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100 active trials for Liver Cirrhosis

Role of Fecal Microbiota in Predicting Graft Rejection and Sepsis Among Recipients of Living Donor Liver Transplant in First Year.

Efficient immunosuppressive therapy and improved surgical techniques have developed liver transplantation as a well-established and life-saving treatment. The 1-year survival rate of approximately 85-90%. Acute cellular rejection (ACR) is one of the main causes of liver dysfunction (LD) after liver trans- plantation, occurring 30% to 70% of transplanted patients and potentially leading to allograft failure. In addition to ACR, presence of sepsis, drug injury, viral infections like CMV or recurrence of viral hepatitis is also other causes of graft dysfunction. Laboratory tests are commonly used as less invasive methods of monitoring allograft rejection, but they are not specific to rejection and are often elevated in other types of graft dysfunction too. Till date the immunosuppressive regimen in liver transplant recipient is considered as an art in absence of an objective measures of the immune state. Therapeutic drug monitoring has little value in the assessment of the immune state and is always used as a supportive guide. The development of specific immune monitoring assays to measure the net immunosuppressive state in a transplant recipient would allow a more individualized therapeutic regimen Patients with altered gut microbiota had more chances of infection and longer course of hospital stay. Probiotics could mediate beneficial effects in graft rejection. Dysbiosis activates T cells through PAMPS and causes the inflammatory injury in the graft liver. The studies shown that lower Eubacteria, Bifidobacterium, Faecal bacterium and Lactobacillus with abundance of Enterococcus and Enterobacteriaceae. They restored to near normal after transplant in majority. This is known that there is a dysbiosis in the natural history of ACLF or decompensated cirrhosis, and often correlated to complications like-endotoxemia, sepsis, worsening liver failure and poor survival. This has led to consider fecal microbiota modulation as an emerging therapy. Liver transplant and consequent recovery, there is over all change in the recipient homeostatic milieu as well as the immune milieu and the same may be happening to the gut flora too.It's well known that liver has animprint of resident gut flora. The preliminary rat model showed alteration of gut flora to predict the development acute cellular rejection before it happens. Similarly the risk of infection is more among transplant recipients with decreased microbial diversity after liver transplant. However the data is scanty and there is an urgent need to understand the mechanism.. The present study was necessitated in view of emerging role of gut microflora and its influence on immune remodeling for the prediction of infection, rejection and may be an early biomarker for the graft dysfunction. This may be of varied cause in liver transplant recipients along with its impact on overall immune status. Uniqueness of the present study will be to understand the mechanism of development of sepsis or graft dysfunction in due course of time using high-throughput tools of single cell analysis in whole blood and gut microbiota alterations among liver transplant recipient as a cause for graft dysfunction in first year of live donor liver transplant.

Start: November 2020
Effect of Naltrexone in Achieving and Maintaining Abstinence From Alcohol in Patients With Cirrhosis.

The aim of the study is to study the safety and tolerability of Naltrexone in patients with Alcohol liver disease over a 12 week duration without liver related side effects. The project will be conducted at ILBS from March 2020 to February 2021. The concept is to estimate the usage of naltrexone and establish its safety in cirrhotics and study its effect on achieving and maintaining abstinence and in reducing lapses and relapses. Thereby reducing the progression of alcoholic liver disease as continued ethanol consumption is an important predictor in increasing overall morbidity and mortality. All ALD patients will be included as per inclusion and exclusion criteria, after taking informed consent from the patient or their relatives. In case of any reactions, the drug will be stopped as per the study stopping rule. After following the inclusion and exclusion criteria, ALD patients will be recruited into the study. It's a double blind RCT, hence both the patient and the investigator will be blinded and the drug will be issued by the trial co-ordinator after taking informed written consent and explaining the side effects. Naltrexone at a dose of 50 mg per day and placebo are included in the tablets. Placebo tablets will be identical in size, colour, shape, and taste. Naltrexone tablets will be entrusted to a family member to administer every dose and monitor for side effects.

Start: October 2020
To Study the Effects of Addition of Mebendazole to Lenvatinib in Cirrhotics With Advanced Hepatocellular Carcinoma.

Currently the available first line palliative therapy for advanced HCC is Sorafenib and Lenvatinib of which Lenvatinib is tolerated better. Unfortunately, patients tend to progress after few months of therapy. Therefore it is imperative, to do trials by combinative therapy to the available therapy for added survival benefits and quality of life with advanced HCC. In this regard, Mebendazole appears to be a good choice for drug repurposing as it has shown very promising results either alone or in combination with other therapies in tumors of GI origin and CNS tumors. With regard to HCC Mebendazole has been found to be effective in vitro system of HCC and preclinical models. However no clinical trials have been initiated till now. The key hallmark features of HCC include activation of MAPK and angiogenesis which in turn are targeted by RTK inhibitors such as Sorafenib and Lenvatinib. In this regard Mebendazole has broad range of action by not only inhibiting angiogenesis and pro-survival pathways of MAPK, but by also inhibiting the secretion of MMPs and Tubulin polymerization which can all be beneficial in tumor regression and prevention of chemo-resistance in HCC. Mounting of a strong immune response plays an important role in identification of tumor antigen and thereby clearing of tumors. While Mebendazole can modulate the tumor, the data is scant with respect to the role of the drug. Hence repurposing Mebendazole as a combinatorial therapy appears a promising approach and forms the basis of the present work. We hypothesize that combinatorial therapy of addition of mebendazole to lenvatinib will prove more beneficial than lenvatinib alone in increasing the overall survival of patients with advanced HCC. To prove the mechanistic effects of mebendazole on HCC, we will also conduct a animal study in preclinical mice model of HCC with the help of our animal house facility. The animal study will help us to understand the additional benefits from mebendazole and lenvatinib with objective evidence of liver biopsy which is not feasible in humans.

Start: July 2020
Safety and Efficacy of Small Frequent Paracentesis Using an Indwelling CAtheter Compared With Repeated Large Volume Paracentesis in Cirrhotic Patients With REfractory Ascites

The aim of the study is to assess the efficacy of intermittent small quantity (upto 3L per day) paracentesis through an indwelling catheter for up to 5 days in comparison with large volume paracentesis on decreasing the need for repeated paracentesis by 50 % over next 3 months. The project will be conducted at ILBS between April 2020 and March 2021. The concept of the study is to evaluate the efficacy of indwelling catheter in reducing the refilling rates of ascites by 50 % over 3 months in comparison to LVPs and also in reducing the incidence and risk of PPCD. All refractory ascites patients will be included as per inclusion and exclusion criteria, after taking informed consent from the patient or their relatives. The expected outcomes are Primary outcome: Proportion of cirrhotic patients with refractory ascites achieving at least 50 % reduction on need for large volume paracentesis after a short duration (5day) intermittent small quantity (up to 3L/ day) paracentesis through an indwelling catheter in comparison to a single large volume paracentesis in the next 3 months. Secondary outcome: 1. Proportion of cirrhotic patients with refractory ascites developing P 2 . During a 30 D, 60 D and 90 D follow up, to assess between the groups Need for repeated paracentesis : Number assessed AKI : Improvement or worsening of renal functions Hepatic encephalopathy: Grading as per West Haven Classification Hyponatremia Diuretic tolerability : Dose and duration tolerated Bacterial peritonitis : Ascitic fluid neutrophil count > 250 cells/cumm Transplant free survival Risk of procedure related complications Changes in MELD or CTP between the groups ( Improvement vs worsening ) Need for hospitalization between the groups

Start: July 2020
Optimal Clinical Predictors to AKI in Cirrhotic Patients Experienced Acute Gastrointestinal Hemorrhage

Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a common complication, occurring in approximately 20% of hospitalized cirrhotic patients and has a significant negative impact on patients' outcomes according to either the initial stage (at the time of the first fulfillment of AKI criteria), or the peak stage (at the peak value of serum creatinine concentration during hospitalization). Among all the precipitating factors to cirrhotic AKI, acute gastrointestinal hemorrhage is a common cause that leads to a decrease in effective arterial blood volume in the hyperdynamic circulatory status of cirrhosis. However, there is still lack of optimal predictors to developing AKI in cirrhotic patients suffering from acute GI bleeding. A number of biomarkers associated with AKI were recently described. Some studies have shown that these novel biomarkers increase with the severity of liver injury and are predictive of clinical outcomes. However, the effective prediction, definitive diagnosis and differentiation of AKI by these biomarkers are still controversial. Furthermore, there is no clinical studies focus on the applicability and potential alteration in the setting of acute gastrointestinal hemorrhage in patients with cirrhosis. Aim and significance: In this study, we aim to investigate the capability of novel renal biomarkers in predicting development of acute kidney injury, differentiating causes (between pre-renal AKI, acute tubular necrosis, and hepatorenal syndrome), and predicting the response to renal treatment as well as the hepatic and overall outcomes in patients with cirrhosis suffering from acute gastrointestinal hemorrhage.

Start: January 2019