Research Article Details

Article ID: A08245
PMID: 32189926
Source: J Clin Exp Hepatol
Title: Sustained Improvements in Markers of Liver Disease Severity After Hepatitis C Treatment.
Abstract: Background & aims: Although serological markers of disease severity improve after hepatitis C virus (HCV) treatment, it is unclear if all patients experience sustained improvement. We aim to evaluate longitudinal changes in aspartate (AST), alanine (ALT) aminotransferase, platelet count (PLT), and fibrosis-4 (FIB-4) after HCV treatment. Methods: All adult chronic HCV patients who received antiviral therapy from January 2011 to February 2017 at four large urban hospital systems were evaluated to assess changes in AST, ALT, PLT, and FIB-4 from pre-treatment to post-treatment annually up to 4 years after HCV therapy. Comparisons used Student's t-test and analysis of variance, and were stratified by sex, race, ethnicity, age, body mass index (BMI), and diabetes mellitus. Results: Among 2691 patients (62.2% men, 76.9% aged 45-65 years, 56.5% white), all markers of disease severity demonstrated sustained improvements from pre-treatment to 4 years post-treatment (AST 53 U/L to 27.5 U/L, ALT 53 U/L to 29 U/L, PLT 168 × 103 to 176 × 103, FIB-4 2.51 to 1.68). However, Hispanics and patients with BMI >30 kg/m2 experienced rebound increases in AST, ALT, and FIB-4 at 4 years post-treatment after experiencing initial improvements in these serological markers in the first-year post-treatment. Sustained improvements in PLT were observed in all groups, including Hispanics and patients with BMI >30 kg/m2. Conclusion: HCV treatment in a large community-based cohort demonstrated sustained improvements in AST, ALT, PLT, and FIB-4. Rebound increases in AST, ALT, and FIB-4 observed in Hispanics and those with BMI >30 kg/m2 may reflect persisting nonalcoholic fatty liver disease.
DOI: 10.1016/j.jceh.2019.09.001

Strategy ID Therapy Strategy Synonyms Therapy Targets Therapy Drugs
S03 Anti-fibrosis fibrosis Angiotensin Receptor Blocker (ARB); CCR2/CCR5 antagonist; Thyroid receptor β agonist; PEGylated human FGF21 analogue; Monoclonal antibody to lysyl oxidase-like 2 (LOXL2); Galectin-3 inhibitor; FGF19 variant Losartan; Cenicriviroc; VK-2809; MGL-3196; Pegbelfermin; Simtuzumab; GR-MD-02; NGM282 Details

Target ID Target Name GENE Action Class UniProtKB ID Entry Name

Diseases ID DO ID Disease Name Definition Class
I05 9352 Type 2 diabetes mellitus A diabetes that is characterized by chronic hyperglycaemia with disturbances of carbohydrate, fat and protein metabolism resulting from defects in insulin secretion, insulin action, or both. A diabetes mellitus that is characterized by high blood sugar, insulin resistance, and relative lack of insulin. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diabetes, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diabetes_mellitus_type_2 disease of metabolism/inherited metabolic disorder/ carbohydrate metabolic disorder/glucose metabolism disease/diabetes/ diabetes mellitus Details
I14 9970 Obesity An overnutrition that is characterized by excess body fat, traditionally defined as an elevated ratio of weight to height (specifically 30 kilograms per meter squared), has_material_basis_in a multifactorial etiology related to excess nutrition intake, decreased caloric utilization, and genetic susceptibility, and possibly medications and certain disorders of metabolism, endocrine function, and mental illness. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Obesity disease of metabolism/acquired metabolic disease/ nutrition disease/overnutrition Details

Drug ID Drug Name Type DrugBank ID Targets Category Latest Progress
D080 Citrulline Chemical drug DB00155 -- -- Under clinical trials Details
D328 Serine Chemical drug DB00133 SRR Improve insulin resistance Under clinical trials Details
D199 L-alanine Chemical drug DB00160 KYNU -- Failed in clinical trials Details