A simple in silico strategy identifies candidate biomarkers for the diagnosis of liver fibrosis in morbidly obese subjects.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a chronic liver disorder, tightly associated with obesity. The histological spectrum of the disease ranges from simple steatosis to steatohepatitis, with different stages of fibrosis, and fibrosis stage is the most significant predictor of mortality in NAFLD. Liver biopsy continues to be the gold standard for its diagnosis and reliable non-invasive diagnostic tools are unavailable. We investigated the accuracy of candidate proteins, identified by an in silico approach, as biomarkers for diagnosis of fibrosis. METHODS: Seventy-one morbidly obese (MO) subjects with biopsy-proven NAFLD were enrolled, and the cohort was subdivided according to minimal (F0/F1) or moderate (F2/F3) fibrosis. The plasmatic level of CD44 antigen (CD44), secreted protein acidic and rich in cysteine (SPARC), epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and insulin-like growth factor 2 (IGF2) were determined by ELISA. Significant associations between plasmatic levels and histological fibrosis were determined by correlation analysis and the diagnostic accuracy by the area under receiver operating characteristic curves (AUROC). RESULTS: Eighty-two percentage of the subjects had F0/F1 and 18% with F2/F3 fibrosis. Plasmatic levels of IGF2, EGFR and their ratio (EGFR/IGF2) were associated with liver fibrosis, correlating inversely for IGF2 (P < .006) and directly (P < .018; P < .0001) for EGFR and EGFR/IGF2 respectively. The IGF2 marker had the best diagnostic accuracy for moderate fibrosis (AUROC 0.83), followed by EGFR/IGF2 ratio (AUROC 0.79) and EGFR (AUROC 0.71). CONCLUSIONS: Our study supports the potential utility of IGF2 and EGFR as non-invasive diagnostic biomarkers for liver fibrosis in morbidly obese subjects.

Factors Associated with the Quality of Transient Elastography.

BACKGROUND: Transient elastography is a noninvasive method for the evaluation of fibrosis in chronic liver disease. However, its reliability is variable, and the factors associated with its accuracy have not been identified completely. AIMS: To identify the factors associated with the reliability of transient elastography. METHODS: A total of 2033 transient elastography measurements were taken from March 2009 to October 2013. Reliability was determined according to the interquartile range/median (IQR/M < 0.30 = reliable; IQR/M < 0.10 = very reliable). Other indicators such as the percentage of successful measurements (>60 %), time of performance, and probe size were recorded. Potential factors that could affect the reliability of the procedure were analyzed using multivariate logistic regression. RESULTS: Slightly less than 5 % of the measurements were unsuccessful, and 83 % of the successful measurements were found to be reliable. Factors associated with an unsuccessful measurement were female gender, incorrect probe size, and the presence of HCV infection. Unreliable measurements were associated with use of the procedure as part of a clinical study and success rate. Very reliable evaluations were associated with >10 measurements, the presence of chronic hepatic disease, and a success rate of >60 %. CONCLUSIONS: The operator and clinical and anthropometric characteristics are factors that influence the success and reliability of transient elastography. Improvements in the quality of the procedure are needed to provide better diagnostic accuracy in clinical practice.

Liver involvement in severe human influenza a H1N1.

Influenza A is a disease caused by a RNA virus, member of the orthomyxoviridae family. The influenza infection is characterized primarily by pulmonary affection that may advance to an acute pulmonary respiratory failure course. Hepatic involvement is not frequent and accounts for < 3% of all cases. We describe two patients with acute Influenza A H1N1 infection who developed hepatic involvement. Needle core liver biopsy of one of the patient revealed only micro and macrovesicular steatosis.

[Rhabdomyolysis and acute renal failure in human influenza A H1N1 mediated infection]. / Rabdomiólisis e insuficiencia renal aguda en infección por influenza humana A H1N1.

Rabdomiolysis and acute renal failure secondary to influenza infection are rare. Up to now, few cases have been reported and most of them are primarily among children. Myositis associated to influenza infection is caused by the toxic effect of the virus in the muscular fiber, dysregulation of inflammatory cytokines and a cross reaction between the muscle fiber and the viral particles. We present the case of a 57 year old male with a diagnosis of H1N1 influenza who developed polyuria, oligoanuria, elevation of lactic dehydrogenase, myoglobin, creatinin phosphokinase and an electromyography with a myopathic pattern. The diagnosis of rabdomyolisis and acute renal failure were made, hemodyalisis was started and the patient improved satisfactorily. This is the first report of a patient with radmoyolisis and acute renal failure secondary to A H1N1 influenza treated during the Mexico epidemic.