Reviews on Recent Clinical Trials - Volume 9, Issue 3, 2014

Non Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD), defined as the presence of a significant amount of lipid accumulation in the liver (at least in 5% of hepatocytes), represents a challenging issue for the Hepatologists. NAFLD is not represented by a single entity, but rather by two different entities that have different natural history and evolution that range from simple fat accumulation in the liver (without any consequence), to necr Read More

One of the most common hepatic manifestations of the metabolic syndrome is non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). This disease varies from simple steatosis to cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. Different molecules secreted from adipose tissue such as adiponectin, leptin, resistin and visfatin and pro-inflammatory cytokines such as tumour necrosis factor-α, and interleukins, can be involved in the pathogenesis of N Read More

The gut-liver axis model has helped to explain the liver steatosis (NAFLD) and steatohepatitis (NASH) etiopathogenesis. The discovery of a key role for an altered intestinal permeability (IP) in this pathophysioligcal framework has closed the link between gut lumen antigenic/toxic substances and systemic and liver inflammation in NAFLD and obesity, metabolic syndrome. Recent evidence from the literature show how IP can be mo Read More

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is an important cause of chronic liver disease; including simple steatosis, steatohepatitis, fibrosis, or cirrhosis. The metabolic syndrome (MS) is the existence of metabolic alterations that confer an increased risk for developing cardiovascular disease and diabetes. NAFLD and MS frequently coexist and 90% of NAFLD patients have more than one manifestation of the MS. In addition, bo Read More

Liver biopsy, since 1883, when were first performed, became the gold standard to confirm the earlier stages of fibrosis and grading of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and for distinguishing simple steatosis from non- alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). General limitations of liver biopsy are sampling error and inter- and intraobserver variability. Also procedure is invasive and that’s why associated with some potenti Read More

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is extremely prevalent in the Western world. Non-invasive diagnostic methods should be able to reflect the presence and severity of liver fatty changes and the presence and severity of hepatic inflammation and fibrosis (features of non-alcoholic steato-hepatitis), since these are related to the risk of progression and clinical complications. This article will: a) review the rational basis for th Read More

As the prevalence of obesity and insulin-resistance continues to increase in the general population, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) has reached epidemic proportions, thus becoming one of the leading causes of chronic liver disease worldwide. It may present as simple steatosis (NAFL) or steatohepatitis (NASH), which in turn may develop fibrosis and ultimately cirrhosis. Conventional biochemical liver test and rad Read More

Hepatic steatosis, a hallmark of non-alcoholic fatty liver diseases (NAFLD), is an early marker as well as a cause of the cardiometabolic syndrome, prediabetes and NIDDM. Its high prevalence in the general population and its many causes and complex mechanisms make it a pathology which must be treated and requires careful diagnosis also in terms of underlying causes, which may strongly vary among subjects. The recent Read More

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a global problem and one of the most common liver diseases in the world. Various pharmacological and non-pharmacological therapies seem to be non-effective and the patients are often advised not to expect a positive outcome. Hence, even in the modern Western society many patients reach for traditional herbal products. Silymarin, a lipophilic extract derived from milk thistle (Sily Read More

Due to their high prevalence, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), insulin resistance (IR) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection are bound to cohabit. However, the relationship between these 3 entities is complex and multilayered. HCV, particularly genotype 3, may induce a “viral” steatosis, morphologically indistinguishable from the steatosis of NAFLD but with different implications and prognosis. On the other hand Read More

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a frequent etiology of liver disease in Western Countries and non-alcoholic steato-hepatitis (NASH) is becoming a leading indication for liver transplantation in US, with constant increase overtime. Specific co-morbidities correlated to the presence of obesity and associated with metabolic syndrome should always be ruled out in patients affected by NASH-related end-stage liver disease Read More

In the last 10 years, more and more clinical trials have come to China because of potential market/easy access of patient and cost-effectiveness, but if we look back, there had been minimum changes on the regulatory requirements, and there is a possibility that China government could further strengthen the regulatory requirements for the global pharma/foreign pharma. In 2013, there was a breaking news that China g Read More