Objective To explore the function of the baseline model for end-stage liver disease (MELD) scores,MELD-Na scores and iMELD scores in short-term prognosis in the initial treatment of hepatitis B virus (HBV) related acute-on-chronic liver failure (ACLF) patients.Methods 232 HBV-related ACLF patients who received initial treatment in 302 Military Hospital of China from January 2011 to January 2013 were enrolled in this prospective clinical follow-up.The relationship between the baseline MELD scores,MELD-Na scores,iMELD scores and clinical outcomes were analyzed,and the value of these three models for short term prognosis was assessed.Results Finally the 12-week clinical follow-up was completed in 191 patients,with the completion rate of 82.33％.Eighty-five patients died,with the fatality rate of 44.50％.Compared with the survival group,in non-survival group,the baseline of MELD scores (26.65 ± 7.75 vs.21.19 ± 5.42,t=-5.720,P=0.000),MELD-Na scores (29.16 ± 11.35 vs.21.72 ± 6.33,t=-5.729,P=0.000),iMELD scores (47.19 ± 10.96 vs.38.02 ±7.01,t=-7.011,P=0.000),total bilirubin [TBil (μmol/L):374.3 ± 150.1 vs.305.5 ± 147.1,t=-3.182,P=0.002],creatinine [Cr (μmol/L):110.7 ±90.1 vs.71.1 ± 35.1,t=-4.157,P=0.000] and international normalized ratio (INR:2.3 ± 0.9 vs.2.0 ± 0.6,t=-2.754,P=0.006) were significantly increased,but the baseline of serum Na+ (mmol/L:132.8 ± 6.1 vs.136.7 ± 5.1,t=4.861,P=0.000) was significantly lowered.It was shown by Spearman correlation analysis thai the baseline MELD scores,MELD-Na scores and iMELD scores all had positive correlation with the short-term prognosis of patients (r value was 0.398,0.404,and 0.470,respectively,all P=0.000),the baseline of serum Na+ had a negative correlation with the short-term prognosis of patients (r=-0.365,P=0.000).It was shown by receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC curve) that the cut-off scores of the baseline of MELD scores,MELD-Na scores and iMELD scores were 25.07,25.43 and 43.11 respectively,and the area under ROC curve (AUC) of the baseline of MELD scores,MELD-Na scores and iMELD scores were 0.731,0.735 and 0.773,respectively.The sensitivity of the three models was 55.3％,57.7％,63.5％,and the specificity was 84.9％,84.0％,84.9％ respectively.The value of the three models had no difference in short-term prognostic prediction.According to the respective cut-off score,the three prediction models were divided into four groups,and all of them had differences in fatality rate on the whole (x2 for MELD scores was 34.740,P=0.000; x2 for MELD-Na scores was 36.861,P=0.000; x2 for iMELD scores was 50.127,P=0.000).The mortality was elevated gradually as the equation scores increased.Conclusion The baseline of MELD scores,MELD-Na scores and iMELD scores can predict well the short-term prognosis of the initial treatment in HBV-related ACLF patients,and have relatively good clinical value for guiding therapy.

A high proportion of the causes of liver failure remain unknown. This paper reviews the progress in the epidemiology, etiology, treatment, and prognosis of liver failure of unknown etiology. The possible causes of liver failure of unknown etiology may include occult hepatitis B virus infection, herpesvirus infection, transfusion-transmitted virus infection, hepatitis G virus infection, human parvovirus Bl9 infection, autoimmune and hepatitis. Aciclovir can be considered in the empirical treatment for patients with liver failure of unknown etiology. The mortality in patients with liver failure of unknown etiology is high. The research on the etiology and treatments should be strengthened.

OBJECTIVETo study the clinical characteristics of patients with alcoholic liver disease (ALD).

METHODSThe records of the 302 Hospital of People's Liberation Army (Beijing, China) were searched to identify patients diagnosed with liver disease for retrospective analysis of ALD. Measurement data was summarized as mean +/- standard deviation and intergroup comparisons were made using ANOVA; count data was assessed using the chi-square test.

RESULTSAmong the total 4132 ALD cases, 97.68% were male and 2.32% were female; ages ranged from 18 to 95 years-old,with the average age being 48.11+/-10.58 years and the range of 40 to 60 years-old being the most frequently represented.Considering all patients with liver disease from 2003 to 2012,ALD cases increased over time (from 2.00% in 2003 to 5.05% in 2012). The overall ALD cases were represented by alcoholic cirrhosis (70.35%), alcoholic hepatitis (19.26%), alcoholic fatty liver (6.29%), and alcoholic liver failure (4.09%). Among the ALD patients between 40 and 60 years of age, 73.81% had cirrhosis,compared to 50.42% of ALD patients less than 40 years-old (P less than 0.001). Comparison of ALD cases in 5-year increments showed increasing trends in rates of alcoholic cirrhosis and alcoholic hepatic failure;moreover, there was an increasing annual trend in the percentage of alcoholic liver failure cases among the total cases of liver failure in our hospital.

CONCLUSIONFrom 2003 to 2012,our hospital admissions increased for patients with alcoholic liver disease, and the patients were primarily in the age range of 40-60 years-old. In general, incidences of alcoholic liver failure and cirrhosis increased in recent years, and cirrhosis has been common among the elderly patients with ALD.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Beijing ; Fatty Liver, Alcoholic ; epidemiology ; Female ; Hepatitis, Alcoholic ; epidemiology ; Humans ; Incidence ; Liver Cirrhosis ; epidemiology ; Liver Diseases, Alcoholic ; epidemiology ; Liver Failure ; epidemiology ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Retrospective Studies ; Young Adult

Objective To investigate the risk factors for acute variceal bleeding (AVB) in acute-on-chronic liver failure (ACLF) and its influence on prognosis. Methods A total of 1409 ACLF patients who were admitted to The Fifth Medical Center of Chinese PLA General Hospital from 2009 to 2015 were followed up for 6 months, and according to the presence or absence of AVB, they were divided into AVB group and non-AVB group. The Student's t -test was used for comparison of normally distributed continuous data between two groups, and the Mann-Whitney U test was used for comparison of non-normally distributed continuous data between two groups. The Kaplan-Meier curves were plotted and the Log-rank test was performed to analyze mortality rate and progression during follow-up, and a binary Logistic regression analysis was used to investigate the risk factors for AVB. Results Among these 1409 patients, 167 (11.85%) experienced AVB. The 30-day survival rate was 43.42% in the AVB group and 67.79% in the non-AVB group ( χ 2 =33.558, P < 0.001), and the 180-day survival rate was 18.91% in the AVB group and 53.97% in the non-AVB group ( χ 2 =76.881, P < 0.001). The Log-rank test showed significant differences in 30- and 180-day survival rates between the AVB group and the non-AVB group ( χ 2 =40.950 and 89.320, both P < 0.05). The Logistic regression analysis showed that pleural effusion (odds ratio [ OR ]=1.522, 95% confidence interval [ CI ]: 1.071-2.162, P =0.019), acute kidney injury (AKI) ( OR =2.201, 95% CI : 1.415-3.426, P < 0.001), ABC subtype of ACLF ( OR =2.491, 95% CI : 1.489-4.168, P =0.001), ACLF stage ( OR =2.403, 95% CI : 1.687-3.421, P < 0.001), and urea( OR =2.567, 95% CI : 1.570-4.196, P < 0.001)were independently associated with AVB in ACLF patients. Conclusion AVB is an important influencing factor for the short-term survival of ACLF patients, and pleural effusion, AKI, BC subtype of ACLF, advanced ACLF, and urea are independent risk factors for the onset of AVB.

Objective: To study the long-term prognosis of the convalescent patients with hepatitis B virus (HBV) associated acute-on-chronic liver failure (HBV-ACLF). Methods: A 72-month follow-up study of HBV-ACLF recovery patients recruited between January 2005 and December 2009 was performed in our hospital. According to the results of imaging examination at the first visit, the enrolled patients were divided into two groups, the liver cirrhosis ACLF (Lc-ACLF) group and chronic hepatitis B related ACLF (CHB-ACLF) group. In both groups, the occurrence of cirrhosis, decompensated cirrhosis or ACLF and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) were observed. Results: The media time of cirrhosis formation, decompensated cirrhosis and HCC occurrence in CHB-ACLF group were 12.5, 23 and 43 months, respectively. However, the median time of LC-ACLF patients developing to decompensated cirrhosis and HCC were 7 and 14 months, which was significantly shorter than that in CHB-ACLF group (P=0.009, 0.040, with statistical significance). Furthermore, the blood chemical parameters including serum albumin (ALB), cholinesterase (CHE) and total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), as well as platelet count (PLT), the anti-viral treatment compliance and the virus mutation were significantly related to the clinical endpoint events, respectively (P<0.05). Moreover, results from the logistic regression model demonstrated that the patient age, with or without liver cirrhosis, HBV mutation and the anti-viral treatment compliance were the independent risk factors for the long-term prognosis of patients with hepatitis B associated liver failure (OR=1.035, 0.510, 2.462, respectively. P< 0.05). The cumulative risk of Lc-ACLF patients progressed to decompensate cirrhosis, acute-on-chronic liver failure or HCC was significantly higher than that of CHB-ACLF patients (χ²=21.603, 4.423, P=0.000, 0.035, respectively). Conclusions Considering the importance of patients with or without liver cirrhosis, HBV mutation and the anti-viral treatment compliance in the long-term prognosis of HBV-ACLF patients, it is necessary and important to monitor the virus mutation and anti-viral treatment compliance of HBV- ACLF patients during antiviral therapy and those processes would benefit the improvement of long term prognosis of the patients with ACLF.

Objective: To study the clinical value of serum cystatin C, neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL) and matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-9/NGAL-1 measurements for early diagnosis of acute kidney injury (AKI) in patients with acute-on-chronic liver failure (ACLF). Methods: This study included 102 patients with hepatitis B virus related ACLF and 31 patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB) were enrolled as controls. Biomarkers including serum cystatin C, NGAL and MMP-9/NGAL-1 were measured twice in the patients with ACLF at admission and at the time progressed to AKI and once in the controls. Results: In patients with ACLF, serum cystatin C levels was higher than that of the CHB control (t=3.609, P=0.000), whereas NGAL and MMP-9/NGAL-1 levels were lower in patients with ACLF than that of CHB controls (t=3.016, P=0.003; t=7.514, P=0.000, respectively). Thirty-three patients (32.4%) progressed to AKI during hospitalization period. In AKI group of the patients serum cystatin C levels was higher than that of non-AKI group of the patents (t=4.543, P=0.000). MMP-9/ NGAL-1 and NGAL levels were not different in patients with and without AKI (t=0.905, P=0.368; t=0.061, P=0.952). Serum cystatin C in patients with mild AKI (serum creatinine<1.5 mg/dl) and AKI serum creatinine>1.5 mg/dl were 33.59± 9.19 ng/ml and 43.32±9.02 ng/ml respectively. That was higher than that of non-AKI patients (27.94±7.93 ng/ml, P=0.022, 0.000, respectively). Serum cystatin C was the independent risk factors associated with development of AKI by a multivariate logistic regression in patients with ACLF. Conclusions Serum cystatin C measurement may contribute to more earlier diagnosis of AKI even in patients with S. creatinine<1.5 mg/dl. NGAL and MMP-9/NGAL-1 may be the biomarker of progress for ACLF.