Currently, pharmaceutical preparations are serious contributors to liver disease; hepatotoxicity ranking as the most frequent cause for acute liver failure and post-commercialization regulatory decisions. The diagnosi...Currently, pharmaceutical preparations are serious contributors to liver disease; hepatotoxicity ranking as the most frequent cause for acute liver failure and post-commercialization regulatory decisions. The diagnosis of hepatotoxicity remains a difficult task because of the lack of reliable markers for use in general clinical practice. To incriminate any given drug in an episode of liver dysfunction is a step-by-step process that requires a high degree of suspicion, compatible chronology, awareness of the drug’s hepatotoxic potential, the exclusion of alternative causes of liver damage and the ability to detect the presence of subtle data that favors a toxic etiology. This process is time-consuming and the final result is frequently inaccurate. Diagnostic algorithms may add consistency to the diagnostic process by translating the suspicion into a quantitative score. Such scales are useful since they provide a framework that emphasizes the features that merit attention in cases of suspected hepatic adverse reaction as well. Current efforts in collecting bona fide cases of drug-induced hepatotoxicity will make refinements of existing scales feasible. It is now relatively easy to accommodate relevant data within the scoring system and to delete low-impact items. Efforts should also be directed toward the development of an abridged instrument for use in evaluating suspected drug-induced hepatotoxicity at the very beginning of the diagnosis and treatment process when clinical decisions need to be made. The instrument chosen would enable a confident diagnosis to be made on admission of the patient and treatment to be fine-tuned as further information is collected.展开更多
Hepatic veno-occlusive disease (HVOD) is rarely encountered and easily misjudged as Budd-Chiari syndrome. It is often related to stem cell transplantation in recent years. We report a case of HVOD that is related to i...Hepatic veno-occlusive disease (HVOD) is rarely encountered and easily misjudged as Budd-Chiari syndrome. It is often related to stem cell transplantation in recent years. We report a case of HVOD that is related to ingestion of some palatable local dishes. The diagnosis was confirmed by liver biopsy pathology with specific observation of inflammatory changes and fibrosis of venules intima, dilated sinusoids and central veins. Chronic diarrhea is unique for this case as a result of ingesting harmful stuffs. This case demonstrated that supervision and instruction of food recipe and traditional medicine are crucial, and prompt diagnosis, supportive care and specific treatment are essential to decreasing the morbidity and mortality of HVOD.展开更多
AIM： To assess the actigraphy, an ambulatory and continuous monitoring of wrist motor activity fitted to study sleep/wake patterns in hepatic encephalopathy （HE）. METHODS： Twenty-five cirrhotic patients （17 M, 8 ...AIM： To assess the actigraphy, an ambulatory and continuous monitoring of wrist motor activity fitted to study sleep/wake patterns in hepatic encephalopathy （HE）. METHODS： Twenty-five cirrhotic patients （17 M, 8 F, mean age 56± 11 years, 24/25 alcoholic, Child-Pugh A, B, C： 2, 6, 17） were included. The patients were classified into 3 groups： stage 0 group （n = 12）, stage 1-2 group （n = 6）, and stage 3-4 group （n = 7） of encephalopathy. Over three consecutive days, patients had clinical evaluation 3 times a day with psychometric test, venous ammoniemia, flash visually evoked potentials （VEP）, electroencephalogram and continuous actigraphic monitoring for 3 d, providing 5 parameters： mesor, amplitude, acrophase, mean duration of activity （MDAI） and inactivity （MDII） intervals. RESULTS： Serum ammonia and VEP did not differ among the 3 groups. Electroencephalography mean dominant frequency （MDF） correlated significantly with clinical stages of HE （r=0.65, P=0.003）. The best correlation with HE stage was provided by actigraphy especially with MDAI （r= 0.7, P〈10^-4） and mesor （r= 0.65, P〈 10^-4）. MDAI correlated significantly with MDF （r= 0.62, 0.004） and was significantly shorter in case of HE compared to patients without HE （stage 0： 5.33± 1.6 min; stage 1-2：3.28±1.4 min; stage 3-4：2.52±1.1 min; P〈0.05）. Using a threshold of MDAI of less than 4.9 min, sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value for HE diagnosis were 85%, 67%, 73% and 80%, respectively. CONCLUSION： Actigraphy may be an objective method to identify HE, especially for early HE detection. Motor activity at the wrist correlates well with clinical stages of HE. MDAI and mesor are the most relevant parameters.展开更多
Estimates of people suffering from overweight (one billion) and obesity (300 million) are increasing. The accumulation of triglycerides in the liver, in the absence of excess alcohol intake, has been described in the ...Estimates of people suffering from overweight (one billion) and obesity (300 million) are increasing. The accumulation of triglycerides in the liver, in the absence of excess alcohol intake, has been described in the early sixties. It was not until 1980, however, that Ludwig et al named this condition nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). Subsequently, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) has been used as a general name for conditions ranging from simple steatosis through steatohepatitis to end-stage liver disease (cirrhosis). Many studies have demonstrated the significant correlation with obesity and insulin resistance. Other studies have revealed a signifi- cant correlation between hepatic steatosis, cardiovascu- lar disease and increased intima-media thickness. WHO estimated that at least two million patients will develop cirrhosis due to hepatic steatosis in the years to come. Longitudinal cohort studies have demonstrated that those patients with cirrhosis have a similar risk to devel- op hepatocellular carcinoma as those with other causes of cirrhosis. Taken all together, NAFLD has become the third most important indication for liver transplantation. There- fore, training programmes in internal medicine, gastroen- terology and hepatology should stress the importance of diagnosing this entity and treat properly those at risk for developing complications of portal hypertension and con- comittant cardiovascular disease. This review will focus on the clinical characteristics, pathophysiology, imaging tech- niques and the readily available therapeutic options.展开更多
Minimal hepatic encephalopathy is a neuro-cognitive dysfunction which occurs in an epidemic proportion of cirrhotic patients,estimated as high as 80% of the population tested. It is characterized by a specific,complex...Minimal hepatic encephalopathy is a neuro-cognitive dysfunction which occurs in an epidemic proportion of cirrhotic patients,estimated as high as 80% of the population tested. It is characterized by a specific,complex cognitive dysfunction which is independent of sleep dysfunction or problems with overall intelligence. Although named "minimal",minimal hepatic encephalopathy(MHE) can have a far-reaching impact on quality of life,ability to function in daily life and progression to overt hepatic encephalopathy. Importantly,MHE has a profound negative impact on the ability to drive a car and may be a significant factor behind motor vehicle accidents. A crucial aspect of the clinical care of MHE patients is their driving history,which is often ignored in routine care and can add a vital dimension to the overall disease assessment. Driving history should be an integral part of care in patients with MHE. The lack of specific signs and symptoms,the preserved communication skills and lack of insight make MHE a difficult condition to diagnose. Diagnostic strategies for MHE abound,but are usually limited by financial,normative or time constraints. Recent studies into the inhibitory control and critical flicker frequency tests are encouraging since these tests can increase the rates of MHE diagnosis without requiring a psychologist. Although testing for MHE and subsequent therapy is not standard of care at this time,it is important to consider this in cirrhotics in order to improve their ability to live their life to the fullest.展开更多
Recently, the paper by Wang et at published in World Journal of Gastroenterology has given rise to great interest of many researchers. It is well known that hepatoma is one of the lethal diseases with a high incidence...Recently, the paper by Wang et at published in World Journal of Gastroenterology has given rise to great interest of many researchers. It is well known that hepatoma is one of the lethal diseases with a high incidence in the world, especially in Asia. Radiotherapy is the main treatment modality of hepatoma in clinical practice. Unfortunately, intrinsic radiosensitivity of cancer cells is not fully understood, though a large number of papers on it are now available. Yang and colleagues 21 have developed the premature chromosome condensation technique for clinical radiotherapy of hepatoma. A precise and quick measurement of cell radiosensitivity can detect the highrisk results after exposure to a large dose.展开更多
Hepatic encephalopathy(HE)is a reversible syndrome of impaired brain function occurring in patients with advanced liver diseases.The precise pathophysiology of HE is still under discussion;the leading hypothesis focus...Hepatic encephalopathy(HE)is a reversible syndrome of impaired brain function occurring in patients with advanced liver diseases.The precise pathophysiology of HE is still under discussion;the leading hypothesis focus on the role of neurotoxins,impaired neurotransmission due to metabolic changes in liver failure,changes in brain energy metabolism,systemic inflammatory response and alterations of the blood brain barrier.HE produces a wide spectrum of nonspecific neurological and psychiatric manifestations.Minimal HE is diagnosed by abnormal psychometric tests.Clinically overt HE includes personality changes,alterations in consciousness progressive disorientation in time and space,somnolence,stupor and,finally,coma.Except for clinical studies,no specific tests are required for diagnosis.HE is classified according to the underlying disease,the severity of manifestations,its time course and the existence of precipitating factors.Treatment of overt HE includes supportive therapies,treatment of precipitating factors,lactulose and/or rifaximin.Routine treatment for minimal HE is only recommended for selected patients.展开更多
基金Supported partly by research grants from the Agencia Espaoladel Medicamento from the Fondo de Investigación Sanitaria(FIS 04-1688 and FIS 04-1759)
文摘Currently, pharmaceutical preparations are serious contributors to liver disease; hepatotoxicity ranking as the most frequent cause for acute liver failure and post-commercialization regulatory decisions. The diagnosis of hepatotoxicity remains a difficult task because of the lack of reliable markers for use in general clinical practice. To incriminate any given drug in an episode of liver dysfunction is a step-by-step process that requires a high degree of suspicion, compatible chronology, awareness of the drug’s hepatotoxic potential, the exclusion of alternative causes of liver damage and the ability to detect the presence of subtle data that favors a toxic etiology. This process is time-consuming and the final result is frequently inaccurate. Diagnostic algorithms may add consistency to the diagnostic process by translating the suspicion into a quantitative score. Such scales are useful since they provide a framework that emphasizes the features that merit attention in cases of suspected hepatic adverse reaction as well. Current efforts in collecting bona fide cases of drug-induced hepatotoxicity will make refinements of existing scales feasible. It is now relatively easy to accommodate relevant data within the scoring system and to delete low-impact items. Efforts should also be directed toward the development of an abridged instrument for use in evaluating suspected drug-induced hepatotoxicity at the very beginning of the diagnosis and treatment process when clinical decisions need to be made. The instrument chosen would enable a confident diagnosis to be made on admission of the patient and treatment to be fine-tuned as further information is collected.
文摘Hepatic veno-occlusive disease (HVOD) is rarely encountered and easily misjudged as Budd-Chiari syndrome. It is often related to stem cell transplantation in recent years. We report a case of HVOD that is related to ingestion of some palatable local dishes. The diagnosis was confirmed by liver biopsy pathology with specific observation of inflammatory changes and fibrosis of venules intima, dilated sinusoids and central veins. Chronic diarrhea is unique for this case as a result of ingesting harmful stuffs. This case demonstrated that supervision and instruction of food recipe and traditional medicine are crucial, and prompt diagnosis, supportive care and specific treatment are essential to decreasing the morbidity and mortality of HVOD.
文摘AIM： To assess the actigraphy, an ambulatory and continuous monitoring of wrist motor activity fitted to study sleep/wake patterns in hepatic encephalopathy （HE）. METHODS： Twenty-five cirrhotic patients （17 M, 8 F, mean age 56± 11 years, 24/25 alcoholic, Child-Pugh A, B, C： 2, 6, 17） were included. The patients were classified into 3 groups： stage 0 group （n = 12）, stage 1-2 group （n = 6）, and stage 3-4 group （n = 7） of encephalopathy. Over three consecutive days, patients had clinical evaluation 3 times a day with psychometric test, venous ammoniemia, flash visually evoked potentials （VEP）, electroencephalogram and continuous actigraphic monitoring for 3 d, providing 5 parameters： mesor, amplitude, acrophase, mean duration of activity （MDAI） and inactivity （MDII） intervals. RESULTS： Serum ammonia and VEP did not differ among the 3 groups. Electroencephalography mean dominant frequency （MDF） correlated significantly with clinical stages of HE （r=0.65, P=0.003）. The best correlation with HE stage was provided by actigraphy especially with MDAI （r= 0.7, P〈10^-4） and mesor （r= 0.65, P〈 10^-4）. MDAI correlated significantly with MDF （r= 0.62, 0.004） and was significantly shorter in case of HE compared to patients without HE （stage 0： 5.33± 1.6 min; stage 1-2：3.28±1.4 min; stage 3-4：2.52±1.1 min; P〈0.05）. Using a threshold of MDAI of less than 4.9 min, sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value for HE diagnosis were 85%, 67%, 73% and 80%, respectively. CONCLUSION： Actigraphy may be an objective method to identify HE, especially for early HE detection. Motor activity at the wrist correlates well with clinical stages of HE. MDAI and mesor are the most relevant parameters.
文摘Estimates of people suffering from overweight (one billion) and obesity (300 million) are increasing. The accumulation of triglycerides in the liver, in the absence of excess alcohol intake, has been described in the early sixties. It was not until 1980, however, that Ludwig et al named this condition nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). Subsequently, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) has been used as a general name for conditions ranging from simple steatosis through steatohepatitis to end-stage liver disease (cirrhosis). Many studies have demonstrated the significant correlation with obesity and insulin resistance. Other studies have revealed a signifi- cant correlation between hepatic steatosis, cardiovascu- lar disease and increased intima-media thickness. WHO estimated that at least two million patients will develop cirrhosis due to hepatic steatosis in the years to come. Longitudinal cohort studies have demonstrated that those patients with cirrhosis have a similar risk to devel- op hepatocellular carcinoma as those with other causes of cirrhosis. Taken all together, NAFLD has become the third most important indication for liver transplantation. There- fore, training programmes in internal medicine, gastroen- terology and hepatology should stress the importance of diagnosing this entity and treat properly those at risk for developing complications of portal hypertension and con- comittant cardiovascular disease. This review will focus on the clinical characteristics, pathophysiology, imaging tech- niques and the readily available therapeutic options.
文摘Minimal hepatic encephalopathy is a neuro-cognitive dysfunction which occurs in an epidemic proportion of cirrhotic patients,estimated as high as 80% of the population tested. It is characterized by a specific,complex cognitive dysfunction which is independent of sleep dysfunction or problems with overall intelligence. Although named "minimal",minimal hepatic encephalopathy(MHE) can have a far-reaching impact on quality of life,ability to function in daily life and progression to overt hepatic encephalopathy. Importantly,MHE has a profound negative impact on the ability to drive a car and may be a significant factor behind motor vehicle accidents. A crucial aspect of the clinical care of MHE patients is their driving history,which is often ignored in routine care and can add a vital dimension to the overall disease assessment. Driving history should be an integral part of care in patients with MHE. The lack of specific signs and symptoms,the preserved communication skills and lack of insight make MHE a difficult condition to diagnose. Diagnostic strategies for MHE abound,but are usually limited by financial,normative or time constraints. Recent studies into the inhibitory control and critical flicker frequency tests are encouraging since these tests can increase the rates of MHE diagnosis without requiring a psychologist. Although testing for MHE and subsequent therapy is not standard of care at this time,it is important to consider this in cirrhotics in order to improve their ability to live their life to the fullest.
文摘Recently, the paper by Wang et at published in World Journal of Gastroenterology has given rise to great interest of many researchers. It is well known that hepatoma is one of the lethal diseases with a high incidence in the world, especially in Asia. Radiotherapy is the main treatment modality of hepatoma in clinical practice. Unfortunately, intrinsic radiosensitivity of cancer cells is not fully understood, though a large number of papers on it are now available. Yang and colleagues 21 have developed the premature chromosome condensation technique for clinical radiotherapy of hepatoma. A precise and quick measurement of cell radiosensitivity can detect the highrisk results after exposure to a large dose.
文摘Hepatic encephalopathy(HE)is a reversible syndrome of impaired brain function occurring in patients with advanced liver diseases.The precise pathophysiology of HE is still under discussion;the leading hypothesis focus on the role of neurotoxins,impaired neurotransmission due to metabolic changes in liver failure,changes in brain energy metabolism,systemic inflammatory response and alterations of the blood brain barrier.HE produces a wide spectrum of nonspecific neurological and psychiatric manifestations.Minimal HE is diagnosed by abnormal psychometric tests.Clinically overt HE includes personality changes,alterations in consciousness progressive disorientation in time and space,somnolence,stupor and,finally,coma.Except for clinical studies,no specific tests are required for diagnosis.HE is classified according to the underlying disease,the severity of manifestations,its time course and the existence of precipitating factors.Treatment of overt HE includes supportive therapies,treatment of precipitating factors,lactulose and/or rifaximin.Routine treatment for minimal HE is only recommended for selected patients.
