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Gallo P, Flagiello V, Falcomatà A, Di Pasquale G, D’Avanzo G, Terracciani F, Picardi A, Vespasiani-Gentilucci U. Approaching the Sarcopenic Patient with Nonalcoholic Steatohepatitis-related Cirrhosis. J Clin Transl Hepatol 2024; 12:278-286. [PMID: 38426198 PMCID: PMC10899871 DOI: 10.14218/jcth.2023.00207] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2023] [Revised: 10/31/2023] [Accepted: 11/09/2023] [Indexed: 03/02/2024] Open
Abstract
Sarcopenia is a well-known complication of chronic liver disease (CLD), and it is almost always observed in patients with cirrhosis, at least in those with decompensated disease. Since nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), recently renamed metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD), is becoming the leading cause of end-stage liver disease, a new scenario characterized by the frequent coexistence of NAFLD, obesity, and sarcopenia is emerging. Although it is not yet resolved whether the bidirectional relationship between sarcopenia and NAFLD subtends causal determinants, it is clear that the interaction of these two conditions is associated with an increased risk of poor outcomes. Notably, during the course of CLD, deregulation of the liver-muscle-adipose tissue axis has been described. Unfortunately, owing to the lack of properly designed studies, specific therapeutic guidelines for patients with sarcopenia in the context of NAFLD-related CLD have not yet been defined. Strategies aimed to induce the loss of fat mass together with the maintenance of lean body mass seem most appropriate. This can be achieved by properly designed diets integrated with specific nutritional supplementations and accompanied by adequate physical exercise. Future studies aiming to add to the knowledge of the correct assessment and approach to sarcopenia in the context of NAFLD-related CLD are eagerly awaited.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paolo Gallo
- Operative Research Unit of Clinical Medicine and Hepatology, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Campus Bio-Medico, Via Alvaro del Portillo, Roma, Italy
| | - Valentina Flagiello
- Operative Research Unit of Clinical Medicine and Hepatology, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Campus Bio-Medico, Via Alvaro del Portillo, Roma, Italy
| | - Andrea Falcomatà
- Operative Research Unit of Clinical Medicine and Hepatology, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Campus Bio-Medico, Via Alvaro del Portillo, Roma, Italy
| | - Giulia Di Pasquale
- Operative Research Unit of Clinical Medicine and Hepatology, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Campus Bio-Medico, Via Alvaro del Portillo, Roma, Italy
| | - Giorgio D’Avanzo
- Operative Research Unit of Clinical Medicine and Hepatology, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Campus Bio-Medico, Via Alvaro del Portillo, Roma, Italy
| | - Francesca Terracciani
- Operative Research Unit of Clinical Medicine and Hepatology, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Campus Bio-Medico, Via Alvaro del Portillo, Roma, Italy
| | - Antonio Picardi
- Operative Research Unit of Clinical Medicine and Hepatology, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Campus Bio-Medico, Via Alvaro del Portillo, Roma, Italy
- Research Unit of Hepatology, Department of Medicine and Surgery, Università Campus Bio-Medico di Roma, Via Alvaro del Portillo, Roma, Italy
| | - Umberto Vespasiani-Gentilucci
- Operative Research Unit of Clinical Medicine and Hepatology, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Campus Bio-Medico, Via Alvaro del Portillo, Roma, Italy
- Research Unit of Hepatology, Department of Medicine and Surgery, Università Campus Bio-Medico di Roma, Via Alvaro del Portillo, Roma, Italy
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Vainieri AFM, Brando E, De Vincentis A, Di Pasquale G, Flagiello V, Gallo P, Barone F, Massaro Cenere T, Di Matteo E, Picardi A, Galati G. Acoustic Radiation Forced Impulse of the Liver and the Spleen, Combined with Spleen Dimension and Platelet Count in New Ratio Scores, Identifies High-Risk Esophageal Varices in Well-Compensated Cirrhotic Patients. Diagnostics (Basel) 2024; 14:685. [PMID: 38611598 PMCID: PMC11011753 DOI: 10.3390/diagnostics14070685] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/17/2024] [Revised: 03/21/2024] [Accepted: 03/22/2024] [Indexed: 04/14/2024] Open
Abstract
Acoustic radiation forced impulse (ARFI) is an integrated ultrasound method, measuring stiffness by point shear wave elastography. To evaluate the diagnostic performance of the ARFI of the liver and the spleen, combined with spleen dimension and platelet count, in predicting high-risk esophageal varices (HRVs) in cirrhotic patients, a prospective and cross-sectional study was conducted between February 2017 and February 2021. The following ratio scores were calculated based on ARFI measurements: ALSDP (ARFI Liver-Spleen Diameter-to-Platelet Ratio Score), ASSDP (ARFI Spleen-Spleen Diameter-to-Platelet Ratio Score), ASSAP (ARFI Spleen-Spleen Area-to-Platelet Ratio Score), and ALSAP (ARFI Liver-Spleen Area-to-Platelet Ratio Score). In 100 enrolled subjects, spleen ARFI, ASSDP, and ASSAP were significantly associated with HRVs in the prospective short- and long-term follow-ups and in the cross-sectional study (p < 0.05), while ALSDP and ALSAP were associated with HRVs only in the prospective long-term follow-up and cross-sectional study (p< 0.05). ASSAP was the best ARFI ratio score for HRVs at the long-term follow-up [value of area under curve (AUC) = 0.88], although all the ARFI ratio scores performed better than individual liver and spleen ARFI (AUC > 0.7). In our study, ARFI ratio scores can predict, in well-compensated cirrhotic patients, the risk of developing HVRs in short- and long-term periods.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Elisa Brando
- Operative Research Unit of Clinical Medicine and Hepatology, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Campus Bio-Medico, 00128 Rome, Italy; (E.B.); (G.D.P.); (V.F.); (P.G.); (F.B.); (E.D.M.); (A.P.)
| | - Antonio De Vincentis
- Operative Research Unit of Internal Medicine, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Campus Bio-Medico, 00128 Rome, Italy;
- Research Unit of Internal Medicine, Department of Medicine and Surgery, Università Campus Bio-Medico di Roma, 00128 Rome, Italy
| | - Giulia Di Pasquale
- Operative Research Unit of Clinical Medicine and Hepatology, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Campus Bio-Medico, 00128 Rome, Italy; (E.B.); (G.D.P.); (V.F.); (P.G.); (F.B.); (E.D.M.); (A.P.)
| | - Valentina Flagiello
- Operative Research Unit of Clinical Medicine and Hepatology, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Campus Bio-Medico, 00128 Rome, Italy; (E.B.); (G.D.P.); (V.F.); (P.G.); (F.B.); (E.D.M.); (A.P.)
- Reasearch Unit of Clinical Medicine and Hepatology, Department of Medicine and Surgery, Università Campus Bio-Medico di Roma, 00128 Rome, Italy
| | - Paolo Gallo
- Operative Research Unit of Clinical Medicine and Hepatology, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Campus Bio-Medico, 00128 Rome, Italy; (E.B.); (G.D.P.); (V.F.); (P.G.); (F.B.); (E.D.M.); (A.P.)
- Reasearch Unit of Clinical Medicine and Hepatology, Department of Medicine and Surgery, Università Campus Bio-Medico di Roma, 00128 Rome, Italy
| | - Francesca Barone
- Operative Research Unit of Clinical Medicine and Hepatology, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Campus Bio-Medico, 00128 Rome, Italy; (E.B.); (G.D.P.); (V.F.); (P.G.); (F.B.); (E.D.M.); (A.P.)
| | | | - Evelyn Di Matteo
- Operative Research Unit of Clinical Medicine and Hepatology, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Campus Bio-Medico, 00128 Rome, Italy; (E.B.); (G.D.P.); (V.F.); (P.G.); (F.B.); (E.D.M.); (A.P.)
| | - Antonio Picardi
- Operative Research Unit of Clinical Medicine and Hepatology, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Campus Bio-Medico, 00128 Rome, Italy; (E.B.); (G.D.P.); (V.F.); (P.G.); (F.B.); (E.D.M.); (A.P.)
- Reasearch Unit of Clinical Medicine and Hepatology, Department of Medicine and Surgery, Università Campus Bio-Medico di Roma, 00128 Rome, Italy
| | - Giovanni Galati
- Operative Research Unit of Clinical Medicine and Hepatology, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Campus Bio-Medico, 00128 Rome, Italy; (E.B.); (G.D.P.); (V.F.); (P.G.); (F.B.); (E.D.M.); (A.P.)
- Reasearch Unit of Clinical Medicine and Hepatology, Department of Medicine and Surgery, Università Campus Bio-Medico di Roma, 00128 Rome, Italy
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Tavaglione F, Flagiello V, Terracciani F, Gallo P, Capparelli E, Spiezia C, De Vincentis A, Palermo A, Scriccia S, Galati G, Napoli N, Daniels SJ, Blau JE, Carlsson B, Khazrai YM, Incalzi RA, Picardi A, Vespasiani-Gentilucci U. Non-invasive assessment of hepatic steatosis by ultrasound-derived fat fraction in individuals at high-risk for metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease. Diabetes Metab Res Rev 2024; 40:e3787. [PMID: 38461408 DOI: 10.1002/dmrr.3787] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2023] [Revised: 02/05/2024] [Accepted: 02/15/2024] [Indexed: 03/11/2024]
Abstract
AIMS Given the increasing number of individuals developing metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) and the low rate of those with progressive liver disease, there is a pressing need to conceive affordable biomarkers to assess MASLD in general population settings. Herein, we aimed to investigate the performance of the ultrasound-derived fat fraction (UDFF) for hepatic steatosis in high-risk individuals. METHODS A total of 302 Europeans with obesity, type 2 diabetes, or a clinical history of hepatic steatosis were included in the analyses. Clinical, laboratory, and imaging data were collected using standardized procedures during a single screening visit in Rome, Italy. Hepatic steatosis was defined by controlled attenuation parameter (CAP) or ultrasound-based Hamaguchi's score. UDFF performance for hepatic steatosis was estimated by the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC). RESULTS Overall, median (IQR) UDFF was 12% (7-20). UDFF was positively correlated with CAP (ρ = 0.73, p < 0.0001) and Hamaguchi's score (ρ = 0.79, p < 0.0001). Independent predictors of UDFF were circulating triglycerides, alanine aminotransferase (ALT), and ultrasound-measured visceral adipose tissue (VAT). UDFF AUC was 0.89 (0.85-0.93) and 0.92 (0.88-0.95) for CAP- and ultrasound-diagnosed hepatic steatosis, respectively. UDFF AUC for hepatic steatosis was higher than those of fatty liver index (FLI), hepatic steatosis index (HSI), CAP-score (CAPS), and ALT (p < 0.0001). Lower age, ALT, and VAT were associated with discordance between UDFF and ultrasound. CONCLUSIONS UDFF may be a simple and accurate imaging biomarker to assess hepatic steatosis and monitor changes in hepatic fat content over time or in response to therapeutic interventions beyond clinical trials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Federica Tavaglione
- Research Unit of Clinical Medicine and Hepatology, Department of Medicine and Surgery, Università Campus Bio-Medico di Roma, Rome, Italy
- Operative Unit of Clinical Medicine and Hepatology, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Campus Bio-Medico, Rome, Italy
| | - Valentina Flagiello
- Research Unit of Clinical Medicine and Hepatology, Department of Medicine and Surgery, Università Campus Bio-Medico di Roma, Rome, Italy
- Operative Unit of Clinical Medicine and Hepatology, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Campus Bio-Medico, Rome, Italy
| | - Francesca Terracciani
- Research Unit of Clinical Medicine and Hepatology, Department of Medicine and Surgery, Università Campus Bio-Medico di Roma, Rome, Italy
- Operative Unit of Clinical Medicine and Hepatology, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Campus Bio-Medico, Rome, Italy
| | - Paolo Gallo
- Research Unit of Clinical Medicine and Hepatology, Department of Medicine and Surgery, Università Campus Bio-Medico di Roma, Rome, Italy
- Operative Unit of Clinical Medicine and Hepatology, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Campus Bio-Medico, Rome, Italy
| | - Emma Capparelli
- Research Unit of Clinical Medicine and Hepatology, Department of Medicine and Surgery, Università Campus Bio-Medico di Roma, Rome, Italy
| | - Chiara Spiezia
- Research Unit of Food Science and Human Nutrition, Department of Science and Technology for Sustainable Development and One Health, Università Campus Bio-Medico di Roma, Rome, Italy
| | - Antonio De Vincentis
- Research Unit of Internal Medicine, Department of Medicine and Surgery, Università Campus Bio-Medico di Roma, Rome, Italy
- Operative Unit of Internal Medicine, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Campus Bio-Medico, Rome, Italy
| | - Andrea Palermo
- Research Unit of Metabolic Bone and Thyroid Disorders, Department of Medicine and Surgery, Università Campus Bio-Medico di Roma, Rome, Italy
- Operative Unit of Metabolic Bone and Thyroid Disorders, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Campus Bio-Medico, Rome, Italy
| | - Sara Scriccia
- Check-up Center, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Campus Bio-Medico, Rome, Italy
| | - Giovanni Galati
- Operative Unit of Clinical Medicine and Hepatology, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Campus Bio-Medico, Rome, Italy
| | - Nicola Napoli
- Research Unit of Metabolic Bone and Thyroid Disorders, Department of Medicine and Surgery, Università Campus Bio-Medico di Roma, Rome, Italy
- Operative Unit of Metabolic Bone and Thyroid Disorders, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Campus Bio-Medico, Rome, Italy
| | - Samuel J Daniels
- Research and Early Development, Cardiovascular, Renal and Metabolism, BioPharmaceuticals R&D, AstraZeneca, Cambridge, UK
| | - Jenny E Blau
- Research and Early Development, Cardiovascular, Renal and Metabolism, BioPharmaceuticals R&D, AstraZeneca, Gaithersburg, Maryland, USA
| | - Björn Carlsson
- Translational Science and Experimental Medicine, Research and Early Development, Cardiovascular, Renal and Metabolism, BioPharmaceuticals R&D, AstraZeneca, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Yeganeh M Khazrai
- Research Unit of Food Science and Human Nutrition, Department of Science and Technology for Sustainable Development and One Health, Università Campus Bio-Medico di Roma, Rome, Italy
- Operative Research Unit of Nutrition and Prevention, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Campus Bio-Medico, Rome, Italy
| | - Raffaele Antonelli Incalzi
- Research Unit of Internal Medicine, Department of Medicine and Surgery, Università Campus Bio-Medico di Roma, Rome, Italy
- Operative Unit of Internal Medicine, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Campus Bio-Medico, Rome, Italy
| | - Antonio Picardi
- Research Unit of Clinical Medicine and Hepatology, Department of Medicine and Surgery, Università Campus Bio-Medico di Roma, Rome, Italy
- Operative Unit of Clinical Medicine and Hepatology, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Campus Bio-Medico, Rome, Italy
| | - Umberto Vespasiani-Gentilucci
- Research Unit of Clinical Medicine and Hepatology, Department of Medicine and Surgery, Università Campus Bio-Medico di Roma, Rome, Italy
- Operative Unit of Clinical Medicine and Hepatology, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Campus Bio-Medico, Rome, Italy
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Gallo P, Silletta M, De Vincentis A, Lo Prinzi F, Terracciani F, Di Fazio G, Flagiello V, Vespasiani Gentilucci U, Antonelli Incalzi R, Picardi A. Sarcopenia in Hepatocellular Carcinoma: Pathogenesis and Management. Chemotherapy 2021; 67:152-163. [PMID: 34974449 DOI: 10.1159/000521741] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2021] [Accepted: 12/22/2021] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Sarcopenia is almost constantly observed in patients with cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. SUMMARY Chronic liver disease represents a unique pathophysiological scenario in which sarcopenia develops and all factors involved in the pathogenesis should be taken into account for an appropriate management of the disease. No properly designed intervention studies on this topic are available and, thus, no effective strategies have been developed for clinical practice. Apart from any targeted intervention, treatment and optimization of liver disease is crucial. Key Messages: In patients with cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma, nutritional support to maintain and restore nutrition status, a targeted use of branched-chain amino acids and a guided physical exercise, should all be an integral part of the multidimensional assessment and tailored interventions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paolo Gallo
- Clinical Medicine and Hepatology Unit, Campus Bio-Medico University, Rome, Italy
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Valentina Flagiello
- Clinical Medicine and Hepatology Unit, Campus Bio-Medico University, Rome, Italy
| | | | | | - Antonio Picardi
- Clinical Medicine and Hepatology Unit, Campus Bio-Medico University, Rome, Italy
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