• Journal of Nutrition and Health
• /
• v.30 no.1
• /
• pp.48-60
• /
• 1997

The purpose of this study was to evaluate alcohol consumption and nutritional status in patients with alcoholic liver disease. The subjects were 80 patients with alcoholic liver cirrhosis and 12 patients with alcoholic fatty liver. Also 57 alcoholics without liver disease, 32 patients with viral liver cirrhosis and 194 normal men were included as control groups. Data on anthropometric index, socioeconomic status, alcohol consumption, dietary habits and dietary intakes were collected by individual interview. Alcoholic liver disease group had significantly lower triceps skinfold thickness and mid-uppr-arm circumferences than other groups. Socioeconomic status of alcholoci subjects was middle class or lower than that. The amount, duration and frequency of alcohol consumption were significantly higher and the quality of side dishes consumed with alcoholic beverage was significantly poorer in patients with alcoholic liver cirrhosis than others. Patients with alchololic liver disease ingested approximately 40% of daily caloric intake as alcohol and all alcoholic subjects had lower average intakes of protein, carbohydrates, fat, vitamins and minerals as compared with Korean adult average intakes. The results suggest that alcohol and poor dietary intake could cause malnutrition and might be two of the important risk factors to develop alcoholic liver disease in alcoholics. But other factors like genetic and immunological factors should be also considered in elucidating the causes of alcoholic liver disease. An extensive nutritional education should be emphasized for alcohol consuming population to prevent development of alcoholic liver disease.

• The Journal of Advanced Prosthodontics
• /
• v.8 no.4
• /
• pp.321-328
• /
• 2016

PURPOSE. This study was designed to investigate the maintenance of teeth and implants in patients with viral liver disease. MATERIALS AND METHODS. 316 patients without any significant systemic disease were selected as a control group. Liver disease group was consisted of 230 patients. Necessary data were collected using clinical records and panoramic radiographs. Then, the patients were subdivided into 2 groups based on the type of active dental therapy received before maintenance period (Pre-Tx). Analysis for finding statistically significant difference was performed based on the need for re-treatment of active dental therapy (Re-Tx) and change in the number of teeth (N-teeth) and implants (N-implants). RESULTS. Comparing to control group, the patients with liver disease showed higher value on N-teeth, N-implants, and Re-Tx. Statistically significant differences were found on N-teeth (P=.000) and Re-Tx (P=.000) in patients with non-surgical Pre-Tx. Analysis based on severity of liver disease showed that N-teeth and Re-Tx were directly related to severity of liver disease regardless of received type of Pre-Tx. Significant differences were found on N-teeth (P=.003) and Re-Tx (P=.044) in patients with non-surgical Pre-Tx. CONCLUSION. In this study, it was concluded that liver disease might influence the loss of teeth and cause the relapse of dental disease during maintenance period in patients. A significant positive relationship between tooth and implant loss and severity of liver disease seems to exist.

• Journal of Hospice and Palliative Care
• /
• v.23 no.2
• /
• pp.85-92
• /
• 2020

Purpose: In 2018, the Act on Decisions on Life-Sustaining Treatment for Patients in Hospice and Palliative Care or at the End of Life was implemented and the scope of official recognition for terminally ill patients was expanded. The purpose of this study was to investigate the decisions made by patients with end-stage liver disease about their life-sustaining treatment in a clinical setting. Methods: The subjects of this study were patients with end-stage liver disease hospitalized at a tertiary hospital in Seoul, Korea who wrote physician orders for life-sustaining treatment (POLST). Data collection was done using patients' electronic medical records, and a retrospective analysis of POLST was conducted. Results: Among 101 patients, 18.8% were female and 81.2% were male, and their mean age was 61.8 (±10.61) years. Sixty-three patients (62.4%) wrote their POLST by themselves. Three patients withdrew the POLST, of whom two did so for liver transplantation, and one did so for chemotherapy. Conclusion: This study shows that sufficient consideration of liver transplantation is needed for end-stage liver disease patients before making decisions on life-sustaining treatment. The self-determination of patients must be respected and effective guidelines are urgently needed.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Laboratory Science
• /
• v.37 no.1
• /
• pp.8-15
• /
• 2005

It is well known that intaking alcohol chronically and heavily causes many formsof physical systemic distress including serious chronic alcoholic liver disease such as alcoholic hepatitis, fatty liver, liver cirrhosis and hepatoma. Carbohydrate-deficient transferrin (CDT) is known as a specific marker in detecting and monitoring alcohol associated disease. Weanalyzed various alcohol-associated parameters to evaluate the clinical usefulness of CDT. The first patient group consisted of fifty patients, who had been diagnosed with alcoholic liver disease from January 2003 to June 2004 at Chungnam National University Hospital. The second group consisted of 12 patients with non-alcoholic liver disease. The third group consisted of 19 teetotalerswho had visited the hospital for the purpose of routine healthcare checks. Various hepatic parameters such as CDT, $\small{\Gamma}$-GT (gamma-glutamyl transferase), AST (aspartate aminotransferase) and ALT (alanine aminotransferase) were compared in the three groups. CDT and AST increased in direct proportion to the amount and duration of alcohol consumption with high significance, but $\small{\Gamma}$-GT and ALT showed arbitrary patterns with no statistical significance. The sensitivities of CDT, $\small{\Gamma}$-GT, AST and ALT were 74 %, 96 %, 68 % and 58 %, respectively and the specificities were 95 %, 74 %, 68 % and 79 % in order respectively. The correlation study of CDT with $\small{\Gamma}$-GT, AST and ALT showed a very low value of correlation coefficients, implying that CDT could be taken as an independent parameter in evaluating alcohol liver disease compared to $\small{\Gamma}$-GT, AST and ALT. This present study suggested that CDT coud be one of the most useful parameters in reflecting the amount and duration of alcohol consumption as well as being another independent parameter in assessing and following up patients with alcoholic liver disease. Moreover we recommend it is the best method of measuring both CDT and $\small{\Gamma}$-GT in patients with alcoholic liver disease.

• Journal of Life Science
• /
• v.5 no.3
• /
• pp.145-150
• /
• 1995

Alcoholic liver disease is defined by the development of three types of liver damage following chronic heavy alcohol consumption, namely, alcoholic fatty liver, alcoholic hepatitis, and alcoholic cirrhosis, The clinical features and laboratory tests often do not distinguish among these types of liver injuries. In addition, a considerable number of the patients who have clinical and laboratory features compatible with alcoholic liver disease are diagnosed on liver biopsy to have chronic viral hepatitis or other lesion. Because of these factors, liver biopsy is frequently needed to arrive a definite diagnosis of the disease, its activity, and its chronicity. Fatty liver is usually a benign and reverible condition that disappears on abstinence from alcohol. However, alcoholic hepatitis is usually regarded as a precursor of cirrhosis. The principle factors in the development of alcoholic hepatitis and cirrhosis are the quantity and length of ingestion of alcohol. women are much more susceptible than men to hepatic injuries. Since only 10 - 20% of alcoholics develop cirrhosis, however, it is conceivable that other factors, either genetic, environmental, or nutritional may contribute in the genesis of liver injuries. The most important factor in the treatment of alcoholic liver disease is prolonzed abstinence from alcohol, since abstinence by itself improves clinical status and survival, Nutritional support in patients with nutritional deficiency, and specific drug therapies such as corticosteroid or anabolic steroids for hospitaliged patients with severe alcoholic hepatitis also play an important role in devreasing morbidity and improving survival. Liver transplantation is a newer treatment modality in the patients with advanced cirrhosis, not responsible to medical treatment.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
• /
• v.27 no.6
• /
• pp.1236-1243
• /
• 1998

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the nutritional status of protein and lipids in the patients with alcoholic liver disease, to find an effective way of dietary management for patients with alcoholic liver disease and to obtain the materials for nutritional education for alcoholics. The subjects consist of 80 patients with alcoholic liver cirrhosis(ALC) and 12 patients with alcoholic fatty liver(AFL). The control group included 57 alcoholics without liver disease(A), 32 patients with viral liver cir rhosis(VLC) and 194 normal(NL). Biochemical evaluation of nutritional status was performed by ana lyzing the profiles of protein and lipids in blood samples. The results are summarized as follows: 1) The frequency of subjects below the normal range of serum total protein was 26.3% in ALC, 16.7% in AFL and 3.5% in A. Serum albumin was lower in 41.3% of ALC. 2) The alcoholics without liver disease showed significantly higher level of serum triglycerides, total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol than the other groups. The alcoholic subjects had lower HDL cholesterol than normal subjects. Overall, the protein and lipids status of the alcoholic subjects in this study was evaluated to be very poor on the basis of biochemical assessments. The results suggest that alcohol abuse and poor dietary intake could cause malnutrition. An extensive nutritional education should be emphasized for the alcohol consuming population. High quality of protein and other dietary intakes from early stage of the disease may be effective in nutritional therapy for the patient with alcoholic liver disease.

• The Korean Journal of Nuclear Medicine
• /
• v.12 no.2
• /
• pp.17-22
• /
• 1978

Carcinoembryonic antigen was initially known as tumor specific antigen and had a potential diagnostic value in the detection of digestive tract malignancies. However, subsequent studies showed CEA and CEA-like antigen present in benign disease, particullary in liver. We had collected sera from 58 patients who had liver scan and later were diagnosed clinically and histologically as liver disease. We estimated CEA values and correlations were made with liver function tests in liver cirrhosis cases. The results: 1) The raised plasma carcinoembryonic antigen level were found in 13 (68.4%) of 19 patients in liver cirrhosis, 5(27.8%) of 18 patients in hepatoma, 5(71. %) of 7 patients in chronic active hepatitis, all 3 patients in liver abscesses, 2(66.7%) of 3 patients in liver ablscesses, 2(66.7%) of 3 patients in obstructive biliary disease and none in each one patient of traumatic liver hematoma, subphrenic abscess and clonorchiasis. 2) There is no linear correlation between carcinoembryodic antigen level and liver function tests including serum bilirubin, alkaline phosphatase, SGOT and prothrombin time in liver cirrhosis patients.

• Journal of Food Hygiene and Safety
• /
• v.10 no.4
• /
• pp.249-254
• /
• 1995

In order to study the effects of Aloe vera Linne treatment on the clinical chemistry in patients with liver disease, seven patients were administered orally with 800~1, 600 mg of Aloe vera Linne four times day for six months. The high levels of serum AST, ALT, ALP, ${\gamma}$-GTP and total bilirubin in patients were significantly reduced by adminstration of Aloe vera L. The reduced serum albumin/globulin value was increased by Aloe vera L. treatment. But other blood parameters of clinical chemistry values were not affected by Aloe vera L. treatment. These data suggest that Aloe vera L. can be effective in treatment of the patients with liver disease.

• Korean Journal of Adult Nursing
• /
• v.19 no.2
• /
• pp.318-328
• /
• 2007

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine the degree of self-care, symptom experience and disease state among the patients with liver cirrhosis and to identify its correlation. Methods: The subjects were 220 patients with liver cirrhosis who were treated in D-university hospital in Busan. The instruments used for study were the self-care inventory, the symptom experience inventory and modified childpugh classification scale. Results: The average points of the patient's self-care performance, symptom experience, and disease status were 3.67, 29.10 and 6.12 respectively. Their self care was negatively correlated to symptom experience, and symptom experience was positively correlated to disease state. Conclusion: This research findings suggested that active self-care by patients with liver cirrhosis might contribute to reduce various symptoms they can undergo and to prevent aggravation of disease state. Therefore, patients with liver cirrhosis have to carry out self care actively in daily life and discreet nursing intervention should be offered to facilitate their self-care.

• Molecules and Cells
• /
• v.40 no.6
• /
• pp.418-425
• /
• 2017

Interferon-${\gamma}$-inducible protein 10 (IP-10), also known as chemokine C-X-C motif ligand (CXCL) 10, is closely associated with antiviral immunity and the progression of chronic hepatitis B (CHB). However, the value of baseline serological and histological IP-10 expression levels in predicting the efficacy of the antiviral response to nucleoside/nucleotide analogues (NAs) is still unknown. In our research, intrahepatic and peripheral IP-10 expression levels were systemically examined before and after treatment with entecavir (ETV). Baseline serological and histological IP-10 expression levels were significantly increased in patients with CHB, particularly in patients with higher degrees of liver inflammation and liver fibrosis. Moreover, higher baseline intrahepatic IP-10 levels indicated better prognoses in patients with CHB after entecavir therapy. The baseline IP-10 level was also positively associated with several clinical parameters, including baseline levels of alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), hepatitis B virus (HBV) DNA, and hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg), and with the decrease in HBsAg levels after treatment. In addition, monocyte-derived IP-10 was expressed at higher levels in patients with CHB than in patients with liver cirrhosis (LC) and healthy controls (HC). According to the results of our in vitro experiments, IP-10 directly promoted hepatocyte apoptosis. Based on these findings, baseline serological and histological IP-10 levels might predict CHB severity and the decrease in HBsAg levels after entecavir therapy.