the literature on each test and select well-conducted studies to answer the following questions:• Which percentage of patients with cirrhosis does the test deem as having MHE?• Is the test able to predict clinically manifest HE?• Is there a well-known test-retest variation and inter-observer variation?• Is the test able to detect a treatment response?• Is the test result affected by age, educational level, gender, or comorbidities?
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Affiliation(s)
- Mads Kingo Guldberg Hansen
- Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, University Hospital South Denmark, Finsensgade 35, 6700, Esbjerg, Denmark.
| | - Kristoffer Kjærgaard
- Department of Hepatology and Gastroenterology, Aarhus University Hospital, Palle Juul-Jensens Boulevard 99, 8200, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Lotte Lindgreen Eriksen
- Department of Hepatology and Gastroenterology, Aarhus University Hospital, Palle Juul-Jensens Boulevard 99, 8200, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Lea Ladegaard Grønkjær
- Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, University Hospital South Denmark, Finsensgade 35, 6700, Esbjerg, Denmark
| | - Anne Catrine Daugaard Mikkelsen
- Department of Hepatology and Gastroenterology, Aarhus University Hospital, Palle Juul-Jensens Boulevard 99, 8200, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Thomas Damgaard Sandahl
- Department of Hepatology and Gastroenterology, Aarhus University Hospital, Palle Juul-Jensens Boulevard 99, 8200, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Hendrik Vilstrup
- Department of Hepatology and Gastroenterology, Aarhus University Hospital, Palle Juul-Jensens Boulevard 99, 8200, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Karen Louise Thomsen
- Department of Hepatology and Gastroenterology, Aarhus University Hospital, Palle Juul-Jensens Boulevard 99, 8200, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Mette Munk Enok Lauridsen
- Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, University Hospital South Denmark, Finsensgade 35, 6700, Esbjerg, Denmark
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Ishay Y, Kolben Y, Kessler A, Ilan Y. Role of circadian rhythm and autonomic nervous system in liver function: a hypothetical basis for improving the management of hepatic encephalopathy. Am J Physiol Gastrointest Liver Physiol 2021; 321:G400-G412. [PMID: 34346773 DOI: 10.1152/ajpgi.00186.2021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/31/2023]
Abstract
Hepatic encephalopathy (HE) is a common, incapacitating complication of cirrhosis that affects many patients with cirrhosis. Although several therapies have proven effective in the treatment and prevention of this condition, several patients continue to suffer from covert disease or episodes of relapse. The circadian rhythm has been demonstrated to be pivotal for many body functions, including those of the liver. Here, we explore the impact of circadian rhythm-dependent signaling on the liver and discuss the evidence of its impact on liver pathology and metabolism. We describe the various pathways through which circadian influences are mediated. Finally, we introduce a novel method for improving patient response to drugs aimed at treating HE by utilizing the circadian rhythm. A digital system that introduces a customization-based technique for improving the response to therapies is presented as a hypothetical approach for improving the effectiveness of current medications used for the treatment of recurrent and persistent hepatic encephalopathy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuval Ishay
- Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Hadassah Medical Center, Hebrew University, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Yotam Kolben
- Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Hadassah Medical Center, Hebrew University, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Asa Kessler
- Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Hadassah Medical Center, Hebrew University, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Yaron Ilan
- Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Hadassah Medical Center, Hebrew University, Jerusalem, Israel
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