Nsbb

BACKGROUND: Tight junction proteins (TJPs) play an important role in gut-barrier dysfunction in cirrhosis and its complications such as acute variceal bleed (AVB). However, the dynamics of TJPs expression after AVB, its relation to bacterial translocation, and impact on clinical outcome is largely unknown. AIMS: The aim of this study was to study the expression of TJPs in cirrhosis and assess its dynamic changes in AVB. In addition, the relation of TJP expression to endotoxemia and clinical outcomes was assessed...

Non-selective beta-blockers (NSBBs) are the cornerstone of the primary and secondary prophylaxis of variceal bleeding in cirrhotic patients. They additionally prevent ascites development and death in compensated patients with clinically significant portal hypertension. After ascites onset, NSBBs remain beneficial for preventing further decompensations. However, as the cirrhosis progresses, the inflammation increases, systemic vasodilatation worsens, ascites turns refractory and cardiodynamic equilibrium becomes extremely fragile...

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Non-alcoholic steatohepatitis has become a leading cause of cirrhosis. The prognostic value of (HVPG)-guided NSBB prophylaxis remains to be investigated in the setting of NASH cirrhosis. METHODS: Patients with NASH cirrhosis and varices undergoing HVPG-guided NSBB therapy were included. HVPG-response to NSBBs was evaluated within a median 52 (IQR:28-71) days after baseline measurement. HVPG-Response was defined as a decrease of ≥10% from baseline or below <12 mmHg...

Portal hypertension (PH), a common complication of liver cirrhosis, results in development of esophageal varices. When esophageal varices rupture, they cause significant upper gastrointestinal bleeding with mortality rates up to 20% despite state-of-the-art treatment. Thus, prophylactic measures are of utmost importance to improve outcomes of patients with PH. Several high-quality studies have demonstrated that non-selective beta blockers (NSBBs) or endoscopic band ligation (EBL) are effective for primary prophylaxis of variceal bleeding...

Portal hypertension, defined as increased pressure in the portal vein, develops as a consequence of increased intrahepatic vascular resistance due to the dysregulation of liver sinusoidal endothelial cells (LSECs) and hepatic stellate cells (HSCs), frequently arising from chronic liver diseases. Extrahepatic haemodynamic changes contribute to the aggravation of portal hypertension. The pathogenic complexity of portal hypertension and the unsuccessful translation of preclinical studies have impeded the development of effective therapeutics for patients with cirrhosis, while counteracting hepatic and extrahepatic mechanisms also pose a major obstacle to effective treatment...

Background and aims: Hemodynamic response to pharmacotherapy improves survival in patients with cirrhosis post variceal bleeding, but long-term outcomes remain unexplored especially in this part of the world. We aimed to study the long-term impact of portal pressure reduction on liver-related outcomes after index variceal bleed. Methods: Patients with hepatic venous pressure gradient (HVPG) more than 12 mm Hg after index variceal bleed were given non-selective beta-blockers in combination with variceal band ligation...

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Nonselective beta blockers (NSBBs) exert beneficial effects beyond lowering hepatic venous pressure gradient (HVPG), which may be particularly relevant in patients with decompensated cirrhosis (DC), in whom bacterial translocation and bacterial-induced systemic inflammation drive the development of complications such as acute-on-chronic liver failure (ACLF). We evaluated whether NSBB-related changes in von Willebrand factor (VWF) may serve as a biomarker for these effects...

BACKGROUND: Previous studies have demonstrated an association between nonselective beta-blockers (NSBBs) and lower risk of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in cirrhosis. However, there has been no population-based study investigating the risk of HCC among cirrhotic patients treated using carvedilol. AIMS: To determine the risk of HCC among cirrhotic patients with NSBBs including carvedilol. METHODS: This retrospective cohort study utilised the Cerner Health Facts database in the United States from 2000 to 2017...

BACKGROUND: Cirrhotic complications resulting from portal hypertension can be considerably reduced by non-selective beta-blockers (NSBBs); however, scarce studies have investigated therapeutic agents for other complications. We aimed to investigate the effects of NSBBs on common cirrhotic complications of infection, acute kidney injury (AKI), chronic renal function declination, and sarcopenic changes. METHODS: Medical records of hospitalization for cirrhosis with at least a 4-year follow-up were analyzed and selected using propensity-score matching (PSM)...

BACKGROUND: MR elastography can determine organ-related stiffness, which reflects the degree of fibrosis. Liver stiffness increases in cirrhosis, and stiffness increases further post-prandially due to increased portal blood in-flow. Non-selective beta-blockers (NSBB) reduce the portal venous inflow, but their effect on liver and spleen stiffness are disputed. AIMS: To assess whether MR elastography of the liver or spleen reflects the severity of cirrhosis, whether treatment with NSBB changes liver and spleen stiffness and whether changes in stiffness can predict the effect of NSBB on portal pressure...

AIMS AND BACKGROUND: There is limited information on comparison of clinical outcomes with carvedilol for secondary prophylaxis following acute variceal bleed (AVB) when compared with propranolol. We report long-term clinical and safety outcomes of a randomised controlled trial comparing carvedilol with propranolol with respect to reduction in hepatic venous pressure gradient (HVPG) in patients after AVB. METHODS: We conducted a post-hoc analysis of patients recruited in an open-label randomized controlled trial comparing carvedilol and propranolol following AVB, and estimated long-term rates of rebleed, survival, additional decompensation events and safety outcomes...

BACKGROUND/AIM: We investigated the effect of non-selective β-blockers (NSBB) in real-world situations and whether low-dose NSBB is beneficial compared to maximally tolerated doses. METHODS: We performed a retrospective study of 740 patients with cirrhosis requiring prophylactic treatment of esophageal varices: 473 primary prophylaxis (PP: NSBB = 349, non-NSBB = 124) and 267 secondary prophylaxis (SP: NSBB = 200, non-NSBB = 67)...

BACKGROUND: Global research on endoscopic therapies in combination with partial splenic embolization (PSE) for variceal hemorrhage (VH) is limited. Therefore, we aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of endoscopy plus PSE (EP) treatment in comparison to endoscopic (E) treatment for the secondary prophylaxis of VH in cirrhosis patients with hypersplenism. METHODS: Cirrhosis patients with hypersplenism (platelet count < 100, 000/µL) and those who had recovered from an episode of VH were enrolled in a multicenter randomized controlled trial...

Bleeding stomal varices are often difficult to manage given the comorbidities that are associated with their presentation. Here, we report a case of a 62-year-old female with stomal variceal hemorrhage in the setting of chronic portal vein thrombosis who was ineligible for transhepatic intrajugular portosystemic shunt or surgery as a result of her challenging anatomy and peri-operative risks. Despite coil embolization, this patient experienced refractory bleeds which ceased following the initiation of a non-selective beta-blocker (NSBB)...

Noninvasive staging of decompensated cirrhosis is an unmet clinical need. The aims of this study were to characterize and validate a novel microRNA (miRNA) signature to stage decompensated cirrhosis and predict the portal pressure and systolic cardiac response to nonselective beta-blockers (NSBBs). Serum samples from patients with decompensated cirrhosis (n = 36) and healthy controls (n = 36) were tested for a novel signature of five miRNAs (miR-452-5p, miR-429, miR-885-5p, miR-181b-5p, and miR-122-5p) identified in the secretome of primary human hepatocytes and for three miRNAs (miR-192-5p, miR-34a-5p, and miR-29a-5p) previously discovered as biomarkers of chronic liver disease...

Nonselective beta-adrenergic blocker (NSBB) therapy for the prevention of initial and recurrent gastrointestinal bleeding in cirrhotic patients with gastroesophageal varices has been used for the past four decades. NSBB therapy is considered the cornerstone of treatment for varices, and has become the standard of care. However, a 2010 study from the group that pioneered β-blocker therapy suggested a detrimental effect of NSBBs in decompensated cirrhosis, especially in patients with refractory ascites. Since then, numerous additional studies have incompletely resolved whether NSBBs are deleterious, although more recent evidence weighs against a harmful effect...

BACKGROUND: Non-selective beta-blockers (NSBBs) reduce enteric bacterial translocation rates and the frequency of spontaneous bacterial peritonitis (SBP) in animal models. AIM: To evaluate the effect of NSBBs on infection-related admissions. METHODS: We performed a case-control study of cirrhotic patients' first in-patient admission between 1 January 2011 and 31 December 2016. We examined NSBB use and the development of infection. We performed a propensity score-matched analysis in those with NSBB use vs no use and calculated odds ratios on this matched cohort to determine the odds of outcomes based on NSBB use...

BACKGROUND: Primary prophylaxis of variceal haemorrhage with non-selective beta blockers (NSBB) or variceal band ligation (VBL) is now standard of care in patients with cirrhosis with portal hypertension. NSBB, and particularly carvedilol, may be associated with improved survival. AIM: To assess mortality in a cohort of patients previously randomised to either carvedilol or VBL. METHODS: We retrospectively analysed 152 patients recruited to a multi-centre randomised controlled trial between 7 April 2000 and 24 June 2006 designed to assess the efficacy of VBL versus carvedilol in preventing first variceal bleed...

BACKGROUND: Portal hypertension (PH) causes severe complications in patients with liver cirrhosis, such as variceal bleeding and ascites; however, data on the knowledge and perceptions on guideline recommendations for the management of varices and the use of albumin is scarce. METHODS: We designed two structured surveys on (i) the management of varices and (ii) the use of albumin for Austrian physicians of specialized Gastro-Intestinal (GI) centers. The interviewed physicians were confronted spontaneously and provided ad hoc responses to the questionnaire...

OBJECTIVE: Systemic inflammation promotes the development of clinical events in patients with advanced chronic liver disease (ACLD). We assessed whether (1) non-selective beta blocker (NSBB) treatment initiation impacts biomarkers of systemic inflammation and (2) whether these changes in systemic inflammation predict complications and mortality. DESIGN: Biomarkers of systemic inflammation, that is, white blood cell count (WBC), C reactive protein (CRP), interleukin-6 (IL-6) and procalcitonin (PCT) were determined at sequential hepatic venous pressure gradient (HVPG) measurements without NSBB and under stable NSBB intake...