Performance of non-invasive tests for liver fibrosis resolution after bariatric surgery.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: The value of non-invasive tests for monitoring the resolution of significant liver fibrosis after treatment is poorly investigated. We compared the performances of six non-invasive tests to predict the resolution of significant fibrosis after bariatric surgery. METHODS: Participants were individuals with obesity submitted to needle liver biopsy at the time of bariatric surgery, and 12 and/or 60 months after surgery. We calculated the fibrosis-4 index (FIB-4), NAFLD fibrosis score (NFS), AST to platelet ratio index (APRI), Hepatic fibrosis score (HFS), Fibrotic NASH index (FNI), and Liver risk score (LRS) at each time point, and compared their performances for predicting significant fibrosis (F ≥ 2) and its resolution following surgery. RESULTS: At baseline, 2436 patients had liver biopsy, including 261 (10.7 %) with significant fibrosis. Overall, 672 patients had pre- and post-operative biopsies (564 at M12 and 328 at M60). The fibrosis stage decreased at M12 and M60 (p < 0.001 vs M0). Resolution of significant fibrosis occurred in 58/121 (47.9 %) at M12 and 32/50 (64 %) at M60. The mean value of all tests decreased after surgery, except for FIB-4. Performances for predicting fibrosis resolution was higher at M60 than at M12 for all tests, and maximal at M60 for FNI and LRS: area under the curve 0.843 (95%CI 0.71-0.95) and 0.92 (95%CI 0.84-1.00); positive likelihood ratio 3.75 (95 % CI 1.33-10.59) and 4.58 (95 % CI 1.65-12.70), respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Results showed the value and limits of non-invasive tests for monitoring the evolution of liver fibrosis after an intervention. Following bariatric surgery, the best performances to predict the resolution of significant fibrosis were observed at M60 with tests combining liver and metabolic traits, namely FNI and LRS.

Combining diabetes, sex, and menopause as meaningful clinical features associated with NASH and liver fibrosis in individuals with class II and III obesity: A retrospective cohort study.

OBJECTIVE: Steatotic liver disease (SLD) is frequent in individuals with obesity. In this study, type 2 diabetes (T2D), sex, and menopausal status were combined to refine the stratification of obesity regarding the risk of advanced SLD and gain further insight into disease physiopathology. METHODS: This study enrolled 1446 participants with obesity from the ABOS cohort (NCT01129297), who underwent extensive phenotyping, including liver histology and transcriptome profiling. Hierarchical clustering was applied to classify participants. The prevalence of metabolic disorders associated with steatohepatitis (NASH) and liver fibrosis (F ≥ 2) was determined within each identified subgroup and aligned to clinical and biological characteristics. RESULTS: The prevalence of NASH and F ≥ 2 was, respectively, 9.5% (N = 138/1446) and 11.7% (N = 159/1365) in the overall population, 20.3% (N = 107/726) and 21.1% (N = 106/502) in T2D patients, and 3.4% (N = 31/920) and 6.1% (N = 53/863) in non-T2D patients. NASH and F ≥ 2 prevalence was 15.4% (33/215) and 15.5% (32/206) among premenopausal women with T2D vs. 29.5% (33/112) and 30.3% (N = 36/119) in postmenopausal women with T2D (p < 0.01); and 21.0% (21/100) / 27.0% (24/89) in men with T2D ≥ age 50 years and 17.9% (17/95) / 18.5% (17/92) in men with T2D < age 50 years (NS). The distinct contribution of menopause was confirmed by the interaction between sex and age with respect to NASH among T2D patients (p = 0.048). Finally, several NASH-associated biological traits (lower platelet count; higher serum uric acid; gamma-glutamyl transferase; aspartate aminotransferase) and liver expressed genes AKR1B10 and CCL20 were significantly associated with menopause in women with T2D but not with age in men with T2D. CONCLUSIONS: This study unveiled a remarkably high prevalence of advanced SLD after menopause in women with T2D, associated with a dysfunctional biological liver profile.

Data-driven subgroups of type 2 diabetes, metabolic response, and renal risk profile after bariatric surgery: a retrospective cohort study.

BACKGROUND: A novel data-driven classification of type 2 diabetes has been proposed to personalise anti-diabetic treatment according to phenotype. One subgroup, severe insulin-resistant diabetes (SIRD), is characterised by mild hyperglycaemia but marked hyperinsulinaemia, and presents an increased risk of diabetic nephropathy. We hypothesised that patients with SIRD could particularly benefit from metabolic surgery. METHODS: We retrospectively related the newly defined clusters with the response to metabolic surgery in participants with type 2 diabetes from independent cohorts in France (the Atlas Biologique de l'Obésite Sévère [ABOS] cohort, n=368; participants underwent Roux-en-Y gastric bypass or sleeve gastrectomy between Jan 1, 2006, and Dec 12, 2017) and Brazil (the metabolic surgery cohort of the German Hospital of San Paulo, n=121; participants underwent Roux-en-Y gastric bypass between April 1, 2008, and March 20, 2016). The study outcomes were type 2 diabetes remission and improvement of estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR). FINDINGS: At baseline, 34 (9%) of 368 patients, 314 (85%) of 368 patients, and 17 (5%) of 368 patients were classified as having SIRD, mild obesity-related diabetes (MOD), and severe insulin deficient diabetes (SIDD) in the ABOS cohort, respectively, and in the São Paulo cohort, ten (8%) of 121 patients, 83 (69%) of 121 patients, and 25 (21%) of 121 patients were classified as having SIRD, MOD, and SIDD, respectively. At 1 year, type 2 diabetes remission was reported in 26 (81%) of 32 and nine (90%) of ten patients with SIRD, 167 (55%) of 306 and 42 (51%) of 83 patients with MOD, and two (13%) of 16 and nine (36%) of 25 patients with SIDD, in the ABOS and São Paulo cohorts, respectively. The mean eGFR was lower in patients with SIRD at baseline and increased postoperatively in these patients in both cohorts. In multivariable analysis, SIRD was associated with more frequent type 2 diabetes remission (odds ratio 4·3, 95% CI 1·8-11·2; p=0·0015), and an increase in eGFR (mean effect size 13·1 ml/min per 1·73 m2, 95% CI 3·6-22·7; p=0·0070). INTERPRETATION: Patients in the SIRD subgroup had better outcomes after metabolic surgery, both in terms of type 2 diabetes remission and renal function, with no additional surgical risk. Data-driven classification might help to refine the indications for metabolic surgery. FUNDING: Agence Nationale de la Recherche, Investissement d'Avenir, Innovative Medecines Initiative, Fondation Cœur et Artères, and Fondation Francophone pour la Recherche sur le Diabète.