Resting energy expenditure and substrate metabolism in patients with acute-on-chronic hepatitis B liver failure.

GOALS: This study was designed to characterize the energy metabolism in the patients with acute-on-chronic liver failure (ACLF). BACKGROUND: Protein-energy malnutrition usually occurs in the patients with chronic liver disease and is exacerbated during the progression of liver failure. Unfortunately, there is limited study to fully elucidate the energy metabolism in the patients with ACLF. STUDY: A retrospective cohort was designed with a total of 282 patients (100 patients with ACLF, 100 with liver cirrhosis, and 82 with chronic hepatitis B). Resting energy expenditure and the oxidation rates of glucose, lipid, and protein were assessed by indirect heat measurement using the critical care monitor and desktop analysis system, nutritive metabolic investigation system. Survival rate was estimated with the Kaplan-Meier method. RESULTS: There was no significant difference in resting energy expenditure among the patients with ACLF, the liver cirrhosis, and the chronic hepatitis (1402.05±480.07 kcal/d in patients with ACLF, 1274.27±316.36 kcal/d in patients with liver cirrhosis, and 1396.77±384.80 kcal/d in patients with chronic hepatitis). Respiratory quotient (RQ) was significantly lower in the patients with ACLF than those in the liver cirrhosis and the chronic hepatitis B (P=0.000). In patients with ACLF, RQ of the nonsurvival group was significantly lower than the survival group (P=0.000). It is identified from receiver operating characteristic curve analysis that a RQ cutoff value of 0.83 (area under the receiver operating characteristic curve, 0.760) is favorable to predict good prognosis in patients with liver failure, which has a sensitivity of 73.68%, a specificity of 74.42%, and positive predictive value of 79.2% and negative predictive value of 68.1%. CONCLUSIONS: In patients with ACLF, RQ was significantly lower in the nonsurvival group than the survival group, thus suggesting that RQ may be used as an indicator of prognosis of liver failure.

[Correlation research of isolated liver tissue pathology and clinical diagnosis in patients with chronic severe hepatitis B].

To study the coincidence rate of clinical diagonisis with pathological diagnosis for chronic severe hepatitis, and to screen out clinical indicators consistent with pathological diagnosis. Fifty-one patients diagnosed as chronic severe hepatitis and underwent liver transplantation in Beijing You'an hospital from November 2004 to June 2009 participated in this study. The clinical data were selected as following: ALT, AST, urea nitrogen, creatinine, glucose, cholinesterase, total cholesterol, Glutamyl endopeptidase, alkaline phosphatase, serum potassium, serum sodium, prothrombin activity and blood ammonia level. The width of the portal vein and splenic vein thickness were measured by color Doppler ultrasound and were compared in different groups. Data were ananlyzed with independent sample t test and F test. The coincidence rate between clinical and pathological diagnoses in this study was 64.7%. ALT and AST levels for Chronic severe hepatitis and decompensated cirrhosis were 675.0+/-510.0 U/L, 67.00+/-45.0 U/L ( P is less than to 0.01) and 392.0 +/-370.0 U/L, 103.0+/-59.0 U/L (P is less than to 0.01) respectively, with statistically significant difference existed. The mean level of ALT in Chronic severe hepatitis group was significantly different in the situations of onset less than 30 days or more than 30 days (means were 761.0+/-743.0 U/L and 117.0+/-112.0 U/L, P is less than to 0.01). The rate of the phenomenon of enzyme isolated bile in the chronic severe hepatitis and decompensated cirrhosis group were 78.9% and 0 respectively. The coincidence rate of clinical with pathological diagnoses for Chronic Severe Hepatitis was low, increased ALT and AST levels would help improve the diagnostic accuracy.

Improved survival ratios correlate with myeloid dendritic cell restoration in acute-on-chronic liver failure patients receiving methylprednisolone therapy.

Acute-on-chronic liver failure (ACLF) is a severe life-threatening complication. Liver transplantation is the only available therapeutic option; however, several limitations have restricted its use in patients. The use of corticosteroids as an optional therapy for ACLF has received a great deal of interest. The rationale behind its use is the possible role of the immune system in initiating and perpetuating hepatic damage. In order to assess the relationship between myeloid dendritic cells (mDCs) and the efficacy of methylprednisolone (MP) treatment for hepatitis B virus (HBV)-associated ACLF patients, we recruited 30 HBV-associated ACLF patients who had received MP treatment at 10-day intervals; 26 patients received conservative medical (CM) management as a control. The functionality of DC subsets was lower in these ACLF patients compared with healthy subjects. In addition, compared with survivors, dead/transplanted patients had lower functional mDC in both groups. Furthermore, a decreased numbers of mDC at baseline was associated with high mortality of ACLF patients. Importantly, MP treatment resulted in a significant decrease in 28-day mortality, and all MP patients exhibited an initial rapid decrease in circulating mDC numbers within 10 days of MP treatment. Subsequently, MP survivors displayed a continuous increase in mDC numbers accompanied by a decrease in total bilirubin levels by more than 30%. However, MP dead/transplanted patients lacked these sequential responses compared with survivors. This evidence suggests strongly that the higher mDC numbers at baseline and the recovery of mDC number at the end of treatment may represent a prognostic marker for favorable response to corticosteroid treatment in ACLF patients.