Evidence map›Paper›PMID 18357530›Full record

Trial reportDigestive diseases and sciences2008

Acetyl-L-carnitine treatment in minimal hepatic encephalopathy.

Mariano Malaguarnera, Maria Pia Gargante, Erika Cristaldi, Marco Vacante, Corrado Risino, Lisa Cammalleri, Giovanni Pennisi, Liborio Rampello

Registry-linked trialAbstract readRandomized Controlled Trial
PubMed Publisher
In one paragraph

Trial report in Digestive diseases and sciences, 2008. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT01223729 (Acetyl-L-Carnitine Reduces Depression and Improves Quality of Life in Patients With Minimal Hepatic Encephalopathy), which is not on this map. Cited by 45 papers, 7 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
45citing papers in PubMed, 7 pooled it
2.7field-weighted citation impact, top 10% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

NCT01223729 nacompletednot on this map

Acetyl-L-Carnitine Reduces Depression and Improves Quality of Life in Patients With Minimal Hepatic Encephalopathy

TypeinterventionalSponsorUniversity of CataniaRan2002 to 2005Enrolled67ConditionsMinimal Hepatic EncephalopathyArmsAcetyl-L-Carnitine, placebo
3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

45 citing papers in PubMed, 7 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 102 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Pooled it
  3. Pooled it
  4. Guideline
  5. Effects of carnitine supplementation on liver aminotransferase enzymes: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled clinical trials.Indian journal of gastroenterology : official journal of the Indian Society of Gastroenterology · 2019
    Pooled it
  6. Acetyl-L-carnitine for patients with hepatic encephalopathy.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2019
    Pooled it
  7. Guideline
  8. Trial
  9. Trial
  10. Trial
  11. Trial
  12. Trial
  13. Review
  14. Review
  15. Review
  16. Review
  17. Article
  18. Review
  19. Review
  20. Novel Agents in the Management of Hepatic Encephalopathy: A Review.Journal of clinical and translational hepatology · 2021
    Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.

Mariano MalaguarneraDepartment of Senescence, Urological and Neurological Sciences, University of Catania, Via Messina 829, 95125, Catania, Italy. malaguar@unict.it
Maria Pia Gargante
Erika Cristaldi
Marco Vacante
Corrado Risino
Lisa Cammalleri
Giovanni Pennisi
Liborio Rampello
University of Catania · IT

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Minimal hepatic encephalopathy (MHE) is characterized by disturbance of mental state and neuromuscular function. To assess the clinical efficacy of acetyl-L: -carnitine (ALC) in the treatment of MHE, we performed a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study administering ALC in cirrhotic patients with this disease and evaluating their cognitive functions. One hundred and twenty-five cirrhotic patients, of whom 21 were infected by hepatitis B virus, 75 by hepatitis C virus and 29 with cryptogenic cirrhosis, were enrolled in our study. Patients were randomly divided into two groups, and using double-blind administration, group A was treated with ALC and group B with placebo for 90 days. The two groups were similar in demographic characteristics, aetiology of cirrhosis, duration and Child-Pugh grade. Minimal hepatic encephalopathy was diagnosed with the Trail Making Test (TMT), Symbol Digit Modalities Test (SDMT) and Auditory Verbal Learning Test (AVL) and cognitive function with the Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE). After 90 days in group A treated with ALC, we observed a significant decrease in prothrombin time (P < 0.001), bilirubin serum levels (P < 0.01), AST (P < 0.001), fasting NH(4) serum levels (P < 0.001), Trail Making Test-A (P < 0.001) and Trail Making Test-B (P < 0.001), and a significant increase in albumin serum levels (P < 0.005), MMSE test (P < 0.001), Symbol Digit Modalities Test (P < 0.001), BDT (P < 0.001), AVL long-term test (P < 0.001) and AVL total test (P < 0.001). No significant differences were observed in EEG in either group of patients treated with ALC or placebo. The benefits of ALC in comparison with placebo are demonstrated in greater reductions in serum ammonia levels, as well as in improvements of neuropsychological functioning.

Indexed as

AcetylcarnitineAdultAmmoniaBilirubinCognitionDouble-Blind MethodFemaleHepatic EncephalopathyHumansIntelligence TestsLiver CirrhosisMaleMiddle AgedNootropic AgentsProthrombin TimeSerum AlbuminAcetylcarnitineAmmoniaBilirubinNootropic AgentsSerum Albumin

Identifiers

PMID18357530
OpenAlexW2036544714

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.