The Efficacy of Licorice Root Extract in Decreasing Transaminase Activities in Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease: A Randomized Controlled Clinical Trial

This study was performed to investigate the effects of licorice on non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). In this double blind randomized clinical trial, 66 patients were divided into case and control groups. All patients had elevated liver enzymes and had increased liver echogenicity (lipid accumulation) on sonography. The case group was treated with one capsule containing 2 g aqueous licorice root extract per day for 2 months while the control group was treated in the same manner with a placebo. Weight, body mass index (BMI) and liver transaminase levels were measured for each patient before and after the study. In the case group, the mean alanine aminotransferase (ALT) level decreased from 64.09 to 51.27 IU/mL and the aspartate aminotransferase (AST) level decreased from 58.18 to 4

Q-T interval prolongation in cirrhosis: Relationship and severity

Background: Cirrhosis as the final stage of progressive fibrosis of liver can affect other organs such as lungs, kidneys and heart. "Cirrhotic cardiomyopathy" involves the electrophysiological abnormalities such as QT interval prolongation. We assessed correlation between corrected QT interval prolongation and severity of cirrhosis based on Child Classification in each ECG lead. Methods: In this case-control study, the patients attending the outpatient clinic and inpatient department of internal medicine of Velayat Hospital in Qazvin were enrolled from September 2014 to July 2015. Total samples were 74 patients, half of which were used as controls. Cirrhosis severity was determined as per Child Classification. Both groups had Ca2+, Mg2+, K+ tested and 12- lead ECG was obtained. The QT interval was corrected by two different formulas: (1) QTc=QT/√RR (QTc1); (2) QTc=QT+1.75 (heart rate-60) (QTc2). To analyze the data, the software SPSS Version 16 and Mann-Whitney, Pearson’s chisquare test-Kruskal-Wallis, and t-tests were used. Results: The mean of QTc1 and QTc2 was longer in cirrhotics than the control group. There was a significant correlation between Child score and length of QTc1 in leads: III (p=0.032), AVL (p=0.041), V2 (p=0.049), V6 (p=0.015). There were significant differences in length of QTc1 in leads: V3 (p=0.031) and V6 (p=0.021); and QTc2 in lead V3 (p=0.039) between Child Classification. Conclusions: Cirrhosis can induce QTc interval prolongation. Lead V3 has statistically significant correlation with the severity of cirrhosis based on child classification. We propose that QT interval prolongation be added as a criterion for prioritizing liver transplantation

Investigating effect of Helicobacter pylori treatment on improvement of non-alcoholic fatty liver parameters: a randomized trial

Background and objective: The correlation between the eradication of Helicobacter pylori (HP) and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a controversial one. The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of Helicobacter pylori treatment on liver function tests and lipid profiles and to compare its effects with exercise therapy and diet alone. Method: This was a double-blind randomized clinical trial conducted at Qazvin University of Medical Sciences. One hundred patients with NAFLD having a positive test for urea breath testing were randomly assigned into one of the intervention and comparison groups. The diet and physical activity program were given to two groups of patients for 8 weeks, three sessions per week. In addition to the above therapy, the patients in the intervention group also received HP treatment for 2weeks. The data corresponding to anthropometric and clinical features before and after the intervention were collected in both groups and compared using appropriate statistical methods. Results: After the treatment interventions, the variables of weight, BMI, blood glucose, triglyceride, AST, ALT, total cholesterol, and LDL-C were significantly decreased in both groups (p < .05). In the between-group comparisons, only ALT was significantly lower in the intervention group (HP) (p < .05). Conclusion: Findings of this study showed that the eradication of Helicobacter pylori could significantly improve the ALT index, but it had no additional effect on changes in metabolic indicators. Trial registration: Registration number: IRCT2015042020951N2 Name of trial registry: The study of treatment of Helicobacter pylori in improvement of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease The date of registration: 2015-05-12 Where the full trial protocol can be accessed: https://fa.irct.ir/trial/18489 Keywords: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, Helicobacter pylori, Alanine transaminase, Aspartate aminotransferase

To evaluate of the effect of adding licorice to the standard treatment regimen of Helicobacter pylori

AbstractObjectiveThe aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of licorice in H. pylori eradication in patients suffering from dyspepsia either with peptic ulcer disease (PUD) or non-ulcer dyspepsia (NUD) in comparison to the clarithromycin-based standard triple regimen.MethodsIn this randomized controlled clinical trial, 120 patients who had positive rapid urease test were included and assigned to two treatment groups: control group that received a clarithromycin-based triple regimen, and study group that received licorice in addition to the clarithromycin-based regimen for two weeks. H. pylori eradication was assessed six weeks after therapy. Data was analyzed by chi-square and t-test with SPSS 16 software.ResultsMean ages and SD were 38.8±10.9 and 40.1±10.4 for the study and control groups, respectively, statistically similar. Peptic ulcer was found in 30% of both groups. Response to treatment was 83.3% and 62.5% in the study and control groups, respectively. This difference was statistically significant.ConclusionAddition of licorice to the triple clarithromycin-based regimen increases H. pylori eradication, especially in the presence of peptic ulcer disease

Investigating effect of Helicobacter pylori treatment on improvement of nonalcoholic fatty liver parameters: a randomized trial

Background and objective: The correlation between the eradication of Helicobacter pylori (HP) and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a controversial one. The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of Helicobacter pylori treatment on liver function tests and lipid profiles and to compare its effects with exercise therapy and diet alone. Method: This was a double-blind randomized clinical trial conducted at Qazvin University of Medical Sciences. One hundred patients with NAFLD having a positive test for urea breath testing were randomly assigned into one of the intervention and comparison groups. The diet and physical activity program were given to two groups of patients for 8 weeks, three sessions per week. In addition to the above therapy, the patients in the intervention group also received HP treatment for 2weeks. The data corresponding to anthropometric and clinical features before and after the intervention were collected in both groups and compared using appropriate statistical methods. Results: After the treatment interventions, the variables of weight, BMI, blood glucose, triglyceride, AST, ALT, total cholesterol, and LDL-C were significantly decreased in both groups (p < .05). In the between-group comparisons, only ALT was significantly lower in the intervention group (HP) (p < .05). Conclusion: Findings of this study showed that the eradication of Helicobacter pylori could significantly improve the ALT index, but it had no additional effect on changes in metabolic indicators. Trial registration: Registration number: IRCT2015042020951N2 Name of trial registry: The study of treatment of Helicobacter pylori in improvement of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease The date of registration: 2015-05-12 Where the full trial protocol can be accessed: https://fa.irct.ir/trial/18489 Keywords: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, Helicobacter pylori, Alanine transaminase, Aspartate aminotransferase