Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Role Of Mechanoregulation In Mast Cell-Mediated Immune Inflammation Of The Smooth Muscle In The Pathophysiology Of Esophageal Motility Disorders, Raj Goyal, Satish Rattan

Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology Faculty Papers

Major esophageal disorders involve obstructive transport of bolus to the stomach, causing symptoms of dysphagia and impaired clearing of the refluxed gastric contents. These may occur due to mechanical constriction of the esophageal lumen or loss of relaxation associated with deglutitive inhibition, as in achalasia-like disorders. Recently, immune inflammation has been identified as an important cause of esophageal strictures and the loss of inhibitory neurotransmission. These disorders are also associated with smooth muscle hypertrophy and hypercontractility, whose cause is unknown. This review investigated immune inflammation in the causation of smooth muscle changes in obstructive esophageal bolus transport. Findings suggest that …

Hepatitis C Virus Detection And Management After Implementation Of Universal Screening In Pregnancy, Sarah Boudova, Danielle Tholey, Elizabeth Ferries-Rowe

Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology Faculty Papers

BACKGROUND: Accurately identifying cases of hepatitis C virus has important medical and public health consequences. In the setting of rising hepatitis C virus prevalence and highly effective treatment with direct-acting antivirals, the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine guidelines recently changed to recommend universal screening for hepatitis C virus during pregnancy. However, there is little data on the influence of this policy change on case identification and management. OBJECTIVE: We aimed to examine the influence of universal hepatitis C virus screening on our patient population. Our primary objective was to determine if there was a difference in the detected hepatitis C virus …

Pharmacotherapy For Primary Biliary Cholangitis: An Assessment Of Medication Candidacy And Rates Of Treatment, Nicholas Macdonald, Rebecca Loh, Jonathan Fenkel, David Sass, Dina Halegoua-De Marzio

Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology Faculty Papers

BACKGROUND: Ursodeoxycholic acid is the preferred first-line therapy for primary biliary cholangitis. Alternative therapies, such as obeticholic acid, are recommended for patients who cannot tolerate ursodeoxycholic acid or who have an inadequate response to ursodeoxycholic acid monotherapy. Prior investigations have suggested that as many as 30% of patients with primary biliary cholangitis may have never received treatment with ursodeoxycholic acid. No prior investigations have examined usage rates of obeticholic acid in the treatment of primary biliary cholangitis.

METHODS: All patients with an ICD-10 diagnosis of primary biliary cholangitis who had any records within the health system were included. A review …

Chronic Hepatitis B: A Summarized Anecdote Of Complexities In Natural History, Treatment, And Complications, Nicholas Noverati, Jay W. Jun, Vivan Yan, Dina Halegoua-De Marzio, Hie-Won Hann

Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology Faculty Papers

Chronic hepatitis B is still a disease process that affects millions around the world. Serologies used to diagnose and follow the progression (or resolution) of the disease can be confusing for clinicians. Further, throughout years of treatment, there may be nuances in presentation that complicate management even further. In this short communication, we highlight six themes in response to treatment and outcomes, including complications. We have the unique perspective of following many patients over extended periods of time at our institution, which has brought these themes to life in order that they can be shared with other clinicians who may …

Hormone Replacement Therapy Is Associated With Disease Activity Improvement Among Post-Menopausal Women With Inflammatory Bowel Disease, Morgan Freeman, Lauren Lally, Levi Teigen, Elliot Graziano, Raina Shivashankar, Eugenia Shmidt

Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology Faculty Papers

(1) Background: There are limited data available to guide clinical decision-making regarding the effects of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) in post-menopausal women with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). In this study, we sought to characterize a population of post-menopausal women with IBD and to determine the effects of HRT on their disease activity. (2) Methods: A multicenter, retrospective, case–control cohort study of post-menopausal women with IBD was conducted. The physician global assessment (PGA) score was used to quantify disease activity. To control for the effects of menopause, IBD patients who had not undergone HRT were used as controls. (3) Results: There …

Novel Urine Cell-Free Dna Methylation Markers For Hepatocellular Carcinoma, Selena Lin, Wei Xia, Amy Kim, Dion Chen, Shelby Schleyer, Lin Choi, Zhili Wang, James Hamilton, Harry Luu, Hie-Won Hann, Ting-Tsung Chang, Chi-Tan Hu, Abashai Woodard, Terence Gade, Ying-Hsiu Su

Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology Faculty Papers

An optimized hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC)-targeted methylation next generation sequencing assay was developed to discover HCC-associated methylation markers directly from urine for HCC screening. Urine cell-free DNA (ucfDNA) isolated from a discovery cohort of 31 non-HCC and 30 HCC was used for biomarker discovery, identifying 29 genes with differentially methylated regions (DMRs). Methylation-specific qPCR (MSqPCR) assays were developed to verify the selected DMRs corresponding to 8 genes (GRASP, CCND2, HOXA9, BMP4, VIM, EMX1, SFRP1, and ECE). Using archived ucfDNA, methylation of GRASP, HOXA9, BMP4, and ECE1, were found to be significantly different (p < 0.05) between HCC and non-HCC patients. The four markers together with previously reported GSTP1 and RASSF1A markers were assessed as a 6-marker panel in an independent training cohort of 87 non-HCC and 78 HCC using logistic regression modeling. AUROC of 0.908 (95% CI, 0.8656-0.9252) was identified for the 6-marker panel with AFP, which was significantly higher than AFP-alone (AUROC 0.841 (95% CI, 0.778-0.904), p = 0.0026). Applying backward selection method, a 4-marker panel was found to exhibit similar performance to the 6-marker panel with AFP having 80% sensitivity compared to 29.5% by AFP-alone at a specificity of 85%. This study supports the potential use of methylated transrenal ucfDNA for HCC screening.

Acute Hepatic Porphyrias: Recommendations For Diagnosis And Management With Real-World Examples, Akshata Moghe, Amy Dickey, Angelika Erwin, Rebecca K. Leaf, Alan O'Brien, John G. Quigley, Manish Thapar, Karl E. Anderson

Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology Faculty Papers

Acute hepatic porphyria (AHP) is a group of four rare inherited diseases, each resulting from a deficiency in a distinct enzyme in the heme biosynthetic pathway. Characterized by acute neurovisceral symptoms that may mimic other medical and psychiatric conditions, lack of recognition of the disease often leads to a delay in diagnosis and initiation of effective treatment. Biochemical testing for pathway intermediates that accumulate when the disease is active forms the basis for screening and establishing a diagnosis. Subsequent genetic analysis identifies the pathogenic variant, supporting screening of family members and genetic counseling. Management of AHP involves avoidance of known …

The Long Game: A Functional Cure Is Possible With Nucleoside Analogues And The Tincture Of Time, Nicholas Noverati, Vivian Yan, Jay Jun, Dina Halegoua-De Marzio, Hie-Won Hann

Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology Faculty Papers

Chronic hepatitis B is still prevalent globally. Many patients are treated for many years with nucleos(t)ide analogues to prevent the virus from actively replicating. However, although it typically requires consecutive treatment for more than 10 years, patients can achieve a functional cure from this virus. This case series presents details of functional cures in patients who received varying nucleos(t)ide therapies for an average of 15.3 years before losses of hepatitis B surface antigen and viral load were observed. It is imperative to understand that abbreviating therapy once a functional cure is achieved may be a possibility in treating patients in …

A Novel Endoscopic Ultrasound-Guided Transluminal Anchor Device, Abhishek Agnihotri, Alexander Schlachterman

Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology Faculty Papers

No abstract provided.

Safety And Indications For Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangiopancreatography In Liver Transplant Patients: An Analysis Of The United States’ National Inpatient Sample Database, Zahid Ijaz Tarar, Umer Farooq, Mustafa Gandhi, Muhammad Usman Zafar, Saad Saleem, Faisal Kamal

Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology Faculty Papers

BACKGROUND: Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) is performed to treat biliary complications after a liver transplantation; however, the previously available literature on the safety of ERCP in liver transplant patients is limited. We aimed to study the safety of ERCP in liver transplant patients.

METHODS: We used a National Inpatient Sample database from 2016-2019 to identify patients who underwent ERCP and had a history of a liver transplantation, using the international classification of diseases, 10

RESULTS: Liver transplant patients who underwent ERCP had a higher rate of post-ERCP pancreatitis and bleeding compared to the general adult population (11.39% vs. 9.19%, 0.83% …

Chronicles Of Hbv And The Road To Hbv Cure, Rukaiya Bashir Hamidu, Richard R. Hann, Hie-Won Hann

Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology Faculty Papers

Chronic hepatitis B remains a major public health concern and a leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide, specifically through its causative role in chronic liver disease and hepatocellular carcinoma. Worldwide, it affects up to 292 million people. In this paper, we review the historic discovery of the hepatitis B virus and chronicle the significant advances in our understanding of the virus and its interactions with the human host to cause disease. We also overview advancements in therapies for hepatitis B virus and the current absence of curative therapies and highlight on-going therapeutic efforts in search of curative therapies to …

Acute Systemic Infection-Associated Russell Body Gastroesophagitis: A Case Report And Literature Review, Elizaveta Flerova, Susan Inniss, Nneamaka Nwaoduah, Richard P. Denicola, Jialing Huang

Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology Faculty Papers

Russell body esophagitis/gastritis (RBG) is a rare gastrointestinal inflammatory condition characterized by accumulation of plasma cells containing dense eosinophilic cytoplasmic inclusions, i.e., Russell bodies. Herein, we report a case of RBG in a patient with a systemic inflammation background. A 61-year-old female presented with oral infection. Upper gastrointestinal endoscopy revealed patchy salmon-colored esophageal mucosa proximally to the gastroesophageal junction, suggestive of “Barrett’s esophagus”. Histologic examination of the biopsy tissue from the lower esophagus showed diffuse lymphoplasmacytic infiltration with abundant admixed enlarged plasma cells (Mott cells) containing bright eosinophilic, round, dense, homogenous inclusions (Russell bodies) in cytoplasm. Immunohistochemical study demonstrated membranous …

Mendelian Randomization Analysis Reveals A Complex Genetic Interplay Among Atopic Dermatitis, Asthma, And Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease, Kwangmi Ahn, Raymond B. Penn, Satish Rattan, Reynold A. Panettieri, Benjamin F. Voight, Steven S. An

Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology Faculty Papers

RATIONALE: Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is commonly associated with atopic disorders, but cause-effect relationships remain unclear.

OBJECTIVES: We applied Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis to explore whether GERD is causally related to atopic disorders of the lung (asthma) and/or skin (atopic dermatitis).

METHODS: We conducted two-sample bidirectional MR to infer the magnitude and direction of causality between asthma and GERD, using summary statistics from the largest genome-wide association studies (GWAS) conducted on asthma (N_cases=56,167) and GERD (N_cases=71,522). Additionally, we generated instrumental variables (IVs) for atopic dermatitis (AD) from the latest population-level GWAS meta-analysis (N_cases=22,474) and …

Alcoholic Vs. Nonalcoholic Steatohepatitis: Vascular Branching Heterogeneity On Magnetic Resonance Imaging As A Diagnostic Marker, Daniel Garrido, Nicholas Noverati, Justin Robbins, Jaydev K. Dave, Haresh V. Naringrekar, Donald Mitchell, Dina Halegoua-De Marzio

Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology Faculty Papers

Background and aims: Distinguishing alcoholic steatohepatitis (ASH) and nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) with biopsy alone is often difficult without a reliable clinical context. A novel finding on liver imaging, perivascular branching heterogeneity, has shown promise in distinguishing between these chronic liver diseases. Our study investigated the role of this finding on imaging to differentiate between ASH and NASH. The aim of this study was to determine the utility and reproducibility of this novel radiographic marker to help distinguish ASH from NASH.

Methods: This was a retrospective cohort study conducted between 2016 and 2020 in patients with both liver biopsy-confirmed steatohepatitis/chronic hepatitis …

Myocardial Infarction With Nonobstructive Coronary Arteries In New-Onset Inflammatory Bowel Disease, Benjamin B. Claxton, George Sun, Ritu Nahar, Christopher Henry

Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology Faculty Papers

No abstract provided.

Treatment Of Severe Swallowing Dysfunction In Systemic Sclerosis With Ivig: Role Of Antimuscarinic Antibodies, Fabian A Mendoza, Anthony J. Dimarino, Sidney Cohen, Christopher Adkins, Shady Abdelbaki, Satish Rattan, Christopher Cao, Susie Denuna-Rivera, Sergio A. Jimenez

Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology Faculty Papers

Oropharyngeal and esophageal dysmotility can cause serious clinical complications such as aspiration pneumonia, cachexia, and sarcopenia, with a resulting increase in mortality and disability. The current standard of care for the treatment of SSc-associated swallowing dysfunction is mainly supportive, although severe cases are usually refractory to conventional management. Recent studies have shown that the abnormal production of functional autoantibodies such as anti-cholinergic muscarinic receptor III antibodies may participate in the pathogenesis of SSc-associated gastrointestinal dysmotility and may provide a novel target for therapeutic intervention. We describe two patients with severe and rapid onset of SSc-associated severe swallowing dysfunction and esophageal …

Disease Burden In Patients With Acute Hepatic Porphyria: Experience From The Phase 3 Envision Study, Bruce Wang, Paolo Ventura, Kei-Ichiro Takase, Manish Thapar, David Cassiman, Ilja Kubisch, Shangbin Liu, Marianne T Sweetser, Manisha Balwani

Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology Faculty Papers

BACKGROUND: Acute hepatic porphyria (AHP) is a family of four rare genetic diseases, each involving deficiency in a hepatic heme biosynthetic enzyme. Resultant overproduction of the neurotoxic intermediates δ-aminolevulinic acid (ALA) and porphobilinogen (PBG) leads to disabling acute neurovisceral attacks and progressive neuropathy. We evaluated the AHP disease burden in patients aged ≥ 12 years in a post hoc analysis of the Phase 3, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled ENVISION trial of givosiran (NCT03338816), an RNA interference (RNAi) therapeutic that targets the enzyme ALAS1 to decrease ALA and PBG production. We analyzed baseline AHP severity via chronic symptoms between attacks, comorbidities, concomitant …

Functional, Diagnostic And Therapeutic Aspects Of Bile, Monjur Ahmed

Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology Faculty Papers

Bile is a unique body fluid synthesized in our liver. Enterohepatic circulation preserves bile in our body through its efficient synthesis, transport, absorption, and reuptake. Bile is the main excretory route for bile salts, bilirubin, and potentially harmful exogenous lipophilic substances. The primary way of eliminating cholesterol is bile. Although bile has many organic and inorganic contents, bile acid is the most physiologically active component. Bile acids have a multitude of critical physiologic functions in our body. These include emulsification of dietary fat, absorption of fat and fat-soluble vitamins, maintaining glucose, lipid, and energy homeostasis, sustenance of intestinal epithelial integrity …

Ischemic Bowel Disease In 2021, Monjur Ahmed

Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology Faculty Papers

Ischemic bowel disease (ISBODI) includes colon ischemia, acute mesenteric ischemia (AMI) and chronic mesenteric ischemia (CMI). Epidemiologically, colon ischemia is the most common type followed by AMI and CMI. There are various risk factors for the development of ISBODI. Abdominal pain is the common presenting symptom of each type. High clinical suspicion is essential in ordering appropriate tests. Imaging studies and colonoscopy with biopsy are the main diagnostic tests. Treatment varies from conservative measures to surgical resection and revascularization. Involvement of multidisciplinary team is essential in managing ISBODI. Although open surgery with revascularization plays an important role, recently there is …

Gender Disparity In Host Responses To Hepatitis B-Related Hepatocellular Carcinoma: A Case Series, Rukaiya Bashir-Hamidu, Divya Chalikonda, Hie-Won Hann

Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology Faculty Papers

Chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is one of the most common causes of hepato-cellular carcinoma (HCC), a malignant tumor with high mortality worldwide. One remarkable clinical feature of HBV-related HCC is that the risk of development is higher in males and post-menopausal females compared to other females. Increasing evidence also indicates that the prognosis of HBV-associated HCC may involve gender disparity, with females having more favorable out-comes. The proposed mechanism of this gender disparity is thought to be complex and multifactorial. Attributions have been made to gender differences in behavioral risk factors, host stress, immune response, psychology, metabolic risk …

Exploiting The Power Of Information In Medical Education., William B. Cutrer, W. Anderson Spickard, Marc M. Triola, Bradley L. Allen, Nathan Spell, Steven K. Herrine, John L. Dalrymple, Paul N. Gorman, Kimberly D. Lomis

Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology Faculty Papers

The explosion of medical information demands a thorough reconsideration of medical education, including what we teach and assess, how we educate, and whom we educate. Physicians of the future will need to be self-aware, self-directed, resource-effective team players who can synthesize and apply summarized information and communicate clearly. Training in metacognition, data science, informatics, and artificial intelligence is needed. Education programs must shift focus from content delivery to providing students explicit scaffolding for future learning, such as the Master Adaptive Learner model. Additionally, educators should leverage informatics to improve the process of education and foster individualized, precision education. Finally, attributes …

Novel And Emerging Therapies For Inflammatory Bowel Disease., Badr Al-Bawardy, Raina Shivashankar, Deborah D Proctor

Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology Faculty Papers

Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) such as ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease are chronic, relapsing and remitting disorders of intestinal inflammation with potential systemic manifestations. Despite the availability of current biologics, such as anti-tumor necrosis factor (anti-TNF), anti-integrins, anti-interleukins and small molecules such as tofacitinib, the rates of primary and secondary treatment failure remain high in IBD. This highlights the importance of continued development of new therapeutic targets and modifications of existing ones to improve the treatment response rates and to also improve the safety profile and tolerability of these medications. In this review we will discuss novel treatment target agents …

Liver Cancer-Specific Serine Protease Inhibitor Kazal Is A Potentially Novel Biomarker For The Early Detection Of Hepatocellular Carcinoma, Felix Lu, Pir Ahmad Shah, Abhishek Rao, Cynthia Gifford-Hollingsworth, Anne Chen, Gary Trey, Mina Soryal, Arslan Talat, Aysha Aslam, Bilal Nasir, Saad Choudhry, Rizwan Ishtiaq, Hanna Sanoff, Lanla F Conteh, Anne Noonan, Ke-Qin Hu, Carl Schmidt, Janssen Research & Development, Jesse M. Civan, Gary Xiao, Daryl T-Y Lau, Xuanyong Lu

Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology Faculty Papers

Introduction: Liver cancer-secreted serine protease inhibitor Kazal (LC-SPIK) is a protein that is specifically elevated in cases of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). We assessed the performance of LC-SPIK in detecting HCC, including its early stages, in patients with cirrhosis, hepatitis B virus (HBV), and hepatitis C virus (HCV).

Methods: We enrolled 488 patients, including 164 HCC patients (81 early HCC) and 324 controls in a blinded, prospective, case-control study. Serum LC-SPIK levels were determined by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay-based assay. The performance of serum LC-SPIK and α-fetoprotein (AFP), including area under the curve (AUC), sensitivity, and specificity, are compared. The performance …

Patient Factors Influencing Acute Gluten Reactions And Cytokine Release In Treated Coeliac Disease., Jason A Tye-Din, A James M Daveson, Kaela E Goldstein, Holly L Hand, Kristin M Neff, Gautam Goel, Leslie J Williams, Kenneth E Truitt, Robert P Anderson, Anthony Dimariono (Reset Ced Study Group)

Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology Faculty Papers

BACKGROUND: Patients with coeliac disease (CD) commonly report a variety of adverse symptoms to gluten, but descriptions of the symptomatic response in the literature may have been confounded by the presence of food components such as fermentable carbohydrates (FODMAPs) causing symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome independent of gluten. In recent unmasked and masked low FODMAP gluten challenge studies in small groups of treated CD patients, nausea and vomiting were shown to be the key symptoms associated with serum interleukin (IL)-2 release. Our objective was to utilise a large and diverse cohort of people with CD undertaking a standardised gluten food …

The Triple Helix Of Clinical, Research, And Education Missions In Academic Health Centers: A Qualitative Study Of Diverse Stakeholder Perspectives., Jed D. Gonzalo, Michael Dekhtyar, Kelly J. Caverzagie, Barbara K. Grant, Steven K. Herrine, Abraham M. Nussbaum, Darlene Tad-Y, Earla White, Daniel R. Wolpaw

Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology Faculty Papers

Introduction: Academic health centers are poised to improve health through their clinical, education, and research missions. However, these missions often operate in silos. The authors explored stakeholder perspectives at diverse institutions to understand challenges and identify alignment strategies.

Methods: Authors used an exploratory qualitative design and thematic analysis approach with data obtained from electronic surveys sent to participants at five U.S. academic health centers (2017-18), with four different types of medical school/health system partnerships. Participants included educators, researchers, system leaders, administrators, clinical providers, resident/fellow physicians, and students. Investigators coded data using constant comparative analysis, met regularly to reconcile uncertainties, and …

Changing Population Of Liver Transplant Recipients In The Era Of Direct-Acting Antiviral Therapy, Chencheng Xie, Yong-Fang Kuo, Ashwani K Singal

Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology Faculty Papers

Background and Aims: With the availability of direct-acting antiviral (DAA) therapy for hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection and changing liver disease etiology for liver transplantation (LT), data on the changes in LT recipient population in the DAA era are scanty. Methods: The United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) registry (01/2007 to 06/2018) was used to develop a retrospective cohort of LT recipients for HCV, alco-hol-associated liver disease (ALD), and non-alcoholic steato-hepatitis (NASH). LT recipients in the DAA era (2013-2018) were compared with those in the pre-DAA era (2007-2012) era for recipient characteristics. Chi-square and analysis of variance were the statistical …

Recent Advances In The Management Of Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumor., Monjur Ahmed

Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology Faculty Papers

Gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST) is a rare but an important clinical entity seen in our clinical practice. It is the most common mesenchymal tumor of the gastrointestinal tract and most common malignancy of the small intestine. Although the exact prevalence of GIST is not known, the incidence of GIST has been increasing. GISTs arise from interstitial cells of Cajal. Most of the GISTs occur due to mutation in c-kit gene or platelet derived growth factor receptor alpha gene. 15% of GISTs do not have these mutations and they are called wild-type GISTs. Almost all GISTs express KIT receptor tyrosine kinase. …

Employment And Patient Satisfaction After Liver Transplantation, Christopher Cao, Dina Halegoua-De Marzio, Shady Guirguis, Crystal Chen, Jonathan M. Fenkel, Steven Herrine

Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology Faculty Papers

Background and Aims: This study serves to revisit the effects of liver transplantation (LT) on employment in an era of improving survival outcomes post-transplant, and to identify areas of improvement in the transplant process to better op-timize post-LT employment and patient satisfaction. Methods: Prospectively, patients who had undergone LT at a single tertiary LT center were surveyed in person and by e-mail. Primary outcomes included employment rate pre-and post-LT, annual salary, weekly hours worked, barriers to re-employment, and patient satisfaction. Results: Responses were collected and analyzed from 121 patients who underwent LT. Pre-LT, 68 (56.1%) reported full-time employ-ment, 13 (10.7%) …

Timely Diagnosis And Staging Of Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease Using Transient Elastography And Clinical Parameters., Christine Shieh, Dina L. Halegoua-De Marzio, Matthew L. Hung, Jonathan M. Fenkel, Steven K. Herrine

Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology Faculty Papers

Background and Aim: There is no standardized guideline to screen, image, or refer patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) to a specialist. In this study, we used transient elastography (TE) to examine the fibrosis stages at which patients are first diagnosed with NAFLD. Subsequently, we analyzed metabolic markers to establish cut-offs beyond which noninvasive imaging should be considered to confirm NAFLD/non-alcoholic steatohepatitis fibrosis in patients.

Methods: Charts spanning July 2015-April 2018 for 116 NAFLD patients who had TE performed were reviewed. Univariate and multivariate analysis of metabolic markers was conducted.

Results: At the first hepatology visit, TE showed 73% …

Role Of Probiotics In Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease: Does Gut Microbiota Matter?, Chencheng Xie, Dina Halegoua-De Marzio

Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology Faculty Papers

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the hepatic consequence of metabolic syndrome, which often also includes obesity, diabetes, and dyslipidemia. The connection between gut microbiota (GM) and NAFLD has attracted significant attention in recent years. Data has shown that GM affects hepatic lipid metabolism and influences the balance between pro/anti-inflammatory effectors in the liver. Although studies reveal the association between GM dysbiosis and NAFLD, decoding the mechanisms of gut dysbiosis resulting in NAFLD remains challenging. The potential pathophysiology that links GM dysbiosis to NAFLD can be summarized as: (1) disrupting the balance between energy harvest and expenditure, (2) promoting hepatic …