ABSTRACT
Objective:To investigate the clinical value of ultrasound shear wave dispersion (SWD) imaging in assessing the hepatic inflammation activity in patients with chronic hepatitis B.Methods:Fifty-two patients with chronic hepatitis B who underwent liver biopsy in Peking University Third Hospital and Beijing Ditan Hospital Affiliated to Capital Medical University from December 2020 to December 2021 were prospectively enrolled.Liver stiffness (LS) and shear wave dispersion slope (SWDS) were measured by SWD imaging in all participants. Baseline data and laboratory indexes of liver function were collected.Liver inflammation grading(G0-G4) and fibrosis staging (S0-S4) were determined by pathological examination. The relationship between SWDS and various indicators was analyzed by univariate and multivariate linear regression analysis. The participants were grouped according to the pathological grading of hepatic inflammatory activity. The differences of various indexes among three groups were compared, and the correlations between SWDS, LS and laboratory indicators and hepatic inflammatory activity were analyzed. The ROC curve was used to evaluate the diagnostic performances of ultrasound and laboratory indicators for hepatic inflammation activity, and the diagnostic accuracy of different indicators was compared by Delong test.Results:Inflammation and fibrosis were both independent affecting factors of SWDS (all P<0.05); there were significant differences in alanine transaminase(ALT), aspartate aminotransferase(AST), LS and SWDS among groups with different inflammatory activities (all P<0.05). The SWDS and LS of the G3 and G2 groups were statistically higher than those of the G1 group (all P<0.001). ALT was only significantly different between G1 group and G2 group ( P<0.05), and AST was only significantly different between G1 group and G3 group ( P<0.05); The SWDS and LS showed strongly positive correlation ( rs=0.728, P<0.001) and moderately positive correlation ( rs=0.679, P<0.001) with hepatic inflammatory activity, respectively; while the correlations between ALT, AST and hepatic inflammatory activity were weaker( rs=0.376, P<0.05; rs=0.485, P<0.001). The area under the ROC curve, sensitivity and specificity of SWDS for diagnosing hepatic inflammation ≥G2 grade were 0.965, 0.933 and 0.865, respectively. Conclusions:SWDS has certain value in evaluating the hepatic inflammatory activity of ≥G2 grade in patients with chronic hepatitis B.
ABSTRACT
Objective: To explore the effect of Persea americana supplementation on inflammation, oxidative stress, and lipid profiles in ovariectomized rats fed with a high-fat diet and exposed to radiation. Methods: The control group was sham operated, while groups 2-5 were ovariectomized and fed a high-fat diet. Groups 4 and 5 were exposed to γ-radiation (1 Gy/week for 5 weeks) after ovariectomy. Groups 3 and 5 were treated with 1 mL/250 g/day of Persea americana for one month. Serum levels of estrogen, alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, cholesterol, triglycerides and lipoproteins were measured. Additionally, hepatic oxidative stress, inflammatory and fibrogenic markers were evaluated. Results: Persea americana treatment reduced the oxidative stress markers as well as the levels of triglyceride, total cholesterol, and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, which in turn lowered hepatic fat accumulation. Moreover, it suppressed hepatic inflammatory mediators (interleukin-6, tumor necrosis factor-α, and C-reactive protein) and downregulated pro-fibrogenic markers (transforming growth factor-β and tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-1). Conclusions: Persea americana provides protection against ovariectomy, and gamma radiation-mediated hepatic inflammation not only through its antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, lipid-lowering effect but also by modulating the fibrogenic markers.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND@#Physical activity (PA) that includes an accumulated exercise regimen that meets or exceeds a certain intensity reduces intrahepatic fat, leading to the improvement of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in afflicted patients. However, whether an increase in comprehensive PA, including activities of daily living, contributes to ameliorating the pathophysiology of NAFLD remains unclear. This study aimed to examine whether PA improves liver function in patients with NAFLD.@*METHODS@#The study included 45 patients with NAFLD who underwent follow-up examinations at least 6 months-but no later than 1 year-after their baseline examinations. The patients were interviewed about their daily activities and exercise habits to determine whether they had engaged in at least 3 metabolic equivalents (METs) per day during the previous 6 months; the quantity of PA, expressed in Ekusasaizu (Ex) units, was calculated as METs multiplied by hours. Patients who had achieved at least a 1-Ex increase in PA per week compared to baseline at the time of their follow-up interview (the PA increase group) were compared to those whose PA was the same or lower at the time of follow-up (the PA non-increase group).@*RESULTS@#There were no significant changes in all blood and biochemical parameters in the PA non-increase group at the time of follow-up when compared with baseline levels. In the PA increase group, aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase, and γ-guanosine triphosphate levels were all significantly lower at follow-up than they were at baseline. Body weight did not change significantly from baseline to follow-up in both groups.@*CONCLUSIONS@#In the present study, hepatic inflammation improvement was accompanied by increased PA but not decreased body weight. Increasing PA may be effective for the improvement of hepatic inflammation even without body weight loss. Our results indicate the effectiveness of PA monitoring for the management of NAFLD.@*TRIAL REGISTRATION@#UMIN-CTR, UMIN000038530.
Subject(s)
Adult , Aged , Aged, 80 and over , Female , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Young Adult , Activities of Daily Living , Body Weight , Exercise , Hepatitis , Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease , Weight LossABSTRACT
Objective:To investigate the relationship between serum complement C 3,C4 and hepatitis grade level and liver fi-brosis degree in patients with chronic hepatitis B ( CHB ) .Methods: 185 cases of patients with CHB admitted in our hospital from March 2014 to 2016 March were collected as CHB group ,60 cases who were considered healthy at the same period as the control group.The serum complement C3,C4 of the two groups were detected and compared ,and relationship between serum complement C 3, C4 and hepatitis grade level and liver fibrosis degree was analyzed .Results:The serum C3,C4 levels in CHB group were significantly lower than the control group (t=10.476,9.172,P<0.05).The differences of serum C3,C4 levels among different levels of hepatitis activity were significant ( F=4.321 ,3.495 ,P<0.05 ) ,and differences among different levels of hepatic fibrosis grading were significant (F=3.861,4.541,P<0.05).The serum C3,C4 levels were negatively associated with G rating of hepatitis activity (r=-0.575,-0.542,P<0.05),and were negatively associated with S rating (≥S1) of liver fibrosis (r=-0.512,-0.636,P<0.05).Conclusion:The serum complement C3,C4 levels is closely related with hepatitis grade level and liver fibrosis degree in patients with CHB ,it can be used as secondary predictors of hepatic pathological status in CHB patients .
ABSTRACT
Liver fibrosis is a major cause of morbidity and mor-tality worldwide which poses a great threat to public health. Con-siderable evidence suggests that the immune system is closely re-lated to the development of hepatic fibrosis especially the dendrit-ic cells ( DCs) . In recent years, many studies have showed that DCs play a key role in regulating the immune function of liver, which not only mediate the activation of the immune system and inflammation reaction in liver, but influence the occurrence and development of liver fibrosis. Further study has found that DCs exert different effects on liver fibrosis at different stages of the disease, and it exerts anti-fibrosis in early stages and recession period, while plays opposite effect in the middle of the disease. This article reviews the research progress of the role of DCs in liver fibrosis and discusses the underlying mechanisms of DCs in regulation of liver fibrosis, which may provide references for bas-ic and clinical studies of liver fibrosis.