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Liver Int 2020 Jul 11. Epub 2020 Jul 11.

Department of Clinical Nutrition, German Institute of Human Nutrition Potsdam-Rehbrücke (DIfE), Nuthetal, 14558, Germany.

Background And Aims: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is becoming increasingly prevalent and nutrition intervention remains the most important therapeutic approach for NAFLD. Our aim was to investigate whether low- (LP) or high-protein (HP) diets are more effective in reducing liver fat and reversing NAFLD and which mechanisms are involved.

Methods: 19 participants with morbid obesity undergoing bariatric surgery were randomized into two hypocaloric (1500-1600 kcal/day) diet groups, a low protein (10E% protein) and a high protein (30E% protein), for three weeks prior to surgery. Read More

Liver Int 2020 Jul 11. Epub 2020 Jul 11.

Fatty Liver Program, Division of Digestive and Liver Diseases, Comprehensive Transplant Program, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, California, United States.

Background & Aims: Liver fibrosis assessed by liver biopsy is predictive of clinical liver events in patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Magnetic resonance elastography (MRE) correlates with liver biopsy in assessing liver fibrosis. However, data assessing the relationship between MRE and clinical liver events are lacking. Read More

Gastroenterology 2020 Jul 8. Epub 2020 Jul 8.

Department of Medicine, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA; Department of Medicine, VA San Diego Healthcare System, San Diego, CA, USA; Center for Innovative Phage Applications and Therapeutics, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA. Electronic address:

Background & Aims: Alterations in the gut microbiome have been associated with the severity of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). These studies focused exclusively on the bacteria in the microbiome; we investigated changes in the viral microbiome (virome) in patients with NAFLD.

Methods: In a prospective, cross-sectional, observational study, we extracted RNA and DNA virus-like particles from fecal samples from 73 patients with NAFLD: 29 patients had a NAFLD activity score (NAS) of 0-4, 44 patients had a NAS of 5-8 or cirrhosis (NAS 5-8/LCI), 37 patients had F0-F1 fibrosis, and 36 patients had F2-F4 fibrosis. Read More

J Nutr 2020 Jul 11. Epub 2020 Jul 11.

Department of Pediatrics, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA.

Background: Recent literature suggests that the Western diet's imbalance between high ω-6 (n-6) and low ω-3 (n-3) PUFA intake contributes to fatty liver disease in obese youth.

Objectives: We tested whether 12 wk of a low n-6:n-3 PUFA ratio (4:1) normocaloric diet mitigates fatty liver and whether the patatin-like containing domain phospholipase 3 (PNPLA3) rs738409 variant affects the response.

Methods: In a single-arm unblinded study, obese youth 9-19 y of age with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease were treated with a normocaloric low n-6:n-3 PUFA ratio diet for 12 wk. Read More

J Biol Chem 2020 Jul 10. Epub 2020 Jul 10.

UC San Diego, United States.

Nonalcoholic fatty liver diseases (NAFLD), especially nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), have become a major cause of liver transplant and liver-associated death. However, the pathogenesis of NASH is still unclear. Currently, there is no FDA-approved medication to treat this devastating disease. Read More

BMC Gastroenterol 2020 Jul 10;20(1):217. Epub 2020 Jul 10.

Department of Center for Health promotion, Japanese Red Cross Kyoto Daiichi Hospital, Hon-machi15-749, Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto, 605-0981, Japan.

Background: Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease is characterized by excessive hepatic fat accumulation. Some individuals frequently present elevated gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT) levels without fatty liver ultrasound images and other abnormal liver enzymes levels. However, whether these individuals are at an elevated risk for developing fatty liver is unclear. Read More

Cells 2020 Jul 8;9(7). Epub 2020 Jul 8.

Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRAE), ToxAlim, UMR1331 Toulouse, France.

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a major health issue worldwide, frequently associated with obesity and type 2 diabetes. Steatosis is the initial stage of the disease, which is characterized by lipid accumulation in hepatocytes, which can progress to non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) with inflammation and various levels of fibrosis that further increase the risk of developing cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. The pathogenesis of NAFLD is influenced by interactions between genetic and environmental factors and involves several biological processes in multiple organs. Read More

Nutr Res 2020 Jun 6;79:68-76. Epub 2020 Jun 6.

Centre for Biotechnology, Anna University, Chennai-600025, India. Electronic address:

Tissue-specific metabolism determines their functions that collectively sense and respond to numerous stress cues to achieve systemic homeostasis. Chronic stress skews such metabolic profiles and leads to failure of organs as evidenced by a bias towards lipid synthesis and storage in the aging brain, muscle, and liver under Alzheimer's disease, sarcopenia, and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, respectively. In contrast, the tissue destined for lipid synthesis and storage, such as adipose, limits its threshold and develops diabetes mellitus. Read More

Comput Methods Programs Biomed 2020 Jun 29;195:105614. Epub 2020 Jun 29.

Department of Diagnostic Pathology, Teine Keijinkai Hospital, 1-12-1-40 Maeda, Teine-ku, Sapporo 006-0811, Japan; Department of Occupational Therapy, Faculty of Human Science, Hokkaido Bunkyo University, 5-196-1 Kogane-Chuo, Eniwa 061-1449, Japan.

Background And Objective: Hepatocellular ballooning is an important histological parameter in the diagnosis of nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), and it is considered to be a morphological pattern that indicates the severity and the progression to cirrhosis and liver-related deaths. There remains uncertainty about the pathological criteria for evaluating the spectrum of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in liver biopsies. We introduce persistence images as novel mathematical descriptors for the classification of ballooning degeneration in the pathological diagnosis. Read More

Acta Paediatr 2020 Jul 10. Epub 2020 Jul 10.

Institute of Liver Diseases, Lady Davis Carmel Medical Center, Haifa, Israel.

Aim: We investigated the prevalence of elevated liver aminotrasferases (ALT) and additional comorbidities in a large cohort of Israeli children and adolescents with overweight and obesity.

Methods: This study included data from medical records of 2 to 18 year old children and adolescents, with body mass index (BMI) in the overweight or obesity range (WHO definitions), for whom ALT testing was performed.

Results: Overweight was present in 50418 (10. Read More

Chin Med J (Engl) 2020 Jul 7. Epub 2020 Jul 7.

Department of Pathophysiology, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Proteomics, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510515 China.

Background: We previously found that the intestinal epithelial chemokine (C-C motif) ligand 7 (CCL7) plays an important role in the development of toxin-induced acute liver damage. The detailed effects of intestinal epithelial CCL7 on chronic diseases; however, are still unclear. Here, we aimed to investigate the impact of intestinal epithelial CCL7 overexpression on high-fat diet (HFD)-induced obesity and steatohepatitis in mice. Read More

J Clin Gastroenterol 2020 Jul 8. Epub 2020 Jul 8.

Centre for Liver Disease Research.

Adv Biosyst 2019 Aug 14;3(8):e1900104. Epub 2019 Jun 14.

Department of Bioengineering, Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, University of California-Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA.

The liver possesses a unique microenvironment with a complex internal vascular system and cell-cell interactions. Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the most common form of chronic liver disease, and although much effort has been dedicated to building models to target NAFLD, most in vitro systems rely on simple models failing to recapitulate complex liver functions. Here, an in vitro system is presented to study NAFLD (steatosis) by coculturing human hepatocellular carcinoma (HepG2) cells and umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) into spheroids. Read More

Liver Cancer 2020 Jun 29;9(3):363-364. Epub 2020 Apr 29.

Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Essen University Hospital, Essen, Germany.

Liver Cancer 2020 Jun 10;9(3):361-362. Epub 2020 Mar 10.

Department of Hepatobiliary, Pancreatic and Minimal Invasive Surgery, Zhejiang Provincial People's Hospital, People's Hospital of Hangzhou Medical College, Hangzhou, China.

Eur J Clin Nutr 2020 Jul 9. Epub 2020 Jul 9.

Department of Clinical Nutrition and Dietetics, Faculty of Nutrition and Food Technology, National Nutrition and Food Technology Research Institute, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.

Background/objectives: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is growing in prevalence globally and no definitive evidence for any approved pharmacological approaches for patients with NAFLD has been found yet. This study was aimed to assess the clinical effects of flaxseed and hesperidin in patients with NAFLD.

Subjects/methods: In this randomized, controlled, clinical trial, one hundred eligible patients with NAFLD were enrolled and randomly assigned to four dietary intervention groups including lifestyle modification program (control), lifestyle modification program with 30 g whole flaxseed powder, lifestyle modification program with 1 g hesperidin supplementation, and lifestyle modification program with combination of 30 g flaxseed and 1 g hesperidin (flax-hes) for 12 weeks. Read More

Sci Rep 2020 Jul 9;10(1):11313. Epub 2020 Jul 9.

Laboratory of Biotechnology of Reproduction, Institute for Animal Science and Technology (ICTA), Universitat Politècnica de València, 46022, Valencia, Spain.

The advent of assisted reproductive technologies (ART) in mammals involved an extraordinary change in the environment where the beginning of a new organism takes place. Under in vitro conditions, in which ART is currently being performed, it likely fails to mimic optimal in vivo conditions. This suboptimal environment could mediate in the natural developmental trajectory of the embryo, inducing lasting effects until later life stages that may be inherited by subsequent generations (transgenerational effects). Read More

Clin Res Hepatol Gastroenterol 2020 Jul 6. Epub 2020 Jul 6.

Liver Research Center of the First Affiliated Hospital of Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou, Fujian, 350000, China. Electronic address:

Aims: Coexistence of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is common in clinical practice. This study was to explore the prevalence of chronic kidney disease (CKD) in patients with NAFLD and/or HBV.

Methods: Participants who received health examination in a physical examination center were included in this cross-sectional study. Read More

Expert Opin Drug Discov 2020 Jul 9:1-13. Epub 2020 Jul 9.

Department of Clinical Pharmacology, Bispebjerg Hospital, University of Copenhagen , Copenhagen, Denmark.

Introduction: The number of people suffering from type 2 diabetes (T2D) and its complications is on the rise; and, thus continues to expand the market for pharmacologic agents targeting the disease. At present, only the glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RA) and sodium-glucose co-transporter 2 inhibitors (SGLT-2i) have demonstrated macrovascular benefits and reduction in mortality in T2D.

Areas Covered: This review provides an overview of the more than 20 drug classes in clinical development for T2D, with an outline of their mode of action, efficacy, safety, and current status. Read More

Metabolites 2020 Jul 7;10(7). Epub 2020 Jul 7.

Department of Chemical Sciences, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Homi Bhabha Road, Mumbai 400005, India.

Investigation of glucose utilization during an infection is central to the study of energy metabolism. The heavy utilization of glucose by the malaria parasite, and the consequences of this process, have been investigated extensively. However, host glucose utilization during early infection has not been explored to date. Read More

Cytokine 2020 Jul 6;134:155184. Epub 2020 Jul 6.

Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, 238# Jiefang Road, Wuhan, Hubei Province 430060, China. Electronic address:

Background And Objective: Patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) have insulin resistance and are at an increased risk of diabetes. Recent evidence suggests that asprosin-a novel hormone secreted by white adipose tissue-may play a role in the pathogenesis of insulin resistance. However, the role of asprosin in NAFLD remains unclear. Read More

Genomics 2020 Jul 6. Epub 2020 Jul 6.

Department of Medical Genetics, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran. Electronic address:

The membrane bound O-acyltransferase domain-containing 7 (MBOAT7) gene codes for an enzyme involved in regulating arachidonic acid incorporation in lysophosphatidylinositol. Patients with homozygous nonsense mutations in MBOAT7 have intellectual disability (ID) accompanied with seizure and autism. Accumulating evidences obtained from human genetic studies have shown that MBOAT7 is also involved in fatty liver disease. Read More

Metabolism 2020 Jun 27;109:154305. Epub 2020 Jun 27.

Section of Endocrinology, Boston VA Healthcare System and Department of Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02215, USA.

Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2020 Jul 9;7:CD005160. Epub 2020 Jul 9.

WHO European Office for Investment for Health and Development, Venice, Italy.

The review is withdrawn on 09.07.2020, as it has not been updated since its first publication in 2007. Read More

PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2020 Jul 9;14(7):e0008470. Epub 2020 Jul 9.

School of Biological Sciences, Queen's University Belfast, Northern Ireland.

Background: Sm16, also known as SPO-1 and SmSLP, is a low molecular weight protein (~16kDa) secreted by the digenean trematode parasite Schistosoma mansoni, one of the main causative agents of human schistosomiasis. The molecule is secreted from the acetabular gland of the cercariae during skin invasion and is believed to perform an immune-suppressive function to protect the invading parasite from innate immune cell attack.

Methodology/principal Findings: We show that Sm16 homologues of the Schistosomatoidea family are phylogenetically related to the helminth defence molecule (HDM) family of immunomodulatory peptides first described in Fasciola hepatica. Read More

Indian J Dermatol Venereol Leprol 2020 Jul 8. Epub 2020 Jul 8.

Department of Immunopathology, PGIMER, Chandigarh, India.

Background: Many international guidelines on psoriasis management have emphasized upon the need to identify risk factors for liver fibrosis and that the risk may be increased after a certain total cumulative dose of methotrexate.

Methods: Consecutive patients with moderate-to-severe psoriasis were assessed for liver fibrosis using transient elastography and noninvasive scores. Based on the presence of significant liver fibrosis, the Odds ratio associated with various factors was calculated using logistic regression analysis. Read More

Physiol Rep 2020 Jul;8(13):e14482

Oxford Centre for Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolism, Radcliffe Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.

Background And Aims: Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) begins with steatosis, where a mixed macrovesicular pattern of large and small lipid droplets (LDs) develops. Since in vitro models recapitulating this are limited, the aims of this study were to develop mixed macrovesicular steatosis in immortalized hepatocytes and investigate effects on intracellular metabolism by altering nutritional substrates.

Methods: Huh7 cells were cultured in 11 mM glucose and 2% human serum (HS) for 7 days before additional sugars and fatty acids (FAs), either with 200 µM FAs (low fat low sugar; LFLS), 5. Read More

Prenat Diagn 2020 Jul 8. Epub 2020 Jul 8.

Massachusetts General Hospital Research Institute and Vincent Center for Reproductive Biology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, US.

Evidence from epidemiological, clinical, and animal model studies clearly demonstrates that prenatal and lactational maternal obesity and high-fat diet consumption are associated with cardiometabolic morbidity in offspring. Fetal and offspring sex may be an important effect modifier. Adverse offspring cardiometabolic outcomes observed in the setting of maternal obesity include an increased risk for obesity, features of metabolic syndrome (hypertension, hyperglycemia and insulin resistance, hyperlipidemia, increased adiposity), and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. Read More

Clin J Gastroenterol 2020 Jul 8. Epub 2020 Jul 8.

Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Gunma University Graduate School of Medicine, 3-39-15 Showa-machi, Maebashi, Gunma, 371-8511, Japan.

Adenocarcinoma which develops in the jejunal pouch has rarely been reported, but most of such cases tend to be a recurrence of primary cancer due to the presence of residual or disseminated cancer cells. Primary jejunal pouch cancer is extremely rare. We experienced an autopsy case of primary jejunal pouch cancer which occurred 14 years after proximal gastrectomy for gastric cancer. Read More

Theranostics 2020 12;10(16):7422-7435. Epub 2020 Jun 12.

Department of Endocrinology, Health Management Center, Tianjin Union Medical Center, Nankai University Affiliated Hospital, Tianjin, 300121, P.R. China.

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) including exosomes, microvesicles (MVs), and apoptotic bodies, are small membrane vesicular structures that are released during cell activation, senescence, or programmed cell death, including apoptosis, necroptosis, and pyroptosis. EVs serve as novel mediators for long-distance cell-to-cell communications and can transfer various bioactive molecules, such as encapsulated cytokines and genetic information from their parental cells to distant target cells. In the context of obesity, adipocyte-derived EVs are implicated in metabolic homeostasis serving as novel adipokines. Read More

J Oleo Sci 2020 Jul 9. Epub 2020 Jul 9.

Nutrition and Food Sciences Department, National Research Centre.

The present research evaluated the protective effect of basil essential oil nanoemulsion (BNO) and its parent basil essential oil (BO) towards steatohepatitis. Chemical composition of BO was assessed followed by formulation into different BNOs using the low energy spontaneous emulsification technique. An ideal formula of BON was selected among the others based on its ultra-fine particle size (15. Read More

Diabetes Care 2020 Jul 8. Epub 2020 Jul 8.

Centre for Endocrinology, Diabetes and Research, Royal Surrey County Hospital, Guildford, U.K.

Objective: To determine the effect of sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitor dapagliflozin on glucose flux, lipolysis, and ketone body concentrations during insulin withdrawal in people with type 1 diabetes.

Research Design And Methods: A double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover study with a 4-week washout period was performed in 12 people with type 1 diabetes using insulin pump therapy. Participants received dapagliflozin or placebo in random order for 7 days. Read More

Food Chem Toxicol 2020 Jul 5:111558. Epub 2020 Jul 5.

Laboratory of Toxicology and Forensic Sciences, Medical School, University of Crete, 71003, Heraklion, Greece; Department of Analytical and Forensic Medical Toxicology, Sechenov University, 2-4 Bolshaya Pirogovskaya st, 119991, Moscow, Russia. Electronic address:

Prevention and treatment of non-communicable diseases (NCDs), including cardiovascular disease, diabetes, obesity, cancer, Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease, arthritis, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and various infectious diseases; lately most notably COVID-19 have been in the front line of research worldwide. Although targeting different organs, these pathologies have common biochemical impairments - redox disparity and, prominently, dysregulation of the inflammatory pathways. Research data have shown that diet components like polyphenols, poly-unsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), fibres as well as lifestyle (fasting, physical exercise) are important factors influencing signalling pathways with a significant potential to improve metabolic homeostasis and immune cells' functions. Read More

J Intern Med 2020 Jul 8. Epub 2020 Jul 8.

Department of Vascular Medicine, Amsterdam UMC, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.

Prevalence of obesity and associated diseases, including type 2 diabetes mellitus, dyslipidaemia and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), are increasing. Underlying mechanisms, especially in humans, are unclear. Bariatric surgery provides the unique opportunity to obtain biopsies and portal vein blood-samples. Read More

Int J Vitam Nutr Res 2020 Jul 8:1-8. Epub 2020 Jul 8.

Departamento de Clínica Médica, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil.

Some epidemiological evidence suggests an inverse correlation between non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) frequency and vitamin D levels. Likewise, a beneficial effect of vitamin D on diabetes mellitus (DM) and insulin resistance has been observed, but this is an unsolved issue. Thus, we aimed to investigate the prevalence of hypovitaminosis D in a NAFLD Brazilian population and its association with disease severity and presence of comorbidities. Read More

Rev Col Bras Cir 2020 3;47:e20202485. Epub 2020 Jul 3.

Federal University of Health Sciences of Porto Alegre, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.

Introduction: nonalcoholic fatty liver disease presents a broad spectrum of histopathological alterations, from steatosis to liver cirrhosis. Patients with diabetes mellitus (DM) present increased incidence and severity of NAFLD.

Objective: determine the prevalence and severity of NAFLD in diabetic and non-diabetic obese patients undergoing bariatric surgery. Read More

Pediatr Obes 2020 Jul 8:e12696. Epub 2020 Jul 8.

Section of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Department of Pediatrics, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut.

Background: Autoantibodies are frequently positive in adults with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) without concurrent autoimmune hepatitis (AIH). The clinical significance of this is unknown in children.

Objective: To determine the prevalence of autoantibody positivity in pediatric NAFLD and to evaluate its association with disease severity. Read More

J Cachexia Sarcopenia Muscle 2020 Jul 7. Epub 2020 Jul 7.

Department of Internal Medicine, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.

Background: We investigated the association between muscle strength and the prevalence of advanced fibrosis among individuals with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) using a nationwide cross-sectional survey.

Methods: Individuals, 20 to 79 years of age, from the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (KNHANES) from 2014 to 2016 were selected (N = 14 861), with sample weights applied. Muscle strength was quantified as the handgrip strength divided by the body mass index (BMI); low muscle strength (LMS) was defined as the lowest quartile (Q ) of the handgrip strength/BMI for our sample population. Read More

Liver Int 2020 Jul 7. Epub 2020 Jul 7.

Western General Hospital, Edinburgh, UK.

Background: The incidence of cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is increased in Type 2 diabetes, primarily secondary to non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). European guidelines recommend screening for NAFLD in Type 2 diabetes. American guidelines, while not advocating a screening protocol, suggest using non-invasive markers of fibrosis for risk-stratification and guiding onward referral. Read More

Aging Cell 2020 Jul 7:e13183. Epub 2020 Jul 7.

Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine and Nursing, University of Basque Country UPV/EHU, Leioa, Spain.

Osteopontin (OPN), a senescence-associated secretory phenotype factor, is increased in patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Cellular senescence has been associated with age-dependent hepatosteatosis. Thus, we investigated the role of OPN in the age-related hepatosteatosis. Read More

Aliment Pharmacol Ther 2020 Jul 8. Epub 2020 Jul 8.

Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, USA.

Background: Patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), the most common cause of chronic liver disease, are at higher risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and associated mortality. Therefore, it is important to understand how new therapies for non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) may impact CVD risk factors in these patients.

Aims: To summarise the effects of drug therapies on lipid and lipoprotein levels in patients with NASH and provide insight into the potential mechanisms for the observed changes. Read More

JHEP Rep 2020 Aug 18;2(4):100115. Epub 2020 Apr 18.

Department of Physiology and Biophysics, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA.

The extracellular matrix (ECM) is a diverse microenvironment that maintains bidirectional communication with surrounding cells to regulate cell and tissue homeostasis. The classical definition of the ECM has more recently been extended to include non-fibrillar proteins that either interact or are structurally affiliated with the ECM, termed the 'matrisome.' In addition to providing the structure and architectural support for cells and tissue, the matrisome serves as a reservoir for growth factors and cytokines, as well as a signaling hub via which cells can communicate with their environment and vice-versa. Read More

Ther Adv Endocrinol Metab 2020 24;11:2042018820934319. Epub 2020 Jun 24.

RCSI Medical School, Beaumont Hospital, Dublin, 2, Ireland.

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) has been traditionally perceived as a reproductive disorder due to its most common presentation with menstrual dysfunction and infertility. However, it is now clear that women with PCOS are at increased risk of metabolic dysfunction, from impaired glucose tolerance and type 2 diabetes mellitus to nonalcoholic fatty liver disease and cardiovascular disease. PCOS is characterised by androgen excess, with cross-sectional data showing that hyperandrogenism is directly complicit in the development of metabolic complications. Read More

BMJ Open 2020 Jul 6;10(7):e035596. Epub 2020 Jul 6.

Brighton and Sussex Medical School, Brighton, UK.

Introduction: At least 30% of people living with HIV (PLWH) infection have non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), which has now become a leading cause of hepatic fibrosis and cirrhosis. Management is based largely on lifestyle modifications, which are difficult to achieve, and therapeutic options are urgently needed. Maraviroc (MVC), through antagonism of CCR5 receptors, may reduce hepatic fibrosis progression and could be an effective treatment for NAFLD. Read More

Nutr Metab Cardiovasc Dis 2020 Jun 2. Epub 2020 Jun 2.

NAFLD Research Center, Department of Hepatology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, China; Institute of Hepatology, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, China; The Key Laboratory of Diagnosis and Treatment for The Development of Chronic Liver Disease in Zhejiang Province, Wenzhou, China. Electronic address:

Background And Aims: Emerging evidence suggests that plasma N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) levels are decreased in patients with imaging-defined nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), but no data are currently available on the association between plasma NT-proBNP levels and the histological severity of NAFLD.

Methods And Results: We enrolled 351 (73.5% men) consecutive adult patients with biopsy-proven NAFLD without a prior history of cardiovascular disease (CVD). Read More

Nutr Metab Cardiovasc Dis 2020 May 28. Epub 2020 May 28.

Molecular Genetics of Complex Phenotypes Research Unit, Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital-IRCCS, Rome, Italy. Electronic address:

Background And Aims: We previously demonstrated that children with Down syndrome (DS) exhibited a greater risk of steatosis than the general pediatric population. This trend was independent of obese phenotype, thus suggesting a role of genetic predisposition. Therefore, we investigated the prevalence of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and metabolic syndrome (MetS) in function of genetic susceptibility and adipocytokine levels in children with DS. Read More

Praxis (Bern 1994) 2020 Jul;109(9):677-686

Gastroenterologie und Hepatologie, Kantonsspital Winterthur.

Ethyl-Toxic Steatohepatitis, the "Quiet Killer" - from Inflamed Fat to Multi-Organ Failure The spectrum of the alcohol-associated liver disease (ALD) includes the potentially reversible simple fatty degeneration of the liver (AFLD), ethyl-toxic steatohepatitis (ASH), and the ethyl-toxic liver cirrhosis. Despite an interdisciplinary andn intensive care approach, alcohol-associated steatohepatitis (ASH), clinically characterized by jaundice and SIRS, may, in case of a fulminant course and due to the limited therapeutic options, have a mortality rate of up to 40 % . In highly selected cases, if the basic medical care of corticosteroids combined with N-acetylcysteine fails, a liver transplantation might be discussed, which occasionally shows a satisfactory long-term course. Read More

Cancers (Basel) 2020 Jul 4;12(7). Epub 2020 Jul 4.

School of Medical Laboratory Science and Biotechnology, College of Medical Science and Technology, Taipei Medical University, Taipei 110, Taiwan.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most common primary malignant liver tumor with limited treatment. The ketogenic diet (KD) emerged as a metabolic therapy for cancer; however, the antitumor effect on HCC remains controversial. We previously reported that the ketogenesis rate-limiting enzyme, 3-hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA synthase 2 (HMGCS2), was downregulated in most patients with HCC. Read More