Prevalence and predictors of metabolic-associated fatty liver disease in liver transplant recipients: A cross-sectional prospective study

Background and Aim

Metabolic-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD) has emerged as a significant global health concern. However, the prevalence and predictors of MAFLD in post-liver transplantation (LT) patients remain uncertain. This study aimed to determine the prevalence and predictors of MAFLD in LT recipients and to assess the effectiveness of controlled attenuation parameter (CAP) values in diagnosing post-transplant MAFLD.

Materials and Methods

A cross-sectional prospective study was conducted involving 128 adult patients who had undergone LT, and had received liver imaging, and vibration-controlled transient elastography (VCTE). MAFLD was diagnosed on the basis of the presence of liver steatosis detected through imaging and specific metabolic risk abnormalities.

Results

The prevalence of MAFLD after LT was 34.4%, with 22.1% categorized as de novo MAFLD, and 12.3% as recurrent MAFLD. Posttransplant diabetes (OR: 4.88; 95% CI 1.30-18.34; p=0.019) and higher CAP values (OR: 1.04; 95% CI 1.02-1.06; p=0000) were identified as independent predictors of post-LT MAFLD. A CAP cutoff value of 270 dB/m exhibited an area under the receiver operating curve of 0.84 in detecting MAFLD.

Conclusion

These findings underscore the notable prevalence of MAFLD in liver transplant recipients and suggest the potential utility of VCTE as a non-invasive tool for its detection.

Gut microbiota-derived metabolite trimethylamine N-oxide and biomarkers of inflammation are linked to endothelial and coronary microvascular function in patients with inflammatory bowel disease

BACKGROUND

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), which is an umbrella term used for ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn's disease (CD), is associated with an increased risk for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (CVD). We aimed to investigate the association of local and systemic biomarkers of inflammation and gut microbiota-derived metabolite trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO) with endothelial and coronary microvascular dysfunction in IBD.

METHODS

A total of 56 patients with IBD (20 with UC and 36 with CD) and 34 age and gender matched controls were included. For all participants, samples were collected to analyze faecal calprotectin, and TMAO concentrations. Ultrasound-based examinations were done to measure flow-mediated vasodilatation (FMD) and coronary flow velocity reserve (CFVR).

RESULTS

Patients with IBD had lower CFVR (2.07 (1.82-2.40)) and FMD (8.7 ± 3.7) as compared to controls (2.30 (2.07-2.74), p = 0.005 and 11.9 ± 6.8, p = 0.03). In patients with IBD, TMAO concentration (r = -0.30, p = 0.03), C-reactive protein (r = -0.29, p = 0.03) and WBC count (r = -0.37, p = 0.006) had a significant negative correlation with CFVR, and TMAO (β = -0.27, 95 % CI: -0.23 to -0.02) and WBC count (β = -0.31, 95 % CI: -0.56 to -0.06) were significant predictors of CFVR after multivariate adjustment. None of the biomarkers of inflammation or TMAO showed significant correlations with FMD. In patients with UC, TMAO showed a significant correlation with both CFVR (r = -0.55, p = 0.01) and FMD (r = -0.60, p = 0.005) while only WBC count had a statistically significant correlation with CFVR (r = -0.49, p = 0.004) in patients with CD.

CONCLUSIONS

Gut microbiota-derived metabolite TMAO and biomarkers of systemic inflammation are associated with measures of endothelial/coronary microvascular dysfunction in patients with IBD.