View clinical trials related to Liver Fibrosis.
Filter by:Soluble secreted proteins that are expressed uniquely in specific organs and whose formation of secretion is regulated by disease states are excellent markers for the disease. This is because the disease can be diagnosed by simply measuring the levels of the secreted protein in serum. A soluble form of the asialoglycoprotein receptor could be a promising candidate for such marker in the case of liver fibrosis secondary to steatohepatitis for which the existing markers are not satisfactory. The human asialoglycoprotein receptor (ASGPR) is expressed only in hepatocytes. The H2a alternatively spliced variant of the ASGPR H2 subunit differs from H2b variant only by the presence of an extra pentapeptide. EGHRG, in the exoplasmic domain next to the membrane-spanning segment. H2a is rapidly cleaved to a36 kDa fragment, comprising the entire ectodomain, which is secreted. H2a does not participate in a membrane bound receptor complex with H1 as in the case for H2b and thus it is not a subunit of the receptor but a precursor for a soluble secreted form of the protein (sH2a). Although H2a is a type II transmembrane protein, signal peptidase is probably responsible for the cleavage to the soluble form. The objective in this research proposal is to study the association between the level of sH2a. in the serum and the severity of fibrosis in steatohepatitis in patients undergoing bariatric surgery due to morbid obesity. The existence of sH2a in normal human serum is at very constant levels. On the other hand the membrane ASGPR (expressed exclusively in hepatocytes) is profoundly down - regulated in liver cancer and cirrhosis. The investigators will analyze the levels of sH2a in serum from patients with steatohepatitis in different stages of fibrosis and compare with healthy subjects. A possible early down-regulation of sH2a in fibrosis may prove to be a valuable diagnostic tool.
The main objective of the study is to evaluate the diagnostic performance of the XL probe for estimating degree of liver fibrosis/cirrhosis in obese patients > 28 kg/m² with various liver diseases in patients with chronic liver disease scheduled for a liver biopsy.
This study will assess the repeatability of Magnetic Resonance Elastography (MRE) in both healthy volunteers and Hepatitis C Virus (HCV)-infected patients with fibrosis and lay the groundwork for the validation of MRE as an alternative to liver biopsy.
The purpose of this interventional study is to evaluate the efficacy and tolerability of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) in children or adolescents with well-characterized and liver biopsy confirmed nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD).
This study will involve 70 patients who attend the Alfred Hospital with acute or chronic heart failure as well as 30 age and gender matched control subjects. All participants will have their history taking and a physical examination to detect symptoms and signs of heart failure. The main objectives are for determining the benefit and usefulness of Fibroscan (Liver scan) in detecting liver stiffness (a condition caused by excess fluid build up in the liver which has a negative impact on the livers ability to function properly) in heart failure patients and for characterizing the incidence and severity of liver stiffness in this group of patients. After informed consent, a blood sample will be taken from all patients to assess their full blood examination, glucose, lipid profiles, renal function and so on. Then 24-48 hours after enrollment, the liver doctors will do the liver scan (Fibroscan) by transient elastography. All the data are recorded and further analysis will be assessed. In a small group of acute patients the blood tests and liver scan will be repeated just prior to their discharge. Optional Sub-study: For participants who consent to the optional sub-study another 20 ml of blood for serum liver fibrotic markers will be collected.
The aim of this study is to evaluate liver fibrosis using FibroScan and biochemical markers in patients treated with methotrexate.
Patients with chronic hepatitis C who did not respond to previous antiviral treatment develop liver fibrosis leading to cirrhosis. Maintenance low dose pegylated interferon therapy of fibrosis is currently under investigation in large multicenter trials. The aim of our study is to assess if peginterferon alpha2b plus ribavirin is more efficient than peginterferon alpha2b alone. 454 patients will be randomized between the 2 arms and the efficacy will be assessed, after 3 years of treatment, on Metavir liver fibrosis score improvement.
There is evidence on the beneficial effects of the administration of angiotensin II type 1 (AT1) receptors antagonists on liver fibrosis in hepatic stellate cells, experimental models of liver fibrosis in rodents and limited information in chronic hepatitis C with mild fibrosis. The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of long-term administration of oral Losartan, an AT1 receptor antagonist, on liver fibrogenesis in patients with chronic hepatitis C and fibrosis F2-F3 (METAVIR score).
Patients who have been treated for hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection who have failed to respond to anti-viral treatment are often concerned about their ongoing liver disease and are therefore looking for alternative treatments which might prevent fibrosis progression. This view is endorsed by patient representative groups (including Charles Gore at the HepC Trust) who have welcomed this trial protocol. The study is a single centred, prospective, open labelled design. Practical as well as safety concerns dictated that the study could not be conducted in a blinded fashion, since patients taking anticoagulation require monitoring. The study consisted of two 8 week phases: Phase 1 and Phase 2. Phase 1 (observation phase, 0 to 8 weeks) and Phase 2 (treatment phase with warfarin anticoagulation, 8 to 16 weeks). Study completed at end of Phase 2.
The objective of the study is to evaluate the safety and efficacy of PEG-Intron versus no treatment for the prevention of fibrosis progression in adult participants with moderate to severe liver fibrosis secondary to chronic hepatitis C, who failed PEG-Intron plus Rebetol treatment in protocol P02370 (NCT00039871).