View clinical trials related to Liver Diseases.
Filter by:The proposed study aims to evaluate, investigate, and follow-up patients suffering from acute and chronic liver disease. The study will focus on understanding diseases affecting the liver. Patients participating in the study will first undergo a routine check-up as an outpatient. They will be asked to provide blood and urine samples for laboratory testing and will undergo an ultrasound of the liver. Ultrasound examinations use sound waves to determine the size and texture of the liver. After the initial visit subjects will be requested to follow-up once a year at the outpatient department for a similar check-up. Additional tests may be requested throughout the study to provide information for other research studies and individual consent will be requested. These tests may include liver biopsies, skin biopsies, and / or specialized blood, plasma, and lymphocyte examinations. Subjects that qualify for medications presently being studied may be offered the opportunity to benefit from experimental therapy.
This study will use magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to examine blood flow patterns in the arteries and veins of the liver and abdomen. It will 1) determine the best way to measure blood flow in these vessels, and 2) make detailed measurements of the blood flow patterns of these vessels. Information about normal liver blood flow may help explain the role of blood flow in liver disease. Normal healthy volunteers 18 years of age and older may be eligible for this study. They will undergo MRI-a diagnostic tool that uses a strong magnetic field and radio waves to show structural and chemical changes in tissue and the speed of moving blood. The patient lies on a stretcher inside a metal cylinder (the scanner) for 1 to 1.5 hours and will be required to lie very still for 10 to 15 minutes at a time. Blood pressure, heart rate, breathing and the amount of oxygen in the fingertip are measured during the scan.
To examine the pharmacokinetics (blood levels) and bioavailability of zidovudine (AZT) given to patients with HIV infection and chronic liver disease. The specific aim of the study is to provide data permitting the development of guidelines for use of AZT in patients with mild, moderate, or severe liver disease. AZT is the only antiviral agent that has been shown to be effective in patients with severe HIV infection. However, AZT is largely eliminated from the body through a biochemical reaction that takes place in the liver, and it is possible that patients with underlying liver disease may have altered AZT pharmacokinetics and may metabolize AZT differently, with the result that they are susceptible to an increased risk of serious drug toxicity. This study will examine the pharmacokinetics, elimination, and metabolism of AZT in patients with liver disease. Guidelines developed from the data will be helpful in managing AZT treatment of these HIV-infected persons and will indicate whether the dose of AZT administered should be adjusted to compensate for any changes in its bioavailability and/or pharmacokinetics.
To determine the efficacy of a hepatitis vaccine in preventing hepatitis B.
To evaluate whether hepatitis B immune globulin with a high level of antibody against the hepatitis B antigen would be capable of interrupting maternal-fetal transmission of hepatitis B virus, the single most important route of hepatitis spread in the entire Third World.