Evidence map›Paper›PMID 36264145›Full record

ArticleHepatology communications2022

Serum keratin-18 detects hepatic inflammation and predicts progression in compensated alcohol-associated liver disease.

Katrine Holtz Thorhauge, Maja Thiele, Sönke Detlefsen, Ditlev Nytoft Rasmussen, Stine Johansen, Bjørn Staehr Madsen, Steen Antonsen, Lars Melholt Rasmussen, Katrine Prier Lindvig, Aleksander Krag

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Hepatology communications, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 10 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
10citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
1.8field-weighted citation impact, top 15% 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.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

10 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 13 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Observational
  3. Article
  4. Review
  5. Article
  6. Non-invasive tests for MetALD and alcohol-related liver disease.JHEP reports : innovation in hepatology · 2025
    Review
  7. Recompensation of Liver Cirrhosis by TIPS Reduces Epithelial Cell Death Markers, Translating Into Improved Clinical Outcome.Liver international : official journal of the International Association for the Study of the Liver · 2025
    Article
  8. Article
  9. Article
  10. Article
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

10 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.

Katrine Holtz ThorhaugeDepartment of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Odense University Hospital, Odense, Denmark.ORCID 0000-0003-0411-0373
Maja ThieleDepartment of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Odense University Hospital, Odense, Denmark.ORCID 0000-0003-1854-1924
Sönke DetlefsenInstitute for Clinical Research, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark.
Ditlev Nytoft RasmussenDepartment of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Odense University Hospital, Odense, Denmark.
Stine JohansenDepartment of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Odense University Hospital, Odense, Denmark.ORCID 0000-0002-5031-2294
Bjørn Staehr MadsenDepartment of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Odense University Hospital, Odense, Denmark.ORCID 0000-0002-2846-3598
Steen AntonsenDepartment of Clinical Biochemistry, Odense University Hospital, Svendborg, Denmark.
Lars Melholt RasmussenInstitute for Clinical Research, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark.
Katrine Prier LindvigDepartment of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Odense University Hospital, Odense, Denmark.ORCID 0000-0001-7891-7706
Aleksander KragDepartment of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Odense University Hospital, Odense, Denmark.ORCID 0000-0002-9598-4932
University of Southern Denmark · DKOdense University Hospital · DK

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Alcohol-associated liver fibrosis accumulates over decades, driven by hepatic inflammation and cell death. We investigated the diagnostic accuracy of keratin-18 degradation, measured using serum M30 and M65 levels, and the ActiTest for hepatic inflammatory activity in patients with compensated alcohol-associated liver disease (ALD). Furthermore, we evaluated the prognostic accuracy of markers for liver-related events and all-cause mortality. All findings were compared with routine liver function tests: Aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), and gamma-glutamyltransferase. Our prospective, biopsy-controlled, single-center study included 265 patients with ongoing or prior excessive alcohol intake, representing the full spectrum of compensated ALD. We defined hepatic inflammatory activity as a combined score of lobular inflammation and ballooning. For severe hepatic inflammatory activity (n = 40), we found excellent diagnostic accuracy for M30 (area under the receiver operating characteristics curve [AUROC] = 0.90), M65 (AUROC = 0.86), and AST (AUROC = 0.86). Elevated M30 (M30 > 240 U/L) had the highest positive predictive value (PPV) and specificity, significantly higher than M65, ActiTest and ALT, but not AST (M30: sensitivity = 83%, specificity = 82%, positive predictive value = 45%, negative predictive value = 95%). Patients were followed up for 1445 patient-years. All markers, except for ALT, significantly predicted liver-related events and all-cause mortality. After adjusting for advanced fibrosis, drinking behavior and body mass index, M30 and M65 remained significant predictors of liver-related events, whereas M30 and AST were significant predictors of all-cause mortality. Conclusion: M30 and AST accurately detect severe hepatic inflammatory activity in patients with compensated ALD. M30 was the only significant predictor of both liver-related events and all-cause mortality after adjusting for advanced fibrosis, body mass index, and drinking behavior at inclusion.

Indexed as

Keratin-18Liver Diseases, AlcoholicBiomarkersEthanolHumansInflammationLiver CirrhosisProspective StudiesBiomarkersEthanolKeratin-18

Identifiers

PMID36264145
PMCPMC9701478
OpenAlexW4306911681

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

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.