Serum levels of bone sialoprotein correlate with portal pressure in patients with liver cirrhosis

Predictive value of liver and spleen stiffness measurement based on two-dimensional shear wave elastography for the portal vein pressure in patients with compensatory viral cirrhosis

Objective

This study aimed to explore the predictive value of liver and spleen stiffness measurement based on two-dimensional shear wave elastography for the portal vein pressure in patients with compensatory viral cirrhosis.

Methods

From January 2017 to August 2019, 107 patients with compensatory viral cirrhosis and 76 patients with viral hepatitis were enrolled as cirrhosis group and hepatitis group, respectively. Patient data were obtained during admission, and this study was a review and analysis of patient data. Liver stiffness measurement (LSM), spleen stiffness measurement (SSM), portal vein diameter and spleen thickness were compared between the two groups, and their diagnostic value for compensatory viral cirrhosis was analyzed. According to the hepatic vein pressure, the cirrhosis group patients were divided into non-hypertensive group (no portal hypertension, hepatic venous pressure gradient (HVPG) < 5 mmHg), mild group (mild portal hypertension, 5 mmHg ≤ HVPG ≤ 10 mmHg) and severe group (clinically significant portal hypertension group, HVPG > 10 mmHg). LSM, SSM, portal vein diameter and spleen thickness of the three groups were compared, and the correlation between SSM and hepatic vein pressure was analyzed.

Results

LSM, SSM, portal vein diameter and spleen thickness in the cirrhosis group were higher than those in hepatitis group (all P < 0.05). The area under the curve (AUC) of combined detection was larger than that of LSM, SSM and spleen thickness detection alone in liver cirrhosis diagnosis (all P < 0.05). LSM, SSM, portal vein diameter and spleen thickness increased with the increase of hepatic vein pressure in patients with liver cirrhosis (all P < 0.05). LSM, SSM, portal vein diameter and spleen thickness were all positively correlated with hepatic vein pressure (P < 0.05). ROC curve showed that AUC of combined detection was greater than that of LSM, SSM, portal vein diameter and spleen thickness alone detection in the diagnosis of clinically significant portal hypertension (all P < 0.05). The increase of LSM, SSM, portal vein diameter and spleen thickness were the influencing factors for hepatic vein pressure rising (all P < 0.05).

Conclusion

There was an increase of LSM and SSM in patients with compensatory viral cirrhosis, which were positively correlated with hepatic venous pressure, and combined index detection has diagnostic and predictive value for the change of portal venous pressure.

Effect of Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease on Some of Bone Biomarkers in Men

BACKGROUND: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is one of the common liver diseases worldwide that is not associated with alcohol consumption; it is a group of disorders caused by fat accumulation in the liver. AIM: The research aims to assess the levels of serum sialoprotein, sclerostin, and osteocalcin in men with NAFLD. METHODS: The current study was conducted in Basra city, Iraq in 2020, which includes 400 men with NAFLD, age ranges between (30 and 50) years, and 400 matched health men as controls, serum levels of study parameters were measured using the ELISA method. RESULTS: The results showed a significant decrease in the levels of serum osteocalcin but a non-significant difference in sclerostin and bone sialoprotein in men with NAFLD comparing with the control group, also age and disease severity factors did not show any significant effect on study parameters in the patient’s group. CONCLUSION: In conclusion, men with NAFLD may be prone to some disturbances in the bone health regardless of disease progression and age in Basrah city.

Balance between macrophage migration inhibitory factor and sCD74 predicts outcome in patients with acute decompensation of cirrhosis

Background & Aims

Macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) is an inflammatory cytokine and an important regulator of innate immune responses. We hypothesised that serum concentrations of MIF are associated with disease severity and outcome in patients with decompensated cirrhosis and acute-on-chronic liver failure (ACLF).

Methods

Circulating concentrations of MIF and its soluble receptor CD74 (sCD74) were determined in sera from 292 patients with acute decompensation of cirrhosis defined as new onset or worsening of ascites requiring hospitalisation. Of those, 78 (27%) had ACLF. Short-term mortality was assessed 90 days after inclusion.

Results

Although serum concentrations of MIF and sCD74 did not correlate with liver function parameters or ACLF, higher MIF (optimum cut-off >2.3 ng/ml) and lower concentrations of sCD74 (optimum cut-off <66.5 ng/ml) both indicated poorer 90-day transplant-free survival in univariate analyses (unadjusted hazard ratio [HR] 2.01 [1.26-3.22]; p = 0.004 for MIF; HR 0.59 [0.38-0.92]; p = 0.02 for sCD74) and after adjustment in multivariable models. Higher MIF concentrations correlated with surrogates of systemic inflammation (white blood cells, p = 0.005; C-reactive protein, p = 0.05) and were independent of genetic MIF promoter polymorphisms. Assessment of MIF plasma concentrations in portal venous blood and matched blood samples from the right atrium in a second cohort of patients undergoing transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt insertion revealed a transhepatic MIF gradient with higher concentrations in the right atrial blood.

Conclusions

Serum concentrations of MIF and its soluble receptor CD74 predict 90-day transplant-free survival in patients with acute decompensation of cirrhosis. This effect was independent of liver function and genetic predispositions, but rather reflected systemic inflammation. Therefore, MIF and sCD74 represent promising prognostic markers beyond classical scoring systems in patients at risk of ACLF.

Lay summary

Inflammatory processes contribute to the increased risk of death in patients with cirrhosis and ascites. We show that patients with high serum levels of the inflammatory cytokine macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) alongside low levels of its binding receptor sCD74 in blood indicate an increased mortality risk in patients with ascites. The cirrhotic liver is a relevant source of elevated circulating MIF levels.