Glycated haemoglobin is a major predictor of disease severity in patients with NAFLD.

OBJECTIVES: Currently, non-invasive scoring systems to stage the severity of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) do not consider markers of glucose control (glycated haemoglobin, HbA1c); this study aimed to define the relationship between HbA1c and NAFLD severity in patients with and without type 2 diabetes. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: Data were obtained from 857 patients with liver biopsy staged NAFLD. Generalized-linear models and binomial regression analysis were used to define the relationships between histological NAFLD severity, age, HbA1c, and BMI. Paired biopsies from interventional studies (n = 421) were used to assess the impact of change in weight, HbA1c and active vs. placebo treatment on improvements in steatosis, non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), and fibrosis. RESULTS: In the discovery cohort (n = 687), risk of severe steatosis, NASH and advanced fibrosis correlated positively with HbA1c, after adjustment for obesity and age. These data were endorsed in a separate validation cohort (n = 170). Predictive modelling using HbA1c and age was non-inferior to the established non-invasive biomarker, Fib-4, and allowed the generation of HbA1c, age, and BMI adjusted risk charts to predict NAFLD severity. Following intervention, reduction in HbA1c was associated with improvements in steatosis and NASH after adjustment for weight change and treatment, whilst fibrosis change was only associated with weight change and treatment. CONCLUSIONS: HbA1c is highly informative in predicting NAFLD severity and contributes more than BMI. Assessments of HbA1c must be a fundamental part of the holistic assessment of patients with NAFLD and, alongside age, can be used to identify patients with highest risk of advanced disease.

Progress is impossible without change: understanding the evolving nomenclature of steatotic liver disease and its effect on hepatology practice.

The American, European, and Latin American liver societies have proposed a change in the nomenclature we use to describe alcohol-related liver disease and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. Additionally, a term encompassing both is now advocated: steatotic liver disease, which includes metabolic dysfunction associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) and MASLD with greater alcohol consumption (MetALD). These classifications offer increased relevance for clinicians, researchers, and patients alike. In this Viewpoint, we discuss the basis for this nomenclature shift and how it was developed. We also explore the challenges that will be faced in the adoption of such change. The proposed change seeks to banish stigma associated with phrasing such as alcoholic and fatty. However stigma, particularly related to the term fatty, is culturally nuanced, and reflects different entities depending on location. If such a change is internationally accepted, there will be wide-reaching effects on practitioners in primary care and metabolic medicine, and on patients. We discuss those effects and the opportunities the nomenclature change could offer, particularly for patients with alcohol and metabolic risk factors who represent a group previously ignored by clinical trials.

Translating the potential of the urine steroid metabolome to stage NAFLD (TrUSt-NAFLD): study protocol for a multicentre, prospective validation study.

INTRODUCTION: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) affects approximately one in four individuals and its prevalence continues to rise. The advanced stages of NAFLD with significant liver fibrosis are associated with adverse morbidity and mortality outcomes. Currently, liver biopsy remains the 'gold-standard' approach to stage NAFLD severity. Although generally well tolerated, liver biopsies are associated with significant complications, are resource intensive, costly, and sample only a very small area of the liver as well as requiring day case admission to a secondary care setting. As a result, there is a significant unmet need to develop non-invasive biomarkers that can accurately stage NAFLD and limit the need for liver biopsy. The aim of this study is to validate the use of the urine steroid metabolome as a strategy to stage NAFLD severity and to compare its performance against other non-invasive NAFLD biomarkers. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: The TrUSt-NAFLD study is a multicentre prospective test validation study aiming to recruit 310 patients with biopsy-proven and staged NAFLD across eight centres within the UK. 150 appropriately matched control patients without liver disease will be recruited through the Oxford Biobank. Blood and urine samples, alongside clinical data, will be collected from all participants. Urine samples will be analysed by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectroscopy to quantify a panel of predefined steroid metabolites. A machine learning-based classifier, for example, Generalized Matrix Relevance Learning Vector Quantization that was trained on retrospective samples, will be applied to the prospective steroid metabolite data to determine its ability to identify those patients with advanced, as opposed to mild-moderate, liver fibrosis as a consequence of NAFLD. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: Research ethical approval was granted by West Midlands, Black Country Research Ethics Committee (REC reference: 21/WM/0177). A substantial amendment (TrUSt-NAFLD-SA1) was approved on 26 November 2021. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: ISRCTN19370855.

A global action agenda for turning the tide on fatty liver disease.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Fatty liver disease is a major public health threat due to its very high prevalence and related morbidity and mortality. Focused and dedicated interventions are urgently needed to target disease prevention, treatment, and care. APPROACH AND RESULTS: We developed an aligned, prioritized action agenda for the global fatty liver disease community of practice. Following a Delphi methodology over 2 rounds, a large panel (R1 n = 344, R2 n = 288) reviewed the action priorities using Qualtrics XM, indicating agreement using a 4-point Likert-scale and providing written feedback. Priorities were revised between rounds, and in R2, panelists also ranked the priorities within 6 domains: epidemiology, treatment and care, models of care, education and awareness, patient and community perspectives, and leadership and public health policy. The consensus fatty liver disease action agenda encompasses 29 priorities. In R2, the mean percentage of "agree" responses was 82.4%, with all individual priorities having at least a super-majority of agreement (> 66.7% "agree"). The highest-ranked action priorities included collaboration between liver specialists and primary care doctors on early diagnosis, action to address the needs of people living with multiple morbidities, and the incorporation of fatty liver disease into relevant non-communicable disease strategies and guidance. CONCLUSIONS: This consensus-driven multidisciplinary fatty liver disease action agenda developed by care providers, clinical researchers, and public health and policy experts provides a path to reduce the prevalence of fatty liver disease and improve health outcomes. To implement this agenda, concerted efforts will be needed at the global, regional, and national levels.

Automated and reproducible cell identification in mass cytometry using neural networks.

The principal use of mass cytometry is to identify distinct cell types and changes in their composition, phenotype and function in different samples and conditions. Combining data from different studies has the potential to increase the power of these discoveries in diverse fields such as immunology, oncology and infection. However, current tools are lacking in scalable, reproducible and automated methods to integrate and study data sets from mass cytometry that often use heterogenous approaches to study similar samples. To address these limitations, we present two novel developments: (1) a pre-trained cell identification model named Immunopred that allows automated identification of immune cells without user-defined prior knowledge of expected cell types and (2) a fully automated cytometry meta-analysis pipeline built around Immunopred. We evaluated this pipeline on six COVID-19 study data sets comprising 270 unique samples and uncovered novel significant phenotypic changes in the wider immune landscape of COVID-19 that were not identified when each study was analyzed individually. Applied widely, our approach will support the discovery of novel findings in research areas where cytometry data sets are available for integration.

National study of NAFLD management identifies variation in delivery of care in the UK between 2019 to 2022.

Background & Aims: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is associated with liver and cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Recently published NAFLD Quality Standards include 11 key performance indicators (KPIs) of good clinical care. This national study, endorsed by British Association for the Study of the Liver (BASL) and British Society of Gastroenterology (BSG), aimed to benchmark NAFLD care in UK hospitals against these KPIs. Methods: This study included all new patients with NAFLD reviewed in the outpatient clinic in the months of March 2019 and March 2022. Participating UK hospitals self-registered for the study through BASL/BSG. KPI outcomes were compared using Fisher's exact or Chi-square tests. Results: Data from 776 patients with NAFLD attending 34 hospitals (England [25], Scotland [four], Wales [three], Northern Ireland [two]) were collected. A total of 85.3% of hospitals reported established local liver disease assessment pathways, yet only 27.9% of patients with suspected NAFLD had non-invasive fibrosis assessment documented at the point of referral to secondary care. In secondary care, 79.1% of patients had fibrosis assessment. Assessment of cardiometabolic risk factors including obesity, type 2 diabetes, hypertension, and smoking were conducted in 73.2%, 33.0%, 19.3%, and 54.9% of all patients, respectively. There was limited documentation of diet (35.7%) and exercise advice (55.1%). Excluding those on statins, only 9.1% of patients with NAFLD at increased cardiovascular risk (T2DM and/or QRISK-3 >10%) had documented discussion of statin treatment. Significant KPI improvements from 2019 to 2022 were evident in use of non-invasive fibrosis assessment before secondary care referral, statin recommendations, and diet and exercise recommendations. Conclusions: This national study identified substantial variation in NAFLD management in the UK with clear areas for improvement, particularly fibrosis risk assessment before secondary care referral and management of associated cardiometabolic risk factors. Impact and implications: This study identified significant variation in the management of NAFLD in the UK. Only 27.9% of patients with suspected NAFLD had non-invasive fibrosis assessment performed to identify those at greater risk of advanced liver disease before specialist referral. Greater emphasis is needed on the management of associated cardiometabolic risk factors in individuals with NAFLD. Hospitals with multidisciplinary NAFLD service provision had higher rates of fibrosis evaluation and assessment and management of cardiometabolic risk than hospitals without multidisciplinary services. Further work is needed to align guideline recommendations and real-world practice in NAFLD care.

A global research priority agenda to advance public health responses to fatty liver disease.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: An estimated 38% of adults worldwide have non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). From individual impacts to widespread public health and economic consequences, the implications of this disease are profound. This study aimed to develop an aligned, prioritised fatty liver disease research agenda for the global health community. METHODS: Nine co-chairs drafted initial research priorities, subsequently reviewed by 40 core authors and debated during a three-day in-person meeting. Following a Delphi methodology, over two rounds, a large panel (R1 n = 344, R2 n = 288) reviewed the priorities, via Qualtrics XM, indicating agreement using a four-point Likert-scale and providing written feedback. The core group revised the draft priorities between rounds. In R2, panellists also ranked the priorities within six domains: epidemiology, models of care, treatment and care, education and awareness, patient and community perspectives, and leadership and public health policy. RESULTS: The consensus-built fatty liver disease research agenda encompasses 28 priorities. The mean percentage of 'agree' responses increased from 78.3 in R1 to 81.1 in R2. Five priorities received unanimous combined agreement ('agree' + 'somewhat agree'); the remaining 23 priorities had >90% combined agreement. While all but one of the priorities exhibited at least a super-majority of agreement (>66.7% 'agree'), 13 priorities had <80% 'agree', with greater reliance on 'somewhat agree' to achieve >90% combined agreement. CONCLUSIONS: Adopting this multidisciplinary consensus-built research priorities agenda can deliver a step-change in addressing fatty liver disease, mitigating against its individual and societal harms and proactively altering its natural history through prevention, identification, treatment, and care. This agenda should catalyse the global health community's efforts to advance and accelerate responses to this widespread and fast-growing public health threat. IMPACT AND IMPLICATIONS: An estimated 38% of adults and 13% of children and adolescents worldwide have fatty liver disease, making it the most prevalent liver disease in history. Despite substantial scientific progress in the past three decades, the burden continues to grow, with an urgent need to advance understanding of how to prevent, manage, and treat the disease. Through a global consensus process, a multidisciplinary group agreed on 28 research priorities covering a broad range of themes, from disease burden, treatment, and health system responses to awareness and policy. The findings have relevance for clinical and non-clinical researchers as well as funders working on fatty liver disease and non-communicable diseases more broadly, setting out a prioritised, ranked research agenda for turning the tide on this fast-growing public health threat.

Feasibility and acceptability of a primary care liver fibrosis testing pathway centred on the diabetes annual review: PRELUDE1 prospective cohort study protocol.

INTRODUCTION: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease is the most common chronic liver disease worldwide affecting 20%-25% in the USA and Europe with a 60%-80% lifetime prevalence for people with type 2 diabetes (T2D). Fibrosis has repeatedly been demonstrated to be the major determinant of liver disease morbidity and mortality and there is currently no routine screening for liver fibrosis in at-risk T2D population. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: This 12-month prospective cohort study of automated fibrosis testing uses the fibrosis-4 score (FIB-4) in patients with T2D linked to the investigation of hospital-based versus community-based second-tier transient elastography (TE) testing. We plan to include >5000 participants across 10 General Practitioner (GP) practices in East London and Bristol. This will determine the rate of undiagnosed significant liver fibrosis in a T2D population, the feasibility of two-tier liver fibrosis screening using FIB-4 at the diabetes annual review and subsequent TE delivered either in the community or secondary care settings. This will include an intention-to-treat analysis for all those invited to attend for diabetes annual review. A qualitative substudy regarding the acceptability of the fibrosis screening pathway will comprise semistructured interviews/focus groups with primary care staff (GPs and practice nurses), and patients taking part in the wider study. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: This study received a favourable opinion from the Cambridge East research ethics committee. The results of this study will be disseminated in peer-reviewed scientific journals, conference presentations and local diabetes lay panel meetings. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: ISRCTN14585543.

Single-cell phenotypes of peripheral blood immune cells in early and late stages of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Immune and inflammatory cells respond to multiple pathological hits in the development of nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) and fibrosis. Relatively little is known about how their type and function change through the non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) spectrum. Here we used multi-dimensional mass cytometry and a tailored bioinformatic approach to study circulating immune cells sampled from healthy individuals and people with NAFLD. METHODS: Cytometry by time of flight using 36 metal-conjugated antibodies was applied to peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from biopsy-proven NASH fibrosis (late disease), steatosis (early disease), and healthy patients. Supervised and unsupervised analyses were used, findings confirmed, and mechanisms assessed using independent healthy and disease PBMC samples. RESULTS: Of 36 PBMC clusters, 21 changed between controls and disease samples. Significant differences were observed between diseases stages with changes in T cells and myeloid cells throughout disease and B cell changes in late stages. Semi-supervised gating and re-clustering showed that disease stages were associated with fewer monocytes with active signalling and more inactive NK cells; B and T cells bearing activation markers were reduced in late stages, while B cells bearing co-stimulatory molecules were increased. Functionally, disease states were associated with fewer activated mucosal-associated invariant T cells and reduced toll-like receptor-mediated cytokine production in late disease. CONCLUSION: A range of innate and adaptive immune changes begin early in NAFLD, and disease stages are associated with a functionally less active phenotype compared to controls. Further study of the immune response in NAFLD spectrum may give insight into mechanisms of disease with potential clinical application.

What's new in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease?

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the most common cause of liver disease worldwide, with an estimated prevalence of 25% in the Western World. NAFLD is a broad spectrum of disease states and while most people with NAFLD do not have progressive disease, 10-20% of patients develop histological features of inflammation (non-alcoholic steatohepatitis), fibrosis, cirrhosis and its complications. Despite this large disease burden of significant clinical impact, most people living with NAFLD are undiagnosed, disease course prediction is imprecise and there are no treatments licensed for this condition. In this review, we discuss some of the recent developments in NAFLD, focusing on disease definition and diagnosis, risk stratification and treatments.

Association of gamma-glutamyltransferase levels with total mortality, liver-related and cardiovascular outcomes: A prospective cohort study in the UK Biobank.

Background: Gamma-glutamyltransferase (GGT) levels in the blood can be a sensitive marker of liver injury but the extent to which they give insight into risk across multiple outcomes in a clinically useful way remains uncertain. Methods: Using data from 293,667 UK Biobank participants, the relationship of GGT concentrations to self-reported alcohol intake and adiposity markers were investigated. We next investigated whether GGT predicted liver-related, cardiovascular (CV) or all-cause mortality, and potentially improved CV risk prediction. Findings: Higher alcohol intake and greater waist circumference (WC) were associated with higher GGT; the association was stronger for alcohol with evidence of a synergistic effect of WC. Higher GGT concentrations were associated with multiple outcomes. Compared to a GGT of 14.5 U/L (lowest decile), values of 48 U/L for women and 60 U/L for men (common upper limits of 'normal') had hazard ratios (HRs) for liver-related mortality of 1.83 (95% CI 1.60-2.11) and 3.25 (95% CI 2.38-4.42) respectively, for CV mortality of 1.21 (95% CI 1.14-1.28) and 1.43 (95% CI 1.27-1.60) and for all-cause mortality of 1.15 (95% CI 1.12-1.18) and 1.31 (95% CI 1.24-1.38). Adding GGT to a risk algorithm for CV mortality reclassified an additional 1.24% (95% CI 0.14-2.34) of participants across a binary 5% 10-year risk threshold. Interpretation: Our study suggests that a modest elevation in GGT levels should trigger a discussion with the individual to review diet and lifestyle including alcohol intake and consideration of formal liver disease and CV risk assessment if not previously done. Funding: British Heart Foundation Centre of Research Excellence Grant (grant number RE/18/6/34217), NHS Research Scotland (grant number SCAF/15/02), the Medical Research Council (grant number MC_UU_00022/2); and the Scottish Government Chief Scientist Office (grant number SPHSU17).

Quality standards for the management of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD): consensus recommendations from the British Association for the Study of the Liver and British Society of Gastroenterology NAFLD Special Interest Group.

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is common, affecting approximately 25% of the general population. The evidence base for the investigation and management of NAFLD is large and growing, but there is currently little practical guidance to support development of services and delivery of care. To address this, we produced a series of evidence-based quality standard recommendations for the management of NAFLD, with the aim of improving patient care. A multidisciplinary group of experts from the British Association for the Study of the Liver and British Society of Gastroenterology NAFLD Special Interest Group produced the recommendations, which cover: management of people with, or at risk of, NAFLD before the gastroenterology or liver clinic; assessment and investigations in secondary care; and management in secondary care. The quality of evidence for each recommendation was evaluated by the Grading of Recommendation Assessment, Development and Evaluation tool. An anonymous modified Delphi voting process was conducted individually by each member of the group to assess the level of agreement with each statement. Statements were included when agreement was 80% or greater. From the final list of statements, a smaller number of auditable key performance indicators were selected to allow services to benchmark their practice. It is hoped that services will review their practice against our recommendations and key performance indicators and institute service development where needed to improve the care of patients with NAFLD.

The contribution of daytime sleepiness to impaired quality of life in NAFLD in an ethnically diverse population.

Health-related quality of life (HRQoL) is lower in people with NAFLD compared to the general population. Sleep disturbance resulting in daytime sleepiness is common in patients with NAFLD, but the effect of daytime sleepiness on HRQoL in NAFLD is unclear. The prevalence and natural history of NAFLD vary in different ethnic groups, but there has been limited ethnic diversity in HrQoL studies to date. We aimed to assess whether daytime sleepiness is independently associated with reduced HRQoL in an ethnically diverse UK population. We conducted HRQoL assessments using SF-36 version 2 and Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS) questionnaires in 192 people with NAFLD. Multivariate linear regression was used to identify factors independently affecting HRQoL scales. People with NAFLD reported significantly reduced physical health-related SF-36 scores compared to the general UK population. South Asian NAFLD patients reported impairment in physical health, but not mental health, approximately a decade before White NAFLD patients. In multivariate linear regression, daytime sleepiness (ESS score > 10), was the most significant independent predictor of reduced physical health. Age, BMI and liver stiffness score were also significantly associated. HRQoL is impaired earlier in patients of South Asian ethnicity. ESS score > 10, indicative of excessive daytime sleepiness, is an independent predictor of reduced HRQoL in people with NAFLD regardless of ethnicity. Daytime sleepiness should be considered as a contributing factor to reduced HRQoL in clinical practice and when evaluating patient-related outcomes in clinical trials.

Socioeconomic Factors Associated With Liver-Related Mortality From 1985 to 2015 in 36 Developed Countries.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: There is increasing disparity in liver-related mortality worldwide. Although there are many biologic and lifestyle risk factors for liver-related mortality, the effects of inequalities in social and economic determinants of health have received little attention. We investigated changes in liver-related mortality from 1985 through 2015 in 36 countries, using 4 international health and economic databases, and searched for socioeconomic factors that might influence these trends. METHODS: We collected information on sex- and country-specific liver-related mortality from countries with designated high-usability data from the World Health Organization mortality database. We obtained data on alcohol consumption per capita, the percentage of adults with a body mass index greater than 30 kg/m2, health expenditure per capita, gross domestic product per capita, Gini index, national unemployment estimates, and diabetes prevalence from the World Health Organization global health observatory data repository, the World Bank database, and the International Diabetes Federation. We examined changes in mortality using Joinpoint regression analysis. Univariate analysis and a mixed-effects linear model were used to identify factors associated with liver-related mortality. RESULTS: From 1985 to 2015, the mean liver-related deaths per 100,000 persons increased in men from 23.8 to 26.1, and in women from 9.7 to 11.9. Increased liver-related mortality was associated with male sex, a high level of alcohol consumption, obesity, and indicators of national wealth and government health expenditure gross domestic product or government expenditure on health. CONCLUSIONS: In addition to established risk factors for liver mortality, this study identified addressable economic factors associated with liver-related mortality trends. Health care professionals and policy makers may wish to consider these factors to reduce liver-related mortality.

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the most common cause of chronic liver disease worldwide. NAFLD is defined by excess fat in the liver and has a multidirectional relationship with metabolic syndrome. The prevalence of NAFLD has risen rapidly in recent years in line with the obesity epidemic and associated increases in type 2 diabetes, hypertension and hypercholesterolaemia. Patients with NAFLD are at risk of cardiovascular disease and cancer, and in a proportion of individuals, NAFLD is associated with liver damage. This article summarises the epidemiology of NAFLD, the clinical approach to risk-assessing patients and briefly outlines current and future management options.